Vehicle inspection

• US 10,585,439 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2017
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Buttolo, Pietro, Salter, Stuart C., Huebner, Annette Lynn, Young, Brent
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US15/689,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20190064836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10032 Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/17 taken from planes or by drones
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/224 of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks

Abstract

A system includes a computer that is programmed to receive, from an aerial drone, image data that identifies a vehicle, a vehicle location, and a vehicle status; and based on the received image data, transmit an instruction to the vehicle to actuate a vehicle component.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a computer, programmed to:

receive, from an aerial drone, a vehicle wireless signal and image data that identifies a vehicle, a vehicle location, and determine the vehicle status including a status of a component in the vehicle based on the received vehicle wireless signal and the received image data;

store a criterion that includes at least one of approved vehicles, deficient vehicles, and a next shipping batch of vehicles;

identify the vehicle from the received image data; and

based on a status of the component with respect to the criterion, transmit an instruction to the vehicle to actuate the component.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is further programmed to identify the vehicle based on the received image data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is further programmed to receive, via the aerial drone, a vehicle wireless signal;

and

determine the status of the vehicle based on the received vehicle wireless signal and the received image data.

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

receive, via the aerial drone, a plurality of vehicle wireless signals from a plurality of vehicles; and

identify the respective vehicle wireless signal of the vehicle from the plurality of wireless signals based on the received image data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is further programmed to identify the vehicle based on at least one a vehicle identifier, a vehicle model, and a vehicle color included in the received image.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the vehicle identifier includes a graphical pattern on a body of the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is further programmed to actuate the vehicle component by:

determining a destination based on the received status of the vehicle; and

navigating the vehicle to the determined destination by at least one of accelerating, steering, and braking.

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

deploy the aerial drone to fly over a plurality of vehicles;

generate an image including the plurality of vehicles, and

overlaying a respective vehicle status of each of the vehicles on the generated image.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein overlaying the respective vehicle status includes displaying one of an approved and deficient status for each of the plurality of vehicles.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein deploying the drone to fly over the plurality of vehicles further includes:

determining a flight route based on location coordinates of the plurality of vehicles; and

actuating the drone to fly based on the determined flight route.

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

receive a handheld device location; and

superimpose the handheld device location on the generated image.

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

actuate a vehicle exterior light based on the criterion.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second computer included in the aerial drone, programmed to determine the location of the vehicle based on at least one of vehicle sensor data and drone sensor data.

14. A system, comprising a computer, programmed to:

receive, from an aerial drone, a vehicle wireless signal and image data that identifies a vehicle, a vehicle location, and determine the vehicle status including a status of a component in the vehicle based on the received vehicle wireless signal and the received image data; and

based on the received image data and the vehicle wireless signal, transmit an instruction to the vehicle to actuate a vehicle component by

determining a destination based on the received status of the vehicle; and

navigating the vehicle to the determined destination by at least one of accelerating, steering, and braking.

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

deploy the aerial drone to fly over a plurality of vehicles;

generate an image including the plurality of vehicles, and

overlaying a respective vehicle status of each of the vehicles on the generated image.

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

receive a handheld device location; and

superimpose the handheld device location on the generated image.

17. A system, comprising a computer, programmed to:

receive, from an aerial drone, image data that identifies a vehicle, a vehicle location, and a vehicle status;

based on the received image data, transmit an instruction to the vehicle to actuate a vehicle component;

deploy the aerial drone to fly over a plurality of vehicles;

generate an image including the plurality of vehicles, and

overlay a respective vehicle status of each of the vehicles on the generated image.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein overlaying the respective vehicle status includes displaying one of an approved and deficient status for each of the plurality of vehicles.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein deploying the drone to fly over the plurality of vehicles further includes:

determining a flight route based on location coordinates of the plurality of vehicles; and

actuating the drone to fly based on the determined flight route.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer is further programmed to:

receive a handheld device location; and

superimpose the handheld device location on the generated image.