Methods and apparatus for autonomous vehicle scheduling

• US 10,607,192 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2016
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Abbas, Samer, Lauffer, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): White, Dylan C
• Application Number:
  US15/247,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20180060827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• Field of Search: 705 719
• 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 1/0285 using signals transmitted via a public communication network, e.g. GSM network
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for autonomous vehicle scheduling are disclosed herein. An example method includes receiving, at a first processor, a first request for a vehicle to travel to a location. The first request is to be transmitted to the first processor from a second processor. The example method includes calculating an arrival time of the vehicle based on the first request. The example includes comparing the first request to a second request for the vehicle based on the arrival time. The example method includes scheduling the first request based on the comparison and directing the vehicle to the location based on the schedule.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an autonomous vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first processor, a first request for the autonomous vehicle to travel to a location, the first request to be transmitted to the first processor from a second processor;

detecting, by executing an instruction with the first processor, an overlap between a first route of the autonomous vehicle to the location and a second route of the autonomous vehicle associated with a second request for the autonomous vehicle, each of the first request and the second request requesting independent use of the vehicle;

grouping, by executing an instruction with the first processor, the first request and the second request based on the overlap;

generating, by executing an instruction with the first processor, a schedule for the autonomous vehicle based on the grouping of the first request and the second request;

directing, by executing an instruction with the first processor, the autonomous vehicle to the location based on the schedule; and

causing, by executing an instruction with the first processor, the autonomous vehicle to implement a vehicle setting based on the first request, the vehicle setting to be applied when the autonomous vehicle is at the location.

2. The method of claim 1, further including determining the first route of the autonomous vehicle to the location and calculating an arrival time based on the route.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein calculating the arrival time is further based on an arrival buffer time, the arrival buffer time to be transmitted to the first processor from the second processor.

4. The method of claim 1, further including:

detecting a conflict between the first request and the second request; and

adjusting an arrival time of the autonomous vehicle for the first request or an arrival time of the vehicle for the second request based on the conflict.

5. The method of claim 1, further including identifying a map of the location and transmitting the map from the first processor to the second processor, the map to be displayed via an interface associated with the first processor.

6. The method of claim 5, further including receiving a pickup position at the location via the map.

7. The method of claim 1, further including determining an arrival time of the autonomous vehicle at the location based on a time to implement the vehicle setting.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle setting includes one or more of a heat setting, a radio setting, or a vehicle door setting.

9. The method of claim 1, further including generating an instruction for a ride-sharing menu selection in a user application to be auto-populated based on the detection of the overlap, the ride-sharing menu selection to be displayed via an interface associated with the user application.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a request receiver to receive a first request for an autonomous vehicle to travel to a first location from a first processor and a second request for the autonomous vehicle to travel to a second location from a second processor, each of the first request and the second request requesting independent use of the vehicle;

an analyzer to;

detect an overlap between a first route of the autonomous vehicle to the first location and a second route of the autonomous vehicle to the second location;

group the first request and the second request based on the overlap; and

generate a schedule for the autonomous vehicle based on the grouping of the first request and the second request; and

a vehicle controller to;

direct the autonomous vehicle to the location based on the schedule; and

cause the autonomous vehicle to implement a vehicle setting based on the first request or the second request, the vehicle setting to be applied when the autonomous vehicle is at the first location based on the first request or the second location based on the second request, at least one of the request receiver, the analyzer, or the vehicle controller to be implemented by a third processor.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the analyzer is to determine a first arrival time of the vehicle at the first location and a second arrival time of the vehicle at the second location and further including a request confirmer to transmit an alert to at least one of the first processor or the second processor based on the first arrival time or the second arrival time.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further including a predictor to predict a third request for the autonomous vehicle based on the first request and the second request.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the vehicle setting includes one or more of a heat setting, a radio setting, or a vehicle door setting.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the analyzer is to generate an instruction for a ride-sharing menu selection in a user application to be auto-populated based on the detection of the overlap, the ride-sharing menu selection to be displayed via an interface associated with the user application.