Unique signaling for vehicles to preserve user privacy

• US 10,384,597 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2017
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kemler, Brian, Fredinburg, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Nolan, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US15/633,073
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/5035 electronic displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/507 specific to autonomous vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/00253 Taxi operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to protecting the privacy of a user of a dispatching service for driverless vehicles. For example, a request for a vehicle identifying user information is received. A client computing device may be identified based on the user information. In response to the request, a driverless vehicle may be dispatched to the location of the client device. Signaling information may be generated based on a set of rules including a first rule that the signaling information does not identify, indirectly or directly, the user as well as a second rule that the signaling information does not identify, indirectly or directly, the user information. The location of the client computing device and the signaling information may be sent to the driverless vehicle for display. In addition, the signaling information may also be sent to the client computing device for display.

Claims

1. A system comprising one or more processors configured to:

receive, from one or more server computing devices, dispatch instructions including a first location corresponding to a current location of a client computing device associated with a user;

maneuver a vehicle towards the first location as a pickup location for the user;

while maneuvering the vehicle, periodically receive updated locations of the client computing device;

update the pickup location to each of the updated current locations and thereby automatically maneuver the vehicle towards a most recently received one of the updated locations;

receive a signal to identify the vehicle to the user;

identify one of a plurality of external displays of the vehicle most likely to have a line-of-sight between the vehicle and the most recently received one of the updated locations; and

display the signal on the identified one of the plurality of external displays.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

identify a subset of the plurality of external displays of the vehicle most likely to have a line-of-sight between the vehicle and the most recently received one of the updated locations; and

display the signal only on the identified subset of the plurality of external displays.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the most recently received one of the updated locations is different from the first location.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the most recently received updated locations is received from the one or more server computing devices.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the dispatch instructions further include instructions for displaying the signal to identify the vehicle to the user, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine when the vehicle is within a threshold distance of one of the received updated locations; and

display the signal at the identified one of the plurality of external displays when the vehicle is determined to be within a threshold distance of the one of the received updated location.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine when the vehicle is within a threshold distance of one of the received updated locations;

when the vehicle is determined to be within the threshold distance of the one of the received updated locations, send a request to the one or more server computing devices for the signal; and

receive, in response to the request, from the one or more server computing devices the signal.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising the vehicle.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors of a vehicle from one or more server computing devices, dispatch instructions including a first location corresponding to a current location of a client computing device associated with a user;

maneuvering, by the one or more processors, the vehicle towards the first location as a pickup location for the user;

while maneuvering the vehicle, periodically receiving, by the one or more processors, updated locations of the client computing device;

updating, by the one or more processors, the pickup location to each of the received updated locations and thereby automatically maneuver the vehicle towards a most recently received one of the updated locations;

receiving, by the one or more processors, a signal to identify the vehicle to the user;

identifying, by the one or more processors, one of a plurality of external displays of the vehicle most likely to have a line-of-sight between the vehicle and the most recently received one of the updated locations; and

displaying, by the one or more processors the signal on the identified one of the plurality of external displays.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

identifying a subset of the plurality of external displays of the vehicle most likely to have a line-of-sight between the vehicle and the most recently received one of the updated locations; and

displaying the signal only on the identified subset of the plurality of external displays.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the most recently received one of the updated locations is different from the first location.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the most recently received one of the updated locations is received from the one or more server computing devices.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the dispatch instructions further include instructions for displaying the signal to identify the vehicle to the user, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining when the vehicle is within a threshold distance of the one of the received updated locations; and

displaying the signal the identified one of the plurality of external displays when the vehicle is determined to be within a threshold distance of the one of the received updated locations.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

determining when the vehicle is within a threshold distance of one of the received updated locations;

when the vehicle is determined to be within the threshold distance of the one of the received updated locations, sending a request to the one or more server computing devices for the signal; and

receiving, in response to the request, from the one or more server computing devices the signal.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium on which instructions are stored, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving, from one or more server computing devices, dispatch instructions including a first location corresponding to a current location of a client computing device associated with a user;

maneuvering a vehicle towards the first location as a pickup location for the user;

while maneuvering the vehicle, periodically receiving updated locations of the client computing device;

updating the pickup location to each of the received updated locations and thereby automatically maneuver the vehicle towards a most recently received one of the updated locations;

receiving a signal to identify the vehicle to the user;

identifying one of a plurality of external displays of the vehicle most likely to have a line-of-sight between the vehicle and the most recently received one of the updated locations; and

displaying the signal on the identified one of the plurality of external displays.

15. The medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a subset of the plurality of external displays of the vehicle most likely to have a line-of-sight between the vehicle and the most recently received one of the updated locations; and

displaying the signal only on the identified subset of the plurality of external displays.

16. The medium of claim 14, wherein the most recently received one of the updated locations is different from the first location.

17. The medium of claim 14, wherein the most recently received one of the updated locations is received from the one or more server computing devices.

18. The medium of claim 14, wherein the dispatch instructions further include instructions for displaying the signal to identify the vehicle to the user, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining when the vehicle is within a threshold distance of the one of the received updated locations; and

displaying the signal the identified one of the plurality of external displays when the vehicle is determined to be within a threshold distance of the one of the received updated locations.

19. The medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

determining when the vehicle is within a threshold distance of the second location;

when the vehicle is determined to be within the threshold distance of the one of the received updated locations, sending a request to the one or more server computing devices for the signal;

receiving, in response to the request, from the one or more server computing devices the signal.