As Amazon pushes forward with its expansion beyond online retailing, the company has been granted a patent aimed at allowing autonomous vehicles to identify the best lanes for their driving needs.
As Business Insider outlines, the patent essentially revolves around a ‘roadway management system’ which informs self-driving vehicles of which lanes to use on multi-lane roads.
This includes giving autonomous vehicles the ability to read select overhead signals and use reversible lanes when required.
The roadway management system works by identifying the needs of the autonomous vehicle and when appropriate, can “maximize traffic flow through the roadway, maximize toll or parking revenue, maximize a speed of vehicles moving through the roadway, or a combination of various factors.”
Communication between the roadway and self-driving cars is achieved through an advanced computing network that incorporates current transportation data and existing networks.
Unlike many other companies, Amazon hasn’t really detailed its autonomous vehicle plans but this patent suggests that it is certainly eager to play a part in the emerging market.
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