Vehicle occupancy indication and utilization thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11247673-B2
Application number	US-201916506707-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2019
Priority date	Jan 20, 2017
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

Techniques pertaining to vehicle occupancy indication and utilization thereof are described. A method may involve determining occupancy information regarding a number of occupants in a vehicle. The method may also involve indicating the occupancy information in either or both of a human-perceivable way and a machine-perceivable way.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
determining, by a processor associated with a vehicle, occupancy information regarding a type of occupants in the vehicle; and
indicating, by the processor, the occupancy information in either or both of a human-perceivable way and a machine-perceivable way.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indicating of the occupancy information in the human-perceivable way comprises controlling a visual indicator to visibly indicate the occupancy information, and wherein each type of a plurality of types of occupants is visibly displayed in a respective color of a plurality of colors.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the controlling of the visual indicator comprises controlling at least a light bar or a numerical display.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indicating of the occupancy information in the machine-perceivable way comprises wirelessly transmitting the occupancy information via a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication protocol, a vehicle-to-anything (V2X) communication protocol, or both.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining, by the processor, additional occupancy information from each of one or more other vehicles regarding a number of occupants in the respective vehicle; and
determining, by the processor based at least in part on the occupancy information regarding the vehicle and the additional occupancy information regarding the one or more other vehicles, a maneuvering pattern to maneuver the vehicle when the vehicle is in a predefined condition.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the predefined condition comprises the vehicle being involved in an unavoidable collision with at least one vehicle of the one or more vehicles.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the maneuvering pattern comprises a pattern that maneuvers the vehicle to crash into one of the one or more vehicles with a number of occupants lower than that of at least another of the one or more vehicles.

8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
determining, by the processor, whether the vehicle is in the predefined condition; and
maneuvering, by the processor, the vehicle using the maneuvering pattern responsive to a determination that the vehicle is in the predefined condition.

9. An apparatus implementable in a vehicle, comprising:
an information acquisition device capable of obtaining data indicative of a type of occupants in the vehicle;
an indication device; and
a processor operatively coupled to the information acquisition device and the indication device, the processor capable of performing operations comprising:
determining, using the data obtained by the information acquisition device, occupancy information regarding the type of occupants in the vehicle; and
controlling the indication device to indicate the occupancy information in either or both of a human-perceivable way and a machine-perceivable way.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the indication device comprises a visual indicator, and wherein, in indicating the occupancy information in the human-perceivable way, the processor is capable of controlling the indication device to visibly indicate the occupancy information such that each type of a plurality of types of occupants is visibly displayed in a respective color of a plurality of colors.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the visual indicator comprises at least a light bar or a numerical display.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the indication device comprises a wireless transmitter, and wherein, in indicating the occupancy information in the machine-perceivable way, the processor is capable of controlling the indication device to wirelessly transmit the occupancy information via a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication protocol, a vehicle-to-anything (V2X) communication protocol, or both.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:
the information acquisition device comprises a wireless receiver capable of wirelessly receiving data via a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication protocol,
the processor is also capable of obtaining, via the information acquisition device, additional occupancy information from each of one or more other vehicles regarding a number of occupants in the respective vehicle, and
the processor is further capable of determining, based at least in part on the occupancy information regarding the vehicle and the additional occupancy information regarding the one or more other vehicles, a maneuvering pattern to maneuver the vehicle when the vehicle is in a predefined condition.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the predefined condition comprises the vehicle being involved in an unavoidable collision with at least one vehicle of the one or more vehicles.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the maneuvering pattern comprises a pattern that maneuvers the vehicle to crash into one of the one or more vehicles with a number of occupants lower than that of at least another of the one or more vehicles.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising:
a vehicle control interface capable of operating the vehicle under the control of the processor,
wherein:
the information acquisition device comprises one or more sensors capable of detecting parameters regarding a status of the vehicle in a traffic,
the processor is also capable of determining whether the vehicle is in the predefined condition based on a result of the detecting by the one or more sensors, and
the processor is further capable of controlling the vehicle control interface to maneuver the vehicle using the maneuvering pattern responsive to a determination that the vehicle is in the predefined condition.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Nagraj Rao Nikhil
• Myers Scott Vincent
• Scaria Lisa
• Banvait Harpreetsingh

Classifications

• B60Q1/323

  on or for doors (illuminated exterior door handles B60Q1/2669; illuminated door locks E05B17/10) · CPC title

• B60Q1/507

  specific to autonomous vehicles · CPC title

• B60Q1/5037

  the display content changing automatically, e.g. depending on traffic situation · CPC title

• B60Q1/544

  for indicating other states or conditions of the vehicle occupants, e.g. for indicating disabled occupants · CPC title

• B60W30/09 Primary

  Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering · CPC title