Patent Description:
<CIT> describes determine an optimal lane trajectory and route for an autonomous vehicle under changing road conditions and forecast autonomous car performance along a route. A road's profile is analyzed to determine a safe lateral lane position. In ice or snow, a vehicle may follow ruts made by previous vehicles, even if following such ruts does not place a vehicle in a lane's center.

<CIT> describes a method and a system for detecting puncture risks of unmanned port vehicles. <CIT> autonomously navigates around pointy rocks in order to avoid tire punctures.

The technology involves self-driving cargo trucks and other types of self-driving vehicles (SDVs). In particular, aspects of the technology relate to how tire blowouts on SDVs can be addressed. This can include prevention, detection and handling of vehicle responses should a blowout occur.

According to one aspect, a method of performing tire evaluation for an autonomous vehicle is provided. The method comprises obtaining, by one or more processors of the autonomous vehicle, baseline information for a set of tires of the autonomous vehicle; receiving, by the one or more processors during driving of the autonomous vehicle, sensor data regarding at least one tire of the set of tires; updating a dynamics model for the set of tires based on the baseline information and the received sensor data; receiving, by the one or more processors, information regarding a roadway condition for a portion of a roadway, wherein the received information includes an indication that the autonomous vehicle will encounter an obstacle on the portion of the roadway; determining by the one or more processors, based on the updated dynamics model and in view of the received information, whether a possibility of a tire failure for the at least one tire in the set exceeds a threshold possibility; and upon determining that the threshold possibility is exceeded, the one or more processors causing the autonomous vehicle to take a corrective action.

For instance, the obstacle may be a pothole. The received information may further include information regarding an environmental condition, which may be an ambient temperature. The sensor data regarding the at least one tire may be pressure data, temperature data or shape data. Here, the pressure data can be obtained from a tire pressure monitoring system.

In another example, the sensor data regarding the at least one tire is received from a camera or lidar sensor of the autonomous vehicle. For instance, the sensor data may include a thermal image from an infrared camera of the autonomous vehicle. The corrective action may include adjusting a position of the autonomous vehicle within a lane to minimize possible impact with an obstacle on the portion of the roadway. The possibility of a tire failure may be, e.g., one of a blowout, slow leak, tread damage, sidewall damage or rim damage.

In a further example, the method also includes detecting a failure of the at least one tire of the set of tires and, in response to detecting the failure, the corrective action is selected from the group consisting of: adjusting a position of the autonomous vehicle within a lane to minimize possible impact with an obstacle on the portion of the roadway; pulling over and monitoring tire pressure for a first selected period of time; continuing driving and performing enhanced monitoring of the at least one tire for a second selected period of time; evaluating whether the at least one tire is safety critical for a current driving operation; changing a route of the autonomous vehicle; or notifying a remote service or another vehicle about the roadway conditions for the portion of a roadway.

Obtaining the baseline information may include performing one or more driving maneuvers to obtain data about the set of tires. And the method may further comprise training the dynamics model based on tire information received from a plurality of other autonomous vehicles.

According to another aspect, a control system according to claim <NUM> is provided.

The sensor data regarding the at least one tire may be pressure data, temperature data or shape data. The sensor data regarding the at least one tire can be received from a camera or lidar sensor of the perception system. The control system may be configured to obtain the baseline information by causing the driving system to perform one or more driving maneuvers.

In one scenario, the control system is further configured to detect a failure of the at least one tire of the set of tires and, in response to detection of the failure, the corrective action is selected from the group consisting of: adjust a position of the autonomous vehicle within a lane to minimize possible impact with an obstacle on the portion of the roadway; pull over and monitor tire pressure for a first selected period of time; continue driving and perform enhanced monitoring of the at least one tire for a second selected period of time; evaluate whether the at least one tire is safety critical for a current driving operation; change a route of the autonomous vehicle; or notify a remote service or another vehicle about the roadway conditions for the portion of a roadway.

The technology involves prediction of a likelihood of tire failure, including actions the vehicle may take to reduce the likelihood of failure. The technology also involves pre-trip and real-time system checks, and performing corrective actions should a tire fail. While many of the examples presented below involve commercial cargo vehicles, aspects of the technology may be employed with other types of vehicles.

Tire blowouts and other tire failures can occur due to various causes. For instance, underinflation may lead to overheating. A Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) can help with the status, but may not issue a pressure alert until a tire is significantly underinflated and by then that may be too late. Another factor is overloading the vehicle beyond its Gross Vehicular Weight Rating. Events during driving, such as passing over a pothole or encountering road debris can also cause tire failures such as a blowout, slow leak or physical damage that can affect tire integrity (e.g., tread or sidewall damage, rim damage, etc.). Environmental and component-related factors, such as extreme heat during the summer or the gradual wearing down of the tire, can also contribute to the likelihood of a blowout. However, it is recognized that tire failures may occur due to a combination of factors rather than a single issue. Thus, aspects of the technology involve monitoring different variables in real time that might contribute to a blowout or other failure. These aspects are discussed in detail below.

<FIG> illustrates an example cargo vehicle <NUM>, such as a tractor-trailer truck, and <FIG> illustrates an example passenger vehicle <NUM>, such as a minivan. The cargo vehicle <NUM> may include, e.g., a single, double or triple trailer, or may be another medium or heavy duty truck such as in commercial weight classes <NUM> through <NUM>. As shown, the truck includes a tractor unit <NUM> and a single cargo unit or trailer <NUM>. The trailer <NUM> may be fully enclosed, open such as a flat bed, or partially open depending on the freight or other type of cargo (e.g., livestock) to be transported. The tractor unit <NUM> includes the engine and steering systems (not shown) and a cab <NUM> for a driver and any passengers. In a fully autonomous arrangement, the cab <NUM> may not be equipped with seats or manual driving components, since no person may be necessary.

The trailer <NUM> includes a hitching point <NUM>, known as a kingpin. The kingpin is configured to pivotally attach to the tractor unit. In particular, the kingpin attaches to a trailer coupling, known as a fifth-wheel <NUM>, that is mounted rearward of the cab. Sensor units may be deployed along the tractor unit <NUM> and/or the trailer <NUM>. The sensor units are used to detect information about the surroundings around the cargo vehicle <NUM>. For instance, as shown the tractor unit <NUM> may include a roof-mounted sensor assembly <NUM> and one or more side sensor assemblies <NUM>, and the trailer <NUM> may employ one or more sensor assemblies <NUM>, for example mounted on the left and/or right sides of the trailer <NUM>. In some examples, the tractor unit <NUM> and trailer <NUM> also may include other various sensors for obtaining information about the tractor unit <NUM>'s and/or trailer <NUM>'s interior spaces, including the cargo hold of the trailer.

Similarly, the passenger vehicle <NUM> may include various sensors for obtaining information about the vehicle's external environment. For instance, a roof-top housing <NUM> may include a lidar sensor as well as various cameras and/or radar units. Housing <NUM>, located at the front end of vehicle <NUM>, and housings 156a, 156b on the driver's and passenger's sides of the vehicle may each incorporate a lidar sensor and/or other sensors such as cameras and radar. For example, housing 156a may be located in front of the driver's side door along a quarterpanel of the vehicle. As shown, the passenger vehicle <NUM> also includes housings 158a, 158b for radar units, lidar and/or cameras also located towards the rear roof portion of the vehicle. Additional lidar, radar units and/or cameras (not shown) may be located at other places along the vehicle <NUM>. For instance, arrow <NUM> indicates that a sensor unit may be positioned along the read of the vehicle <NUM>, such as on or adjacent to the bumper. In some examples, the passenger vehicle <NUM> also may include various sensors for obtaining information about the vehicle <NUM>'s interior spaces.

While certain aspects of the disclosure may be particularly useful in connection with specific types of vehicles, the vehicle may be any type of vehicle including, but not limited to, cars, trucks, motorcycles, buses, recreational vehicles, etc..

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram <NUM> with various components and systems of a cargo vehicle (e.g., as shown in <FIG>), such as a truck, farm equipment or construction equipment, configured to operate in a fully or semi-autonomous mode of operation. By way of example, there are different degrees of autonomy that may occur for a vehicle operating in a partially or fully autonomous driving mode. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Society of Automotive Engineers have identified different levels to indicate how much, or how little, the vehicle controls the driving. For instance, Level <NUM> has no automation and the driver makes all driving-related decisions. The lowest semi-autonomous mode, Level <NUM>, includes some drive assistance such as cruise control. Level <NUM> has partial automation of certain driving operations, while Level <NUM> involves conditional automation that can enable a person in the driver's seat to take control as warranted. In contrast, Level <NUM> is a high automation level where the vehicle is able to drive without assistance in select conditions. And Level <NUM> is a fully autonomous mode in which the vehicle is able to drive without assistance in all situations. The architectures, components, systems and methods described herein can function in any of the semi or fully-autonomous modes, e.g., Levels <NUM>-<NUM>, which are referred to herein as "autonomous" driving modes. Thus, reference to an autonomous driving mode includes both partial and full autonomy.

As shown in the block diagram of <FIG>, the vehicle includes a control system of one or more computing devices, such as computing devices <NUM> containing one or more processors <NUM>, memory <NUM> and other components typically present in general purpose computing devices. The control system may constitute an electronic control unit (ECU) of a tractor unit or other computing system of the vehicle. The memory <NUM> may be of any type capable of storing information accessible by the processor, including a computing device-readable medium. The memory is a non-transitory medium such as a hard-drive, memory card, optical disk, solid-state, tape memory, or the like. Systems may include different combinations of the foregoing, whereby different portions of the instructions and data are stored on different types of media.

The data <NUM> may be retrieved, stored or modified by one or more processors <NUM> in accordance with the instructions <NUM>. In one example, some or all of the memory <NUM> may be an event data recorder or other secure data storage system configured to store vehicle diagnostics and/or detected sensor data, which may be on board the vehicle or remote, depending on the implementation. As illustrated in <FIG>, the data may include information about the tires (e.g., a tire dynamics model based on tire pressure data, tire age, rotation history, etc.) and/or the vehicle (e.g., current loaded weight, trip and/or total mileage, planned route, component status, a general model of the vehicle, etc.).

The one or more processor <NUM> may be any conventional processors, such as commercially available CPUs. Alternatively, the one or more processors may be a dedicated device such as an ASIC or other hardware-based processor. Although <FIG> functionally illustrates the processor(s), memory, and other elements of computing devices <NUM> as being within the same block, such devices may actually include multiple processors, computing devices, or memories that may or may not be stored within the same physical housing. Similarly, the memory <NUM> may be a hard drive or other storage media located in a housing different from that of the processor(s) <NUM>. Accordingly, references to a processor or computing device will be understood to include references to a collection of processors or computing devices or memories that may or may not operate in parallel.

In one example, the computing devices <NUM> may form an autonomous driving computing system incorporated into vehicle <NUM>. The autonomous driving computing system may capable of communicating with various components of the vehicle. For example, returning to <FIG>, the computing devices <NUM> may be in communication with various systems of the vehicle, including a driving system including a deceleration system <NUM> (for controlling braking of the vehicle), acceleration system <NUM> (for controlling acceleration of the vehicle), steering system <NUM> (for controlling the orientation of the wheels and direction of the vehicle), signaling system <NUM> (for controlling turn signals), navigation system <NUM> (for navigating the vehicle to a location or around objects) and a positioning system <NUM> (for determining the position of the vehicle).

The computing devices <NUM> are also operatively coupled to a perception system <NUM> (for detecting objects in the vehicle's environment), a power system <NUM> (for example, a battery and/or gas or diesel powered engine) and a transmission system <NUM> in order to control the movement, speed, etc., of the vehicle in accordance with the instructions <NUM> of memory <NUM> in an autonomous driving mode which does not require or need continuous or periodic input from a passenger of the vehicle. Some or all of the wheels/tires <NUM> are coupled to the transmission system <NUM>, and the computing devices <NUM> may be able to receive information about tire pressure (e.g., TMPS data), balance and other factors that may impact driving in an autonomous mode.

The computing devices <NUM> may control the direction and speed of the vehicle by controlling various components. By way of example, computing devices <NUM> may navigate the vehicle to a destination location completely autonomously using data from the map information and navigation system <NUM>. Computing devices <NUM> may use the positioning system <NUM> to determine the vehicle's location and the perception system <NUM> to detect and respond to objects when needed to reach the location safely. In order to do so, computing devices <NUM> may cause the vehicle to accelerate (e.g., by increasing fuel or other energy provided to the engine by acceleration system <NUM>), decelerate (e.g., by decreasing the fuel supplied to the engine, changing gears, and/or by applying brakes by deceleration system <NUM>), change direction (e.g., by turning the front or other wheels of vehicle <NUM> by steering system <NUM>), and signal such changes (e.g., by lighting turn signals of signaling system <NUM>). Thus, the acceleration system <NUM> and deceleration system <NUM> may be a part of a drivetrain or other transmission system <NUM> that includes various components between an engine of the vehicle and the wheels of the vehicle. Again, by controlling these systems, computing devices <NUM> may also control the transmission system <NUM> of the vehicle in order to maneuver the vehicle autonomously.

As an example, computing devices <NUM> may interact with deceleration system <NUM> and acceleration system <NUM> in order to control the speed of the vehicle. Similarly, steering system <NUM> may be used by computing devices <NUM> in order to control the direction of vehicle. For example, if the vehicle is configured for use on a road, such as a tractor-trailer truck or a construction vehicle, the steering system <NUM> may include components to control the angle of wheels of the tractor unit <NUM> to turn the vehicle. Signaling system <NUM> may be used by computing devices <NUM> in order to signal the vehicle's intent to other drivers or vehicles, for example, by lighting turn signals or brake lights when needed.

Navigation system <NUM> may be used by computing devices <NUM> in order to determine and follow a route to a location. In this regard, the navigation system <NUM> and/or memory <NUM> may store map information, e.g., highly detailed maps that computing devices <NUM> can use to navigate or control the vehicle. As an example, these maps may identify the shape and elevation of roadways, lane markers, intersections, crosswalks, speed limits, traffic signal lights, buildings, signs, real time traffic information, vegetation, or other such objects and information. The lane markers may include features such as solid or broken double or single lane lines, solid or broken lane lines, reflectors, etc. A given lane may be associated with left and right lane lines or other lane markers that define the boundary of the lane. Thus, most lanes may be bounded by a left edge of one lane line and a right edge of another lane line.

The perception system <NUM> also includes sensors for detecting objects external to the vehicle and/or aspects of the vehicle itself (e.g., tire status). The detected objects may be other vehicles, obstacles in the roadway, traffic signals, signs, trees, etc. For example, the perception system <NUM> may include one or more lidar sensors, sonar devices, radar units, cameras (e.g., optical and/or infrared), acoustic sensors, inertial sensors (e.g., gyroscopes or accelerometers), and/or any other detection devices that record data which may be processed by computing devices <NUM>. The sensors of the perception system <NUM> may detect objects and their characteristics such as location, orientation, size, shape, type (for instance, vehicle, pedestrian, bicyclist, etc.), heading, and speed of movement, etc. The raw data from the sensors and/or the aforementioned characteristics can sent for further processing to the computing devices <NUM> periodically and continuously as it is generated by the perception system <NUM>. Computing devices <NUM> may use the positioning system <NUM> to determine the vehicle's location and perception system <NUM> to detect and respond to objects when needed to reach the location safely. In addition, the computing devices <NUM> may perform calibration of individual sensors, all sensors in a particular sensor assembly, or between sensors in different sensor assemblies.

As indicated in <FIG>, the sensors of the perception system <NUM> may be incorporated into one or more sensor assemblies <NUM>. In one example, the sensor assemblies <NUM> may be arranged as sensor towers integrated into the side-view mirrors on the truck, farm equipment, construction equipment or the like. Sensor assemblies <NUM> may also be positioned at different locations on the tractor unit <NUM> or on the trailer <NUM> (see <FIG>), or along different portions of passenger vehicle <NUM> (see <FIG>). The computing devices <NUM> may communicate with the sensor assemblies located on both the tractor unit <NUM> and the trailer <NUM> or distributed along the passenger vehicle <NUM>. Each assembly may have one or more types of sensors such as those described above.

Also shown in <FIG> is a communication system <NUM> and a coupling system <NUM> for connectivity between the tractor unit and the trailer. The coupling system <NUM> includes a fifth-wheel at the tractor unit and a kingpin at the trailer. The communication system <NUM> may include one or more wireless network connections to facilitate communication with other computing devices, such as passenger computing devices within the vehicle, and computing devices external to the vehicle, such as in another nearby vehicle on the roadway or at a remote network. The network connections may include short range communication protocols such as Bluetooth™, Bluetooth low energy (LE), cellular connections, as well as various configurations and protocols including the Internet, World Wide Web, intranets, virtual private networks, wide area networks, local networks, private networks using communication protocols proprietary to one or more companies, Ethernet, WiFi and HTTP, and various combinations of the foregoing.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram <NUM> of an example trailer. As shown, the system includes an ECU <NUM> of one or more computing devices, such as computing devices containing one or more processors <NUM>, memory <NUM> and other components typically present in general purpose computing devices. The memory <NUM> stores information accessible by the one or more processors <NUM>, including instructions <NUM> and data <NUM> that may be executed or otherwise used by the processor(s) <NUM>. The descriptions of the processors, memory, instructions and data from <FIG> apply to these elements of <FIG>. As illustrated in <FIG>, the data <NUM> may include information about the trailer's tires (e.g., tire pressure data, tire age, rotation history, etc.) and/or the trailer itself (e.g., current loaded weight, trip and/or total mileage, etc.).

The ECU <NUM> is configured to receive information and control signals from the trailer unit. The on-board processors <NUM> of the ECU <NUM> may communicate with various systems of the trailer, including a deceleration system <NUM> (for controlling braking of the trailer), signaling system <NUM> (for controlling turn signals), and a positioning system <NUM> (for determining the position of the trailer). The processors <NUM> may receive TPMS data from the trailer's tires.

The ECU <NUM> may also be operatively coupled to a perception system <NUM> (for detecting objects in the trailer's environment and/or aspects of the trailer itself) and a power system <NUM> (for example, a battery power supply) to provide power to local components. Some or all of the wheels/tires <NUM> of the trailer may be coupled to the deceleration system <NUM>, and the processors <NUM> may be able to receive information about tire pressure, balance, wheel speed and other factors that may impact driving in an autonomous mode, and to relay that information to the processing system of the tractor unit. The deceleration system <NUM>, signaling system <NUM>, positioning system <NUM>, perception system <NUM>, power system <NUM> and wheels/tires <NUM> may operate in a manner such as described above with regard to <FIG>. For instance, the perception system <NUM>, if employed as part of the trailer, may include at least one sensor assembly <NUM> having one or more lidar sensors, sonar devices, radar units, cameras, inertial sensors, and/or any other detection devices that record data which may be processed by the ECU <NUM> or by the processors <NUM> of the tractor unit.

The trailer may also include a set of landing gear <NUM>, as well as a coupling system <NUM>. The landing gear <NUM> provide a support structure for the trailer when decoupled from the tractor unit. The coupling system <NUM>, which may be a part of coupling system <NUM> of the tractor unit, provides connectivity between the trailer and the tractor unit. The coupling system <NUM> may include a connection section <NUM> to provide backward compatibility with legacy trailer units that may or may not be capable of operating in an autonomous mode. The coupling system includes a kingpin <NUM> configured for enhanced connectivity with the fifth-wheel of an autonomous-capable tractor unit.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram <NUM> of various systems of a passenger vehicle. As shown, the system includes one or more computing devices <NUM>, such as computing devices containing one or more processors <NUM>, memory <NUM> and other components typically present in general purpose computing devices. The memory <NUM> stores information accessible by the one or more processors <NUM>, including instructions <NUM> and data <NUM> that may be executed or otherwise used by the processor(s) <NUM>. The descriptions of the processors, memory, instructions and data from <FIG> apply to these elements of <FIG>.

As with the computing devices <NUM> of <FIG>, the computing devices <NUM> of <FIG> may control computing devices of an autonomous driving computing system or incorporated into a passenger vehicle. The autonomous driving computing system may be capable of communicating with various components of the vehicle in order to control the movement of the passenger vehicle according to primary vehicle control code of memory <NUM>. For example, computing devices <NUM> may be in communication with various, such as deceleration system <NUM>, acceleration system <NUM>, steering system <NUM>, signaling system <NUM>, navigation system <NUM>, positioning system <NUM>, perception system <NUM>, power system <NUM> (e.g., the vehicle's engine or motor), transmission system <NUM> in order to control the movement, speed, etc. of the in accordance with the instructions <NUM> of memory <NUM>. The wheels/tires <NUM> may be controlled directly by the computing devices <NUM> or indirectly via these other systems. These components and subsystems may operate as described above with regard to <FIG>. For instance, the perception system <NUM> also includes one or more sensors <NUM> for detecting objects external to the vehicle. The sensors <NUM> may be incorporated into one or more sensor assemblies as discussed above.

Computing devices <NUM> may include all of the components normally used in connection with a computing device such as the processor and memory described above as well as a user interface subsystem <NUM>. The user interface subsystem <NUM> may include one or more user inputs <NUM> (e.g., a mouse, keyboard, touch screen and/or microphone) and various electronic displays <NUM> (e.g., a monitor having a screen or any other electrical device that is operable to display information). In this regard, an internal electronic display may be located within a cabin of the passenger vehicle (not shown) and may be used by computing devices <NUM> to provide information to passengers within the vehicle. Output devices, such as speaker(s) <NUM> may also be located within the passenger vehicle.

The passenger vehicle also includes a communication system <NUM>, which may be similar to the communication system <NUM> of <FIG>. For instance, the communication system <NUM> may also include one or more wireless network connections to facilitate communication with other computing devices, such as passenger computing devices within the vehicle, and computing devices external to the vehicle, such as in another nearby vehicle on the roadway, or a remote server system. The network connections may include short range communication protocols such as Bluetooth™, Bluetooth low energy (LE), cellular connections, as well as various configurations and protocols including the Internet, World Wide Web, intranets, virtual private networks, wide area networks, local networks, private networks using communication protocols proprietary to one or more companies, Ethernet, WiFi and HTTP, and various combinations of the foregoing.

In view of the structures and configurations described above and illustrated in the figures, various implementations will now be described.

In order to detect the environment and conditions around the vehicle while driving in an autonomous mode, different types of sensors and layouts may be employed. Examples of these were presented above with regard to <FIG>. The field of view for each sensor can depend on the sensor placement on a particular vehicle. In one scenario, the information from one or more different kinds of sensors may be employed so that the tractor-trailer or other vehicle may operate in an autonomous mode. Each sensor may have a different range, resolution and/or field of view (FOV).

For instance, the sensors may include a long range FOV lidar and a short range FOV lidar. In one example, the long range lidar may have a range exceeding <NUM>-<NUM> meters, while the short range lidar has a range no greater than <NUM>-<NUM> meters. Alternatively, the short range lidar may generally cover up to <NUM>-<NUM> meters from the vehicle while the long range lidar may cover a range exceeding <NUM> meters. In another example, the long range is between <NUM>-<NUM> meters, while the short range has a range of <NUM>-<NUM> meters. In a further example, the long range exceeds <NUM> meters while the short range is below <NUM> meters. Intermediate ranges of between, e.g., <NUM>-<NUM> meters can be covered by one or both of the long range and short range lidars, or by a medium range lidar that may also be included in the sensor system. In addition to or in place of these lidars, a set of cameras (e.g., optical and/or infrared) may be arranged, for instance to provide forward, side and rear-facing imagery in and around the vehicle, including in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle (e.g., within less than <NUM>-<NUM> meters around the vehicle). Similarly, a set of radar sensors may also be arranged to provide forward, side and rear-facing data.

<FIG> illustrate example sensor configurations and fields of view on a cargo vehicle. In particular, <FIG> presents one configuration <NUM> of lidar, camera and radar sensors. In this figure, one or more lidar units may be located in sensor housing <NUM>. In particular, sensor housings <NUM> may be located on either side of the tractor unit cab, for instance integrated into a side view mirror assembly. In one scenario, long range lidars may be located along a top or upper area of the sensor housings <NUM>. For instance, this portion of the housing <NUM> may be located closest to the top of the truck cab or roof of the vehicle. This placement allows the long range lidar to see over the hood of the vehicle. And short range lidars may be located along a bottom area of the sensor housings <NUM>, closer to the ground, and opposite the long range lidars in the housings. This allows the short range lidars to cover areas immediately adjacent to the cab (e.g., up to <NUM>-<NUM> meters from the vehicle). This would allow the perception system to determine whether an object such as another vehicle, pedestrian, bicyclist, etc., is next to the front of the vehicle and take that information into account when determining how to drive or turn in view of an aberrant condition.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the long range lidars on the left and right sides of the tractor unit have fields of view <NUM>. These encompass significant areas along the sides and front of the vehicle. As shown, there is an overlap region <NUM> of their fields of view in front of the vehicle. A space is shown between regions <NUM> and <NUM> for clarity; however in actuality there would desirably be overlapping coverage. The short range lidars on the left and right sides have smaller fields of view <NUM>. The overlap region <NUM> provides the perception system with additional or information about a very important region that is directly in front of the tractor unit. This redundancy also has a safety aspect. Should one of the long range lidar sensors suffer degradation in performance, the redundancy would still allow for operation in an autonomous mode.

<FIG> illustrates coverage <NUM> for either (or both) of radar and camera sensors on both sides of a tractor-trailer. Here, there may be multiple radar and/or camera sensors in each of the sensor housings <NUM>. As shown, there may be sensors with side and rear fields of view <NUM> and sensors with forward facing fields of view <NUM>. The sensors may be arranged so that the side and rear fields of view <NUM> overlap, and the side fields of view may overlap with the forward facing fields of view <NUM>. As with the long range lidars discussed above, the forward facing fields of view <NUM> also have an overlap region <NUM>. This overlap region provides similar redundancy to the overlap region <NUM>, and has the same benefits should one sensor suffer degradation in performance.

While not illustrated in <FIG>, other sensors may be positioned in different locations to obtain information regarding other areas around the vehicle, such as along the rear or underneath the vehicle. By way of example, in the example <NUM> of <FIG>, sensors on or around the cab and trailer can obtain tire-related information. As shown, in addition to sensor assemblies <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>, the vehicle may also include assemblies <NUM> and/or <NUM> disposed along the base of the tractor and/or the trailer, or otherwise elsewhere on the chassis. In this example, the sensor assembly <NUM> on each side of the vehicle may be able to scan the tires along the tractor as seen by example fields of view <NUM> and <NUM>. Similarly, assembly <NUM> may have a field of view <NUM> capable of scanning tires on the trailer (or tractor as well). And assembly <NUM> may have a field of view <NUM> capable of scanning tires along the trailer (or tractor as well).

One facet of prevention is to develop a vehicle dynamics system that can be used to predict a likelihood that a given tire will fail (e.g., suffer a catastrophic loss in pressure or shape) before it happens. For instance, the dynamics system may include information regarding the desired tire pressure (or range of pressures) that can avoid or minimize the likelihood of a blowout or other failure given various factors such as the load weight and distribution, upcoming weather conditions on the route, the number of miles traveled per tire, etc. This information can be stored in memory (e.g., as data <NUM> of memory <NUM>) as part of a vehicle model, such as a dynamics model of the tires. This model can be used to predict the likelihood of a tire blowout or other tire failure. For instance, if the predicted likelihood of tire failure is high, the vehicle may take one or more preventive actions including changing the route, changing the time when a trip starts or the speed at which the vehicle travels (e.g., to avoid certain weather conditions), and requesting a tire change and/or a change to the load weight or load distribution before departing on the trip or at a service center along the route.

In one aspect, all vehicle servicing and maintenance would be logged and available to the vehicle model. Other factors that can be stored in memory for the model include temperatures (e.g., ambient, road and tires), the number of miles of each tire, axle weight to know tire loading and deformation, and the longitudinal and lateral acceleration from each tire's perspective, which can be a big contributor to general tire wear. Certain information may be easier to obtain for the tractor's tires than the trailer's tires. This is because trailers may be hauled by autonomously or manually driven tractors, and a legacy may not have onboard sensing equipment to detect or log information about its tires. Nonetheless, as discussed further below, the tires on a trailer may be examined and evaluated by the autonomous vehicle prior to beginning a trip.

Readings received from the TPMS module(s) from the tires can be continuously or intermittently obtained and stored by the system for analysis. Direct TPMS measurements can be made with sensors in the wheels, or indirect measurements can be taken based on, e.g., the deceleration system's wheel speed sensors. The TPMS information may be sent to the control system (e.g., processors <NUM> of <FIG> or the ECU <NUM> of <FIG>). A repeater or signal extender may be employed to replay TPMS information from tires along the trailer (e.g., the rearmost tires) to the control system.

In addition or alternatively, a combination of camera and lidar could be employed to perform real time measurement of the tires. For instance, optical cameras could be useful for measurement/deformation estimation. In particular, the observed tire shape combined with a model can be used to evaluate tire health, especially when tire, roadway and ambient temperatures are taken into account, along with longitudinal and lateral acceleration information. Furthermore, infrared cameras can be used to detect tire wear. All of this information may be fed into the model, for instance to identify whether there is a set of triggering factors that may result in a blowout or other tire failure.

<FIG> illustrate one example <NUM> where the system detects a change in a tire <NUM>. As shown in the exaggerated side view of <FIG> and the exaggerated rear view of <FIG>, the outermost rear left tire of the trailer may have a change in shape, pressurization and/or temperature.

In addition to directly measuring information about the tire, the system may also evaluate aspects of the vehicle itself or the cargo to provide information regarding a (potential) blowout. For instance, <FIG> illustrates another example <NUM>, in which a change in tire pressure may cause the trailer to tilt or slew at an angle θ, e.g., between <NUM>-<NUM>° (or more or less). And in example <NUM> of <FIG>, under-pressurization of one or more tires may cause the cargo within the trailer to move from an initial position to a shifted position (e.g., towards the left) as shown by dash-dot line <NUM>, e.g., in accordance with the angle θ.

In one example, the received TPMS data and other information may be compared in real time with the dynamics data and the model can be updated as the vehicle drives. The updated dynamics model can be used to predict the likelihood of a blowout or other tire failure. The system according to the invention uses the model to quantify that based on the current data for a given tire, in view of upcoming road and optionally additionally in view of upcoming environmental conditions, there is an increased possibility that the tire will fail. Here, for example, the system may evaluate the trailer weight, tire life, location of each tire on the vehicle, temperatures, vehicle speed and/or likelihood of impact with a detected pothole, debris or other obstacle to calculate a likelihood or probability of tire failure. In response, the vehicle may modify how it drives or take other action, which is discussed further below.

<FIG> illustrates an example <NUM> in which there may be a pothole <NUM>, debris <NUM> or other obstacle <NUM>. Depending on the obstacle and other factors, any of these could lead to a blowout, slow leak, or other failure of one or more tires. According to one aspect, upon detection of the obstacle the onboard system may attempt to classify it (e.g., pothole v. leaf pile), for instance by comparing the obstacle to a type stored in memory. Even though the system may classify an obstacle, information observed or otherwise know about the obstacle may be highly relevant to whether it can increase the likelihood of a blowout. For instance, the specific shape (e.g., overall area, edge type, etc.) and depth of the pothole (e.g., <NUM> v. <NUM>) would make a big difference. The sharpness of the edge, the material of the road, etc. can all factor into the evaluation of the pothole (or other obstacle). As shown by the double arrow in <FIG>, information obtained by one vehicle may be passed on to other vehicles about the obstacle. For instance, a leading truck may use sensor information to detect the size, shape and depth of a pothole. Alternatively or additionally, the leading truck may have driven over the obstacle or observed how another vehicle responded when driving over the obstacle. This obtained information may be transmitted directly or indirectly to one or more nearby vehicles on the roadway, or to a central system such as a remote assistance service for dissemination to other vehicles. As a result, potholes and other obstacles may be added to a map, for example on an obstacle or hazard layer of a roadgraph or other electronic map. Vehicles would then be able to identify the pothole based on its presence in the map.

If such detailed information is not available, then a corrective driving decision may be made once it is established that the obstacle is a pothole. In contrast, if specific information about the obstacle is known, the control system (e.g., a planner module) may determine whether it is safe to drive over some or all of the obstacle without a blowout occurring. Here, whether the obstacle is "safe" could mean whether it is (a) something that can damage the tires, (b) something that can cause controller issues leading to fault condition in the autonomous driving system, (c) something that can damage the underside of the vehicle's chassis, (d) something that could be dislodged by a tire when driven over, or some other potential safety issue. By way of example, with regard to situation (a), the system may calculate or otherwise estimate the obstacle's impact on a tire based on knowledge of the roadway (e.g., surface material), measurement of, for instance, the depth of pothole, height of debris and/or density of the material of the debris (e.g., using the onboard perception system), type of debris (e.g., concrete block v. plastic bag), and comparing this information to a stored database of obstacles that have caused issues in the past. In one example the database may be associated with a machine learning model for obstacles that is trained based on one or more of the above factors.

In one example, if the vehicle operating in an autonomous driving mode runs over a pothole or encounters another obstacle or problematic condition, it may pull over and come to a stop on the road shoulder to monitor the tire pressure for some set amount of time before continuing (e.g., <NUM>-<NUM> minutes, or more or less). Alternatively, the system may monitor the tire pressure without pulling over. In this case, if the monitoring indicates a decrease in pressure that falls below some threshold, the vehicle could then pull over or take some other corrective action. As described above with regard to example <NUM> of <FIG>, the vehicle sensors may detect that the truck is tilting slightly to one side (e.g., <NUM> - <NUM>° or more or less) or that one side is lower than the other (e.g., <NUM>-<NUM> lower). The system could also monitor cargo distribution as described above with regard to example <NUM> of <FIG>, which may help indicate whether the trailer is not level due to tire issues. In another example, instead of pulling over, the vehicle's control system could monitor tire pressure from onboard sensors, e.g., via TPMS, lidar and/or cameras.

In addition or alternatively, as noted above with regard to <FIG>, the vehicle may receive alerts from across an autonomous truck fleet about locations where tire blowout have occurred on a certain route. This information may be received directly from other nearby trucks or from a backend system. In one scenario, the fleet may share information about conditions that might increase the risk of tire blowout or other tire failure. This can include using a shared database or a map to which vehicles can append information (e.g., in real time or upon reaching a destination or way point) and then use this database to inform routing decisions or decisions about which lane to drive in.

The onboard system or a backend system such as a remote assistance service may also track the status of each tire based on total miles, cargo weight, location of tire on vehicle (tractor v. trailer, front v. rear, right side v. left side, inner tire v. outer tire, etc.) and determine when that particular tire should be replaced or rotated are part of a predictive maintenance approach.

According to another aspect of the technology, before the truck or other vehicle departs on a trip, baseline information for the set of tires may be obtained. For example, a tire check may be performed in order to obtain baseline information for the tires, such as tire pressure, balance, internal temperature, tread wear, tire shape, rim condition, etc. The baseline information can be used as a reference to compare against future tire checks, and input into a model in order to predict tire failures. Additional checks of any or all of these factors may be performed during the trip, for instance periodically (e.g., every <NUM>-<NUM> miles or every <NUM>-<NUM> minutes, or more or less) or upon certain criteria or thresholds being met (e.g., tire or ambient temperature exceeding <NUM>°, tire pressure exceeding recommended pressure by more than <NUM>-<NUM>%, etc.). Furthermore, data from multiple prior pre-trip checks can be used to update the baseline information, for instance to take into account changes in weather conditions (e.g., warmer or colder temperatures) and other factors. For example, early morning pre-trip checks in the winter may start with a colder temperature and/or lower pressure than late afternoon pre-trip checks during the summer months. Having data regarding these different environmental conditions can be used to adjust the baseline accordingly, such as to indicate that the pressure prior to a morning trip in the winter may be within a permissible range even though it is lower than a nominal pressure at some other time of year (e.g., <NUM> psi versus <NUM> psi).

In addition to receiving information from the TPMS and other sensors as discussed above, the vehicle's perception system may also detect issues along the roadway such as a pothole, debris or other obstacle as noted above. The onboard system may additionally monitor lateral control data or other pose information to detect early signs of the truck not following the expected trajectory and/or speed. Cameras or lidar may be used to view the wheels of the tractor and trailer, for instance by using sensors that are part of the vehicle's perimeter sensing system. Depending on the sensor configuration, sensors arranged to detect objects external to the vehicle can also be used to collect tire-related information. For instance, lidar or camera sensors could also be used to estimate the radius of the tires on the trailer (or any tires that do not have TPMS) in order to further evaluate the tire status.

In one scenario, the front (steering) wheels on the tractor are likely to be most problematic if they blow out, so the camera or lidar may be focused primarily on those. By way of example, such sensors may capture data at a frequency of <NUM>-<NUM>. Sensors focused on other tires may have the same capture rate or a lower rate of, e.g., <NUM> - <NUM>.

The vehicle may also perform certain driving maneuvers to obtain additional data about the tires. This can include, e.g., a series of turns or small movements that provide a more complete picture of the tires) as the vehicle is traveling along the route.

All of this information can be used to build or update the tire dynamics model. As noted above, the model can be used to predict the likelihood of a blowout or other failure. This may be a likelihood of a blowout in general, or the likelihood that a specific tire may fail. In either case, should the likelihood of failure exceed a threshold prediction level, the vehicle is able to take one or more actions. If the vehicle has not yet departed on the trip or is stopped, it may request a tire change or modification of the cargo weight distribution, or it may alter the route and/or departure time to avoid roadway or environmental conditions that are predicted to contribute to a failure. If the vehicle is currently driving, the vehicle may make changes to driving operations based on the threshold prediction level, such as lowering its speed, applying the brakes, changing lanes, altering the route, putting its hazard lights on, etc..

For instance, using the available information about the tires' status and other factors, the truck's planner system may cause the vehicle to change lanes or take other corrective action to avoid running over a pothole or other obstacle. For instance, if potholes or other issues are included in the map (e.g., in an obstacle or hazard layer of the map), the onboard planner or backend system may alter the route or cause the vehicle to change lanes to avoid the pothole altogether. However, there may not be time or the ability to make significant driving modifications (e.g., changing lanes), for instance due to late detection of the obstacle, traffic conditions, etc. Thus, in one example the planner or other onboard system may cause the vehicle to nudge over within a lane (e.g., by <NUM>-<NUM>) to minimize the pothole (or debris) impact, so that the pothole or debris passes between the tires. The vehicle could also slow down, providing additional time to gather information about the obstacle or take corrective action. By way of example, the corrective action may include (i) adjusting the position of the autonomous vehicle within a lane to minimize possible impact with an obstacle on the portion of the roadway, (ii) pulling over and monitoring tire pressure for a first selected period of time, (iii) continuing driving and performing enhanced monitoring of the at least one tire for a second selected period of time, (iv) evaluating whether the at least one tire is safety critical for a current driving operation, (v) changing a route of the autonomous vehicle, and/or (vi) notifying a remote service or another vehicle about either the roadway conditions for the portion of a roadway or the environmental condition.

In addition to sensors capturing information about the tires' status in real time, a machine learning model for such sensor information could be applied to detect a blowout or other failure condition. In one example, the system (either onboard or remote) can construct an anomaly detection model. This approach would look for events that are outliers from the common pattern/events. In this case, it can include looking for tires that currently appear different from how they are expected to look. In another example, a supervised machine learning model can be trained on either still images or short video segments of the tire. Here, the model can use as inputs any or all of the signals mentioned above (e.g., weather conditions, whether the vehicle went over a pothole, whether the vehicle is following lateral trajectory precisely, TPMS measurements, etc.). For both cases, the system can bring a human into the loop should one or more threshold conditions for a failure be met. That is, when the model detects something, the vehicle is able to notify remote assistance urgently so that a trained human can also evaluate the situation before the vehicle takes corrective action.

In one scenario, when the on-board and/or remote assistance system determines that the vehicle needs to take corrective action, the control system may cause the driving system to perform selected operations, e.g. accelerate, rather than brake to maintain lane position. Using the above approaches, the vehicle may be able to immediately determine that a blowout or other failure has occurred (e.g., within <NUM>-<NUM> seconds, or more or less). This rapid detection allows the onboard system to take correctly action more quickly and precisely than human drivers might be able to. In addition, the system may determine which particular tire failed, whether that tire is safety critical (e.g., a steering tire in the front of the tractor or an interior rear tire of the trailer), and determine whether an immediate pullover is required or how long the vehicle can travel before pulling over. This may also include evaluating whether to make changes to the planned route, driving speed, etc. Thus, for a significant failure such as a blowout, the autonomous driving system may cause the driving system to make steering, braking and/or acceleration adjustments to achieve a desired lane position or otherwise maintain control of the vehicle. Once the vehicle is controller, it may pull over as soon as it is safe to do so. At this point, the vehicle can call for service.

In one scenario, the vehicle can pull over on the shoulder and call for service (e.g., via a remote assistance service). This may also be done in conjunction with alerting other vehicles (directly or indirectly) of the situation. Furthermore, if the system is able to determine the factor(s) that caused the blowout (e.g., excessive temperature + pothole + high mileage tire), this information may also be communicated to warn other vehicles so that they can make adjustments to reduce the likelihood of a blowout of one of their tires.

The vehicle's on-board control system may communicate with remote assistance, as well as with service personnel and human drivers or passengers of the vehicle. One example of this is shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. In particular, <FIG> and <FIG> are pictorial and functional diagrams, respectively, of an example arrangement <NUM> that includes a plurality of computing devices <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and a storage system <NUM> connected via a network <NUM>. System <NUM> also includes vehicles <NUM> and <NUM>, which may be configured the same as or similarly to vehicles <NUM> and <NUM> of <FIG> and <FIG>. Vehicle <NUM> and/or vehicles <NUM> may be part of a fleet of vehicles, for instance as a fleet of cargo vehicles. Although only a few vehicles and computing devices are depicted for simplicity, a typical arrangement may include significantly more.

As shown in <FIG>, each of computing devices <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> may include one or more processors, memory, data and instructions. Such processors, memories, data and instructions may be configured similarly to the ones described above with regard to <FIG>. The various computing devices and vehicles may communication via one or more networks, such as network <NUM>. The network <NUM>, and intervening nodes, may include various configurations and protocols including short range communication protocols such as Bluetooth™, Bluetooth LE, the Internet, World Wide Web, intranets, virtual private networks, wide area networks, local networks, private networks using communication protocols proprietary to one or more companies, Ethernet, WiFi and HTTP, and various combinations of the foregoing. Alternatively or in addition, the vehicles may be able to communicate directly with any of devices <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and/or <NUM>.

In one example, computing device <NUM> may include one or more server computing devices having a plurality of computing devices, e.g., a load balanced server farm, that exchange information with different nodes of a network for the purpose of receiving, processing and transmitting the data to and from other computing devices. For instance, computing device <NUM> may include one or more server computing devices that are capable of communicating with the computing devices of vehicles <NUM> and/or <NUM>, as well as computing devices <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> via the network <NUM>. For example, vehicles <NUM> and/or <NUM> may be a part of a fleet of vehicles that can be dispatched by a server computing device to various locations. In this regard, the computing device <NUM> may function as a dispatching server computing system which can be used to dispatch vehicles to different locations in order to pick up and deliver cargo and/or to pick up and drop off passengers. In addition, vehicles <NUM> and/or <NUM> may also directly or indirectly with other fleet vehicles, service vehicles, and the like. In addition, server computing device <NUM> may use network <NUM> to transmit and present information to a user of one of the other computing devices or a passenger of a vehicle. In this regard, computing devices <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> may be considered client computing devices.

As shown in <FIG>, computing devices <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> may be computing devices intended for use by respective users <NUM>, and have all of the components normally used in connection with a personal computing device including a one or more processors (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)), memory (e.g., RAM and internal hard drives) storing data and instructions, a display (e.g., a monitor having a screen, a touch-screen, a projector, a television, or other device such as a smart watch display that is operable to display information), and user input devices (e.g., a mouse, keyboard, touchscreen or microphone). The computing devices may also include a camera for recording video streams, speakers, a network interface device, and all of the components used for connecting these elements to one another.

Although these computing devices may each comprise a full-sized personal computing device, they may alternatively comprise mobile computing devices capable of wirelessly exchanging data with a server over a network such as the Internet. By way of example only, computing device <NUM> may be mobile phones or devices such as a wireless-enabled PDA, a tablet PC, a wearable computing device (e.g., a smartwatch), or a netbook that is capable of obtaining information via the Internet or other networks.

In some examples, computing device <NUM> may be a remote assistance workstation used by an administrator or operator to communicate with vehicles <NUM> and/or <NUM>. Although only a single remote assistance workstation <NUM> is shown in <FIG>, any number of such workstations may be included in a given system. Moreover, although workstation <NUM> is depicted as a desktop-type computer, this device may include various types of personal computing devices such as laptops, netbooks, tablet computers, etc..

Storage system <NUM> can be of any type of computerized storage capable of storing information accessible by the server computing devices <NUM>, such as a hard-drive, memory card, ROM, RAM, DVD, CD-ROM, flash drive and/or tape drive. In addition, storage system <NUM> may include a distributed storage system where data is stored on a plurality of different storage devices which may be physically located at the same or different geographic locations. Storage system <NUM> may be connected to the computing devices via the network <NUM> as shown in <FIG>, and/or may be directly connected to or incorporated into any of the computing devices.

Storage system <NUM> may store various types of information. For instance, the storage system <NUM> may also store autonomous vehicle control software which is to be used by vehicles, such as vehicles <NUM> or <NUM>, to operate such vehicles in an autonomous driving mode. Alternatively or additionally, storage system <NUM> may maintain various types of information regarding the vehicles, including tire and cargo-related information. This information may be retrieved or otherwise accessed by a server computing device, such as one or more server computing devices <NUM>, in order to perform some or all of the features described herein.

As discussed above, the self-driving vehicle may communicate with a remote human who can provide additional assistance. For instance, should the vehicle be unable to determine what to do, it may send a request for support to a remote human operator. The request for support may include a query and/or data which may include raw and/or processed sensor data, vehicle log data and the like. For instance, it may include one or more still images, video and/or an audio segment(s) relating to the tires.

In response, the remote assistance service can provide support to the vehicle, e.g., to analyze the received data in order to determine a likelihood of a blowout. The storage system <NUM> may maintain a database of information associated with different types of tires and/or obstructions. This information can be used remotely, e.g., by remote assistance computer <NUM> or server <NUM> to perform offboard analysis by comparing information received from the perception system against what is in the database.

In a situation where there are passengers, the vehicle or remote assistance may communicate directly or indirectly with the passengers' client computing device. Here, for example, information may be provided to the passengers regarding a blowout situation, actions being taken or to be taken in response to the situation, etc..

<FIG> illustrates an example <NUM> of a method of operating a vehicle in an autonomous driving mode in view of the above. At block <NUM>, one or more processors of the autonomous vehicle obtain baseline information for a set of tires of the autonomous vehicle. At block <NUM>, the one or more processors receive, during driving of the autonomous vehicle, sensor data regarding at least one tire of the set of tires. At block <NUM>, a dynamics model for the set of tires is updated based on the baseline information and the received sensor data. At block <NUM>, the one or more processors receive information regarding at least one of (i) a roadway condition for a portion of a roadway, or (ii) an environmental condition. At block <NUM>, the one or more processors determine, based on the updated dynamics model and the received information, whether a possibility of a tire failure for the at least one tire in the set exceeds a threshold possibility. And in block <NUM>, upon determining that the threshold possibility is exceeded, the one or more processors cause the autonomous vehicle to take a corrective action.

Claim 1:
A method of performing tire evaluation for an autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:
obtaining (<NUM>), by one or more processors of the autonomous vehicle (<NUM>, <NUM>), baseline information for a set of tires of the autonomous vehicle;
receiving (<NUM>), by the one or more processors during driving of the autonomous vehicle, sensor data regarding at least one tire of the set of tires;
updating (<NUM>) a dynamics model for the set of tires based on the baseline information and the received sensor data;
receiving (<NUM>), by the one or more processors, information regarding a roadway condition for a portion of a roadway wherein the received information includes an indication that the autonomous vehicle will encounter an obstacle (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) on the portion of the roadway;
determining (<NUM>) by the one or more processors, based on the updated dynamics model in view of the received information, whether a possibility of a tire failure for the at least one tire in the set exceeds a threshold possibility; and
upon determining that the threshold possibility is exceeded, the one or more processors causing (<NUM>) the autonomous vehicle to take a corrective action.