Vehicle location assistance using audible signals

• US 10,580,291 B1
• Filed: 09/21/2018
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rothenberg, Juliet, Kaja, Kiran
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US16/138,070
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 340988
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/00 Arrangement or adaptation of acoustic signal devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/005 automatically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/006 indicating risk of collision between vehicles or with pedestrians
• 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 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 inside the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/147 where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• 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

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to using audible cues to guide a passenger to a vehicle having an autonomous driving mode. For instance, one or more processors of the vehicle may receive, from a server computing device, instructions to pick up the passenger at a pickup location. The one or more processors may maneuver the vehicle towards the pickup location in the autonomous driving mode. The one or more processors may receive a signal indicating that the passenger requests assistance locating the vehicle. The one or more processors may use the signal to generate the audible cues. The audible cues may be played by the one or more processors through a speaker of the vehicle in order to guide the passenger towards the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of using audible cues to guide a passenger to a vehicle having an autonomous driving mode, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors of the vehicle from a server computing device, instructions to pick up the passenger at a pickup location;

maneuvering, by the one or more processors, the vehicle towards the pickup location in the autonomous driving mode;

when the vehicle is within a certain distance from the pickup location, identifying a pull over location to stop the vehicle to wait for the passenger;

receiving, by the one or more processors, a signal indicating that the passenger requests assistance locating the vehicle;

using, by the one or more processors, the signal to generate the audible cues; and

playing, by the one or more processors, the audible cues through a speaker of the vehicle in order to guide the passenger towards the vehicle, and wherein the audible cues are played based on the identification.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal indicates that the passenger is visually impaired.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, stopping the vehicle at the pull over location, and wherein playing the audible cues includes beginning to play the audible cues before the vehicle is stopped at the pull over location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

beginning to play the audible cues only after the vehicle is stopped at the pull over location.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving authentication information from the server computing device; and

using the authentication information to authenticate a client computing device of the passenger and thereby establishing a communication link between the client computing device of the passenger and the one or more processors, and wherein playing the audible cues includes playing the audible cues only after the communication link is established.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving authentication information from the server computing device;

using the authentication information to authenticate a client computing device of the passenger and thereby establishing a communication link between the client computing device of the passenger and the one or more processors; and

after authenticating the client computing device, opening a door of the vehicle, and wherein playing the audible cues includes playing the audible cues only after the door is opened.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, receiving a second signal generated by a client computing device of the passenger, the second signal indicating a request by the passenger to play the audible cues, and wherein playing the audible cues is in response to receiving the second signal.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving authentication information from the server computing device; and

using the authentication information to authenticate a client computing device of the passenger and thereby establishing a communication link between the client computing device of the passenger and the one or more processors, and wherein the second signal is received over the communication link.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, sending status information indicating a current status of the vehicle to a client computing device of the passenger in order to indicate to the passenger that the vehicle is able to make audible cues to guide the passenger to the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, identifying that the passenger is moving away from the vehicle, and wherein playing the audible cues includes decreasing volume of the audible cues based on the identification.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, identifying that the passenger is approaching the vehicle, and wherein playing the audible cues includes increasing volume of the audible cues based on the identification.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when the vehicle is within a certain distance from the pickup location, identifying a pull over location to stop the vehicle to wait for the passenger, and wherein playing the audible cues includes changing sounds played through the speaker based on the identification.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

stopping the vehicle at the pull over location, and wherein playing the audible cues includes changing sounds played through the speaker according to the instructions to change over time based on stopping the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the audible cues are played until the passenger has reached and entered the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the audible cues are played until user input is received at a user input device of the vehicle indicating that the passenger is ready to start a trip.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the audible cues include one or more instructions to assist the passenger in reaching the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the audible cues is further based on features identified in map information used to maneuver the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal indicates that the passenger has activated an audio communication aid setting in account information of the passenger.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal is received from the server computing device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the signal is received with the instructions to pick up the passenger.