Service drone configuration based on a serviceable vehicle-component fault condition

• US 10,067,502 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2017
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Research Institute, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Delp, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US15/452,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20180259952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/25 for manufacturing or servicing
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/25 for recharging batteries; for refuelling
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/86 Land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A device and method for service drone configuration are disclosed. Vehicle diagnostic data is retrieved and monitored for error data that indicates a serviceable vehicle-component fault condition. When the error data indicates the serviceable vehicle-component fault condition, a drone service protocol is generated based on the error data, where the drone service protocol being operable to instruct a service drone to attend to a source of the serviceable vehicle-component fault condition. The drone service protocol can be transmitted for deploying the service drone.

Claims

1. A method for servicing a vehicle including at least driver-assist operational capability using a service drone protocol, the method comprising:

retrieving vehicle diagnostic data of the vehicle using an interface;

in response to detecting that the diagnostic data indicates a fault condition, generating a drone service protocol that is a communication to instruct a service drone to attend to the fault condition associated with the vehicle, the drone service protocol identifying a serviceable vehicle-component that is experiencing the fault condition and a service action to remedy the fault condition; and

transmitting the drone service protocol to the service drone to cause the service drone to deploy to the vehicle and perform the service action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring for the fault condition includes identifying error data within the vehicle diagnostics data corresponding to the fault condition that is of at least a defined service action level that indicates the fault condition is affecting an ability of the vehicle to operate autonomously,

wherein the error data comprising:

a vehicle network identifier value for identifying a source of the fault condition; and

a fault value for identifying the fault condition.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the drone service protocol further comprising:

vehicle-component identifier data based, at least in part, on vehicle network identifier value for identifying a source of the fault condition;

vehicle-component location data based, at least in part, on the vehicle network identifier value;

source location data for a replacement vehicle-component based, at least in part, on the vehicle-component identifier data; and

service drone configuration data for the service action.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the vehicle-component location data comprising at least one of:

location data relative to a vehicle reference point;

visual marker identifier data; and

near field communication (NFC) identifier data.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the service drone configuration data further comprising:

service drone type data;

service drone load capacity data;

service drone docking data; and

service drone communication protocol data.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the fault value indicates an operational state of a plurality of operational states for the serviceable vehicle component that is the source of the fault condition.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the service action comprises at least one of:

a replacement service action for a first operational state of the plurality of operational states, wherein the replacement service action includes swapping the serviceable-vehicle component for a replacement component;

a re-calibration service action for a second operational state of the plurality of operational states, wherein the re-calibration service action includes re-calibrating the serviceable-vehicle component; and

a maintenance service action for a third operational state of the plurality of operational states, wherein the maintenance service action includes cleaning the serviceable-vehicle component.

8. The method of claim 1, the serviceable vehicle component that is a source of the fault condition comprising at least one of:

a video sensor component;

a sensor input component;

an audible sensor component;

a location and inertial measurement unit (IMU) component; and

a mass airflow (MAF) sensor component.

9. A method for servicing a vehicle having an autonomous operational capability using a service drone protocol comprising:

retrieving vehicle diagnostic data about the vehicle via a vehicle network interface; and

in response to identifying that the vehicle diagnostic data indicates a source component of the vehicle is experiencing a fault condition, generating the service drone protocol that identifies at least the fault condition and a service action to remedy the fault condition, and

transmitting the service drone protocol to a service drone to cause the service drone to deploy to the vehicle and perform the service action.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

monitoring for the fault condition by identifying error data from within the vehicle diagnostic data corresponding to the fault condition that is of at least a defined service action level that indicates the fault condition is affecting an ability of the vehicle to operate autonomously,

wherein the error data comprising;

a vehicle network identifier value for identifying the source component and a source location relative to the vehicle; and

a fault value for identifying an operational state for the source component.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the service drone protocol further comprising generating the service drone protocol to include:

replacement location data for a source component replacement;

source location data for the source component relative to the vehicle; and

service drone configuration data based on a service action of the service request.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the source location data comprising at least one of:

visual data marker identifier data; and

near field communication (NFC) identifier data.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the service drone configuration data further comprising:

service drone type data;

service drone load capacity data;

service drone docking data; and

service drone communication protocol data.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the service action comprising at least one of:

a replacement service action for source component, wherein the replacement service action includes swapping the source component for a replacement component;

a re-calibration service action for the source component, wherein the re-calibration service action includes re-calibrating the source component; and

a maintenance service action for the source component, wherein the maintenance service action includes cleaning the source component.

15. The method of claim 9, the source component comprising at least one of:

a video sensor component;

a sensor input component;

an audible sensor component;

a location and inertial measurement unit (IMU) component; and

a mass airflow (MAF) sensor component.

16. A service unit for deploying a service drone to service a vehicle according to a service drone protocol, the service unit comprising:

a wireless communication interface;

a processor communicably coupled to the wireless communication interface;

memory communicably coupled to the processor and storing;

a vehicle diagnostic module including instructions that when executed cause the processor to;

retrieve vehicle diagnostic data via the wireless communication interface; and

a vehicle service module including instructions that when executed cause the processor to, in response to detecting a fault condition within the vehicle diagnostic data, generate a drone service protocol that is a communication to instruct a service drone to attend to a source component within the vehicle that is experiencing the fault condition, the drone service protocol identifying the source component of the vehicle and a service action to remedy the fault condition; and

a data transmission module including instructions that when executed cause the processor to transmit, via the wireless network interface, the drone service protocol to cause the service drone to deploy to the vehicle and perform the service action.

17. The service unit of claim 16, wherein the vehicle diagnostic module including instructions to monitor for the fault condition by identifying error data within the vehicle diagnostics data corresponding to the fault condition that is of at least a defined service action level that indicates the fault condition is affecting an ability of the vehicle to operate autonomously,

wherein the error data comprises:

a vehicle network identifier value for identifying the source component that is causing the fault condition; and

a fault value for indicating an operational state of a plurality of operational states for the source component.

18. The service unit of claim 17, wherein the service action comprises at least one of:

a replacement service action for a first operational state of the plurality of operational states, wherein the replacement service action includes swapping the source component for a replacement component;

a re-calibration service action for a second operational state of the plurality of operational states, wherein the re-calibration service action includes re-calibrating the source component; and

a maintenance service action for a third operational state of the plurality of operational states, wherein the maintenance service action includes cleaning the source component.

19. The service unit of claim 17, wherein the drone service protocol further comprising:

vehicle-component identifier data based, at least in part, on a vehicle network address;

vehicle-component location data based on the vehicle network address;

source location data for a replacement vehicle-component based on the vehicle-component identifier data; and

service drone configuration data for the service action.

20. The service unit of claim 19, wherein the service drone configuration data further comprising:

service drone type data;

service drone load capacity data;

service drone docking data; and

service drone communication protocol data.