AUTONOMOUS DRIVING IN AREAS FOR NON-DRIVERS

• US 20150066282A1
• Filed: 09/05/2013
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yopp, Wilford Trent
• Application Number:
  US14/018,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20150066282A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/24
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/06 responsive to incapacity of driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/045 Occupant permissions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/229 Attention level, e.g. attentive to driving, reading or sleeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/24 Drug level, e.g. alcohol
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/26 Incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2756/10 Involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/007 Emergency override Handing over between remote control and on-board control or handing over between remote control arrangements G05D1/227
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa

Abstract

A message is received from a vehicle via a network. A driver status is identified based on at least one of whether the message was received and content in the message. A driving instruction is determined based at least in part on the driver status. The driving instruction is transmitted via the network.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a server computer comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the computer is configured to:

receive a message from a vehicle via a network;

identify a driver status based on at least one of whether the message was received and content in the message;

determine a driving instruction based at least in part on the driver status;

transmit the driving instruction via the network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the driving instruction is transmitted to at least one of the vehicle and one or more second vehicles.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the driving instruction is an instruction to stop driving operations.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the driving instruction is based on an environmental condition in a geographic area that includes the vehicle in addition to the driver status.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a computer in the vehicle is configured to send periodically messages to the server computer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver status is related to one of a state of driver consciousness, and impairment by drugs or alcohol, and a driver license status.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer is further configured to:

receive a second message from one of the vehicle and a second vehicle via a network;

identify a second driver status based on at least one of whether the message was received and content in the message;

determine a second driving instruction based at least in part on the driver status;

transmit the second driving instruction via the network.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium tangibly embodying computer-executable instructions, the instructions comprising instructions to:

receive a message from a vehicle via a network;

identify a driver status based on at least one of whether the message was received and content in the message;

determine a driving instruction based at least in part on the driver status;

transmit the driving instruction via the network.

9. The medium of claim 8, wherein the driving instruction is transmitted to at least one of the vehicle and one or more second vehicles.

10. The medium of claim 8, wherein the driving instruction is an instruction to stop driving operations.

11. The medium of claim 8, wherein the driving instruction is based on an environmental condition in a geographic area that includes the vehicle in addition to the driver status.

12. The medium of claim 8, wherein a computer in the vehicle is configured to send periodically messages to the server computer.

13. The medium of claim 8, wherein the driver status is related to one of a state of driver consciousness, and impairment by drugs or alcohol, and a driver license status.

14. The medium of claim 8, the instructions further comprising instructions to:

receive a second message from one of the vehicle and a second vehicle via a network;

identify a second driver status based on at least one of whether the message was received and content in the message;

determine a second driving instruction based at least in part on the driver status;

transmit the second driving instruction via the network.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving a message from a vehicle via a network;

identifying a driver status based on at least one of whether the message was received and content in the message;

determining a driving instruction based at least in part on the driver status;

transmitting the driving instruction via the network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the driving instruction is transmitted to at least one of the vehicle and one or more second vehicles.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the driving instruction is an instruction to stop driving operations.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the driving instruction is based on an environmental condition in a geographic area that includes the vehicle in addition to the driver status.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein a computer in the vehicle is configured to send periodically messages to the server computer.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the driver status is related to one of a state of driver consciousness, and impairment by drugs or alcohol, and a driver license status.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a second message from one of the vehicle and a second vehicle via a network;

identifying a second driver status based on at least one of whether the message was received and content in the message;

determining a second driving instruction based at least in part on the driver status;

transmitting the second driving instruction via the network.