Generating and transmitting parking instructions for autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles

• US 9,811,085 B1
• Filed: 08/18/2016
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Hayes, Howard, Madigan, Regina, Kumar, Surender, Slusar, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US15/240,019
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• 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 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 inside the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/144 on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/148 Management of a network of parking areas

Abstract

Systems and apparatuses for receiving data from a plurality of sensors and using the data, as well as other data, to generate a parking recommendation for an autonomous vehicle and instruct the autonomous vehicle to travel to the recommended parking location are provided. Data may be received from a plurality of sensors within a first autonomous vehicle, as well as from other vehicles and/or structures. Historical parking data associated with the first autonomous vehicle may also be extracted. In some examples, an expected future trip of the first autonomous vehicle may be determined. The system may then evaluate the data to generate a parking recommendation for the first autonomous vehicle. The system may generate and transmit instructions for traveling from a current location to the recommended parking location and may cause the first autonomous vehicle to travel to the recommended parking location.

Claims

1. A parking analysis system, comprising:

a first plurality of sensors arranged on a plurality of autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles;

a second plurality of sensors within one or more structures;

a parking analysis database storing historical parking location and risk information;

a trip assignment server;

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause a parking analysis computing device to;

receive, from the first plurality of sensors, data associated with locations of each vehicle of the plurality of autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles;

receive, from a plurality of autonomous vehicles, historical parking data associated with the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

receive, from the second plurality of sensors, data associated with a plurality of potential parking locations;

query the parking analysis database to identify data associated with parking risk for the plurality of potential parking locations;

receive, from the trip assignment server, an expected future trip for a first autonomous vehicle of the plurality of autonomous vehicles; and

based on the data associated with locations of each vehicle of the plurality of autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles, the historical parking data, the data associated with the plurality of potential parking locations, the data associated with parking risk for the plurality of potential parking locations, and the expected future trip, generate a recommended first parking location for the first autonomous vehicle to park until the expected future trip;

generate instructions to travel from a current location of the first autonomous vehicle to the recommended first parking location;

transmit the instructions to travel from the current location of the first autonomous vehicle to the recommended first parking location to an autonomous vehicle control computing device within the first autonomous vehicle; and

cause the first autonomous vehicle to travel to the recommended first parking location.

2. The parking analysis system of claim 1, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the parking analysis computing device to:

determine, in real-time and based on sensor data providing current environmental conditions of the current location of the first autonomous vehicle, an imminent weather event;

generate, based further on the current location of the first autonomous vehicle and the imminent weather event, a recommended second parking location to avoid the imminent weather event;

generate second instructions to travel from the current location of the first autonomous vehicle to the recommended second parking location;

transmit the second instructions to the autonomous vehicle control computing device of the first autonomous vehicle; and

cause the first autonomous vehicle to travel to the recommended second parking location.

3. The parking analysis system of claim 1, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the parking analysis computing device to:

determine, in real-time, that the first autonomous vehicle has a maintenance issue;

generate, responsive to determining that the first autonomous vehicle has a maintenance issue, a recommended second parking location equipped to address the maintenance issue;

generate second instructions to travel from the current location of the first autonomous vehicle to the recommended second parking location;

transmit the second instructions to the autonomous vehicle control computing device of the first autonomous vehicle; and

cause the first autonomous vehicle to travel to the recommended second parking location.

4. The parking analysis system of claim 1, wherein the expected future trip is identified based on an appointment in an electronic calendar of a user associated with the first autonomous vehicle.

5. The parking analysis system of claim 1, wherein the expected future trip is identified based on historical trip data for the first autonomous vehicle.

6. The parking analysis system of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the plurality of potential parking locations includes current environmental conditions at the plurality of potential parking locations.

7. The parking analysis system of claim 1, wherein the parking risk for the plurality of potential parking locations is based on at least one of:

historical accident data at each parking location of the plurality of potential parking locations and crime statistics for a geographic area associated with each parking location of the plurality of potential parking locations.

8. A parking analysis server, comprising:

a processor; and

at least one memory coupled to the processor and storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the parking analysis server to;

receive, from a first plurality of sensors, data associated with locations of each vehicle of a plurality of autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles;

receive, from a plurality of autonomous vehicles, historical parking data associated with the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

receive, from a second plurality of sensors, data associated with a plurality of potential parking locations;

query a parking analysis database to identify data associated with parking risk for the plurality of potential parking locations;

receive, from a trip assignment server, an expected future trip for a first autonomous vehicle of the plurality of autonomous vehicles; and

based on the data associated with locations of each vehicle of the plurality of autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles, the historical parking data, the data associated with the plurality of potential parking locations, the data associated with parking risk for the plurality of potential parking locations, and the expected future trip, generate a recommended first parking location for the first autonomous vehicle to park until the expected future trip;

generate instructions to travel from a current location of the first autonomous vehicle to the recommended first parking location;

transmit the instructions to travel from the current location of the first autonomous vehicle to the recommended first parking location to an autonomous vehicle control computing device within the first autonomous vehicle; and

cause the first autonomous vehicle to travel to the recommended first parking location.

9. The parking analysis server of claim 8, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the parking analysis server to:

determine, in real-time and based on sensor data providing current environmental conditions of the current location of the first autonomous vehicle, an imminent weather event;

generate, based further on the current location of the first autonomous vehicle and the imminent weather event, a recommended second parking location to avoid the imminent weather event;

generate second instructions to travel from the current location of the first autonomous vehicle to the recommended second parking location;

transmit the second instructions to the autonomous vehicle control computing device of the first autonomous vehicle; and

cause the first autonomous vehicle to travel to the recommended second parking location.

10. The parking analysis server of claim 8, further including instructions that, when executed, cause the parking analysis computing device to:

determine, in real-time, that the first autonomous vehicle has a maintenance issue;

generate, responsive to determining that the first autonomous vehicle has a maintenance issue, a recommended second parking location equipped to address the maintenance issue;

generate second instructions to travel from the current location of the first autonomous vehicle to the recommended second parking location;

transmit the second instructions to the autonomous vehicle control computing device of the first autonomous vehicle; and

cause the first autonomous vehicle to travel to the recommended second parking location.

11. The parking analysis server of claim 8, wherein the expected future trip is identified based on an appointment in an electronic calendar of a user associated with the first autonomous vehicle.

12. The parking analysis server of claim 8, wherein the expected future trip is identified based on historical trip data for the first autonomous vehicle.

13. The parking analysis server of claim 8, wherein the data associated with the plurality of potential parking locations includes current environmental conditions at the plurality of potential parking locations.

14. The parking analysis server of claim 8, wherein the parking risk for the plurality of potential parking locations is based on at least one of:

historical accident data at each parking location of the plurality of potential parking locations and crime statistics for a geographic area associated with each parking location of the plurality of potential parking locations.

15. A method of generating a parking location recommendation, comprising:

receiving, by a parking analysis server and from a first plurality of sensors, data associated with locations of each vehicle of a plurality of autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles;

receiving, by the parking analysis server and from a plurality of autonomous vehicles, historical parking data associated with the plurality of autonomous vehicles;

receiving, by the parking analysis server and from a second plurality of sensors, data associated with a plurality of potential parking locations;

querying, by the parking analysis server, a parking analysis database to identify data associated with parking risk for the plurality of potential parking locations;

receiving, by the parking analysis server and from a trip assignment server, an expected future trip for a first autonomous vehicle of the plurality of autonomous vehicles; and

based on the data associated with locations of each vehicle of the plurality of autonomous and non-autonomous vehicles, the historical parking data, the data associated with the plurality of potential parking locations, the data associated with parking risk for the plurality of potential parking locations, and the expected future trip, generating, by the parking analysis server, a recommended first parking location for the first autonomous vehicle to park until the expected future trip;

generating, by the parking analysis server, instructions to travel from a current location of the first autonomous vehicle to the recommended first parking location;

transmitting, by the parking analysis server, the instructions to travel from the current location of the first autonomous vehicle to the recommended first parking location to an autonomous vehicle control computing device within the first autonomous vehicle; and

causing, by the parking analysis server, the first autonomous vehicle to travel to the recommended first parking location.

16. The method of claim 15, further including:

determining, by the parking analysis server in real-time and based on sensor data providing current environmental conditions of the current location of the first autonomous vehicle, an imminent a weather event;

generating, by the parking analysis server and based further on the current location of the first autonomous vehicle and the imminent weather event, a recommended second parking location to avoid the imminent weather event;

generating, by the parking analysis server, second instructions to travel from the current location of the first autonomous vehicle to the recommended second parking location;

transmitting, by the parking analysis server, the second instructions to the autonomous vehicle control computing device of the first autonomous vehicle; and

causing, by the parking analysis server, the first autonomous vehicle to travel to the recommended second parking location.

17. The method of claim 15, further including:

determining, by the parking analysis server and in real-time, that the first autonomous vehicle has a maintenance issue;

responsive to determining that the first autonomous vehicle has a maintenance issue, generating, by the parking analysis server, a recommended second parking location equipped to address the maintenance issue;

generating, by the parking analysis server, second instructions to travel from the current location of the first autonomous vehicle to the recommended second parking location;

transmitting, by the parking analysis server, the second instructions to the autonomous vehicle control computing device of the first autonomous vehicle; and

causing, by the parking analysis server, the first autonomous vehicle to travel to the recommended second parking location.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the expected future trip is identified based on an appointment in an electronic calendar of a user associated with the first autonomous vehicle.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the expected future trip is identified based on historical trip data for the first autonomous vehicle.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the data associated with the plurality of potential parking locations includes current environmental conditions at the plurality of potential parking locations.