Systems and methods to enable an autonomous mode of an autonomous vehicle

• US 10,466,698 B1
• Filed: 08/09/2017
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aurora Operations Incorporated (Aurora Innovation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Valasek, Christopher, Miller, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Application Number:
  US15/672,782
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems and methods to engage an autonomous mode of an autonomous vehicle. In particular, the systems and methods of the present disclosure can receive login credentials for an autonomous vehicle. A user of the autonomous vehicle can be authenticated based on the login credentials. Responsive to authenticating the user, a secure communication session can be established between the autonomous vehicle and one or more remotely located computing systems. Authorization data for an autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle can be communicated between the autonomous vehicle and the one or more remotely located computing systems. Responsive to communicating the authorization data for the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle, the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle can be enabled.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to engage an autonomous mode of an autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:

prior to the autonomous vehicle being authorized to operate in the autonomous mode;

receiving, by a computing system comprising one or more computing devices, login credentials for the autonomous vehicle;

authenticating, by the computing system and based on the login credentials, a user of the autonomous vehicle;

responsive to authenticating the user of the autonomous vehicle, establishing, by the computing system, a secure communication session between the autonomous vehicle and one or more remotely located computing systems; and

communicating, via the secure communication session and between the autonomous vehicle and the one or more remotely located computing systems, authorization data for an autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle; and

responsive to communicating the authorization data for the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle, enabling, by the computing system, the autonomous vehicle to operate in the autonomous mode.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

failing, by the computing system, to receive additional authorization data for the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle from the one or more remotely located computing systems via the secure communication session; and

responsive to failing to receive the additional authorization data for the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle, disabling, by the computing system, the autonomous vehicle from operating in the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein:

failing to receive the additional authorization data for the autonomous mode comprises failing to receive the additional authorization data for a predetermined timeout period; and

disabling the autonomous vehicle from operating in the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle comprises disabling the autonomous vehicle from operating in the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle responsive to a determination that the additional authorization data has not been received within the predetermined timeout period.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein disabling the autonomous vehicle from operating in the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle comprises restarting at least one of the one or more computing devices.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the login credentials for the autonomous vehicle comprises receiving the login credentials via a computing device associated with the autonomous vehicle.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to receiving the login credentials for the autonomous vehicle:

identifying, by the computing system and based on the login credentials, a user device associated with the user of the autonomous vehicle; and

communicating, by the computing system, an authorization message to the user device associated with the user of the autonomous vehicle.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein authenticating the user of the autonomous vehicle comprises:

receiving, by the computing system, a confirmation message generated by the user device via the authorization message; and

responsive to receiving the confirmation message, authenticating the user of the autonomous vehicle.

8. A computing system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media that collectively store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform operations, the operations comprising;

prior to the autonomous vehicle being authorized to operate in the autonomous mode;

responsive to authenticating a user of an autonomous vehicle, establishing a secure communication session between the autonomous vehicle and one or more remotely located computing systems; and

communicating, via the secure communication session and between the autonomous vehicle and the one or more remotely located computing systems, authorization data for an autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle; and

responsive to communicating the authorization data for the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle, enabling the autonomous vehicle to operate in the autonomous mode.

9. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

failing to receive additional authorization data for the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle from the one or more remotely located computing systems via the secure communication session; and

responsive to failing to receive the additional authorization data for the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle, disabling the autonomous vehicle from operating in the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle.

10. The computing system of claim 9, wherein:

failing to receive the additional authorization data for the autonomous mode comprises failing to receive the additional authorization data for a predetermined timeout period; and

disabling the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle comprises disabling the autonomous vehicle from operating in the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle responsive to a determination that the additional authorization data has not been received within the predetermined timeout period.

11. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving login credentials for the autonomous vehicle; and

authenticating, based on the login credentials, the user of the autonomous vehicle.

12. The computing system of claim 11, wherein receiving the login credentials for the autonomous vehicle comprises receiving the login credentials via a computing device associated with the autonomous vehicle.

13. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise, responsive to receiving the login credentials for the autonomous vehicle:

identifying, based on the login credentials, a user device associated with the user of the autonomous vehicle; and

communicating an authorization message to the user device associated with the user of the autonomous vehicle.

14. The computing system of claim 13, wherein authenticating the user of the autonomous vehicle comprises:

receiving a confirmation message generated by the user device via the authorization message; and

responsive to receiving the confirmation message, authenticating the user of the autonomous vehicle.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media that collectively store instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a computing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:

prior to the autonomous vehicle being authorized to operate in the autonomous mode, communicating, via a secure communication session and between an autonomous vehicle and one or more remotely located computing systems, authorization data for an autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle;

responsive to communicating the authorization data for the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle, enabling the autonomous vehicle to operate in the autonomous mode;

failing to receive additional authorization data for the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle from the one or more remotely located computing systems via the secure communication session; and

responsive to failing to receive the additional authorization data for the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle, disabling the autonomous vehicle from operating in the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein:

failing to receive the additional authorization data for the autonomous mode comprises failing to receive the additional authorization data for a predetermined timeout period; and

disabling the autonomous vehicle from operating in the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle comprises disabling the autonomous vehicle from operating in the autonomous mode of the autonomous vehicle responsive to a determination that the additional authorization data has not been received within the predetermined timeout period.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving login credentials for the autonomous vehicle; and

authenticating, based on the login credentials, a user of the autonomous vehicle.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise, responsive to authenticating the user of the autonomous vehicle, establishing the secure communication session between the autonomous vehicle and the one or more remotely located computing systems.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise, responsive to receiving the login credentials for the autonomous vehicle:

identifying, based on the login credentials, a user device associated with the user of the autonomous vehicle; and

communicating an authorization message to the user device associated with the user of the autonomous vehicle.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein authenticating the user of the autonomous vehicle comprises:

receiving a confirmation message generated by the user device via the authorization message; and

responsive to receiving the confirmation message, authenticating the user of the autonomous vehicle.