Operator proficiency-based infrastructure articles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11756402-B2
Application number	US-202017609848-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2020
Priority date	May 24, 2019
Publication date	Sep 12, 2023
Grant date	Sep 12, 2023

Abstract

An infrastructure article includes a signal receiver device configured to receive a wireless signal from a signal emitter device configured at an electrically powered scooter; and a controller configured to determine information, coded in the wireless signal, that is based on an operator proficiency of an operator of the electrically powered scooter; and to perform, based at least in part on the information that indicates the operator proficiency of the operator of the electrically powered scooter, at least one operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An infrastructure article comprising:
a signal receiver device configured to receive a wireless signal from a signal emitter device configured at an electrically powered scooter;
a controller configured to:
determine information, coded in the wireless signal, that is based on an operator proficiency of an operator of the electrically powered scooter; and
perform, based at least in part on the information that indicates the operator proficiency of the operator of the electrically powered scooter, at least one operation.

2. The infrastructure article of claim 1 , wherein the infrastructure article comprises at least one of a pavement marker configured for attachment to a pathway or a stationary hazard marker configured for attachment to the pathway.

3. The infrastructure article of claim 1 , wherein the signal receiver device is a light signal receiver device configured to receive a set of light pulses as the wireless signal.

4. The infrastructure article of claim 3 , wherein the light pulses are received at a frequency greater than 80 Hz.

5. The infrastructure article of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to perform the at least one operation based at least in part on a determination by the controller that the electrically powered scooter is approaching the infrastructure article.

6. The infrastructure article of claim 1 , wherein the infrastructure article is a first infrastructure article, and wherein the controller is configured to:
send, based at least in part on the information that indicates the operator proficiency of the operator of the electrically powered scooter, a message to a second infrastructure article.

7. The infrastructure article of claim 6 , wherein the information is first information, and wherein the message comprises second information that is based at least in part on the operator proficiency of the operator of the electrically powered scooter.

8. The infrastructure article of claim 1 , wherein the information is first information, the wireless signal is a first wireless signal, the operator proficiency is a first operator proficiency, and the electrically powered scooter is a first electrically powered scooter, wherein the controller is configured to:
determine second information, coded in a second wireless signal received at the infrastructure article, that is based at least in part on a second operator proficiency of a second operator of a second electrically powered scooter.

9. The infrastructure article of claim 1 , wherein the information that indicates the operator proficiency of the operator is based at least in part on a quantity of rides driven by the operator, a cumulative distance driven by the operator, or whether the operator is operating within a designated region for the operator.

10. The infrastructure article of claim 1 , wherein the information that indicates the operator proficiency of the operator is based at least in part on whether the operator experienced a risk event during prior operation of one or more electrically powered scooters.

11. The infrastructure article of claim 1 , wherein to perform the at least one operation, the controller is configured to generate an output that is based at least in part on the information that indicates the operator proficiency of the operator of the electrically powered scooter.

12. The infrastructure article of claim 11 , wherein the output comprises at least one of a visible output, an audible output, a motion-based output, or communication output.

13. The infrastructure article of claim 12 , wherein at least one of a type or a property of the output is based at least in part on the information that indicates the operator proficiency of the operator of the electrically powered scooter.

14. The infrastructure article of claim 12 , wherein the infrastructure article is configured in a set of infrastructure articles, and wherein whether to generate the output is based at least in part on whether one or more other infrastructure articles of the set of infrastructure articles generate a respective output.

15. The infrastructure article of claim 1 , wherein the information is first information, the wireless signal is a first wireless signal, the operator proficiency is a first operator proficiency, and the electrically powered scooter is a first electrically powered scooter, wherein the controller is configured to:
send a message to at least one of a computing device associated with the first electrically powered scooter or a second electrically powered scooter.

16. The infrastructure article of claim 1 , wherein the message is based at least in part on one or more properties of an environment that includes the infrastructure article.

17. The infrastructure article of claim 1 , wherein to perform the at least one operation, the controller is configured to perform the at least one operation based at least in part on a plurality of wireless signals received at the infrastructure article.

18. The infrastructure article of claim 1 , wherein to perform the at least one operation, the controller is configured to perform the at least one operation based at least in part on an angularity of the wireless signal received at the infrastructure article.

19. The infrastructure article of claim 1 , wherein the infrastructure article comprises a retroreflector.

20. A computing device comprising:
one or more computer processors, and
a memory comprising instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to:
select information that is based on an operator proficiency of an operator of the electrically powered scooter;
code, into a wireless signal, the information that is based on an operator proficiency of an operator of the electrically powered scooter;
send the wireless signal to an infrastructure article configured to receive the wireless signal from a signal emitter device configured at the electrically powered scooter.

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Company

Inventors

• Hansen Kristen J
• Dunn Douglas S
• Gandrud Jonathan D

Classifications

• G08C13/00 Primary

  Arrangements for influencing the relationship between signals at input and output, e.g. differentiating, delaying · CPC title

• G08B21/18 Primary

  Status alarms (G08B21/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62K11/00

  Motorcycles, engine-assisted cycles or motor scooters with one or two wheels (fairings or streamlining parts not forming part of the frame B62J; transmission of drive from engines to wheels B62M) · CPC title

• B62K2202/00

  Motorised scooters · CPC title

• G07C5/008

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