Software application and logic to modify configuration of an autonomous vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10334050-B2
Application number	US-201514933665-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 5, 2015
Priority date	Nov 4, 2015
Publication date	Jun 25, 2019
Grant date	Jun 25, 2019

Abstract

Various embodiments relate generally to autonomous vehicles and associated mechanical, electrical and electronic hardware, computer software and systems, and wired and wireless network communications to provide an autonomous vehicle fleet as a service. In particular, a method may include identifying a location of a user device associated with a user, transmitting a command to an autonomous vehicle system associated with an autonomous vehicle service to transit to the location, and providing information associated with the user device to the autonomous vehicle system, where the information includes configuration data to adapt one or more sub-systems of the autonomous vehicle. Sub-systems of the autonomous vehicle may include interior lighting, ambient sound, road handling, seating configuration, communication synchronization, and temperature control systems.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method comprising:
receiving an indication of a location of a user device;
generating instructions dispatching an autonomous vehicle system to the location to make the autonomous vehicle system available to a user to transport the user to a destination;
transmitting the instructions to the autonomous vehicle system; and
transmitting information associated with the user to the autonomous vehicle system, the information including road handling setting information including configuration data associated with the user, the configuration data including one or more settings associated with an active suspension system of the autonomous vehicle system, the configuration data being used by the autonomous vehicle to modify an active suspension parameter of the active suspension system, prior to the user entering the autonomous vehicle at the location.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting the autonomous vehicle system from a fleet of autonomous vehicle systems associated with an autonomous vehicle service, the selecting being based in part on at least one of a location of the autonomous vehicle system, a maintenance level of the autonomous vehicle system or a data storage capacity of the autonomous vehicle system.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the configuration data according to previous selections made by the user or another user.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information further includes at least one of temperature configuration data or road handling configuration data.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing a user interface to a mobile application of the user device, the user interface including a control to set one or more operating conditions of the autonomous vehicle system;
receiving from the mobile device an indication of selection of the control to set a configuration of an operating condition of the one or more operating conditions; and
providing an instruction to set the configuration of the operating condition to the autonomous vehicle system.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the operating condition comprises the road handling setting of the autonomous vehicle system and the instruction to set the configuration includes an instruction to modify the active suspension parameter.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the operating condition comprises one or more communication settings of the autonomous vehicle system.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the one or more communication settings enables the user device to at least one of place phone calls through the autonomous vehicle system or play content through the autonomous vehicle system while inside the autonomous vehicle, the method further comprising:
receiving sensor data from a sensor on the vehicle; and
associating the sensor data with a user profile of the user on a social media network.

9. A method comprising:
receiving, at an autonomous vehicle system, dispatch instructions to transit to a location to make the autonomous vehicle system available to a user at the location to transport the user to a destination;
configuring, prior to the user entering the autonomous vehicle system at the location, a sub-system of the autonomous vehicle to set an ambient feature of an interior of the autonomous vehicle to a first setting, the first setting comprising a user preference associated with the user;
identifying the user at the location;
sending, at least in part in response to identifying the user at the location and to a user device associated with the user, a request for authentication information;
receiving the authentication information;
verifying, based at least in part on the authentication information, the user or the user device;
receiving a request from the user device associated with the user to configure the sub-system in accordance with a second setting;
determining from the request a change parameter of the sub-system; and
modifying the sub-system by executing the change parameter.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the user device comprises a mobile device and wherein the request is received from a mobile application operating on the mobile device, the method further comprising:
receiving, at the autonomous vehicle system and from the user device, a second request, the second request comprising one or more profiles of users connected to the user on a social media network; and
navigating to locations associated with the one or more profiles.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the sub-system is associated with an ambient feature of an interior of the autonomous vehicle, the ambient feature comprising at least one of interior lighting of the autonomous vehicle system, interior speakers of the autonomous vehicle system, interior screens of the autonomous vehicle system, or an internal temperature of the autonomous vehicle system.

12. The method of claim 9 ,
wherein identifying the user at the location comprises one or more of:
receiving image data from a camera on the autonomous vehicle;
detecting, in the image data, an object; and
determining facial features associated with the object match a profile image associated with the user, or
receiving audio data from a microphone on the autonomous vehicle; and
determining, based at least in part on voice recognition, the audio data is associated with the user,

the method further comprising:
storing the second setting as the user preference.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operating condition comprises a road handling configuration, the method further comprising:
determining a trajectory for the autonomous vehicle system based at least in part on the road handling configuration; and
transmitting the trajectory to the autonomous vehicle system,
wherein the trajectory is configured to transport the user to the destination.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
determining the user preference based at least in part on the identification of the user; and
causing the autonomous vehicle to transport the user to the destination.

15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
sensing a presence of the user device or of a user associated with the user device at the location,
wherein the identifying the user is based at least in part on the sensing.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the sensing comprises actively scanning a surrounding locale to locate the user device or the user.

17. The method of claim 9 , wherein the authentication information comprises a visual indicator on the user device.

18. The method of claim 9 , wherein the authentication information comprises a security code.

19. The method of claim 9 , wherein the receiving the authentication information comprises using at least one of facial recognition or voice recognition.

20. The method of claim 9 , further comprising authorizing access to the autonomous vehicle system based at least on part on the verifying the user or the user device.

21. The method of claim 9 , wherein the configuring the sub-system in accordance with the first setting is at least in part based on the verifying the user or the user device.

22. A system comprising:
an autonomous vehicle configured to drive autonomously on a roadway, the autonomous vehicle including a road handling sub-system configured to control one or more road handling parameters of the autonomous vehicle; and
a computing system communicatively coupled to the autonomous vehicle to receive data and to

Assignees

• Zoox Inc

Inventors

• Kentley-Klay Timothy David
• Gamara Rachad Youssef

Classifications

• G06Q10/40

  Business processes related to social networking or social networking services · CPC title

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G07C5/008

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

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• B60Q1/30

  for indicating rear of vehicle, e.g. by means of reflecting surfaces · CPC title