Passenger profiles for autonomous vehicles

• US 9,971,348 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2015
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Canavor, Darren Ernest, Parker, Erik Resch, Bathurst, Allan Scott, Tappen, Marshall Friend
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US14/868,753
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/065 Continuous authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for implementing passenger profiles for autonomous vehicles. A passenger of the autonomous vehicle is identified. A passenger profile corresponding to the passenger and comprising a passenger preference is identified. The passenger preference is identified. A configuration setting of the autonomous vehicle corresponding to autonomous operation of the autonomous vehicle is then adjusted based at least in part on the passenger preference.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an autonomous automobile; and

a controller configured to control operation of the autonomous automobile, the controller being configured to cause the autonomous automobile to at least;

receive an identification token from a mobile phone, associated with a passenger, in data communication with the autonomous automobile;

identify a passenger profile associated with the identification token, wherein the passenger profile is stored in a remote data store;

receive the passenger profile from the remote data store;

identify a passenger preference included in the passenger profile;

determine that the passenger preference complies with a rule specified by a vehicle profile associated with the autonomous automobile;

identify a geofenced area specified by the rule specified by the vehicle profile;

determine that a route to be traversed by the autonomous automobile will continue to fall within the geofenced area after an adjustment to the route to be traversed is made; and

adjust the route to be traversed by the autonomous automobile based at least in part on the passenger preference in response to a determination that the route will continue to fall within the geofenced area.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data communication between the mobile phone and the autonomous automobile complies with a version of the Bluetooth protocol.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller, in order to adjust the route, is further configured to at least change a leg along the route between at least two waypoints of the route based at least in part on the passenger preference.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller, in order to cause the autonomous automobile to identify the passenger profile, is further configured to cause the autonomous automobile to at least:

record audio comprising a voice of the passenger; and

match the voice of the passenger to voice data in the passenger profile of the passenger.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller, in order to cause the autonomous automobile to identify the passenger profile, is further configured to cause the autonomous automobile to at least:

capture an image comprising a face of the passenger; and

match the face of the passenger to facial data in the passenger profile of the passenger.

6. A system, comprising:

an autonomous vehicle; and

a controller configured to control operation of the autonomous vehicle, the controller being configured to cause the autonomous vehicle to at least;

identify a passenger profile corresponding to a passenger of the autonomous vehicle, wherein the passenger profile comprises a passenger preference;

identify the passenger preference;

determine that the passenger preference complies with a rule specified by a vehicle profile associated with the autonomous vehicle;

identify a geofenced area specified by the rule specified by the vehicle profile;

determine that the autonomous vehicle is located within the geofenced area; and

in response to a determination that the autonomous vehicle is located within the geofenced area, adjust a configuration setting related to autonomous operation of the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the passenger preference.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller, in order to cause the autonomous vehicle to identify the passenger profile, is further configured to cause the autonomous vehicle to at least:

capture an image comprising a face of the passenger; and

match the face of the passenger to facial data in the passenger profile of the passenger.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller, in order to cause the autonomous vehicle to identify the passenger profile, is further configured to cause the autonomous vehicle to at least:

record audio comprising a voice of the passenger; and

match the voice of the passenger to voice data in the passenger profile of the passenger.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller, in order to cause the autonomous vehicle to identify the passenger profile, is further configured to cause the autonomous vehicle to at least:

establish a data connection with an electronic device associated with the passenger;

receive an identification token from the electronic device; and

match the identification token to a unique identifier in the passenger profile of the passenger.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller, in order to cause the autonomous vehicle to adjust the configuration setting of the autonomous vehicle, is further configured to cause the autonomous vehicle to at least change at least one of a maximum speed for the autonomous vehicle, or one or more waypoints or legs of a route to be traversed by the autonomous vehicle.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the autonomous vehicle to download the passenger profile from a remote computing environment to the autonomous vehicle.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller, in order to cause the autonomous vehicle to adjust the configuration setting of the autonomous vehicle, is further configured to cause the autonomous vehicle to at least change an operational mode of the autonomous vehicle, the operational mode comprising at least one of a driving style mode, a travel purpose mode, or route or navigation preferences.

13. A method, comprising:

identifying, with a computing device configured to control operation of an autonomous vehicle, a passenger profile corresponding to a passenger of the autonomous vehicle, wherein the passenger profile comprises a passenger preference;

identifying, with the computing device, the passenger preference;

determining, with the computing device, that the passenger preference complies with a rule specified by a vehicle profile associated with the autonomous vehicle;

identifying, with the computing device, a geofenced area specified by the rule specified by the vehicle profile;

determining, with the computing device, that the autonomous vehicle is located within the geofenced area; and

in response to a determination that the autonomous vehicle is located within the geofenced area, adjusting, with the computing device, a configuration setting related to autonomous operation of the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the passenger preference.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying the passenger profile further comprises:

capturing, with the computing device, an image comprising a face of the passenger; and

matching, with the computing device, the face of the passenger to facial data in the passenger profile of the passenger.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying the passenger profile further comprises:

recording, with the computing device, audio comprising a voice of the passenger; and

matching, with the computing device, the voice of the passenger to voice data in the passenger profile of the passenger.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying the passenger profile further comprises:

establishing, with the computing device, a data connection with an electronic device associated with the passenger;

receiving, with the computing device, an identification token from the electronic device; and

matching, with the computing device, the identification token to a unique identifier in the passenger profile of the passenger.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein adjusting the configuration setting of the autonomous vehicle further comprises changing, with the computing device, at least one of a maximum speed for the autonomous vehicle, one or more waypoints of a route to be traversed by the autonomous vehicle, or one or more legs of the route to be traversed by the autonomous vehicle.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising downloading, with the computing device, the passenger profile from a remote computing environment to the autonomous vehicle.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein adjusting the configuration setting of the autonomous vehicle further comprises changing, with the computing device, an operational mode of the autonomous vehicle, the operational mode comprising at least one of a driving style mode, a travel purpose mode, or route or navigation preferences.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the autonomous vehicle comprises an automobile.