Reference tokens for managing driverless cars

• US 9,443,427 B1
• Filed: 06/25/2015
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DoorDash, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhuiya, Subhajit, Chebbi, Ajay, Patil, Vijay G., Srivastava, Vaibhav
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US14/750,310
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2637 Vehicle, car, auto, wheelchair
• 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: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09 Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions railroad crossing signals B61L; reflectors E01F, G08B; indicating arrangements for variable information by selection or combination of individual elements G09F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0968 Systems involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle
• 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 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]

Abstract

Negotiating a multi-vehicle environment using vehicle-to-vehicle network tokens for intra-vehicle communication. Preliminary routing assignment are efficiently improved by available intra-vehicle communication.

Claims

1. A method for managing traffic in a multi-vehicle environment using a vehicle-to-vehicle network, the method comprising:

identifying a first vehicle entering the multi-vehicle environment;

determining a first dataset corresponding to the first vehicle;

assigning a first token to the first vehicle based, at least in part, on the first dataset;

determining a second dataset corresponding to a second vehicle entering the multi-vehicle environment; and

assigning a second token to the second vehicle based, at least in part, on the second dataset;

wherein;

the first token grants access to a first assigned destination for the first vehicle;

the second token is a reference for the second vehicle to communicate with the first vehicle over the vehicle-to-vehicle network;

the second token grants access to a second assigned destination for the second vehicle; and

at least the steps of determining a first dataset and assigning a first token are performed by computer software running on computer hardware.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reassigning the second token to the first vehicle and the first token to the second vehicle based at least in part on a communication between the first vehicle and the second vehicle;

wherein;

the first vehicle obtains access to the second assigned destination; and

the second vehicle obtains access to the first assigned destination.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first dataset corresponding to the first vehicle includes driver information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the driver information includes a count of persons in the first vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first dataset corresponding to the first vehicle includes vehicle information.

6. The method of claim 5, where the vehicle information includes a license plate number and vehicle size.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking the location of the first vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first assigned destination is a toll plaza lane corresponding to a toll gate.

9. A computer program product for managing traffic in a multi-vehicle environment using a vehicle-to-vehicle network, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon:

first program instructions programmed to identify a first vehicle entering the multi-vehicle environment;

second program instructions programmed to determine a first dataset corresponding to the first vehicle;

third program instructions programmed to assign a first token to the first vehicle based, at least in part, on the first dataset;

fourth program instructions programmed to determine a second dataset corresponding to a second vehicle entering the multi-vehicle environment; and

fifth program instructions programmed to assign a second token to the second vehicle based, at least in part, on the second dataset;

wherein;

the first token grants access to a first assigned destination for the first vehicle;

the second token is a reference for the second vehicle to communicate with the first vehicle over the vehicle-to-vehicle network; and

the second token grants access to a second assigned destination for the second vehicle.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

sixth program instructions programmed to reassign the second token to the first vehicle and the first token to the second vehicle based at least in part on a communication between the first vehicle and the second vehicle;

wherein;

the first vehicle obtains access to the second assigned destination; and

the second vehicle obtains access to the first assigned destination.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the first dataset corresponding to the first vehicle includes driver information.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

sixth program instructions programmed to track the location of the first vehicle.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the first assigned destination is a toll plaza lane corresponding to a toll gate.

20. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the first dataset corresponding to the first vehicle includes vehicle information.

14. A computer system for managing traffic in a multi-vehicle environment using a vehicle-to-vehicle network, the computer system comprising:

a processor(s) set; and

a computer readable storage medium;

wherein;

the processor set is structured, located, connected and/or programmed to run program instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium; and

the program instructions include;

first program instructions programmed to identify a first vehicle entering the multi-vehicle environment;

second program instructions programmed to determine a first dataset corresponding to the first vehicle;

third program instructions programmed to assign a first token to the first vehicle based, at least in part, on the first dataset;

fourth program instructions programmed to determine a second dataset corresponding to a second vehicle entering the multi-vehicle environment; and

fifth program instructions programmed to assign a second token to the second vehicle based, at least in part, on the second dataset;

wherein;

the first token grants access to a first assigned destination for the first vehicle;

the second token is a reference for the second vehicle to communicate with the first vehicle over the vehicle-to-vehicle network; and

the second token grants access to a second assigned destination for the second vehicle.

15. The computer system of claim 14, further comprising:

sixth program instructions programmed to reassign the second token to the first vehicle and the first token to the second vehicle based at least in part on a communication between the first vehicle and the second vehicle;

wherein;

the first vehicle obtains access to the second assigned destination; and

the second vehicle obtains access to the first assigned destination.

16. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the first dataset corresponding to the first vehicle includes driver information.

17. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the first dataset corresponding to the first vehicle includes vehicle information.

18. The computer system of claim 14, further comprising:

sixth program instructions programmed to track the location of the first vehicle.

19. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the first assigned destination is a toll plaza lane corresponding to a toll gate.