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GooglePatent applicationCars & transportInterest 6/10

Waymo patents safer pullover logic for blind spots

This filing describes how self-driving cars choose where to stop when part of the roadside is hidden from view. The system compares the risks of stopping in a visible spot versus a hidden one, then slows down early if the hidden spot is actually the safer choice.

Why it mattersIt helps autonomous vehicles make smoother, safer stops in tricky situations where they cannot see the entire curb, reducing surprise for passengers and other drivers.

In the filing’s own words

The technology involves pullover maneuvers for vehicles operating in an autonomous driving mode. A vehicle operating in an autonomous driving mode is able to identify parking locations that may be occluded or otherwise not readily visible. A best case estimation for any potential parking locations, including partially or fully occluded areas, is compared against predictions for identified visible parking locations. This can include calculating a cost for each potential parking location and comparing that cost to a baseline cost. Upon determining that an occluded location would provide a more viable option than any visible parking locations, the vehicle is able to initiate a driving adjustment (e.g., slow down) prior to arriving at the occluded location. This enables the vehicle to minimize passenger discomfort while also providing notice to other road users of an intent to pull over.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method, comprising: determining, by one or more processors, a final offset based on a field of view restriction and a clearance offset to a side of a roadway, the field of view restriction corresponding to one or more occluded areas along the side of the roadway with respect to a vehicle; comparing, by the one or more processors for a set of possible pullover locations, one or more respective factors based on the final offset to one or more baseline factors; and causing, by the one or more processors, the vehicle to perform a pullover maneuver in an autonomous driving mode based on the comparing.

Facts

Company
Google (Waymo LLC)
Official title
Speed Reasoning in the Presence of Uncertainty When Pulling Over
Publication number
US20260287373A1
Application number
19696580
Filed
Jun 3, 2026
Published
Sep 24, 2026
Inventors
3
Claims
20

Classified under

G01C 21/3461 Physics & computingB60W 30/08 Operations & transportB60W 60/0015 Operations & transportB60W 2554/4048 Operations & transportB60W 2554/80 Operations & transport
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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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.