Waymo patents self-driving car safety timer for software glitches
This patent describes a system for autonomous vehicles that calculates a specific time window based on nearby objects. If a software error occurs, the car waits for that error to fix itself for a limited time before taking action to avoid a crash.
In the filing’s own words
Aspects of the technology relate to exception handling for a vehicle. For instance, a current trajectory for the vehicle and sensor data corresponding to one or more objects may be received. Based on the received sensor data, projected trajectories of the one or more objects may be determined. Potential collisions with the one or more objects may be determined based on the projected trajectories and the current trajectory. One of the potential collisions that is earliest in time may be identified. Based on the one of the potential collisions, a safety-time-horizon (STH) may be identified. When a runtime exception occurs, before performing a precautionary maneuver to avoid a collision, waiting no longer than the STH for the runtime exception to resolve.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method comprising: receiving, by one or more processors, sensor data corresponding to an object in an environment of a vehicle; determining, by the one or more processors, a point in time for avoiding a potential collision with the object; and when the point in time has passed and a runtime exception is unresolved, controlling, by the one or more processors, the vehicle to perform a precautionary maneuver to avoid the potential collision with the object.
Facts
- Company
- Google (Waymo LLC)
- Official title
- Exception handling for autonomous vehicles
- Patent number
- US12761653B2
- Application number
- 19257813
- Filed
- Jul 2, 2025
- Granted
- Oct 13, 2026
- Inventors
- 5
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G05D 1/0289 Physics & computingB60W 30/09 Operations & transportB60W 30/0953 Operations & transportB60W 30/0956 Operations & transportB60W 50/035 Operations & transportB60W 60/001 Operations & transportMore from Google in Cars & transport
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.