Abstract: The technology involves communicating the reachability status associated with an autonomous vehicle to a user such as a rider within the vehicle, a person awaiting pickup, or a customer that scheduled a package deliver. Reachability information about pickup and/or drop off locations is presentable via an app on a user device, which helps set expectations with customers about where the vehicle is most likely to be able to perform a pickup and/or drop off. This may include indicating how much variance there may be based on current congestion, parking or idling regulations, or weather conditions. The reachability information may be presented via one or more visualization tools to indicate the uncertainty and/or likely final location. Presenting such contextual information may be done based on real time information, and the presentation may be updated as needed. Historical information about the location may also be used to lower the level of uncertainty.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to arranging a pick up and drop off locations between a driverless vehicle and a passenger. As an example, a method of doing so may include receiving a request for a vehicle from a client computing device, wherein the request identifies a first location. Pre-stored map information and the first location are used to identify a recommended point according to a set of heuristics. Each heuristic of the set of heuristics has a ranking such that the recommended point corresponds to a location that satisfies at least one of the heuristics having a first rank and such that no other location satisfies any other heuristic of the set of heuristics having a higher rank than the first rank. The pre-stored map information identifying a plurality of pre-determined locations for the vehicle to stop, and the recommended point is one of the plurality of pre-determined locations.

Abstract: The technology involves communicating the reachability status associated with an autonomous vehicle to a user such as a rider within the vehicle, a person awaiting pickup, or a customer that scheduled a package deliver. Reachability information about pickup and/or drop off locations is presentable via an app on a user device, which helps set expectations with customers about where the vehicle is most likely to be able to perform a pickup and/or drop off. This may include indicating how much variance there may be based on current congestion, parking or idling regulations, or weather conditions. The reachability information may be presented via one or more visualization tools to indicate the uncertainty and/or likely final location. Presenting such contextual information may be done based on real time information, and the presentation may be updated as needed. Historical information about the location may also be used to lower the level of uncertainty.

Abstract: The technology includes communicating the current status of a self-driving vehicle to users, such as passengers within the vehicle and other users awaiting pickup. Certain information about the trip and vehicle status is communicated depending on where the passenger is sitting within the vehicle or where the person awaiting pickup is located outside the vehicle. This includes disseminating the “monologue” of a vehicle operating in an autonomous driving mode to a user via an app on the user's device (e.g., mobile phone, tablet or laptop PC, wearable, or other computing device) and/or an in-vehicle user interface. The monologue includes current status information regarding driving decisions and related operations or actions. This alerts the user as to why the vehicle is taking (or not taking) a certain action, which reduces confusion and allows the user to focus on other matters.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide for generating a visualization of a three-dimensional (3D) world view from the perspective of a camera of a vehicle. For example, images of a scene captured by a camera of the vehicle and 3D content for the scene may be received. A virtual camera model for the camera of the vehicle may be identified. A set of matrices may be generated using the virtual camera model. The set of matrices may be applied to the 3D content to create a 3D world view. The visualization may be generated using the 3D world view as an overlay with the image, and the visualization provides a real-world image from the perspective of the camera of the vehicle with one or more graphical overlays of the 3D content.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to adjusting a virtual camera's orientation when a vehicle is making a turn. One or more computing devices may receive the vehicle's original heading prior to making the turn and the vehicle's current heading. Based on the vehicle's original heading and the vehicle's current heading, the one or more computing devices may determine an angle of a turn the vehicle is performing and The one or more computing devices may determine a camera rotation angle and adjust the virtual camera's orientation relative to the vehicle to an updated orientation by rotating the virtual camera by the camera rotation angle and generate a video corresponding to the virtual camera's updated orientation. The video may be displayed on the display by the one or more computing devices.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide for generating a visualization of a three-dimensional (3D) world view from the perspective of a camera of a vehicle. For example, images of a scene captured by a camera of the vehicle and 3D content for the scene may be received. A virtual camera model for the camera of the vehicle may be identified. A set of matrices may be generated using the virtual camera model. The set of matrices may be applied to the 3D content to create a 3D world view. The visualization may be generated using the 3D world view as an overlay with the image, and the visualization provides a real-world image from the perspective of the camera of the vehicle with one or more graphical overlays of the 3D content.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to adjusting a virtual camera's orientation when a vehicle is making a turn. One or more computing devices may receive the vehicle's original heading prior to making the turn and the vehicle's current heading. Based on the vehicle's original heading and the vehicle's current heading, the one or more computing devices may determine an angle of a turn the vehicle is performing and The one or more computing devices may determine a camera rotation angle and adjust the virtual camera's orientation relative to the vehicle to an updated orientation by rotating the virtual camera by the camera rotation angle and generate a video corresponding to the virtual camera's updated orientation. The video may be displayed on the display by the one or more computing devices.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to providing sensor data on a display of a vehicle. For instance, data points generated by a lidar sensor may be received. The data points may be representative of one or more objects in an external environment of the vehicle. A scene including a representation of the vehicle from a perspective of a virtual camera, a first virtual object corresponding to at least one of the one or more objects, and a second virtual object corresponding to at least one object identified from pre-stored map information may be generated. Supplemental points corresponding to a surface of the at least one object identified from the pre-stored map information may be generated. A pulse including at least some of the data points generated by the sensor and the supplemental points may be generated. The scene may be displayed with the pulse on the display.

Abstract: Assessing a likelihood of a person experiencing a fatigue event when the person tasked with monitoring a vehicle operating in an autonomous driving mode may include receiving a set of response times for a psychomotor vigilance test administered to the person. The test may include a plurality of trials which involve a person lifting a finger from a user input device. Whether the person passed or failed each trial of the set of trials may be determined. A model trained using data from prior psychomotor vigilance tests administered to the person may be identified for the person. Results of the determinations of whether the person passed or failed each trial of the set of trials may be input into the model in order to determine a value representative of a likelihood of a fatigue event. An intervention response may be initiated based on the value.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide for advanced trip planning for an autonomous vehicle service. For instance, an example method may include determining a potential pickup location for a user, determining a set of potential destination locations for a user, and determining a set of potential trips. For each potential trip a vehicle of a fleet of autonomous vehicles of the service may be assigned and trip information, including an estimated time of arrival for the assigned vehicle of the potential trip to reach the destination location of the potential trip, may be determined. The trip information for each potential trip may be provided for display to the user. Thereafter, confirmation information identifying one of the set of potential trips may be received, and the assigned vehicle for one first of the set of potential trips may be dispatched to pick up the user.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to using ambient lighting conditions with passenger and goods pickups and drop offs with autonomous vehicles. For instance, a map of ambient lighting conditions for stopping locations may be generated by receiving ambient lighting condition data for predetermined stopping locations and arranging this data into a plurality of buckets based on time and one of the stopping locations. A vehicle may then be controlled in an autonomous driving mode in order to stop for a passenger by both observing ambient lighting conditions for different stopping locations and, in some instances, also using the map.

Abstract: The technology relates to facilitating transportation services between a user and a vehicle having an autonomous driving mode. For instance, one or more server computing devices having one or more processors may information identifying the current location of the vehicle. The one or more server computing devices may determine that the user is likely to want to take a trip to a particular destination based on prior location history for the user. The one or more server computing devices may dispatch the vehicle to cause the vehicle to travel in the autonomous driving mode towards a location of the user. In addition, after dispatching, the one or more server computing devices sending a notification to a client computing device associated with the user indicating that the vehicle is currently available to take the passenger to the particular destination.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate providing a lane change notification when a vehicle is to perform a lane change. One or more computing devices may generate and display a video, where the video is generated from a perspective of a virtual camera at a default position and default pitch. The one or more computing devices may receive an indication that the vehicle is to perform a lane change from a first lane to a second lane and adjust, after the vehicle receives the indication, the default position and default pitch of the virtual camera to an updated position further above the vehicle relative to ground than the default position and an updated pitch directed more towards the ground than the default pitch. The video may be generated and displayed from the perspective of the virtual camera at the updated position and updated pitch.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide for advanced trip planning for an autonomous vehicle service. For instance, an example method may include determining a potential pickup location for a user, determining a set of potential destination locations for a user, and determining a set of potential trips. For each potential trip a vehicle of a fleet of autonomous vehicles of the service may be assigned and trip information, including an estimated time of arrival for the assigned vehicle of the potential trip to reach the destination location of the potential trip, may be determined. The trip information for each potential trip may be provided for display to the user. Thereafter, confirmation information identifying one of the set of potential trips may be received, and the assigned vehicle for one first of the set of potential trips may be dispatched to pick up the user.

Abstract: Assessing a likelihood of a person experiencing a fatigue event when the person tasked with monitoring a vehicle operating in an autonomous driving mode may include receiving a set of response times for a psychomotor vigilance test administered to the person. The test may include a plurality of trials which involve a person lifting a finger from a user input device. Whether the person passed or failed each trial of the set of trials may be determined. A model trained using data from prior psychomotor vigilance tests administered to the person may be identified for the person. Results of the determinations of whether the person passed or failed each trial of the set of trials may be input into the model in order to determine a value representative of a likelihood of a fatigue event. An intervention response may be initiated based on the value.

Abstract: The technology involves communicating the reachability status associated with an autonomous vehicle to a user such as a rider within the vehicle, a person awaiting pickup, or a customer that scheduled a package deliver. Reachability information about pickup and/or drop off locations is presentable via an app on a user device, which helps set expectations with customers about where the vehicle is most likely to be able to perform a pickup and/or drop off. This may include indicating how much variance there may be based on current congestion, parking or idling regulations, or weather conditions. The reachability information may be presented via one or more visualization tools to indicate the uncertainty and/or likely final location. Presenting such contextual information may be done based on real time information, and the presentation may be updated as needed. Historical information about the location may also be used to lower the level of uncertainty.

Abstract: The technology includes communicating the current status of a self-driving vehicle to users, such as passengers within the vehicle and other users awaiting pickup. Certain information about the trip and vehicle status is communicated depending on where the passenger is sitting within the vehicle or where the person awaiting pickup is located outside the vehicle. This includes disseminating the “monologue” of a vehicle operating in an autonomous driving mode to a user via an app on the user's device (e.g., mobile phone, tablet or laptop PC, wearable, or other computing device) and/or an in-vehicle user interface. The monologue includes current status information regarding driving decisions and related operations or actions. This alerts the user as to why the vehicle is taking (or not taking) a certain action, which reduces confusion and allows the user to focus on other matters.

Abstract: The technology involves communicating the reachability status associated with an autonomous vehicle to a user such as a rider within the vehicle, a person awaiting pickup, or a customer that scheduled a package deliver. Reachability information about pickup and/or drop off locations is presentable via an app on a user device, which helps set expectations with customers about where the vehicle is most likely to be able to perform a pickup and/or drop off. This may include indicating how much variance there may be based on current congestion, parking or idling regulations, or weather conditions. The reachability information may be presented via one or more visualization tools to indicate the uncertainty and/or likely final location. Presenting such contextual information may be done based on real time information, and the presentation may be updated as needed. Historical information about the location may also be used to lower the level of uncertainty.