Vehicle boarding area

• US 10,276,048 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2018
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Inventors: Beaurepaire, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): Alizada, Omeed
• Application Number:
  US16/106,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20180357901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 252 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/00 Estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters for road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub unit, e.g. by using mathematical models
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 inside the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/144 on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/146 where the parking area is a limited parking space, e.g. parking garage, restricted space
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/147 where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/148 Management of a network of parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments include apparatus and methods for defining vehicle boarding areas. Data indicative of boarding a first vehicle is received. A boarding area requirement associated with the first vehicle is calculated. A boarding area message in response to the boarding area requirement is generated. The boarding area message for the boarding area of the first vehicle is provided to a second vehicle or to a user.

Claims

1. A method for operation of a second vehicle in response to boarding associated with a first vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a boarding area message at the second vehicle;

identifying a boarding area requirement for the first vehicle from the boarding area message; and

generating a vehicle message for the second vehicle in response to the boarding area requirement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle message includes a driving command for operation of the second vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle message includes a warning for a second vehicle user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating, at an autonomous driving system, an adjustment for a lane of travel for the second vehicle in response to the boarding area requirement.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a lane departure warning in response to the boarding area requirement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the boarding area requirement includes one or more dimensions for a boarding area.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more dimensions for the boarding area include a spatial boundary spaced from a perimeter of the first vehicle or another portion of the first vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the boarding area requirement is selected based on a profile for a first vehicle user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the boarding area requirement is selected based on an external factor including weather, destination, traffic, or time of day.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a route for the second vehicle in response to the boarding area requirement of the first vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the boarding area requirement is selected based on a functional classification of a road associated with the first vehicle or the second vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the boarding area requirement is selected based on a geometry of a road associated with the first vehicle or the second vehicle.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a time period from the boarding area message; and

providing the vehicle message according to the time period.

14. An apparatus for operation of a second vehicle in response to boarding at a first vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive a boarding area message at the second vehicle; and

a controller configured to identify a boarding area requirement for the first vehicle from the boarding area message and generate a vehicle message in response to the boarding area requirement.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the vehicle message includes a driving command for operation of the second vehicle or includes a warning for a second vehicle user.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to calculate an adjustment for a lane of travel or a lane departure warning for the second vehicle in response to the boarding area requirement.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the boarding area requirement is selected based on a profile for a first vehicle user, a functional classification of a road associated with the first vehicle or the second vehicle, or a geometry of a road associated with the first vehicle or the second vehicle.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to calculate a route for the second vehicle in response to the boarding area requirement of the first vehicle.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions for at least one processor to perform:

receiving a boarding area message for a first vehicle at a second vehicle;

identifying a boarding area requirement for the first vehicle from the boarding area message; and

generating a vehicle command for the second vehicle in response to the boarding area requirement.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, the instructions for at least one processor further configured to perform:

calculating an adjustment for a lane of travel or a lane departure warning in response to the boarding area requirement.