Beacon and a method for providing instructions to an autonomous agent

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11061396-B2
Application number	US-201715847949-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2017
Priority date	Dec 20, 2017
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

An example embodiment of the invention provides a beacon for providing instructions to an autonomous agent. The beacon comprises an audio or visual output arrangement which is configured to output an audio or visual machine-readable signal. The machine-readable signal is configured to provide an instruction to the autonomous agent. The audio or visual output arrangement is configured to provide the output such that the machine-readable signal is, at least partially, inaudible, invisible, or incomprehensible to humans.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A beacon for providing instructions to an autonomous agent, the beacon comprising:
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon an instruction to an autonomous agent, the autonomous agent including a machine;
an electronic controller communicatively coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and
an output arrangement which is configured to output a machine-readable signal, the output arrangement including a road sign,
wherein the electronic controller is configured to operate the output arrangement such that the machine-readable signal output by the output arrangement comprises the instruction to the autonomous agent, the machine-readable signals activating the autonomous agent to react to the road sign,
wherein the machine-readable signal comprises at least one of:
visual indicia which are orthogonal to indicia used in human language; and
audible sounds which are orthogonal to sounds used in human language.

2. The beacon of claim 1 , wherein the instruction of the machine-readable signal:
references computer code accessible to the autonomous agent; and/or
contains computer code executable by the autonomous agent.

3. The beacon of claim 1 , wherein the machine-readable signal is a visual signal and comprises a visual display of wavelengths of light invisible to a human eye.

4. The beacon of claim 3 , wherein the instruction is encoded in at least one of:
an intensity;
a wavelength;
a frequency; and
a hue, of the visual machine-readable signal.

5. The beacon of claim 1 , wherein the machine-readable signal is an audible signal and comprises wavelengths of sound inaudible to a human ear.

6. The beacon of claim 5 , wherein the instruction is encoded in at least one of:
an intensity; and
a pitch/frequency,
of the audible machine-readable signal.

7. The beacon of claim 1 , wherein the signal comprises a plurality of instructions, each of which is configured to execute a software routine in the autonomous agent.

8. The beacon of claim 1 , wherein the output arrangement is configured to output the machine-readable signal which is one of at least:
fixed in time; or
time-varying.

9. The beacon of claim 1 , wherein the machine-readable signal includes a combination of both audio and visual machine readable signals.

10. An autonomous agent system which includes:
a beacon for providing instructions to an autonomous agent, the beacon comprising:
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon an instruction to an autonomous agent, the autonomous agent including a machine;
an electronic controller communicatively coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and
an output arrangement which is configured to output a machine-readable signal the output arrangement including a road sign;
wherein the electronic controller is configured to operate the output arrangement such that the machine-readable signal output by the output arrangement comprises the instruction to the autonomous agent; and
an autonomous agent which includes:
a receiver which is receptive to the machine-readable signal; and
a processor which is configured to execute the instruction of the machine-readable signal,
the autonomous agent configured to autonomously react to the road sign,

wherein the machine-readable signal comprises at least one:
visual indicia which are orthogonal to indicia used in human language; and
audible sounds which are orthogonal to sounds used in human language.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the machine-readable signal includes a combination of both audio and visual machine readable signals.

12. A method of providing instructions to an autonomous agent, the method comprising:
outputting, by a beacon comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon an instruction to an autonomous agent and an electronic controller communicatively coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, a machine-readable signal,
wherein the electronic controller is configured to operate an output arrangement including a road sign such that the machine-readable signal output by the output arrangement comprises the instruction to the autonomous agent, the autonomous agent including a machine, the machine-readable signals activating the autonomous agent to react to the road sign,
wherein the machine-readable signal comprises at least one of:
visual indicia which are orthogonal to indicia used in human language; and
audible sounds which are orthogonal to sounds used in human language.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the instruction of the machine-readable signal:
points to computer code stored within to the autonomous agent; and/or
contains computer code executable by the autonomous agent.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the machine-readable signal is a visual signal and comprises a visual display of wavelengths of light invisible to a human eye.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the instruction is encoded in at least one of:
an intensity;
a wavelength;
a frequency; and
a hue,
of the visual machine-readable signal.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the machine-readable signal is an audible signal and comprises wavelengths of sound inaudible to a human ear.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the instruction is encoded in at least one of:
an intensity; and
a pitch/frequency,
of the audible machine-readable signal.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the machine-readable signal comprises a plurality of instructions, each of which is configured to address a software routine in the autonomous agent.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the autonomous agent is configured to resolve instructions from the machine-readable signal by comparing a similarity between the machine-readable signal and reference machine-readable signals stored in the autonomous agent.

20. The method of claim 12 , comprising detecting, by the autonomous agent, the machine-readable signal associated with specific instructions by training one or more classifiers of the autonomous agent to discriminate a set of variants of the machine-readable signal and a set of signals expected in environments where the autonomous agent operates.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Siwo Geoffrey H

Classifications

• G08G1/096725 Primary

  where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control · CPC title

• G08G1/00

  Traffic control systems for road vehicles (arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 {; automatic vehicle control B62D}) · CPC title

• G10L25/51

  for comparison or discrimination · CPC title

• G08G1/092

  Coding or decoding of the information · CPC title

• G08G1/096783

  where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element · CPC title