What's the likelihood we will see Speed Limit Sign recognition?

[PhilDavid]

So glad this feature is RTM. Can't wait to see the Speed Limit update!

I really hope they allow you to set a speed up to 10 mph higher than the limit on surface streets, as I've stopped using Autopilot on city streets around here because the speed of traffic is about 10mph over the limit.

Wish they would let you override the car's speed at up to 10mph over the limit. This will be especially useful in situations where the car detects an incorrect speed limit.

 

[drklain]

and signs hidden from view by large trucks.

It should handle that the same way humans do if they don't see a sign because it is obscured by another vehicle...the see the next sign...

 

[ucmndd]

So glad this feature is RTM. Can't wait to see the Speed Limit update!

I really hope they allow you to set a speed up to 10 mph higher than the limit on surface streets, as I've stopped using Autopilot on city streets around here because the speed of traffic is about 10mph over the limit.

Wish they would let you override the car's speed at up to 10mph over the limit. This will be especially useful in situations where the car detects an incorrect speed limit.

Don’t you have a separate complaint thread for that issue that you bump every 10 days?

Come on, brother. Just take the win.

 

[drift]

So glad this feature is RTM. Can't wait to see the Speed Limit update!

I really hope they allow you to set a speed up to 10 mph higher than the limit on surface streets, as I've stopped using Autopilot on city streets around here because the speed of traffic is about 10mph over the limit.

Wish they would let you override the car's speed at up to 10mph over the limit. This will be especially useful in situations where the car detects an incorrect speed limit.

This raises the interesting question of, Will Tesla program it's cars to routinely break the law on their own?

 

[msm859]

So glad this feature is RTM. Can't wait to see the Speed Limit update!

I really hope they allow you to set a speed up to 10 mph higher than the limit on surface streets, as I've stopped using Autopilot on city streets around here because the speed of traffic is about 10mph over the limit.

Wish they would let you override the car's speed at up to 10mph over the limit. This will be especially useful in situations where the car detects an incorrect speed limit.

Actually, I think it should be relative. If the speed limit is 40 mph is should be + 5. Anything over 40 up to 60 mph should be + 10. Over 60 should be whatever.

 

[drtimhill]

Either Tesla licensed the Mobileye patent OR (what's more likely) they've found a way to get around the patent.

Now - will the software actually determine the speed limit that actually applies to your current lane? [When sign placement is ambiguous and could be applied to lanes on either side of the sign.]

The MobileEye patent (now owned by Intel) covers a specific WAY to read speed limits. While it tries to make more general claims, it's unlikely they would stand up in court as "do X by computer" is no longer considered patentable (finally!).

 

[drtimhill]

This raises the interesting question of, Will Tesla program it's cars to routinely break the law on their own?

Welcome to the brave new world of cars that understand legalities. Should you be able to tell the car to break the law? Even if the car is capable of driving safely faster than a human (faster reaction time etc)? Who is liable if it does so? If you are intoxicated but the car can drive you home, is that legal? If a car detects that you are intoxicated, should it prevent you from driving manually? If you are a politician, should the car drive you to the nearest asylum?

 

[emmz0r]

Only for US and Canada? Extra curious that it's US first too, since it's the worst country patent-wise.

I am tired of being treated as a 2nd class Tesla owner, when I paid more for the car too. I own the same Tesla as any other. They should release it worldwide.

 

[bob_p]

In my reading of the patent, one possible way to work around the patent would be for Tesla to detect the speed limit signs and then send the information to their cloud server - and then have their cloud server distribute the information about the sign (speed limit/location/likely lanes to which the limit applies) to all Tesla vehicles driving in that area.

Doing this would eliminate the issue about obstructed signs missed by the AP software.

It would also workaround the patent, which appears to apply only to reading the speed limit sign and then using that data locally to control driving.

Since Tesla had already implemented "fleet learning" and is using a cloud server to compute navigation routes - they already had most of the technology in place to enhance "fleet speed" with real-time speed limit sign recognition.

They should also be using the same strategy for all traffic signs - so the AP software will know there are signs/traffic lights present, even if obstructed from view.

 

[ucmndd]

Only for US and Canada? Extra curious that it's US first too, since it's the worst country patent-wise.

I am tired of being treated as a 2nd class Tesla owner, when I paid more for the car too. I own the same Tesla as any other. They should release it worldwide.

Surely you know that sign colors, shapes, meanings, and associated laws vary from country to country right, and that implementing such a feature globally takes significant time and iteration, yes?

Are you suggesting that Tesla, a US-based company, should not release vision-based features to the US first, and instead hold the feature from everyone until it's tested and verified globally? To avoid making you feel left out?

 

[Cheburashka]

They hate us 'cause they ain't us. America first!

 

[drtimhill]

It would also workaround the patent, which appears to apply only to reading the speed limit sign and then using that data locally to control driving.

Since Tesla had already implemented "fleet learning" and is using a cloud server to compute navigation routes - they already had most of the technology in place to enhance "fleet speed" with real-time speed limit sign recognition.

They should also be using the same strategy for all traffic signs - so the AP software will know there are signs/traffic lights present, even if obstructed from view.

The MobileEye patent always struck me as weak .. It's perilously close to the "do it with a computer" empty invention category, which is not considered worth the paper its printed on.

 

[emmz0r]

Surely you know that sign colors, shapes, meanings, and associated laws vary from country to country right, and that implementing such a feature globally takes significant time and iteration, yes?

Are you suggesting that Tesla, a US-based company, should not release vision-based features to the US first, and instead hold the feature from everyone until it's tested and verified globally? To avoid making you feel left out?

 

[brucet999]

If you are a politician, should the car drive you to the nearest asylum?

Reminds me of what my Norwegian friend once said. "In Norway, we have no problems with insanity. We just send them all to Sweden where they go into politics."

 

[EVortex]

This raises the interesting question of, Will Tesla program it's cars to routinely break the law on their own?

Owner of the car will need to make that call just like a human operator in control of the vehicle makes decisions to follow the law or not.

 

[ThomasD]

Maybe it should be able to recognize a Patrol car with flashing lights first. Also the driver was an idiot
Tesla Model S on autopilot slammed into a police car because the driver was watching a movie on his phone, authorities say
[email protected] (Graham Rapier)
August 31, 2020, 10:31 AM EDT

• 
  A driver in North Carolina was watching a movie while driving his Tesla Model S when it careened into a police car, authorities said.
  
  
• The man was charged with two crimes: not moving over for police, and watching TV while driving.
  
  
• There have been many past incidents of careless drivers putting too much faith in the driver-assistance software, Autopilot, which has been criticized for its name.
  
  
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
  

Nash County Sheriff's Office

A Tesla slammed into a North Carolina state trooper's cruiser as its driver, a doctor, watched a movie on his phone, authorities said.

The crash occurred around midnight on a rural stretch of a divided four-lane highway, where the officer was assisting a local sheriff's deputy in responding to a separate crash on the side of the roadway, when the Tesla ploughed into the cars, totaling both.

Related: Why Teslas accelerate so fast

Sheriff Kieth Stone told CBS 17. "It shows automation is never going to take the place of our motoring public paying attention, not texting, not being on the phone, but focusing on what you were doing: driving."

It's far from the first time a Tesla has careened off the road or into other another vehicle while operating on Autopilot, the company's name for its driver-assistance software that is not yet fully self driving. The rash of incidents come despite clear warnings and instructions, including alerts if a driver's hands leave the wheel for more than a few seconds.

That's led to criticism from public safety officials, industry experts, and consumer groups that say the name — and CEO Elon Musk's rhetoric about its functionality — is misleading, and could be exacerbating the unsafe practices.

"The people who misuse Autopilot, it's not because they're new to it and don't understand it," Musk told Automotive News earlier this month. "The people who first use Autopilot are extremely paranoid about it. It's not like, 'If you just introduced a different name, I would have really treated it differently.' If something goes wrong with Autopilot, it's because someone is misusing it and using it directly contrary to how we've said it should be used."

 

[emmz0r]

Look at the fascia of that car. It has to be AP1.

 

[mongo]

Maybe it should be able to recognize a Patrol car with flashing lights first. Also the driver was an idiot
Tesla Model S on autopilot slammed into a police car because the driver was watching a movie on his phone, authorities say
[email protected] (Graham Rapier)
August 31, 2020, 10:31 AM EDT

• 
  A driver in North Carolina was watching a movie while driving his Tesla Model S when it careened into a police car, authorities said.
  
  
• The man was charged with two crimes: not moving over for police, and watching TV while driving.
  
  
• There have been many past incidents of careless drivers putting too much faith in the driver-assistance software, Autopilot, which has been criticized for its name.
  
  
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Nash County Sheriff's Office

A Tesla slammed into a North Carolina state trooper's cruiser as its driver, a doctor, watched a movie on his phone, authorities said.

The crash occurred around midnight on a rural stretch of a divided four-lane highway, where the officer was assisting a local sheriff's deputy in responding to a separate crash on the side of the roadway, when the Tesla ploughed into the cars, totaling both.

Related: Why Teslas accelerate so fast

Sheriff Kieth Stone told CBS 17. "It shows automation is never going to take the place of our motoring public paying attention, not texting, not being on the phone, but focusing on what you were doing: driving."

It's far from the first time a Tesla has careened off the road or into other another vehicle while operating on Autopilot, the company's name for its driver-assistance software that is not yet fully self driving. The rash of incidents come despite clear warnings and instructions, including alerts if a driver's hands leave the wheel for more than a few seconds.

That's led to criticism from public safety officials, industry experts, and consumer groups that say the name — and CEO Elon Musk's rhetoric about its functionality — is misleading, and could be exacerbating the unsafe practices.

"The people who misuse Autopilot, it's not because they're new to it and don't understand it," Musk told Automotive News earlier this month. "The people who first use Autopilot are extremely paranoid about it. It's not like, 'If you just introduced a different name, I would have really treated it differently.' If something goes wrong with Autopilot, it's because someone is misusing it and using it directly contrary to how we've said it should be used."

Careened??? Looks like it clipped the police car (possibly doing the angled blocking/ protection parking position so sticking into the lane).

Great observation @emmz0r !

 

[Chaserr]

Maybe it should be able to recognize a Patrol car with flashing lights first.

I don't think the Mobileye system in that AP1 Tesla will ever be updated with that capability but Tesla's home grown AP2/3 will (if it isn't already?)

 

[dbldwn02]

Finally! 50% of my commute has incorrect speed limits (not in my favor). It's the perfect road for it too. One lane, no lights, no intersections, perfectly painted lines. Tesla thinks it's 45 and it's really 55. Going 50, on a road everyone does 65 on, gets me a lot of middle fingers.