Autonomous vehicle paletization system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10095239-B1
Application number	US-201715475755-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 31, 2017
Priority date	Mar 31, 2017
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods for automatically servicing autonomous vehicles are provided. In one example embodiment, a computer implemented method includes obtaining data associated with one or more reference mechanisms located on an autonomous vehicle. The method includes identifying information associated with the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the data associated with the one or more reference mechanisms located on the autonomous vehicle. The information associated with the autonomous vehicle includes an orientation of the autonomous vehicle. The method includes determining a vehicle maintenance plan for the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the information associated with the autonomous vehicle. The method includes providing one or more control signals to implement the vehicle maintenance plan for the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the orientation of the autonomous vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method of automatically servicing autonomous vehicles, comprising:
obtaining, by a computing system comprising one or more computing devices, data associated with one or more reference mechanisms located on an autonomous vehicle, wherein the data associated with the one or more reference mechanisms located on the autonomous vehicle is indicative of a position of each of the one or more reference mechanisms relative to the autonomous vehicle;
identifying, by the computing system, information associated with the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the data associated with the one or more reference mechanisms located on the autonomous vehicle, wherein the information associated with the autonomous vehicle comprises an orientation of the autonomous vehicle;
determining, by the the computing system, a vehicle maintenance plan for the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the information associated with the autonomous vehicle; and
providing, by the the computing system, one or more control signals to implement the vehicle maintenance plan for the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the orientation of the autonomous vehicle.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the orientation of the autonomous vehicle is based at least in part on the position of each of the one or more reference mechanisms relative to the autonomous vehicle.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein providing, by the the computing system, one or more control signals to implement the vehicle maintenance plan for the autonomous vehicle comprises:
providing, by the the computing system, the one or more control signals to adjust servicing equipment associated with a vehicle servicing system to correspond to the orientation of the autonomous vehicle.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the servicing equipment is to perform maintenance on the autonomous vehicle in accordance with at least a portion of the vehicle maintenance plan.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the data associated with the one or more reference mechanisms located on the autonomous vehicle comprises an identifier associated with the autonomous vehicle.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the information associated with the autonomous vehicle comprises at least one of a make, a model, or a trim of the autonomous vehicle.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , wherein determining, by the the computing system, the vehicle maintenance plan for the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the information associated with the autonomous vehicle comprises:
determining, by the one or more computing devices system, the vehicle maintenance plan for the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on at least one of the make, the model, or the trim of the autonomous vehicle.

8. A computing system for automated servicing of autonomous vehicles, comprising:
one or more sensors configured to scan one or more reference mechanisms located on an autonomous vehicle;
one or more processors; and
one or more tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media that collectively store instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the computing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:
identifying information associated with the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on data associated with the one or more reference mechanisms located on the autonomous vehicle, wherein the information comprises an orientation of the autonomous vehicle, and
wherein the data associated with the one or more reference mechanisms located on the autonomous vehicle is indicative of a position of each of the one or more reference mechanisms relative to the autonomous vehicle;
determining a vehicle maintenance plan for the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the information associated with the autonomous vehicle; and
providing one or more control signals to implement the vehicle maintenance plan for the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the orientation of the autonomous vehicle.

9. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more reference mechanisms comprise at least one of ultraviolet coatings or infrared coatings.

10. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein providing the one or more control signals to implement the vehicle maintenance plan for the autonomous vehicle comprises:
providing at least one first control signal to cause equipment associated with a first maintenance station to correspond to the orientation of the autonomous vehicle, wherein the orientation is determined based at least in part on the data associated with the one or more reference mechanisms, and wherein the equipment associated with the first maintenance station is to perform maintenance on the autonomous vehicle in accordance with at least a first portion of the vehicle maintenance plan.

11. The computing system of claim 10 , wherein providing one or more control signals to implement the vehicle maintenance plan for the autonomous vehicle comprises:
providing at least one second control signal to cause equipment associated with a second maintenance station to correspond to the orientation of the autonomous vehicle, and wherein the equipment associated with the second maintenance station is to perform maintenance on the autonomous vehicle in accordance with at least a second portion of the vehicle maintenance plan.

12. The computing system of claim 11 , wherein providing the one or more control signals to implement the vehicle maintenance plan for the autonomous vehicle comprises:
providing another control signal to the autonomous vehicle to cause the autonomous vehicle to navigate to at least one of the first maintenance station or the second maintenance station to receive maintenance in accordance with at least one of the first portion of the vehicle maintenance plan or the second portion of the vehicle maintenance plan.

13. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more reference mechanisms are associated with a battery of the autonomous vehicle, and wherein the information associated with the autonomous vehicle is indicative of an orientation of the battery, and wherein the vehicle maintenance plan comprises re-placing the battery of the autonomous vehicle.

14. The computing system of claim 13 , wherein the vehicle maintenance plan comprises at least one of re-fueling the vehicle or filling cleaning fluid of the vehicle.

15. The computing system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more sensors are located at a maintenance location and wherein the autonomous vehicle travels to the maintenance location in an autonomous navigation mode.

16. One or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-readable instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the operations comprising:
obtaining data associated with one or more reference mechanisms located on an autonomous vehicle, wherein the data associated with the one or more reference mechanisms located on the autonomous vehicle is indicative of a position of each of the reference mechanisms relative to the vehicle;
determining an orientation of the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the data associated with the one or more reference mechanisms;
determining one or more placement locations for servicing equipment associated with a vehicle servicing system based at least in part on the orientation of the autonomous vehicle; and
providing one o

Assignees

• Uber Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Wood Matthew Shaw
• Vandenberg Iii Dirk John

Classifications

• G01C21/362

  received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application · CPC title

• B60S5/00

  Servicing, maintaining, repairing, or refitting of vehicles (vehicles adapted to carry a workshop for servicing or maintenance B60P3/14; servicing rail locomotives B61K) · CPC title

• G07C5/008

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title

• G05D1/0276 Primary

  using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle (involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058) · CPC title

• G05D1/0225

  involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay (parking aids B62D15/027) · CPC title