Child rider features for an autonomous vehicle

• US 10,640,082 B1
• Filed: 02/11/2019
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Cruise Holdings LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Cruise Holdings LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Shannon, Jacqueline Mary, Engle, Stephanie Olivia, McMillan, Mallory, Davies, Jessica, Uelmen, Jessica
• Primary Examiner(s): Terrell, Emily C
• Application Number:
  US16/273,109
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 3404255
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4866 Displaying or indicating arrangements thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/48 Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/01 Occupants other than the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/045 Occupant permissions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/00253 Taxi operations
• 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 1/228 Command input arrangements located on-board unmanned vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

An autonomous vehicle including a vehicle propulsion system, a braking system, a steering system, and a computing system that is in communication with the vehicle propulsion system, the brake system, and the steering system. The computing system can receive an indication an account associated with a passenger of the autonomous vehicle for a trip of the autonomous vehicle includes a predefined parent-child link with a second account. The predefined parent-child link indicates the account associated with the passenger is subordinate to the second account and a parent-child relationship exists between the passenger and a person associated with the second account. Responsive to receiving the indication of the parent-child link and the passenger being the child in the parent-child relationship, the computing system can control the autonomous vehicle to enable a linked account feature that would otherwise be disabled.

Claims

1. An autonomous vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle propulsion system;

a braking system;

a steering system; and

a computing system that is in communication with the vehicle propulsion system, the braking system, and the steering system, wherein the computing system comprises;

a processor; and

memory that stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising;

receiving, at the autonomous vehicle, an indication of a predefined parent-child link between an account associated with a passenger of the autonomous vehicle for a trip of the autonomous vehicle and a second account associated with a second person, wherein the predefined parent-child link results in the account associated with the passenger being subordinate to the second account associated with the second person, wherein the predefined parent-child link indicates a parent-child relationship between the passenger and the second person, wherein the passenger is a child in a parent-child relationship; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the predefined parent-child link, enabling a linked account feature, wherein the linked account feature is disabled in the absence of receiving the indication of the predefined parent-child link.

2. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, the acts further comprising:

receiving a request for the trip of the passenger in the autonomous vehicle, wherein the request includes identification information specifying an identity of the passenger; and

responsive to receiving the request, determining whether the predefined parent-child link exists between an account corresponding to the identification information of the passenger and the second account, wherein the predefined parent-child link is defined between the account corresponding to the identification information of the passenger and the second account prior to receipt of the identification information.

3. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, the acts further comprising:

receiving a request for the trip of the passenger in the autonomous vehicle from a second computing system, wherein the request includes the indication of the predefined parent-child link.

4. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the enabled linked account feature includes controlling at least one of the vehicle propulsion system, the braking system, or the steering system to cause the autonomous vehicle to remain stationary at a pickup location for a trip of the child passenger in the autonomous vehicle for a set period of time after the child passenger has entered the autonomous vehicle.

5. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the enabled linked account feature includes recording an external environment around the autonomous vehicle via a camera of the autonomous vehicle for a set period of time at a drop-off location for a trip of the child in the autonomous vehicle.

6. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the account corresponding to the passenger includes a predefined location, wherein the predefined location is defined in the account corresponding to the passenger maintained by a computing system prior to receipt of a request for the trip of the child in the autonomous vehicle.

7. The autonomous vehicle of claim 6, the acts further comprising:

receiving a request for the trip of the passenger in the autonomous vehicle;

wherein enabling the linked account feature comprises;

responsive to receiving the request, automatically setting a destination for the trip of the child passenger in the autonomous vehicle, the destination for the trip in the autonomous vehicle being set as the predefined location; and

controlling at least one of the vehicle propulsion system, the braking system, or the steering system to move the autonomous vehicle along the trip of the autonomous vehicle to the destination as set to the predefined location.

8. The autonomous vehicle of claim 7, wherein the account corresponding to the passenger comprises a plurality of predefined locations which include the predefined location, wherein each predefined location of the plurality of predefined locations is associated with a period of time, wherein automatically setting the predefined location as the destination for the trip of the child passenger in the autonomous vehicle further comprises selecting a predefined location corresponding to an anticipated time the autonomous vehicle will reach a drop-off location for the trip of the child in the autonomous vehicle.

9. The autonomous vehicle of claim 6, the acts further comprising:

receiving a request for the trip of the passenger in the autonomous vehicle;

wherein enabling the linked account feature comprises;

responsive to receiving the request, automatically setting a pickup location for the trip of the child passenger in the autonomous vehicle, the pickup location for the trip in the autonomous vehicle being set as the predefined location; and

controlling at least one of the vehicle propulsion system, the braking system, or the steering system to move the autonomous vehicle to the pickup location.

10. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, the acts further comprising:

receiving an indication a parent of the parent-child relationship is a second passenger for the trip of the autonomous vehicle; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the parent passenger, unlocking a door of the autonomous vehicle nearest the parent when the autonomous vehicle reaches a drop-off location, wherein the door is in a plurality of doors, wherein other doors in the plurality of doors are in a locked position preventing the other doors from being opened.

11. A computing system comprising:

a data store, the data store comprises a plurality of accounts each associated with different identification information;

a processor;

memory that stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising;

receiving a request for a trip of a passenger in an autonomous vehicle, wherein the request includes identification information specifying an identity of the passenger;

responsive to receiving the request, determining whether a predefined parent-child link exists between an account corresponding to the identification information of the passenger and a second account associated with a second person, wherein the predefined parent-child link results in the account associated with the passenger being subordinate to the second account, wherein the predefined parent-child link indicates a parent-child relationship between the passenger and the second person, wherein the parent-child link is defined between account corresponding to the passenger maintained by the computing system and the second account prior to receipt of the request for the trip of the passenger in the autonomous vehicle; and

responsive to detecting the predefined parent-child link and the passenger comprising the child in the parent-child relationship, causing the autonomous vehicle to enable a linked account feature based on the parent-child link, wherein the linked account feature is disabled in the absence of the predefined parent-child link.

12. The computing system of claim 11, the acts further comprising:

responsive to detecting the predefined parent-child link and the passenger comprising a child in the parent-child relationship, causing a display of a mobile computing device operated by the second person to present a message indicative of safety information regarding securing the child passenger in the autonomous vehicle, wherein the second person comprises a parent in the parent-child relationship.

13. The computing system of claim 11, the acts further comprising:

responsive to detecting the predefined parent-child link, the passenger comprising a child in the parent-child relationship, and a parent in the parent-child relationship being a second passenger for the trip of the autonomous vehicle, causing the autonomous vehicle to enable a second linked account feature, wherein the second linked account feature is different from the linked account feature, wherein the second linked account feature is disabled in the absence of,

the predefined parent-child link;

the passenger comprising the child in the parent-child relationship; and

the parent in the parent-child relationship being the second passenger for the trip of the autonomous vehicle.

14. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the account corresponding to the identification information of the passenger includes a predefined location defined in the account maintained by the computing system prior to receipt of the request, wherein the enabled linked account feature comprises automatically setting the predefined location as a destination for the trip of the child passenger in the autonomous vehicle.

15. The computing system of claim 11, the account corresponding to the identification information of the passenger includes a predefined location defined in the account maintained by the computing system prior to receipt of the request, wherein the enabled linked account feature comprises automatically setting the predefined location as a pick-up location for the trip of the child passenger in the autonomous vehicle.

16. The computing system of claim 11, the account corresponding to the identification information of the passenger includes a plurality of predefined locations defined in the account maintained by the computing system prior to receipt of the request, wherein each predefined location of the plurality of predefined locations is associated with a period of time, wherein the enabled linked account feature comprises setting a selected predefined location from the plurality of predefined locations as a destination for the trip of the child passenger in the autonomous vehicle, wherein the predefined location is selected based on an anticipated time the autonomous vehicle will reach a drop-off location for the trip of the child passenger in the autonomous vehicle.

17. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the account corresponding to the passenger includes an identity of an authorized third party, wherein the authorized third party is permitted to request a trip for the child passenger in the parent-child relationship.

18. A method performed by a computing system, comprising:

receiving a request for a trip of a passenger in an autonomous vehicle, wherein the request includes identification information specifying an identity of the passenger;

responsive to receiving the request, determining whether a predefined parent-child link exists between an account corresponding to the identification information of the passenger and a second account associated with a second person, wherein the predefined parent-child link indicates the account associated with the passenger is subordinate to the second account, wherein the predefined parent-child link further indicates a parent-child relationship between the passenger and the second person, wherein the parent-child link is defined between the account corresponding to the passenger maintained by a computing system and the second account prior to receipt of the request for the trip of the passenger in the autonomous vehicle; and

responsive to detecting the predefined parent-child link and the passenger comprising the child in the parent-child relationship, causing the autonomous vehicle to enable a linked account feature based on the parent-child link, wherein the linked account feature is disabled in the absence of the predefined parent-child link and the passenger comprising the child.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

responsive to detecting the predefined parent-child link and the passenger comprising a child in the parent-child relationship, causing a display of a mobile computing device operated by the second person to present a message indicative of safety information regarding securing the child passenger in the autonomous vehicle, wherein the second person comprises a parent in the parent-child relationship.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

responsive to detecting the predefined parent-child link, the passenger comprising a child in the parent-child relationship, and a parent in the parent-child relationship being a second passenger for the trip of the autonomous vehicle, causing the autonomous vehicle to enable a second linked account feature, wherein the second linked account feature is different from the linked account feature, wherein the second linked account feature is disabled in the absence of,

the predefined parent-child link;

the passenger comprising the child in the parent-child relationship; and

the parent in the parent-child relationship being the second passenger for the trip of the autonomous vehicle.