DETECTING OBJECTS WITHIN A VEHICLE IN CONNECTION WITH A SERVICE

• US 20160332535A1
• Filed: 05/11/2015
• Published: 11/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Bradley, David McAllister, Valois, Jean-Sebastien
• Granted Patent: US 9,616,773 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/24 Cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/70 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/44 Sensors not directly associated with the wing movement
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/45 Control modes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/548 Trunk lids
• 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 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

A system for monitoring a vehicle used in providing a service is disclosed. The system detects when the service is complete, and upon detecting that the service is complete, the system determines, from one or more sensors of the vehicle, that an object which should have been removed from the vehicle after completion of the transport service, remains in the vehicle. The system then automatically initiates performance of a remedial action.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a vehicle used in providing a transport service, the method being implemented by one or more processors and comprising:

detecting when the transport service is complete;

upon detecting the transport service is complete, determining, from one or more sensors of the vehicle, that an object which should have been removed from the vehicle after completion of the transport service, remains in the vehicle; and

in response to determining that the object remains in the vehicle, automatically initiating performance of a remedial action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors of the vehicle includes one or more of (i) a set of cameras, (ii) a set of weighing devices, (iii) a set of suspension sensors, (iv) a set of light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors, (v) a set of radio-frequency transceivers, or (vi) a set of ultrasound sensors.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the object remains in the vehicle includes detecting a position of the object inside the vehicle based on image information from a set of cameras that is positioned within the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the object remains in the vehicle includes detecting that the object has been placed in a compartment or an interior of the vehicle based on weight information from a set of weighing devices that is positioned within the compartment or the interior of the vehicle to sense weight of objects placed thereon.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the object remains in the vehicle includes detecting that the object has been placed in a compartment or an interior of the vehicle based on compression information from a set of sensors that is positioned to detect compression of a suspension system of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the object remains in the vehicle includes measuring radio-frequency signals emitted by the object, and determining that the object has been placed in a compartment or an interior of the vehicle from the measured radio-frequency signals.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the object remains in the vehicle includes determining a first set of information from a first sensor set of the vehicle when the transport service is being provided, and determining a second set of information from the first sensor set of the vehicle after the transport service is complete, and comparing the first set of sensor information to the second set of information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically initiating performance of the remedial action includes communicating, over one or more networks, a message to a computing device associated with a user that requested the service, the message notifying the user that an item has been left in the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein automatically initiating performance of the remedial action includes causing the vehicle to remain stationary at a location of the vehicle when the object was detected to still be present in the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein automatically initiating performance of the remedial action includes causing the vehicle to travel to a predetermined location, the predetermined location corresponding to a location where the object can be removed from the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein determining that the object remains in the vehicle includes capturing one or more images of a portion of the vehicle using one or more cameras of the vehicle, and performing image analysis to detect the object from the one or more images.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, from one or more sensors of the vehicle, when the object is first placed in the vehicle by a passenger who enters the vehicle at a pickup location.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein detecting that the object is first placed in the vehicle is performed (i) in response to detecting that the passenger has entered the vehicle, (ii) in response to detecting that a predetermined duration of time has elapsed since detecting that the passenger has entered the vehicle, (iii) in response to receiving, from a computing device associated with the passenger, a message indicating that the service can begin as a result of an input being provided at the computing device associated with the passenger, (iv) in response to receiving, from a computing device associated with the vehicle, a message indicating that the service can begin as a result of an input being provided at the computing device associated with the vehicle from the passenger within the vehicle, or (v) in response to determining that the vehicle has been positioned within a predetermined distance of the pickup location for a predetermined duration of time based on location information of the vehicle.

14. A method for monitoring a vehicle used in providing a service, comprising:

receiving, at a computing system from a remote system, instructions for a vehicle to provide a service, the service corresponding to transporting one or more objects or individuals from one location to another, the service having a start location and a destination location;

controlling, by the computing system, the vehicle to travel to the start location, the computing system corresponding to an on-board computing system of the vehicle and controlling components of the vehicle;

after the vehicle arrives at or is within a first predetermined distance of the start location, detecting, by the computing system, that an object has been placed within the vehicle based on a first set of information from one or more sensors of the vehicle at a first time;

subsequently, controlling, by the computing system, the vehicle to travel to the destination location;

after the vehicle arrives at or is within a second predetermined distance of the destination location, detecting whether the object has been removed from the vehicle based on a second set of information from the one or more sensors at a second time; and

in response to detecting that the object is still present in the vehicle, automatically initiating performance of a remedial action.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more sensors of the vehicle includes one or more of (i) a set of cameras, (ii) a set of weighing devices, (iii) a set of suspension sensors, (iv) a set of light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors, (v) a set of radio-frequency transceivers, or (vi) a set of ultrasound sensors.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein detecting that the object has been placed within the vehicle includes detecting a position of the object inside the vehicle based on image information from the set of cameras that are positioned within the vehicle, wherein the set of cameras are positioned such that the respective lens of the set of cameras faces towards an interior of the vehicle, and wherein automatically initiating performance of a remedial action includes (i) capturing one or more images of the object using one or more of the set of cameras, (ii) generating a message that includes the one or more images, and (iii) communicating, over one or more networks, the message to the remote system to notify the remote system that an item has been left in the vehicle, or communicating, over the one or more networks, the message to a computing device associated with a user that requested the service, the message notifying the user that an item has been left in the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein detecting that the object has been placed within the vehicle includes detecting that the object has been placed in a compartment or an interior of the vehicle based on weight information from the set of weighing devices that are positioned within the compartment or the interior of the vehicle to sense weight of objects placed thereon.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein detecting that the object has been placed within the vehicle includes detecting that the object has been placed in a compartment or an interior of the vehicle based on compression information from the set of suspension sensors that is positioned to detect compression of a suspension system of the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein automatically initiating performance of a remedial action includes communicating, over one or more networks, a message to the remote system to notify the remote system that an item has been left in the vehicle, or communicating, over the one or more networks, a message to a computing device associated with a user that requested the service, the message notifying the user that an item has been left in the vehicle.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to:

receive, from a remote system, instructions for a vehicle to provide a service, the service corresponding to transporting one or more objects or individuals from one location to another, the service having a start location and a destination location;

control the vehicle to travel to the start location;

after the vehicle arrives at or is within a first predetermined distance of the start location, detect that an object has been placed within the vehicle based on a first set of information from one or more sensors of the vehicle at a first time;

subsequently, control the vehicle to travel to the destination location;

after the vehicle arrives at or is within a second predetermined distance of the destination location, detect whether the object has been removed from the vehicle based on a second set of information from the one or more sensors at a second time; and

in response to detecting that the object is still present in the vehicle, automatically perform a remedial action.