METHODS FOR EXECUTING AUTONOMOUS RIDESHARE REQUESTS

• US 20190137290A1
• Filed: 06/25/2018
• Published: 05/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Drive.ai, Inc. (Apple Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Drive.ai, Inc. (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Levy, Gahl, Alexander, Chip J., Reiley, Carol
• Granted Patent: US 11,493,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/5035 electronic displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/507 specific to autonomous vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/508 specific to vehicles driving in fleets or convoys
• 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: 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 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0231 using optical position detecting means position-fixing by using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. optical position detecting means G01S5/16
• 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: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

One variation of a method for executing autonomous rideshare requests includes: following arrival of an autonomous vehicle proximal a pickup location specified in a rideshare request submitted by a user, setting a user arrival timer for a first duration and a depart timer for a second duration exceeding the first duration; serving a state of the user arrival timer to a mobile computing device affiliated with the user; rendering a state of the depart timer on an external display arranged on the autonomous vehicle; in response to failure of the user to arrive at the autonomous vehicle prior to expiration of the user arrival timer, departing from the pickup location without the user; and, in response to the user arriving at the autonomous vehicle prior to expiration of the user arrival timer, departing from the pickup location with the user prior to expiration of the delay timer.

Claims

1. A method for executing autonomous rideshare requests comprising:

at an autonomous vehicle, autonomously navigating to a pickup location specified in a rideshare request submitted by a user;

following first arrival of the autonomous vehicle proximal the pickup location;

setting a user arrival timer for a first duration; and

setting a depart timer for a second duration exceeding the first duration by a buffer time;

serving a state of the user arrival timer to a mobile computing device affiliated with the user; and

at the autonomous vehicle;

rendering a state of the depart timer on an external display arranged on the autonomous vehicle;

in response to failure of the user to arrive at the autonomous vehicle prior to expiration of the user arrival timer, departing from the pickup location without the user in response to expiration of the user arrival timer; and

in response to the user arriving at the autonomous vehicle prior to expiration of the user arrival timer, departing from the pickup location with the user prior to expiration of the delay timer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking a geospatial location of the mobile computing device following first arrival of the autonomous vehicle proximal the pickup location; and

in response to the geospatial location of the mobile computing device falling within a threshold distance of the autonomous vehicle at a time of expiration of the user arrival timer, holding for the user proximal the pickup location past expiration of the user arrival timer.

3. The method of claim 1:

wherein autonomously navigating to the pickup location comprises;

autonomously approaching the pickup location;

scanning a field around the autonomous vehicle for a double-park location proximal the pickup location; and

autonomously navigating into the double-park location; and

wherein setting the user arrival timer and setting the depart timer comprise setting the user arrival timer and setting the depart timer in response to the autonomous vehicle entering the double-park location.

4. The method of claim 1:

further comprising, at the autonomous vehicle, in response to arriving proximal the pickup location;

recording a sequence of scan data of a field around the autonomous vehicle;

scanning the sequence of scan data for vehicles approaching the rear of the autonomous vehicle; and

wherein setting the user arrival timer and setting the depart timer comprises setting the user arrival timer and setting the depart timer in response to the autonomous vehicle detecting a second vehicle approaching the rear of the autonomous vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1:

wherein autonomously navigating to the pickup location comprises, at the autonomous vehicle;

recording a first sequence of scan data of a field around the autonomous vehicle while autonomously approaching the pickup location;

scanning the first sequence of scan data for a wait location proximal the pickup location; and

autonomously navigating into the wait location; and

further comprising, in response to autonomously navigating into the wait location;

recording a second sequence of scan data of a field around the autonomous vehicle;

scanning the second sequence of scan data for optical fiducials indicating emergency response vehicles approaching the autonomous vehicle; and

in response to detecting optical fiducials indicating an emergency response vehicle approaching the autonomous vehicle prior to expiration of the user arrival timer, departing the double-park location.

6. The method of claim 5:

wherein scanning the first sequence of scan data for the wait location proximal the pickup location comprises scanning the first sequence of scan data for a set of wait locations proximal the pickup location, the set of wait locations comprising a subset of a double-park location, a fire hydrant zone, a driveway, and a bike lane; and

wherein autonomously navigating into the wait location comprises;

scoring each wait location in the set of wait locations proximal the pickup location based on a type of the wait location and a distance from the wait location to the pickup location;

electing the wait location corresponding to a highest score in the set of wait locations; and

autonomously navigating into the wait location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein setting the depart timer comprises setting the depart timer for the second duration exceeding the first duration by the buffer time corresponding to an estimated time for the user to enter the vehicle and to prepare for departure from the pickup location based on a number of passengers and luggage indicated in the rideshare request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein departing from the pickup location without the user comprises:

calculating a block-circling route extending away from the pickup location and back to the pickup location;

at the autonomous vehicle, autonomously navigating away from the pickup location and back to the pickup location along the block-circling route in response to expiration of the user arrival timer prior to arrival of the user at the autonomous vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8:

further comprising, following first arrival of the autonomous vehicle at the pickup location, activating a maximum wait timer for a third duration greater than the second duration;

wherein autonomously navigating away from the pickup location and back to the pickup location along the block-circling route comprises autonomously navigating back to the pickup location prior to expiration of the maximum wait timer; and

further comprising cancelling the rideshare request in response to failure of the user to arrive at the autonomous vehicle prior to expiration of the maximum wait timer.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein autonomously navigating away from the pickup location and back to the pickup location along the block-circling route comprises:

autonomously navigating away from the pickup location;

recording a sequence of scan data of a field around the autonomous vehicle as the autonomous vehicle autonomously navigates along the block-circling route;

scanning the sequence of scan data for wait locations along the block-circling route;

in response to detecting a wait location along the block-circling route, autonomously navigating into the wait location; and

holding in the wait location prior to navigating a remainder of the block-circling route back to the pickup location.

11. The method of claim 10:

further comprising;

tracking a geospatial location of the mobile computing device following first arrival of the autonomous vehicle proximal the pickup location;

calculating an estimated time of arrival of the user to the pickup location based on the geospatial location of the user; and

calculating an estimated time of arrival of the autonomous vehicle to the pickup location based on local traffic conditions along the remainder of the block-circling route back to the pickup location; and

wherein autonomously navigating away from the pickup location and back to the pickup location along the block-circling route comprises, in response to the estimated time of arrival of the user differing from the estimated time of arrival of the autonomous vehicle by less than a threshold difference, autonomously navigating from the wait location along the remainder of the block-circling route back to the pickup location

12. The method of claim 10:

wherein scanning the sequence of scan data for wait locations along the block-circling route comprises detecting a parking space, currently unoccupied and downroad of the pickup location, in the sequence of scan data;

wherein autonomously navigating into the wait location comprises autonomously navigating into the parking space;

further comprising;

at the autonomous vehicle, in response to entering the parking space, rendering contact information and a prompt to displace the autonomous vehicle from the parking space via the contact information on the external display;

at a remote computer system, in response to receipt of a command to exit the parking space from an external entity via the contact information, dispatching the autonomous vehicle from the parking space; and

at the autonomous vehicle, autonomously navigating out of the parking space and along a remainder of the block-circling route.

13. The method of claim 10:

wherein scanning the sequence of scan data for wait locations along the block-circling route comprises detecting a fire hydrant zone, downroad of the pickup location, in the sequence of scan data;

wherein autonomously navigating into the wait location comprises autonomously navigating into the fire hydrant zone; and

further comprising autonomously navigating out of the parking space and along a remainder of the block-circling route in response to receipt of a vehicle disperse request issued by an emergency dispatcher for a geospatial location containing the fire hydrant zone.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the autonomous vehicle;

following departure from the pickup location without the user in response to expiration of the user arrival timer, recording a sequence of scan data of a field around the autonomous vehicle as the autonomous vehicle autonomously navigates away from the pickup location;

scanning the sequence of scan data for wait locations downroad of the pickup location;

in response to detecting a wait location within a threshold distance of the pickup location, autonomously navigating into the wait location; and

holding at the wait location; and

transmitting a notification to the mobile computing device, the notification indicating a geospatial location of the wait location and a prompt to meet the autonomous vehicle at the second wait location in place of the pickup location.

15. The method of claim 14:

wherein autonomously navigating to the pickup location comprises;

recording a first sequence of scan data of a field around the autonomous vehicle while autonomously approaching the pickup location;

scanning the first sequence of scan data for a double-park location proximal the pickup location; and

autonomously navigating into the double-park location;

wherein scanning the sequence of scan data for wait locations downroad of the pickup location comprises;

scanning the sequence of scan data for a set of wait locations proximal the pickup location, the set of wait locations comprising a subset of a double-park location, a fire hydrant zone, a driveway, and a bike lane; and

scoring each wait location, in the set of wait locations proximal the pickup location, based on a type of the wait location and a distance from the wait location to the pickup location; and

wherein autonomously navigating into the wait location comprises;

electing the wait location corresponding to a highest score in the set of wait locations; and

autonomously navigating into the wait location downroad of the pickup location.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a route from the pickup location to a dropoff location specified in the rideshare request;

in response to the user entering the autonomous vehicle, autonomously navigating along the route to the dropoff location;

in response to the user exiting the autonomous vehicle at the dropoff location, scanning a field around the autonomous vehicle for parking spaces;

in response to detecting a parking space, currently unoccupied and downroad of the pickup location, near the autonomous vehicle;

autonomously navigating into the parking space;

rendering contact information and a prompt to displace the autonomous vehicle from the parking space via the contact information on the external display;

navigating out of the parking space in response to receipt of a command to exit the parking space from an external entity via the contact information; and

in response to receiving a second rideshare request from a second user, the second rideshare request specifying a second pickup location;

dispatching the autonomous vehicle to the second pickup location to collect the second user; and

at the autonomous vehicle, autonomously navigating to the second pickup location.

17. A method for executing autonomous rideshare requests comprising:

receiving a rideshare request entered through a mobile computing device by a user, the rideshare request specifying a pickup location;

dispatching an autonomous vehicle to the pickup location to collect the user;

at the autonomous vehicle;

autonomously navigating to the pickup location;

in response to arriving proximal the pickup location, recording a first sequence of scan data of a field around the autonomous vehicle;

scanning the first sequence of scan data for a first wait location proximal the pickup location;

in response to detecting the first wait location, autonomously navigating into the first wait location;

in response to detecting a trigger condition while in the first wait location;

autonomously exiting the first wait location;

autonomously navigating downroad of the pickup location;

recording a second sequence of scan data of the field around the autonomous vehicle;

scanning the second sequence of scan data for a second wait location downroad of the pickup location;

in response to detecting the second wait location, autonomously navigating into the second wait location; and

in response to the autonomous vehicle entering the second wait location, transmitting a notification to the mobile computing device, the notification indicating a geospatial location of the second wait location and a prompt to meet the autonomous vehicle at the second wait location in place of the pickup location.

18. The method of claim 17:

wherein autonomously navigating into the first wait location comprises autonomously navigating into a double-park location proximal the wait location;

further comprising, while occupying the first wait location,

recording an intermediate sequence of scan data of the field around the autonomous vehicle; and

scanning the intermediate sequence of scan data for a vehicle approaching the rear of the autonomous vehicle; and

wherein autonomously exiting the first wait location in response to detecting the trigger condition comprises autonomously exiting the first wait location in response to detecting a second vehicle approaching the rear of the autonomous vehicle.

19. The method of claim 17:

wherein autonomously navigating into the first wait location comprises autonomously navigating into a parking space proximal the wait location;

further comprising, at the autonomous vehicle, in response to entering the parking space, rendering contact information and a prompt to displace the autonomous vehicle from the parking space via the contact information on an external display mounted to the autonomous vehicle;

wherein autonomously exiting the first wait location in response to detecting the trigger condition comprises autonomously exiting the first wait location in response to receipt of a command to exit the parking space from an external entity via the contact information.

20. The method of claim 17:

further comprising;

following entry of the autonomous vehicle into the first wait location;

setting a user arrival timer for a first duration; and

setting a depart timer for a second duration exceeding the first duration by a buffer time;

serving a state of the user arrival timer to the mobile computing device;

at the autonomous vehicle;

rendering a state of the depart timer on an external display arranged on the autonomous vehicle;

in response to failure of the user to arrive at the autonomous vehicle prior to expiration of the user arrival timer, departing from proximal the pickup location without the user in response to expiration of the user arrival timer; and

in response to the user arriving at the autonomous vehicle prior to expiration of the user arrival timer, departing from proximal the pickup location with the user prior to expiration of the delay timer.