Systems and methods are provided for navigating a host vehicle. A processing device may be programmed to receive an image representative of an environment of the host vehicle; determine a planned navigational action for the host vehicle; analyze the image to identify a target vehicle travelling toward the host vehicle; determine a next-state distance between the host vehicle and the target vehicle that would result if the planned navigational action was taken; determine a stopping distance for the host vehicle based on a braking profile, a maximum acceleration capability, and a current speed of the host vehicle; determine a stopping distance for the target vehicle based on a braking profile and a current speed of the target vehicle; and implement the planned navigational action if the determined next-state distance is greater than a sum of the stopping distances for the host vehicle and the target vehicle.

One variation of a method for communicating state, intent, and context of an autonomous vehicle includes: at a first time, displaying a first icon representing a current state of a vehicle on a rear-facing visual display arranged on the vehicle; navigating toward an intersection; at a second time, detecting a state of the intersection ahead of the vehicle; rendering a second icon representing the state of the intersection at the second time on the rear-facing visual display; detecting a change in the state of the intersection at a third time succeeding the second time; selecting a next navigation action for the vehicle responsive to the change in the state of the intersection at the third time; prior to executing the next navigation action, rendering a third icon representing the next navigation action on the rear-facing visual display; and autonomously executing the next navigation action.

A system for operating an automated vehicle in a crowd of pedestrians includes an object-detector, optionally, a signal detector, and a controller. The object-detector detects pedestrians proximate to a host-vehicle. The signal-detector detects a signal-state displayed by a traffic-signal that displays a stop-state that indicates when the host-vehicle should stop so the pedestrians can cross in front of the host-vehicle, and displays a go-state that indicates when the pedestrians should stop passing in front of the host-vehicle so that the host-vehicle can go forward. The controller is in control of movement of the host-vehicle and in communication with the object-detector and the signal-detector. The controller operates the host-vehicle to stop the host-vehicle when the stop-state is displayed, and operates the host-vehicle to creep-forward after a wait-interval after the traffic-signal changes to the go-state when the pedestrians fail to stop passing in front of the host-vehicle.

Event-related information is acquired, and a judgment is made as to whether a particular event is detected. When a particular event is detected, direction information indicating a first direction is acquired, and first recognition result information is acquired as to a result of a recognition process as to an object located outside a vehicle. Furthermore, a judgment is made as to whether the first recognition result information includes a result of object recognition in the first direction and as to whether existence of a specific object in the first direction is detected. In a case where it is judged that the first recognition result information indicates that object recognition in the first direction is performed and existence of a specific object in the first direction is not detected, process completion information indicating that the vehicle has performed the recognition process in the first direction is generated and output.

An apparatus is mounted on a vehicle that is autonomously driven and that is used for passenger transportation. The apparatus includes: a processor; and a memory storing thereon a computer program. When executed by the processor, the program causes the processor to perform operations including: selecting a target person who is at least one of humans who are present around the vehicle and are detected using sensing information about surroundings of the vehicle; acquiring a first state indicating a state of the selected target person; acquiring a second state indicating a state of the vehicle changing a speed setting of the vehicle in accordance with the first state and the second state; and controlling traveling of the vehicle at a speed indicated by the speed setting.

The present radio system transmits an electromagnetic signal to nearby devices requesting the device respond. The radio system also receives responses to the electromagnetic signal from the nearby devices. Based on the radio technology used, the signaling of the transmitted electromagnetic signal may be varied. For example, the transmitted electromagnetic signal may be a Bluetooth, 802.11, or other radio signal. A device that received the signal from the radio unit may transmit a response signal with the same radio technology. However, in some instances, the radio technology used for communication may operate on several radio (e.g., frequency) channels. Both the transmitter and receiver must operate on the same channel at the same time in order to communicate. Thus, it may be desirable to transmit the electromagnetic signal on more than one channel at the same time, in order to increase the chances that a nearby device responds.

Systems and methods for operating autonomous vehicles are described. An autonomous vehicle may detect strategy modes and/or actions of other vehicles in a local environment. The autonomous vehicle may then select a strategy mode for its operations based on the detected strategy modes and/or actions of other vehicles, and based on an operational goal for the autonomous vehicle. The strategy modes may include an uncoupled strategy mode, a permissive strategy mode, an assistive strategy mode, and a preventative strategy mode. The autonomous vehicle may further select an action for its operations based on the selected strategy mode.

A vehicle control system including: a recognizer that is configured to recognize a surroundings status of a vehicle; and a driving controller that is configured to control an acceleration and steering of the vehicle on the basis of the surroundings status recognized by the recognizer, wherein, in a case in which a plurality of pedestrians are recognized in an advancement direction of the vehicle by the recognizer, the driving controller is configured to executes follow control for following the plurality of pedestrians and is configured to determines details of the follow control on the basis of a behavior of a nearest pedestrian who is closest to the vehicle among the plurality of pedestrians and a behavior of a second pedestrian who is a monitoring target other than the nearest pedestrian among the plurality of pedestrians.

A vehicle control device (100) includes a recognition unit (130) that recognizes a surrounding situation of a vehicle, and a driving control unit (140, 160) that controls steering and acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding situation recognized by the recognition unit. In a case where a traffic participant is recognized in a progress direction of the vehicle by the recognition unit, the driving control unit sets an entry inhibition region where an entry of the vehicle is to be avoided, using the traffic participant as a reference, based on a degree of recognition of the vehicle by the traffic participant.

According to some embodiments, a system receives a captured image perceiving an environment of an ADV from an image capturing device of the ADV. The system identifies an obstacle in motion near the ADV based on the captured image. The system predicts a location for the moving obstacle at each of a number of time points. The system generates a probability ellipse based on the predicted location at the each time point, where the probability ellipse includes a probability indicator indicating different probabilities of the moving obstacle for different locations within the probability ellipse at the each time point.