Do you want to play a game ?
There are going to be so many ways to screw up these autonomous vehicles.
For the lulz
Google has decided it's a good thing if its autonomous vehicles know when there's an emergency services vehicle in the vicinity, and has scored a patent for doing so. Since the Chocolate Factory's autonomous bubbles won't go particularly fast any time they're on a straight patch of road and can't see a cop, the idea is to help …
"You can play the same game with real cars, by strapping a flashing blue & red light to your car roof. You'll quickly discover that it's illegal."
What about a flashing white light? Through red and blue filters it looks red and blue. They'd also need to check for green as a control.
Aren't self-driving cars meant to replicate the behaviour of humans, most of whom will readily move out of the way of emergency vehicles? So, in what way is this novel enough to warrant a patent?
Or are we going to see patents for every single aspect of the behaviour of a driver, driving a car, when the driver is replaced by a computer?
For example, if the car is going to turn left, it should be able to let people around it know, for example by using flashing lights at the left side of the front and rear of the car. There's a patent, right there. And there's probably one for not driving over children, even if they shouldn't be there, too.
Maths, Algorithms and software ought to be FORBIDDEN from patents, and many aspects from copyright. This is not a new problem.
The patents for the Superhet Radio (RCA) and later FM should have been invalid. Just mathematics and the patent holders were not the the first people to implement them. The AM Superhetrodyne patent held back radio development for nearly 10 years because RCA was so big.
Edison also was a menace (read up on his Moving Pictures Protection racket. Eventually the US Government struck down some of the patents and forbade him from threatening other companies), very many of his patents were other people's ideas, stolen, or prior art and also should not have been allowed anyway.
NCC/Eveready Dry cell (1896?) was stolen Scandinavian tech, by a UK Chemist in New York, and shouldn't have been allowed as a patent anyway as it was only a obvious development of Volta's 1799 discovery, and being done by many people (a paste instead of liquid electrolyte so as to have a portable cell and thus carbon filament flashlights.)
Emergency vehicles are often slowed by a queue of traffic waiting at traffic lights, and not every driver is checking their mirrors as they should.
It wouldn't be hard for the traffic lights themselves to signal to drivers to pull over when an emergency vehicle is due to come up behind them. This signal could take the form of a flashing blue arrow, perhaps. There are several ways the traffic lights could be alerted to an approaching ambulance.
>>It wouldn't be hard for the traffic lights themselves to signal to drivers to pull over when an emergency vehicle is due to come up behind them. This signal could take the form of a flashing blue arrow, perhaps. There are several ways the traffic lights could be alerted to an approaching ambulance.
You mean apart from completely redesigning (and possibly physically replacing) every traffic light...
"Traffic signals... blue light.."
Why not embed that into actually sold cars, an emergency vehicle in the vicinity could signal itself through a radio signal, every cars in the vicinity get the signal and a warning light up in the car, just like when there's a car malfunction or any sort of warning.
The driver is more likely to see it than relying only on the sound & lights of the incoming emergency vehicle, and will check its mirrors or get out the way early.
A 10 - 15 seconds earlier reaction should have appreciable benefits.
replicate the behaviour of humans, most of whom will readily move out of the way of emergency vehicles?
That doesn't tie in with my experience...
"replicate the behaviour of humans, most of whom never notice emergency vehicles until they are 3 feet from their windscreen" would be nearer the reality.
"replicate the behaviour of humans, most of whom never notice emergency vehicles until they are 3 feet from their windscreen"
...and then hit the brakes, slowing to a speed that impedes progress but isn't slow enough to make overtaking easier.
As a public service announcement, your average panda is a small diesel, Ambo a heavily loaded van and Fire is an HGV. None of these accelerates well in the 40 mph to 80 mph range. Please help the driver keep momentum.
Cue some rant about the Met in an X5!
"...and then hit the brakes, slowing to a speed that impedes progress but isn't slow enough to make overtaking easier."
Or pull over straight away but on a single carriageway on a blind bend, making the emergency vehicle either come to a halt and have to persuade the car to carry on moving or, more usually, perform a pass more dangerous than it should be.
...and then hit the brakes, slowing to a speed that impedes progress but isn't slow enough to make overtaking easier.
It's not just traffic going the same way, the usual cause of swearing for me is that the first vehicle in opposing traffic sees you coming, and slows down and pulls over, the vehicle following then immediately tries to overtake, then sees you at last minute and screeches to a halt in the middle of the road, completely blocking the carriageway.
So, in what way is this novel enough to warrant a patent?
I suspect someone in the patent office is now counting a suitcase full of dollars, because they just allowed Google to sue the competition for the ability to sidestep emergency vehicles. No, I don't think it's novel, but that seems to have fallen off USPTO's list of requirements for a long time or they would only rake in half the cash they do now.
I would really like to see the stuff they reject (if any), because that must be pretty dire not to pass.
"I would really like to see the stuff they reject (if any), because that must be pretty dire not to pass."
Worse than you think. A microsoft employee once slipped a patent for an apple tree into the patents MS sent to the USPO. It was granted.
(Latter withdrawn, only after the Public Patent Foundation publicised it.)
...and then hit the brakes, slowing to a speed that impedes progress but isn't slow enough to make overtaking easier.
I would assume that they are just trying to avoid getting nicked for patent infringement - it would seem that if you detect an emergency vehicle you must now ignore it to avoid infringing on Googles patent.
"Or are we going to see patents for every single aspect of the behaviour of a driver, driving a car, when the driver is replaced by a computer?"
They'll end up being totally encumbered by patents. The holders of the best portfolios will do cross-licensing and kill any new entrants.
"They'll end up being totally encumbered by patents. The holders of the best portfolios will do cross-licensing and kill any new entrants."
Alternatively, Google could (like tesla has already done) make the patents freely usable.
Patenting is as much a defensive measure as an offensive one. By filing/getting a patent you prevent the trolls from doing it.
You're right, its not patentable.
This should not be granted a patent because they aren't really doing anything new or novel.
Vision software has been around for years.
Recognizing traffic signs and speed limits has been around for years.
As to 'flashing light patterns'... its a slight change and really isn't new or novel.
(To your point) BTW anyone with a flashing red/ blue or mix would cause the vehicle to pull over.
Traffic lights already exist that change to allow emergency service vehicles to pass, although probably not universal. I think it involves a radio box that is illegal to use in a non-emergency vehicle, obs.
Also obvious is that other queueing traffic should pass into the junction to make way for the emergency chaps. If you're actually in a jam and can't go then that's a pity. You could turn left or right if you want to be helpful.
My sister was driving me the other day in a two lane slow trundle when an emergency car came up behind us. The queueing traffic budged to left and to right and the emergency car came up in between the two queueing lines, which I hadn't expected to work, but it did.
> I think it involves a radio box that is illegal to use in a non-emergency vehicle
In the U.S. anyways it's normally the Opticom system which watches for a strobe light on a particular pattern.
That strobe used to be white, now it is normally infrared.
In some areas it will trigger a white strobe a top the traffic light to indicate the signal is under control of an approaching emergency vehicle.
A fully-built out system will prioritize fire apparatus over police cars (takes longer to stop and accelerate fire trucks), police cars using their emergency lights & siren over ambulances and police cars not using them (which may be using the Opticom ia situation that does not warrant use of sirens, but you do not want to sit unnecessarily at stop lights -- which now that the Opticoms looks for an infrared strobe you can do in "stealth" mode), and finally if there is no emergency service vehicle using the system it can grant control of the light to buses and snow plows; buses to speed along public transit, snow plows because they work best at a steady speed.
An autonomous car should do what the law and any Highway Code demands and not do what they preclude. It should in such a situation behave just like a human driver should.
But I would bet that not many people know what they should actually do in such a situation.
In the UK, going through a red light is an offence and one can be prosecuted for that regardless of any mitigation for doing so. The lawful thing to do is to sit it out, as extremely uncomfortable as that will feel.
Take solace in the knowledge that an emergency vehicle driver should have a full understanding of what the law is in such a situation and, if they don't; that is their problem, not yours.
If traffic lights are not fitted with systems to expedite an emergency vehicle's passage then that is not your problem.
If there is an adverse outcome from your obeying the law that is not your problem.
It takes nerves of steel to hold to the letter of the law when it goes against one's own instincts, but that is what is demanded by the law. If it ever happens it will likely be one of the worst situations you have ever found yourself in. It was for me.
> In the UK, going through a red light is an offence
Same as elsewhere. Never understood why in the UK some people keep taking that as a justification for being arses. Don't be a Rambo and barge blindly into the intersection, and don't be a prick and just sit there. You *can* be cooperative by safely and prudently getting out of the way. Besides, it could be your house that's on fire or your daughter that needs assistance.
As a driver of emergency vehicles in the UK, I confirm that Jason is correct. The fact that I have an emergency to get to does not mean that you are authorised to break the law even to be helpful. A court might look kindly on it, however we are trained not to put your license at risk, although I agree it can look bad to those around you. Given that many previously authorised services have been restricted following the Hatzola case the law can work against the public interest, so watch yourselves.
There are a few other issues.
If the police want you to jump a red light, then you have a dilemma as if you don't, a stroppy officer might claim you were disobeying their instruction to proceed through the red light (which a constable in uniform can give you the authority to do) and then stick you on for "obstruction of an officer in the course of his/her duty" but it would be worth fighting that one as once it reaches a level of publicity all the instructors will come out of the woodwork to back you up.
We cannot overtake and cross double white lines unless you are stationary, not just slow (unless you are on a horse or bicycle or road maintenance vehicle doing less than 10mph, yes, that speed includes the lycra clad). Keep driving until you can pull into a layby.
I really really get hacked off at colleagues who think that in the dark they still need the flashing main headlights and so switch off their running lights to defeat the cut out generally fitted. It dazzles other drivers and is restricted for a reason.
At least autonomous vehicle should solve some of the above problems, although I expect there will be new ones instead.
IIRC there is something in the SF story "Code 3" where the emergency vehicle transmits on a radio frequency that other vehicles also relay further forward that it is coming. This might be an idea but how that would work for the vehicles belonging to other services such as the voluntary and private sector I am not sure as it would be hard to regulate, at least without considerable expenditure and red tape, but it is something they should have for use when appropriate. Of course the beardy radio hams could probably emulate this but then again some relevantly qualified techy can always game a system if they really want to.
> As a driver of emergency vehicles in the UK, I confirm that Jason is correct.
And as a former driver of emergency vehicles outside the UK, I disagree. :-)
> The fact that I have an emergency to get to does not mean that you are authorised to break the law even to be helpful
The thing is, you've got people just sitting there being unhelpful when they could, without breaking the law¹ and without putting themselves or anyone else in danger, facilitate one's progress.
> We cannot overtake and cross double white lines unless you are stationary
Is that the traffic code that says so, or your service's driving manual? Where I worked, all the traffic code says is that emergency vehicles attending a call and with lights on may disregard the rules of the road under the driver's own responsibility.
As for the traffic lights, we had the same system as the local buses, an RF thing which changes the lights ahead of you as you approach.
¹ "Breaking the law" is not a problem, both because of the way the law and the courts (should) work. That argument is akin to saying you saw someone drowning at the lake but refused to assist because of the "no swimming" sign. But that's an entirely different discussion. The problem is with people putting themselves or others at risk, even if they're genuinely trying to be helpful.
As the OP of the comments supporting Jason, and to clarify to the non-UK responder above:
This is the law in the UK, although I accept Reg readership is international. I cannot comment on laws and practices elsewhere. The fact that this is the law does not mean I like all of it but they're the rules we have to play by or risk some form of sanction.
I think your next comment misreads mine, if people can help without breaking the law, then of course they should. If they cannot do so, then I have not been granted any magic powers or authority by Parliament to grant them immunity. Nevertheless if everyone acts reasonably, one would hope a court or prosecuting authority would consider the public interest rather than being overly pedantic.
Double white lines, this restriction is the law. In the UK these are placed where any kind of overtake is dangerous, often due to restricted visibility regarding oncoming traffic. The fact that I'm in a vehicle advertising my presence more than others doesn't really get around this problem of physics and any collision will hurt just as much, therefore we're not allowed to be reckless as to the safety of ourselves or others. "No emergency is worth an accident" is one of our guidelines (although I am sure someone can come up with obscure "but, what if..." exceptions)
@Jason Bloomberg
I don't know why you got a downvote for that, you are absolutely correct, an emergency vehicle should never force other road users to pass a red light.
That said, in the UK properly trained emergency drivers will ideally either attempt to pass the lights on the other side of the road if safe to do so, or sit in the traffic with their audible warnings switched off until the lights change, so as not to terrorise other drivers.
Unfortunately, in very busy city centres though, it just isn't practical for an emergency vehicle to courteously wait for drivers to do the right thing, as often people will insist on queueing at the lights in both lanes even though an emergency vehicle is behind them.
in the UK properly trained emergency drivers will ideally either attempt to pass the lights on the other side of the road if safe to do so, or sit in the traffic with their audible warnings switched off until the lights change, so as not to terrorise other drivers.
So there is clearly some difference in training...
A few years back, I was in a monster jam on a motorway. A cop car tried to come through the traffic with lights and sirens running. He got to about two cars behind me - where he sat, with sirens running. No-one moved out of his way, because there was nowhere to go; we'd all moved as much as we possibly could.
Those sirens are loud...
Vic.
In the US, it is generally permitted to go through a red light if traffic is clear and you are turning right.
Emergency vehicles may be allowed to ignore certain traffic regulations if running lights and sirens, but different standards for different services. If you wreck while driving with lights and sirens, the assumption is that you screwed up. Your insurance company will have to prove otherwise.
I was once stopped at a red light when a fire truck approached me head on. If he wanted to go a certain direction, then I'd better move to the right. But if he wanted to go another direction, then I'd better move to the left.
Which direction was he going? The front of the fire truck was covered in about 17 flashing lights. There was even a blinking and spinning arrow.
It took me several seconds to find his blinker among the visual clutter.
Good luck Google.
Some disguised police cars hang the light out at window level when they want to go emergency. I was in a mass of cars moving onto a big roundabout when a siren went off. Since modern sirens are carefully designed to make it impossible to tell which direction they are coming from, I had no way at all to tell where the emergency vehicle was or which way I should move until it wedged through a couple of cars away and I could finally see that low level light.
Patent law is endlessly complex, but El Reg, this article gets the basics wrong. Google's APPLICATION for a patent was was filed in August 2014 and simply PUBLISHED on 1 September. The publication is not related to whether the US Patent Office decides to grant a patent.
In fact, I troubled to look it up and, at the moment, the US Examiner has just rejected all of the claims for the second time.
Or in Albuquerque NM - I remember pulling over once when I saw a blue flashing light in my rear-view mirror and getting much cursed and beeped at by the drivers behind me, but I smugly remained pulled over as they passed thinking "idiots, they should check their rear view mirrors". Then the bin lorry with the blue flashing light also trundled past me. It would seem that in some parts of the US the only colour of flashing light restricted to the emergency (or should that be 'murguncy'?) services is red, with service vehicles able to use any other colour they want.
As an aside, it's always struck me as odd in Spain that fire engines and police cars have blue lights, whilst ambulances have amber lights, the same colour as bin lorries.
That's a bit odd. In most jurisdictions I know, BOTH red AND blue are restricted. If it's all blue, it's an ambulance or other medical vehicle. If it's all red, it's fire, rescue, or EMT (which is attached to the fire department). If they mix red and blue, it's police.
Usually a utility vehicle like a trash or tow truck that needs some kind of signal is restricted to using yellow.
I perked my own interest and found this: http://www.911signalusa.com/how-emergency-vehicle-lights-are-used-a-112.html
which says "Additionally, some states, including Texas and New Mexico, also allow blue emergency lights to be used on tow trucks and construction or utility vehicles."
Why design new universal protocols when you're already using the well-established fax protocol? Since the mass adoption of the MP3 player, most cars are fitted with now-redundant CD slots. Simply fit a fax behind that and low and behold, the driver gets a slip of paper spooling out of the CD player slot with PULL OVER printed on it in a blurry '80s stylee.
Fax may be a bit tricky in noisy environments. You may wanna use the EAS protocol instead, though it is limited to 500bps IIRC. But at least it's DESIGNED to go out and be picked up over ratty communications systems. Most cars don't use fixed-purpose displays these days, so they can receive the EAS-type signal, cut the music and flash a "PULL OVER" message while perhaps playing the 853+960Hz dual-tone attention signal. I know my phone does that when an emergency alert is sent over the cell networks.
Google and other experimenters in the autonomous road transport vehicle industry do not wish to be liable either civilly or criminally for actions stemming from their perceived impeding or delaying an emergency vehicle's progress. Hence their forward thinking patent applications.
Emergency vehicles' existence preclude fully autonomous transport for a long time. However, the fitting and detection of invisible flashing 'lights' similar to radio frequencies may be more helpful especially near airports.
In my part of the world, the "Lycra Butts" have all sorts of flashing lights on their two wheeled velocipedes. Usually they are on the side of the road, but sometimes they come out into the lane of traffic to make a turn across the center divide (when I was a youth, we used the crosswalks, but I digress). Given that these travel every which way (and have little regard for ANY traffic rules (stoplights, stop signs)) I just hope that the dome top vehicles can keep everything straight. It is a big task.
Saw a pic a little while back, forget which country it was in, but policy seemed to be that any dual carriageway hold-ups and the traffic has to move to the outside of the lanes to leave a gap down the middle.
Simple but genius. (taking out the dumb idiots who would assume this gap is for them...)