Passenger pickup system and method using autonomous shuttle vehicle

• US 10,043,396 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2016
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Salter, Stuart C., Buttolo, Pietro, Dellock, Paul Kenneth, Huebner, Annette Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torchinsky, Edward
• Application Number:
  US15/263,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20180075754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/01 operating on vehicle systems or fittings, e.g. on doors, seats or windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/593 Recognising seat occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/42 for mass transport vehicles, e.g. buses, trains or aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

A passenger pickup system and method is provided herein. A mobile electronic device is used by an intended passenger to input a pickup request. A vehicle is dispatched to a pickup location and is configured to detect a location of the passenger based on a signal exchange between the vehicle and the electronic device, display a vehicle identifier notifying the passenger of the vehicle'"'"'s arrival, and deny the passenger from entering the vehicle until a security code is received from the electronic device.

Claims

1. A passenger pickup system comprising:

a mobile electronic device with which an intended passenger inputs a pickup request;

a vehicle dispatched to a pickup location and configured to;

broadcast a signal;

determine a location of the passenger based on a signal exchange between the vehicle and the electronic device;

display a vehicle identifier notifying the passenger of the vehicle'"'"'s arrival; and

determine whether the electronic device is located within an allowable distance from a door of the vehicle, and if not, transmit a message to the electronic device, wherein the message is displayed on the electronic device and prompts the passenger to move closer to the door.

2. The passenger pickup system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a smartphone having an application stored thereon that interfaces with a communication system of the vehicle.

3. The passenger pickup system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle broadcasts the signals using a number of directional antennas and triangulates the location of the passenger based on the strength of the signal exchange between each antenna and the electronic device.

4. The passenger pickup system of claim 1, wherein the signal comprises a trip identifier having a unique alpha numeric code.

5. The passenger pickup system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle identifier is also displayed on the electronic device thereby enabling the passenger to correctly identify the vehicle.

6. The passenger pickup system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle identifier is made to illuminate and is selected from a number of symbols and a numeric sequence.

7. A passenger pickup system comprising:

a mobile electronic device with which an intended passenger inputs a pickup request;

a vehicle dispatched to a pickup location and configured to;

detect a location of the passenger based on a signal exchange between the vehicle and the electronic device;

display a vehicle identifier notifying the passenger of the vehicle'"'"'s arrival;

determine whether the mobile electronic device is located within an allowable distance from a door of the vehicle, and if not, transmit a message to the mobile electronic device, wherein the message is displayed on the mobile electronic device and prompts the passenger to move closer to the door; and

deny the passenger from entering the vehicle until a security code is received from the electronic device.

8. The passenger pickup system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle is configured to open the door based on the passenger manually entering the security code using the electronic device.

9. The passenger pickup system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle is configured to open the door based on the security code being received while the electronic device is detected within the allowable distance from the door.

10. The passenger pickup system of claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the door is illuminable on both sides such that the resultant illumination is visible from outside and inside the vehicle.

11. The passenger pickup system of claim 10, wherein the door illuminates in a blinking pattern while the vehicle waits to receive the security code.

12. The passenger pickup system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle comprises a security camera configured to record video or images of people entering or exiting the vehicle.

13. The passenger pickup system of claim 12, wherein the vehicle is configured to implement a countermeasure if a distress signal is received from the electronic device, wherein the countermeasure comprises at least one of activating the camera, flashing exterior lights of the vehicle, and sounding a horn of the vehicle.

14. A passenger pickup system comprising:

a mobile electronic device with which an intended passenger inputs a pickup request;

a vehicle dispatched to a pickup location and configured to;

detect a location of the passenger based on a signal exchange between the vehicle and the electronic device;

display a vehicle identifier notifying the passenger of the vehicle'"'"'s arrival;

illuminate a door of the vehicle in a blinking pattern;

determine whether the mobile electronic device is located within an allowable distance from a door of the vehicle, and if not, transmit a message to the mobile electronic device, wherein the message is displayed on the mobile electronic device and prompts the passenger to move closer to the door;

deny the passenger from entering the vehicle until a security code is received from the electronic device; and

upon receiving the security code, illuminate the door continuously for a period of time before opening the door.

15. The passenger pickup system of claim 14, wherein at least a portion of the door is illuminable on both sides such that the resultant illumination is visible from outside and inside the vehicle.

16. The passenger pickup system of claim 14, wherein the vehicle is configured to implement a countermeasure if a distress signal is received from the electronic device while the electronic device is within the allowable distance from the vehicle.

17. The passenger pickup system of claim 16, wherein the countermeasure comprises activating a camera to record video or images.

18. The passenger pickup system of claim 16, wherein the countermeasure comprises flashing exterior lights of the vehicle.

19. The passenger pickup system of claim 16, wherein the countermeasure comprises sounding a horn of the vehicle.