Limitations on the use of an autonomous vehicle

• US 9,308,891 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2014
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Slingshot IOT LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hardee, Christopher J., Rodriguez, Adrian X., Cudak, Gary D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Application Number:
  US14/181,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20150233719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/175 Autonomous driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/34 for indicating change of drive direction B60Q1/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/343 Manually actuated switching arrangements therefor hand actuated multifunction switches B60Q1/1461; B60Q1/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/346 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/01 operating on vehicle systems or fittings, e.g. on doors, seats or windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2081 combined with personal settings of other vehicle devices, e.g. mirrors, seats, steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/241 whereby access privileges are related to the identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/31 of human presence inside or outside the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/047 Prioritizing desires of multiple occupants, e.g. when setting climate control or driving behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/085 Changing the parameters of the control units, e.g. changing limit values, working points by control input
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 : with safety arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 : Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 : Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method for controlling an autonomous vehicle includes determining whether a primary user is present in an autonomous vehicle, allowing use of a plurality of functions of the autonomous vehicle in response to determining that the primary user is present in the autonomous vehicle, and receiving and storing preferences input by the primary user, wherein the preferences identify a limitation on one or more of the plurality of functions of the autonomous vehicle that should be enforced during use of the autonomous vehicle if the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle. The method further includes limiting use of the one or more of the plurality of functions of the autonomous vehicle as specified by the preferences in response to determining that the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining whether a primary user is present in an autonomous vehicle;

allowing use of a plurality of functions of the autonomous vehicle in response to determining that the primary user is present in the autonomous vehicle;

receiving and storing preferences input by the primary user, wherein the preferences identify a limitation on one or more of the plurality of functions of the autonomous vehicle that should be enforced during use of the autonomous vehicle if the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle; and

limiting the use of the one or more of the plurality of functions of the autonomous vehicle as specified by the preferences in response to determining that the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferences identify a secondary user and a limitation on the one or more of the plurality of functions of the autonomous vehicle that should be enforced on the secondary user if the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether the secondary user is present in the autonomous vehicle; and

wherein limiting the use of the one or more of the plurality of functions of the autonomous vehicle as specified by the preferences in response to determining that the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle, includes limiting the use of the one or more of the plurality of functions of the autonomous vehicle that should be enforced on the secondary user if the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle in response to determining that the secondary user is present in the autonomous vehicle.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the preferences identify a limitation on the one or more of the plurality of functions of the autonomous vehicle by identifying a subset of the plurality of functions of the autonomous vehicle that may be used by a secondary user if the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferences identify a plurality of secondary users and, for each of the plurality of secondary users, a limitation on one or more of the plurality of functions of the autonomous vehicle that should be enforced on the secondary user if the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferences identify a limitation on one or more of the plurality of functions of the autonomous vehicle by identifying a subset of the plurality of functions that may be used by secondary users if the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferences identify a limitation on where the autonomous vehicle may travel if the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the preferences identify a limitation one or more destinations wherein the autonomous vehicle may not stop if the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

the autonomous vehicle transporting the primary user and the secondary user to a first destination without any limitations on use of the plurality of functions of the autonomous vehicle;

the autonomous vehicle transporting the secondary user to a second destination without the primary user present in the autonomous vehicle; and

preventing the autonomous vehicle from transporting the secondary user to a third destination without the primary user present in the autonomous vehicle, wherein the preferences identify that the autonomous vehicle may not stop at the third destination if the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferences identify one or more secondary users as being authorized to use the autonomous vehicle when the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the preferences identify a plurality of secondary users authorized to use the autonomous vehicle when the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle, and wherein the preferences further identify a priority associated with each of the plurality of secondary users, the method further comprising:

when the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle, granting control of the autonomous vehicle to a selected secondary user that is present in the autonomous vehicle, wherein the selected secondary user has the highest priority among all of the secondary users present in the autonomous vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a request from an authorized secondary user for an exception to a limitation;

forwarding the request to the primary user and prompting the primary user to approve or deny the exception;

receiving a reply message from the primary user approving or denying the exception; and

the autonomous vehicle modifying the limitation in response to the reply message indicating approval of the exception and maintaining the limitation in response to the reply message indicating denial of the exception.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the preferences identify an authorized group of secondary users as being authorized to use the autonomous vehicle when the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle, the method further comprising:

authorizing a secondary user to use the autonomous vehicle in response to determining that the secondary user is a member of the authorized group.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferences prevent a secondary user from performing a function selected from accessing a media file, using onboard network access, controlling volume of media performance, traveling above a speed limit, navigating to a prohibited destination, and navigating along a prohibited route.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the primary user is present in an autonomous vehicle includes detecting sound within the autonomous vehicle, analyzing the detected sound using voice recognition to identify a voice, and comparing one or more voice parameter of the identified voice with one or more previously stored voice parameter associated with the primary user.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the primary user is present in an autonomous vehicle includes detecting a local wireless transmission from a mobile communication device associated with the primary user.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferences identify a prohibited item, and wherein limiting the use of the one or more of the plurality of functions of the autonomous vehicle as specified by the preferences in response to determining that the primary user is not present in the autonomous vehicle, includes limiting the use of the one or more of the plurality of functions of the autonomous vehicle in response to detecting a prohibited item within the autonomous vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the prohibited item is selected from food, alcohol, an animal, or combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

limiting use of one or more function of the autonomous vehicle unless a mandatory item is detected within the autonomous vehicle, wherein the mandatory item includes a radio frequency identification tag or a wireless transmitter, and wherein the mandatory item is physically secured to or within a device selected from a driver'"'"'s license, a key, and combinations thereof.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving and storing an instruction from the primary user, in advance of executing the instruction, instructing the autonomous vehicle to travel from a first location and arrive at a predetermined second location at a predetermined time.