Patent ID: 11940798
Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 4:
5. A method for passing a cyclist, comprising:
receiving, via processing circuitry, information from an imaging device;
receiving information from a positioning system;
identifying, via the processing circuitry, variables to a left side and a right side of an autonomous vehicle based on the information received from the imaging device;
determining whether the identified variables identify a cyclist passing situation based on the information received from the imaging device, the cyclist passing situation being a situation in which the autonomous vehicle passes the cyclist;
in a case when the cyclist passing situation is not identified based on the information received from the imaging device alone, identifying the cyclist passing situation based on the information from the imaging device and the positioning system;
matching, via the processing circuitry, the identified cyclist passing situation with real world data collected from vehicles driven by human drivers in corresponding situations, the real world data including a least a safe passing distance relative to the cyclist as determined from data collected from the vehicles driven by the human drivers passing cyclists; and
planning, via the processing circuitry, a path of the autonomous vehicle based on the real world data,
wherein the cyclist passing situation is based on the information received from the imaging device includes identifying a centerline as either a solid center line or a dashed center line, and a current weather condition,
the cyclist passing situation being based on the information received from the imaging device includes identifying when the cyclist is traveling in a bike lane, the cyclist passing situation being determined to arise when the cyclist is not traveling in the bike lane, and
the cyclist passing situation and the path of the autonomous vehicle is planned taking into account whether the cyclist is traveling at less than half of a posted speed limit and whether passing is permitted in a no-passing zone when a vehicle travels at less than half of the posted speed limit,
wherein the planned path of the autonomous vehicle is displayed in the autonomous vehicle.