Management of set of vehicles for assistance at an event

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12437649-B2
Application number	US-202318333002-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 12, 2023
Priority date	Jun 12, 2023
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

A system for managing a vehicle set includes a controller having a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which instructions are recorded. The vehicle set includes a plurality of autonomous vehicles each having a respective telematics unit adapted to communicate with the controller. The controller is adapted to receive notification of an event in real-time and identify at least one center of the event. The controller is adapted to determine a respective status of the vehicle set in real-time, including a respective availability and a respective proximity to the event. The controller is adapted to dispatch selected ones of the vehicle set to the event based in part on the respective status and assign event duties to the selected ones of the vehicle set. The event duties including forming a boundary around the at least one center of the event by being physically stationed around the at least one center.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for managing a vehicle set, the system comprising:
a controller having a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which instructions are recorded;
wherein the vehicle set includes a plurality of autonomous vehicles each having a respective telematics unit adapted to communicate with the controller, a portion of the vehicle set being owned by respective private owners;
wherein the controller is adapted to:
receive notification of an event and identify at least one center of the event;
determine a respective status of the vehicle set in real-time, including a respective availability and a respective proximity to the event;
dispatch selected ones of the vehicle set to the event based in part on the respective status; and
assign event duties to the selected ones of the vehicle set, the event duties including forming a boundary around the at least one center of the event by being physically stationed around the at least one center;
send an alert to the respective private owners when the event is within a predefined geographical zone;
determine one or more skills appropriate for the event and retrieve a respective personal skill profile of the respective private owners from a database; and
transmit a request to the respective private owners to accompany the portion of the vehicle set when the respective personal skill profile meets the one or more skills for the event.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the event duties include advising surrounding entities to stay outside the boundary, the surrounding entities including vehicles and/or pedestrians.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the event duties include:
monitoring an interior side of the boundary and an exterior side of the boundary; and
reporting if surrounding entities cross into the interior side of the boundary, the surrounding entities including vehicles and/or pedestrians.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the event duties include redirecting traffic around the at least one center of the event.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the event duties include providing an audible signal of a detour route around the at least one center of the event.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the selected ones of the vehicle set are assigned to respective locations at the event based on an order of arrival such that the selected ones arriving first are placed at the respective locations relatively closer to the at least one center.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a remote advisory unit adapted to provide the notification of the event to the controller; and
wherein the event duties include providing status updates of the event to the remote advisory unit.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein identification of the event is based in part on sensor data from at least one vehicle in the vehicle set.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the vehicle set is owned by a fleet.

10. A method of managing a vehicle set with a controller having a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which instructions are recorded, the method comprising:
incorporating in the vehicle set a plurality of autonomous vehicles each having a respective telematics unit adapted to communicate with the controller, wherein a portion of the vehicle set is owned by respective private owners;
receiving notification of an event, via the controller, and identifying at least one center of the event;
determining a respective status of the vehicle set in real-time, including a respective availability and a respective proximity to the event, via the controller;
sending an alert to the respective private owners when the event is within a predefined geographical zone, via the controller;
determining one or more skills appropriate for the event and retrieving a respective personal skill profile of the respective private owners from a database, via the controller;
transmitting a request to the respective private owners to accompany the portion of the vehicle set when the respective personal skill profile meets the one or more skills for the event, via the controller;
dispatching selected ones of the vehicle set to the event based in part on the respective status, via the controller; and
assigning event duties to the selected ones of the vehicle set, via the controller, the event duties including forming a boundary around the at least one center of the event by being physically stationed around the at least one center.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising, incorporating in the event duties:
advising surrounding entities to stay outside the boundary, the surrounding entities including vehicles and/or passersby.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, incorporating in the event duties:
monitoring an interior side of the boundary and an exterior side of the boundary; and
reporting if the surrounding entities cross into the interior side of the boundary.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising, incorporating in the event duties:
redirecting traffic around the at least one center of the event.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising, incorporating in the event duties:
providing an audible signal of a detour route around the at least one center of the event.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
assigning the selected ones of the vehicle set to respective locations at the event based on an order of arrival such that the selected ones arriving first are placed at the respective locations relatively closer to the at least one center.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Patenaude Russell A
• Gilbert-Eyres Matthew E
• Hosey Eric T
• Wright Adam L
• Neely Matthew

Classifications

• G08G1/096725 Primary

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

• G08G1/096766

  where the system is characterised by the origin of the information transmission · CPC title

• G08G1/202 Primary

  Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching · CPC title

• G08G1/09

  Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions ({railroad crossing signals B61L; reflectors E01F, G08B}; indicating arrangements for variable information by selection or combination of individual elements G09F9/00) · CPC title