Vehicle destinations

• US 10,234,869 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2016
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Jimenez Hernandez, Alvaro, Perez Barrera, Oswaldo
• Primary Examiner(s): Brushaber, Frederick M
• Application Number:
  US15/349,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20180136667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0287 involving a plurality of land vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00, particularly anticollision systems G08G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

A computer is programmed to detect requests for a host vehicle to drive to various destinations. The computer is further programmed to send request notifications of the requests to the user devices of an owner of the host vehicle and, under certain conditions, a user of the host vehicle. The computer is further programmed to receive communications from the user devices confirming or denying the request notifications, and to instruct the host vehicle to drive or to not drive to requested destinations based on the received communications.

Claims

1. A computer comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor such that the computer comprises programming to:

detect a request from a first user device in a host vehicle to drive to a first waypoint different from a pick-up destination to which a host vehicle is driving;

then send a request notification to a second user device remote from the vehicle; and

then control the host vehicle to continue driving to the pick-up destination if a message is received from the second user device denying the request.

2. The computer of claim 1, wherein the computer is further programmed to:

control the host vehicle to drive to the first waypoint if a message is received from the second user device confirming the request.

3. The computer of claim 1, wherein the computer is further programmed to:

control the host vehicle to continue driving to the pick-up destination if no message is received from the second user device in a predetermined time.

4. The computer of claim 1, wherein the computer is further programmed to:

control the host vehicle to drive to the first waypoint if no message is received from the second user device in a predetermined time.

5. The computer of claim 1, wherein the computer is further programmed to:

detect a second request for the host vehicle to drive to the pick-up destination;

send a second request notification to the second user device; and

control the host vehicle to drive to the pick-up destination if a message is received from the second user device confirming the second request.

6. The computer of claim 5, wherein the computer is further programmed to:

control the host vehicle to not drive to the pick-up destination if a message is received from the second user device denying the second request.

7. The computer of claim 5, wherein the computer is further programmed to:

control the host vehicle to drive to the pick-up destination if no message is received from the second user device in a predetermined time.

8. The computer of claim 5, wherein the computer is further programmed to:

control the host vehicle to not drive to the pick-up destination if no message is received from the second user device in a predetermined time.

9. The computer of claim 1, wherein the computer is further programmed to:

detect a request for the host vehicle to drive to a drop-off destination;

send a second request notification to the second user device of the host vehicle owner; and

control the host vehicle to drive to the drop-off destination if a message is received from the second user device confirming the second request.

10. The computer of claim 9, wherein the computer is further programmed to:

control the host vehicle to not drive to the drop-off destination if a message is received from the second user device denying the second request.

11. The computer of claim 9, wherein the computer is further programmed to:

control the host vehicle to drive to the drop-off destination if no message is received from the second user device in a predetermined time.

12. The computer of claim 9, wherein the computer is further programmed to:

control the host vehicle to not drive to the drop-off destination if no message is received from the second user device in a predetermined time.

13. The computer of claim 9, wherein the computer is further programmed to:

detect a request for the host vehicle to drive to a second waypoint while driving to the drop-off destination;

send a request notification to the second user device of a host vehicle owner and to a user device of a user; and

control the host vehicle to continue driving to the drop-off destination if one of a message is received from the second user device denying the request, and no message is received from the second user device in a predetermined time.

14. The computer of claim 13, wherein the computer is further programmed to:

control the host vehicle to continue driving to the drop-off destination if a message is received from the second user device denying the request notification.

15. The computer of claim 13, wherein the computer is further programmed to:

control the host vehicle to drive to the second waypoint if messages are received from the first and second user devices confirming the request notifications.

16. The computer of claim 13, wherein the computer is further programmed to:

control the host vehicle to drive to the second waypoint if a message is received from the first user device confirming the request notification, and one of a message is received from the second user device confirming the request notification and no message is received from the second user device in a predetermined time.

17. A method comprising:

detecting a request from a first user device in a host vehicle to drive to a first waypoint different from a pick-up destination to which a host vehicle is driving;

then sending a request notification to a second user device remote from the vehicle; and

then controlling the host vehicle to continue driving to the pick-up destination if a message is received from the second user device denying the request.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

controlling the host vehicle to drive to the second destination if a message is received from the user device confirming the request notification.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

controlling the host vehicle to continue driving to the first destination if no message is received from the user device in a predetermined time.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

controlling the host vehicle to drive to the second destination if no message is received from the user device in a predetermined time.