Detecting lane closures and lane shifts by an autonomous vehicle

摘要

In an example implementation, an autonomous vehicle is configured to detect closures and lane shifts in a lane of travel. The vehicle is configured to operate in an autonomous mode and determine a presence of an obstacle substantially positioned in a lane of travel of the vehicle using a sensor. The lane of travel has a first side, a second side, and a center, and the obstacle is substantially positioned on the first side. The autonomous vehicle includes a computer system. The computer system determines a lateral distance between the obstacle and the center, compares the lateral distance to a pre-determined threshold, and provides instructions to control the autonomous vehicle based on the comparison.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
determining, using at least one sensor of the autonomous vehicle, a presence of an obstacle substantially positioned in a lane of travel of the autonomous vehicle, wherein the lane of travel has at least one side and a center, and wherein the obstacle is substantially positioned on a given side; determining, using a processor, a lateral distance between the obstacle and the center; making a comparison of the lateral distance to a pre-determined threshold; based on the comparison indicating that the lateral distance is greater than the pre-determined threshold, providing instructions to control the autonomous vehicle to continue operating in the lane of travel; and based on the comparison indicating that the lateral distance is less than the pre-determined threshold, providing instructions to control the autonomous vehicle to stop operating in the lane of travel.