Autonomous vehicle rider drop-off sensory systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11878718-B2
Application number	US-202117408279-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2021
Priority date	Aug 20, 2021
Publication date	Jan 23, 2024
Grant date	Jan 23, 2024

Abstract

A method for controlling a vehicle includes identifying a user identity associated with a user riding in the vehicle, determining a destination associated with the user identity, creating a detection zone proximate to the vehicle when the vehicle is localized in a first drop-off location associated with the destination, causing a sensory system to identify a hazard within the detection zone and generate a localization of the hazard, determining that a first probability of realizing a risk associated with the hazard is less than a first probability threshold, and generating a vehicle door actuation that permits the user to exit the vehicle based on the first probability of realizing the risk.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a vehicle, comprising:
determining a destination associated with a user riding in the vehicle;
determining a detection zone proximate to the vehicle at a first drop-off location associated with the destination;
identifying a hazard within the detection zone and a location of the hazard;
determining that a first probability of realizing a risk associated with the hazard is greater than a first probability threshold;
actuating, based on the first probability of realizing the risk being greater than the first probability threshold, a vehicle door in a manner wherein a signal is sent to a door access panel of the vehicle door and/or is sent to a door actuator of the vehicle door in order to cause the vehicle door to lock at the first drop-off location;
over-riding actuation of the vehicle door with the user to cause the vehicle door to open, thereby causing a display of the vehicle to provide an assumption of risk message, and a user-selectable input that allows the user to provide an acknowledgement based on the assumption of risk message;
creating logs for future reference which note that the user has chosen to accept the risk associated with the hazard; and
responsive to the user exiting the vehicle, causing the vehicle to wait nearby the user as an escort such that the vehicle monitors the user by establishing a geofence around the vehicle until it is determined that the user has moved a predetermined distance with respect to the geofence.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first probability of realizing the risk is based on an infrastructure characteristic associated with the first drop-off location.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first probability of realizing the risk is based on one or more of a crime map and criminal activity associated with the first drop-off location.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first probability of realizing the risk is based on an external street or walkway limitation.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first probability of realizing the risk is based on a distance from the first drop-off location to the destination.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, responsive to determining that the user has exited the vehicle, that the user has left a belonging in an interior of the vehicle; and
generating one or more of a visual signal and/or an audio signal indicative that the user has left the belonging in the vehicle interior.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the signal is sent to the door access panel of the vehicle door and is sent to the door actuator of the vehicle door in order to cause the vehicle door to lock at the first drop-off location.

8. A system, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory for storing executable instructions, the processor programmed to execute the instructions to:
identify a user identity associated with a user riding in a vehicle;
determine a destination associated with the user identity;
create a detection zone proximate to the vehicle when the vehicle is localized in a first drop-off location associated with the destination;
cause a sensory system to identify a hazard within the detection zone and generate a localization of the hazard;
determine that a first probability of realizing a risk associated with the hazard is greater than a first probability threshold;
generate a vehicle door actuation in a manner wherein a signal is sent to a door access panel of the vehicle door and/or is sent to a door actuator of the vehicle door in order to cause the vehicle door to lock based on the first probability of realizing the risk;
over-ride the actuation of the vehicle door with the user to cause the vehicle door to open, thereby causing a display of the vehicle to provide an assumption of risk message, and a user-selectable input that allows the user to provide an acknowledgement based on the assumption of risk message;
create logs for future reference which note that the user has chosen to accept the risk associated with the hazard;
responsive to the user exiting the vehicle, cause the vehicle to wait nearby the user as an escort such that the vehicle monitors the user by establishing a geofence around the vehicle until it is determined that the user has moved a predetermined distance with respect to the geofence.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the first probability of realizing the risk is based on an infrastructure characteristic associated with the first drop-off location associated with the destination.

10. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the first probability of realizing the risk is based on one or more of a crime map and criminal activity associated with the first drop-off location.

11. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the first probability of realizing the risk is based on an external street or walkway limitation.

12. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the first probability of realizing the risk is based on a distance from the first drop-off location to the destination.

13. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the processor is further caused to execute the instructions to determine, responsive to determining that the user has exited the vehicle, that the user has left a belonging in an interior of the vehicle by using weight sensors of the vehicle, and generate one or more of a visual signal and/or an audio signal indicative that the user has left the belonging in the vehicle interior.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
identify a user identity associated with a user riding in a vehicle;
determine a destination associated with the user identity;
create a detection zone proximate to the vehicle when the vehicle is localized in a first drop-off location associated with the destination;
cause a sensory system to identify a hazard within the detection zone and generate a localization of the hazard;
determine that a first probability of realizing a risk associated with the hazard is greater than a first probability threshold;
generate a vehicle door actuation in a manner wherein a signal is sent to a door access panel of the vehicle door and/or is sent to a door actuator of the vehicle door in order to cause the vehicle door to lock based on the first probability of realizing the risk;
over-ride actuation of the vehicle door with the user to cause the vehicle door to open, thereby causing a display of the vehicle to provide an assumption of risk message, and a user-selectable input that allows the user to provide an acknowledgement based on the assumption of risk message;
create logs for future reference which note that the user has chosen to accept the risk associated with the hazard;
responsive to the user exiting the vehicle, cause the vehicle to wait nearby the user as an escort such that the vehicle monitors the user by establishing a geofence around the vehicle until it is determined that the user has moved a predetermined distance with respect to the geofence.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14 , wherein the first probability of realizing the risk is based on an infrastructure characteristic associated with the first drop-off location associated with the destination.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15 , wherein the storage medium further has instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by a processor,

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Somanath Nithya
• Katti Bhagyashri Satyabodha
• Wisniewski Joseph
• Tseng Finn Finn
• Dudar Aed

Classifications

• B60W60/0016 Primary

  of the vehicle or its occupants · CPC title

• B60W40/02

  related to ambient conditions · CPC title

• B60W40/08

  related to drivers or passengers · CPC title

• B60W60/00253

  Taxi operations · CPC title

• G06V20/58 Primary

  Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads · CPC title