Partner trip application programming interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11989795-B1
Application number	US-202117352456-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 21, 2021
Priority date	Jun 26, 2020
Publication date	May 21, 2024
Grant date	May 21, 2024

Abstract

The technology relates to a seamless interface between an autonomous vehicle service provider and one or more ridesharing or ride-hailing partner companies. An API enables efficient and robust communication with such partner companies for effective rider services and support. The API enables a partner company to determine how quickly an autonomous vehicle from the service provider could pick up a rider from a given location, as well as the cost of the ride. Customers may request rides or modify scheduled trips via an app running on the user's mobile phone or other communication device. The service may allow customers to directly communicate with the ride provider company, and may also allow customers to book or modify rides via interaction with a partner company that works with the ride provider company, either with the same or a different app.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors of a ride provider system, a query from a partner server system regarding autonomous vehicle availability to service a trip from a pickup location to a destination;
evaluating, by the one or more processors of the ride provider system in response to the received query, availability of a set of autonomous vehicles of a fleet of autonomous vehicles, the evaluating including at least one of issuing queries to one or more of the autonomous vehicles of the fleet or determining a status of the one or more autonomous vehicles based on stored status information;
generating, by the one or more processors based on the received query and the evaluated availability, a proposed trip token including at least one waypoint for the trip, the proposed trip token having a time limit;
transmitting, by the one or more processors of the ride provider system, a reply indicating the availability for at least one of the set of autonomous vehicles to service the trip, the reply including the proposed trip token;
receiving, by the one or more processors of the ride provider system, a request to dispatch an autonomous vehicle for the trip according to the proposed trip token;
upon determining that the request was received within the time limit, issuing, by the one or more processors of the ride provider system, a command to a selected autonomous vehicle of the set of autonomous vehicles, the command including trip information including at least a pickup location and an instruction to cause the selected autonomous vehicle to provide the trip;
issuing, by the one or more processors of the ride provider system, dispatch information to the partner server system, the dispatch information including identifying information regarding the selected autonomous vehicle and an estimated arrival time at the pickup location; and
navigating, based on the command, the selected autonomous vehicle to the pickup location.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the query from the partner server system regarding autonomous vehicle availability to service the trip from the pickup location to the destination occurs in response to a customer pickup request.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the query from the partner server system regarding autonomous vehicle availability to service the trip from the pickup location to the destination occurs prior to receiving to a customer pickup request.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the query from the partner server system regarding autonomous vehicle availability to service the trip from the pickup location to the destination implements a propose trip plan application programming interface.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the request to dispatch an autonomous vehicle for the trip implements a create trip application programming interface.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein issuing the dispatch information to the partner server system implements a get trip application programming interface.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein an estimate duration to pickup application programming interface is implemented for at least one of transmitting the reply indicating the availability for at least one of the set of autonomous vehicles to service the trip or issuing the dispatch information to the partner server system.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the reply indicating the availability for at least one of the set of autonomous vehicles to service the trip includes providing at least one of an alternative pickup location, an alternative destination, or an alternative pickup time.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising executing billing logic to generate a fee estimate for the trip upon receiving the query.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving, by the one or more processors of the ride provider system, customer feedback according to a create trip feedback application programming interface.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the query to service the trip is to pick up a customer from the pickup location and transport the customer to the destination.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the query to service the trip is to pick up one or more packages from the pickup location and transport the one or more packages to the destination.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising assigning a non-customer account to the trip, wherein each non-customer account is not associated with an actual customer of the ride provider system.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein issuing the command to the selected autonomous vehicle includes associating the non-customer account to a customer to be picked up.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein issuing the command to the selected autonomous vehicle includes leasing the non-customer account for a period of time encompassing the trip.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the leasing includes assigning the non-customer account to a partner company corresponding to the partner server system.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the query received from the partner server system implements a propose trip plan application programming interface.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein evaluating the availability of the set of autonomous vehicles implements an estimate duration to pickup application programming interface.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein transmitting the reply indicating the availability for the at least one autonomous vehicle implements at least one of the propose trip plan or the estimate duration to pickup application programming interface.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein receiving the request to dispatch the autonomous vehicle implements a create trip application programming interface.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein issuing at least one of the command to the selected autonomous vehicle or the dispatch information to the partner server system implements a create trip application programming interface.

22. A ride provider system, comprising:
a trip database configured to maintain one or more trip tables for trips serviced by a fleet of autonomous vehicles;
a first set of processors operatively coupled to the trip database, the first set of processors configured to:
receive a query from a partner server system regarding autonomous vehicle availability to service a trip from a pickup location to a destination;
evaluate, in response to the received query, availability of a set of autonomous vehicles of a fleet of autonomous vehicles, the evaluation including at least one of issuing queries to one or more of the autonomous vehicles of the fleet or determining a status of the one or more autonomous vehicles based on stored status information;
generate, based on the received query and the evaluated availability, a proposed trip token including at least one waypoint for the trip, the proposed trip token having a time limit;
transmit a reply indicating the availability for at least one of the set of autonomous vehicles to service the trip, the reply including the proposed trip token;
receive a request to dispatch an autonomous vehicle for the trip according to the proposed trip token;
upon determination that the request was received within the time limit, issue a command to a selected autonomous vehicle of the set of autonomous vehicles, the command including trip information including at least a pickup location and an instruction to cause the selected autonomous vehicle to provide

Assignees

• Waymo Llc

Inventors

• Fedorynski Pawel
• Friedman Eric

Classifications

• G06Q10/0283 Primary

  for travel seating · CPC title

• G06Q50/30 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• B60W60/00253

  Taxi operations · CPC title

• G06Q10/02

  Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events · CPC title

• G06Q10/06315

  Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis · CPC title