Reference tokens for managing driverless cars

• US 9,940,837 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2016
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• 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:
  US15/204,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20160379493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• 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 assignments are efficiently improved by available intra-vehicle communication.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

assigning a first network token to a first vehicle entering a multi-vehicle environment including a first destination and a second destination, the first network token granting access to the first destination;

assigning a second network token to a second vehicle entering the multi-vehicle environment, the second network token granting access to the second destination; and

establishing a vehicle-to-vehicle network for communication between the first vehicle and the second vehicle using the first network token and the second network token respectively.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

wherein;

the first vehicle obtains access to the second destination; and

the second vehicle obtains access to the first destination.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a first dataset corresponding to the first vehicle; and

determining a second dataset corresponding to the second vehicle;

wherein the first and second datasets include driver information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a first dataset corresponding to the first vehicle; and

determining a second dataset corresponding to the second vehicle;

wherein the first and second datasets include vehicle information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking movement of the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

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

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first destination is a parking space in a parking lot.

8. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon:

first program instructions programmed to assign a first network token to a first vehicle entering a multi-vehicle environment including a first destination and a second destination, the first network token granting access to the first destination;

second program instructions programmed to assign a second network token to a second vehicle entering the multi-vehicle environment, the second network token granting access to the second destination; and

third program instructions programmed to establish a vehicle-to-vehicle network for communication between the first vehicle and the second vehicle using the first network token and the second network token respectively.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

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

wherein;

the first vehicle obtains access to the second destination; and

the second vehicle obtains access to the first destination.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

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

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

wherein the first and second datasets include driver information.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

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

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

wherein the first and second datasets include vehicle information.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

fourth program instructions programmed to track movement of the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the first destination is a toll plaza lane corresponding to a toll gate.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the first destination is a parking space in a parking lot.

15. A computer system comprising:

a processor 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 assign a first network token to a first vehicle entering a multi-vehicle environment including a first destination and a second destination, the first network token granting access to the first destination;

second program instructions programmed to assign a second network token to a second vehicle entering the multi-vehicle environment, the second network token granting access to the second destination; and

third program instructions programmed to establish a vehicle-to-vehicle network for communication between the first vehicle and the second vehicle using the first network token and the second network token respectively.

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

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

wherein;

the first vehicle obtains access to the second destination; and

the second vehicle obtains access to the first destination.

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

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

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

wherein the first and second datasets include driver information.

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

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

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

wherein the first and second datasets include vehicle information.

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

fourth program instructions programmed to track movement of the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the first destination is a toll plaza lane corresponding to a toll gate.