Location-aware notifications and applications for autonomous vehicles

• US 8,880,270 B1
• Filed: 01/08/2013
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ferguson, Dave, Zhu, Jiajun, Clement, Manuel Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US13/736,937
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701 25- 26, 701/400, 701410-412, 701/516, 701/533, 340/988, 340/995.27, 705/6, 705/7.15, 705/7.16
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed related to autonomous vehicle applications for selecting destinations. A control system of an autonomous vehicle can determine a status of the autonomous vehicle. The control system can determine a possible destination of the autonomous vehicle. The control system can generate and provide a hint related to the possible destination based on the status of the autonomous vehicle. The control system can receive input related to the hint. Based on the input, the control system can determine whether to navigate the autonomous vehicle to the possible destination. After determining to navigate the autonomous vehicle to the possible destination, the control system can direct the autonomous vehicle to travel to the possible destination.

Claims

1. A control system for an autonomous vehicle, the control system comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the control system to perform operations comprising;

controlling, by the control system, driving of the autonomous vehicle without human interaction in an autonomous mode;

determining a status of the autonomous vehicle including a location of the autonomous vehicle;

determining occupancy of one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle;

determining a possible destination for the autonomous vehicle based on passenger information associated with the one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle;

generating a hint related to the possible destination based on the status of the autonomous vehicle including the location of the autonomous vehicle;

causing the hint to be provided through a user interface;

receiving input related to the hint;

based on the input, determining whether to navigate the autonomous vehicle to the possible destination; and

after determining to navigate the autonomous vehicle to the possible destination, directing the autonomous vehicle to travel to the possible destination.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the status of the autonomous vehicle comprises a status of an amount of fuel for the autonomous vehicle.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein determining the possible destination of the autonomous vehicle comprises:

determining one or more previous destinations of the autonomous vehicle; and

determining the possible destination based on the one or more previous destinations.

4. The control system of claim 3, wherein the status of the autonomous vehicle comprises a status of the one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle, and wherein determining the possible destination for the autonomous vehicle comprises:

for each previous destination of the one or more previous destinations;

determining one or more passengers associated with the previous destination,

determining whether the one or more current passengers include at least one passenger of the one or more passengers associated with the previous destination, and

in response to determining that the one or more current passengers include at least one passenger of the one or more passengers associated with the previous destination, adding the previous destination to a list of possible destinations; and

determining the possible destination from the list of possible destinations.

5. The control system of claim 1, wherein the status of the autonomous vehicle comprises a status of the one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle, and wherein determining the possible destination for the autonomous vehicle comprises determining a location of a friend of a current passenger of the one or more current passengers.

6. The control system of claim 1, wherein the status of the autonomous vehicle comprises a status of the one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle, and wherein determining the possible destination for the autonomous vehicle comprises determining an amount of free time for a current passenger of the one or more current passengers.

19. The control system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

requesting authorization, from the one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle, to examine passenger information about the one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle;

receiving authorization to examine the passenger information; and

accessing the passenger information of the one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle.

7. An article of manufacture including a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

controlling driving of the autonomous vehicle without human interaction in an autonomous mode;

determining a status of the autonomous vehicle including a location of the autonomous vehicle;

determining occupancy of one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle;

determining a possible destination for the autonomous vehicle based on passenger information associated with the one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle;

generating a hint related to the possible destination based on the status of the autonomous vehicle including the location of the autonomous vehicle;

sending the hint;

receiving input related to the hint;

based on the input, determining whether to navigate the autonomous vehicle to the possible destination; and

after determining to navigate the autonomous vehicle to the possible destination, directing the autonomous vehicle to travel to the possible destination.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein the status of the autonomous vehicle comprises a status of an amount of fuel for the autonomous vehicle.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein determining the possible destination of the autonomous vehicle comprises:

determining one or more previous destinations of the autonomous vehicle; and

determining the possible destination based on the one or more previous destinations.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein the status of the autonomous vehicle comprises a status of the one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle, and wherein determining the possible destination for the autonomous vehicle comprises:

for each previous destination of the one or more previous destinations;

determining one or more passengers associated with the previous destination,

determining whether the one or more current passengers include at least one passenger of the one or more passengers associated with the previous destination, and

in response to determining that the one or more current passengers include at least one passenger of the one or more passengers associated with the previous destination, adding the previous destination to a list of possible destinations; and

determining the possible destination from the list of possible destinations.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein the status of the autonomous vehicle comprises a status of the one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle, and wherein determining the possible destination for the autonomous vehicle comprises determining a location of a friend of a current passenger of the one or more current passengers.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein the status of the autonomous vehicle comprises a status of the one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle, and wherein determining the possible destination for the autonomous vehicle comprises determining an amount of free time for a current passenger of the one or more current passengers.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein generating a hint related to the one or more previous destinations based on the status of the autonomous vehicle including the location of the autonomous vehicle further comprises generating a hint based on a duration of time associated with a current trip of the autonomous vehicle and a current time.

13. A method, comprising:

controlling, by the control system, driving of an autonomous vehicle without human interaction in an autonomous mode;

determining a status of the autonomous vehicle including a location of the autonomous vehicle;

determining occupancy of one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle using an autonomous vehicle application manager;

determining a possible destination for the autonomous vehicle based on passenger information associated with the one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle using the autonomous vehicle application manager;

generating a hint related to the possible destination based on the status of the autonomous vehicle including the location of the autonomous vehicle using the autonomous vehicle application manager;

providing the hint using the autonomous vehicle application manager;

receiving input related to the hint at the autonomous vehicle application manager;

based on the input, the autonomous vehicle application manager determining whether to navigate the autonomous vehicle to the possible destination; and

after determining to navigate the autonomous vehicle to the possible destination, the autonomous vehicle application manager directing the autonomous vehicle to travel to the possible destination.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the status of the autonomous vehicle comprises a status of an amount of fuel for the autonomous vehicle.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the possible destination of the autonomous vehicle comprises:

determining one or more previous destinations of the autonomous vehicle; and

determining the possible destination based on the one or more previous destinations.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the status of the autonomous vehicle comprises a status of the one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle, and wherein determining the possible destination for the autonomous vehicle comprises:

for each previous destination of the one or more previous destinations;

determining one or more passengers associated with the previous destination,

determining whether the one or more current passengers include at least one passenger of the one or more passengers associated with the previous destination, and

in response to determining that the one or more current passengers include at least one passenger of the one or more passengers associated with the previous destination, adding the previous destination to a list of possible destinations; and

determining the possible destination from the list of possible destinations.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the status of the autonomous vehicle comprises a status of the one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle, and wherein determining the possible destination for the autonomous vehicle comprises determining a location of a friend of a current passenger of the one or more current passengers.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the status of the autonomous vehicle comprises a status of the one or more current passengers of the autonomous vehicle, and wherein determining the possible destination for the autonomous vehicle comprises determining an amount of free time for a current passenger of the one or more current passengers.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein generating a hint related to the one or more previous destinations based on the status of the autonomous vehicle including the location of the autonomous vehicle further comprises generating a hint based on a duration of time associated with a current trip of the autonomous vehicle and a current time.