Detecting the Number of Vehicle Passengers

• US 20180211124A1
• Filed: 03/07/2018
• Published: 07/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Via Transportation Inc.
• Original Assignee: Via Transportation Inc.
• Inventors: Rakah, Yaron, Shoval, Oren, Ramot, Daniel, Markovitch, Shmulik
• Granted Patent: US 10,677,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: B60W 60/00253 Taxi operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/593 Recognising seat occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/012 from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096822 where the segments of the route are transmitted to the vehicle at different locations and times
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/148 : Management of a network of parking areas
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 : Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 : Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

An automated ridesharing dispatch system includes a communications interface configured to electronically receive ride requests from a plurality of users and a memory configured to store a capacity threshold for each of a plurality of ridesharing vehicles. The system also includes at least one processor configured to process the ride requests received from the communications interface and to assign to a single ridesharing vehicle the plurality of users for pick up at a plurality of differing pick-up locations and for delivery to a plurality of differing drop-off locations, determine a route for the ridesharing vehicle, receive from at least one sensor within the ridesharing vehicle, information indicative of a current number of passengers in the ridesharing vehicle, and determine whether to assign additional users to the ridesharing vehicle based on the received information from the sensor and the capacity threshold associated with the ridesharing vehicle.

Claims

1-164. -164. (canceled)

165. An automated ridesharing dispatch system, comprising:

a communications interface configured to electronically receive ride requests from a plurality of users;

memory configured to store a capacity threshold for each of a plurality of ridesharing vehicles;

at least one processor configured to;

process the ride requests received from the communications interface and to assign to a single ridesharing vehicle the plurality of users for pick up at a plurality of differing pick-up locations and for delivery to a plurality of differing drop-off locations;

determine a route for the ridesharing vehicle;

receive from at least one sensor within the ridesharing vehicle, information indicative of a current number of passengers in the ridesharing vehicle; and

determine whether to assign additional users to the ridesharing vehicle based on the received information from the sensor and the capacity threshold associated with the ridesharing vehicle.

166. The system of claim 165, wherein the at least one sensor includes an image sensor configured to detect the current number of passengers in the ridesharing vehicle.

167. The system of claim 165, wherein the at least one sensor includes a plurality of image sensors configured to detect the current number of passengers in the ridesharing vehicle.

168. The system of claim 165, wherein the at least one sensor includes an image sensor associated with a mobile communications device within the ridesharing vehicle and configured to detect the current number of passengers in the ridesharing vehicle.

169. The system of claim 165, wherein the at least one sensor includes a plurality of pressure sensors associated with seats in the ridesharing vehicle and configured to detect the current number of seats occupied in the ridesharing vehicle.

170. The system of claim 165, wherein the at least one sensor includes a thermal sensor configured to detect the current number of passengers in the ridesharing vehicle.

171. The system of claim 165, wherein the at least one sensor includes a proximity sensor configured to detect the current number of passengers in the ridesharing vehicle.

172. The system of claim 165, wherein the at least one sensor includes a short-range transceiver configured to determine an actual number of users entering the ridesharing vehicle by communicating with mobile devices of the users.

173. The system of claim 165, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive from the communications interface an actual number of individuals entering the ridesharing vehicle.

174. The system of claim 165, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive from the communications interface an actual number of occupants in the ridesharing vehicle.

175. The system of claim 165, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to implement a threshold block that prevents assignment of the additional users to the ridesharing vehicle when the ridesharing vehicle'"'"'s current utilized capacity is above a threshold being less than the ridesharing vehicle'"'"'s capacity threshold.

176. The system of claim 165, wherein the ridesharing vehicle is part of an autonomous vehicle and the at least one processor is further configured to determine a discrepancy between a number of users expected to enter the ridesharing vehicle and the actual number of passengers entering the ridesharing vehicle.

177. The system of claim 176, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to change the determined route of the ridesharing vehicle in response to a detected discrepancy.

178. The system of claim 177, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to reassign at least one of the plurality of users scheduled to be picked up by the ridesharing vehicle to a different ridesharing vehicle.

179. The system of claim 165, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to change an assigned drop-off location of at least one of the passengers in the ridesharing vehicle.

180. The system of claim 179, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to communicate with at least one mobile communications device associated with the at least one passenger to inform the at least one passenger about the change in the assigned drop-off location.

181. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method for automatically dispatching ridesharing vehicles, the method comprising:

storing a capacity threshold for each of a plurality of ridesharing vehicles;

receiving ride requests from a plurality of users;

assigning to a particular ridesharing vehicle the plurality of users for pick up at a plurality of differing pick-up locations and for delivery to a plurality of differing drop-off locations;

determining a route for the ridesharing vehicle;

receiving at a location remote from the particular vehicle, and based on sensor data transmitted from the particular vehicle, information indicative of a current number of passengers in the particular vehicle;

comparing the sensor data from the particular vehicle with the capacity threshold of the particular vehicle;

determining, based on comparing, whether a number of actual users within the particular vehicle exceeds a number of users assigned to the particular vehicle; and

reassigning to another vehicle a subsequent user already assigned to the particular vehicle if, from the sensor data, actual users detected exceeds the number of assigned users.

182. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 181, wherein the sensor data includes data from at least one of an image sensor, a pressure sensor, a thermal sensor, a proximity sensor, and a short-range transceiver.

183. An autonomous ridesharing vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of seats for accommodating a number of passengers no greater than a capacity threshold;

a communications interface configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote server;

at least one sensor configured to detect a current number of passengers in the ridesharing vehicle; and

at least one processor configured to;

receive from the remote server a route including a plurality of pick-up locations for picking up users, a number of the users expected to enter the ridesharing vehicle at each pick-up location, and a plurality of drop-off locations for delivering the users;

determine a discrepancy between an actual number of passengers entering the ridesharing vehicle at a specific pick-up location and the number of users expected to enter the ridesharing vehicle at the specific pick-up location; and

inform the remote server of the discrepancy, thereby causing a change in the route of the ridesharing vehicle.

184. The autonomous ridesharing vehicle of claim 183, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to request re-assignment of at least one of the plurality of users scheduled to be picked up by the ridesharing vehicle to a different ridesharing vehicle.