Methods, systems and computer program products for parking autonomous vehicles are provided. Aspects include determining, by an autonomous vehicle, an expected period of time that the autonomous vehicle will be idle and identifying, by the autonomous vehicle, a first parking area and a first parking threshold time associated with the first parking area. Based at least in part on a determination that the first parking threshold time is greater than the expected period of time, aspects include moving the autonomous vehicle to the first parking area. Based at least in part on a determination that the first parking threshold time is less than the expected period of time, aspects also include identifying, by the autonomous vehicle, a second parking area and moving the autonomous vehicle to the second parking area.

A driving control method can be performed by a host vehicle. The method includes checking a target vehicle driving around the host vehicle, requesting information sharing from the target vehicle, inquiring about presence of an emergency risk avoidance driving rule and a type thereof when the information sharing with the target vehicle is allowed, and forming a cluster group for driving when the target vehicle sharing the information and the host vehicle have the same emergency risk avoidance driving rule.

A vehicle driving challenge system includes a first mobile module in a first vehicle and operated by a first driver and a second mobile module included in a second vehicle and operated by a second driver. A request includes planned driving route information and location of the first mobile module. A computer server system checks if the second driver has requested or indicated willingness to participate in a driving challenge, whether the second mobile module has a planned driving route at least partly in common with the planned driving route of the first mobile module, and determines, a common driving challenge route associated with the first and second mobile modules. Based on the planned driving route of the first mobile module, a real-time concurrent vehicle driving challenge between the first and second drivers is initiated along the common driving challenge route.

During a period from when an automated driving vehicle starts pulling over to a sidewalk side until the vehicle pulls over completely thereto, an operation control section causes the vehicle to immediately stop when an object that can be an obstacle exists in at least one of a middle front area, a sidewalk-side front area, and a sidewalk-side side area that are areas each within a predetermined distance at a middle front, at a sidewalk-side front, and on a sidewalk-side side of the vehicle, respectively. During the period, the operation control section does not cause the vehicle to stop when the object does not exist in any of the middle front area, the sidewalk-side front area, and the sidewalk-side side area, even when the object exists in an area surrounding the vehicle other than the middle front area, the sidewalk-side front area, and the sidewalk-side side area.

A vehicle control system includes an automatic driving control device that generates a target trajectory used for automatic driving, and a vehicle travel control device that executes vehicle travel control such that a vehicle follows the target trajectory. The vehicle travel control device determines whether an operating condition of travel support control for reducing a risk when the vehicle travels is satisfied based on driving environment information, acquired from a plurality of sensor devices, and executes the travel support control in a case where the operating condition is satisfied. The vehicle travel control device generates risk information based on the driving environment information, and transmits the risk information to the automatic driving control device before the operating condition is satisfied. The automatic driving control device generates or corrects the target trajectory based on the received risk information.

A method and apparatus for controlling a first vehicle autonomously are disclosed. For instance, one or more processors may plan to maneuver the first vehicle to complete an action and predict that a second vehicle will take a particular responsive action. The first vehicle is then maneuvered towards completing the action in a way that would allow the first vehicle to cancel completing the action without causing a collision between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and in order to indicate to the second vehicle or a driver of the second vehicle that the first vehicle is attempting to complete the action. Thereafter, when the first vehicle is determined to be able to take the action, the action is completed by controlling the first vehicle autonomously according to whether the second vehicle begins to take the particular responsive action.

A method or system for controlling safety of both an ego vehicle and social objects in an environment of the ego vehicle, comprising: receiving data representative of at least one social object and determining a current state of the ego vehicle based on sensor data; predicting an ego safety value corresponding to the ego vehicle, for each possible behavior action in a set of possible behavior actions, based on the current state; predicting a social safety value corresponding to the at least one social object in the environment of the ego vehicle, based on the current state, for each possible behavior action; and selecting a next behavior action for the ego vehicle, based on the ego safety values, the social safety values, and one or more target objectives for the ego vehicle.

Techniques and methods for determining regions. For instance, a vehicle may determine a trajectory of the vehicle and a trajectory of an agent, such as a pedestrian. The vehicle may then determine one or more contextual factors. In some examples, the one or more contextual factors are associated with a location of the agent with respect to a crosswalk, a location of the vehicle with respect to the crosswalk, a state of the crosswalk, and/or the like. The vehicle may then determine the region using the trajectory of the vehicle, the trajectory of the agent, and the one or more contextual factors. Additionally, using a time buffer value and a distance buffer value associated with the region, the vehicle may determine whether to yield to the agent within the region.

A vehicle control apparatus includes: a road recognizer that recognizes a road form around a vehicle; a second-vehicle recognizer that recognizes a state of another vehicle around the vehicle; and a driving controller that allows the vehicle to travel by controlling one or both of steering and acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle and that prevents, upon passing of the vehicle through an intersection, passing of the vehicle through the intersection based on a presence of the other vehicle recognized by the second-vehicle recognizer, wherein in a case where the driving controller recognizes, by the road recognizer, that a plurality of lanes are present in a road of a right/left turn destination of the vehicle and recognizes, by the second-vehicle recognizer, that the other vehicle, which was an opposing vehicle approaching from a direction opposing the vehicle, has entered a lane on a rear side in a view from the vehicle among the plurality of lanes in the road of the right/left turn destination, the driving controller continues an entry control to the road of the right/left turn destination of the vehicle.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to controlling a vehicle having an autonomous driving mode. For instance, that the vehicle is approaching a crosswalk may be determined. A set of segments may be identified for the crosswalk. A set of potential occluded pedestrians may be generated. Each potential occluded pedestrian of the set is assigned a speed characteristic and a segment. The segments of the set of potential occluded pedestrians may be updated over time using the assigned speed characteristics. Sensor data from a perception system of the vehicle is received, and one or more potential occluded pedestrians an having an updated assigned segment corresponding to a segment that is visible to a perception system of the vehicle may be removed from the set of potential occluded pedestrians. After the removing, the set may be used to control the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode.