Method and system for anticipatory deployment of autonomously controlled vehicles

• US 9,984,574 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2015
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xinda International Corp.
• Original Assignee: Tribal Rides Incorporated (Xinda International Corp.)
• Inventors: Laetz, Kurt R.
• Primary Examiner(s): McPherson, James M
• Application Number:
  US14/601,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20160209220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

A method and system for management and anticipatory deployment of autonomously controlled vehicles are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a method may include calculating the geographic locations and periods of time where self-driving vehicles might experience the greatest probability of being requested to provide transportation services to passengers or cargo, and then communicating the resulting locations and times to self-driving vehicles, causing the vehicles to deploy themselves to those certain locations at those certain times, all prior to and in anticipation of specific requests being initiated by users or entities for such transport.

Claims

1. A computer system for deploying autonomously controlled vehicles, comprising:

a database for storing profiles of users of the system, the profiles comprising information regarding a plurality of user preferences, and user travel history;

a vehicle deployment module for causing anticipatory deployment of the autonomously controlled vehicles by determining routes of the vehicles as a function of the profiles to generate vehicle control information to define routes, each route including a start point and an end point, and a time corresponding to each start point and end point, wherein the vehicle deployment module determines routes of the vehicles by;

retrieving travel history of one or more users of the system from the database, the travel history comprising data values representing start and end locations, associated times, and routes of travel by the one or more users of the system; and

generating a matrix of anticipatory vehicle demand values calculated as a function of each travel history that has been retrieved;

wherein each start point, and time corresponding to the start point, of each deployed vehicle is generated as function of time and location with respect to an anticipated usage of the deployed vehicle; and

a communications module for causing the vehicle control information to be transmitted to the deployed vehicle, the vehicle control information comprising the start point and the end point and the time corresponding to the start point and the end point for the deployed vehicle, and the vehicle control information causing the vehicle to pre-deploy based on anticipated requests for transportation services.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the information regarding a plurality of user preferences comprises:

information pertaining to ride sharing preferences;

information pertaining to vehicle preferences;

information pertaining to price preferences; and

information pertaining to route preferences.

3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle deployment module:

generates groupings for the users of the system corresponding to travel history that has been retrieved; and

calculates a net-sum of probabilities by geographical zone for each of the groupings that indicates probability that a trip will be initiated by a user of the system within any given time, geographical zone and location.

4. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the vehicle control information further comprises route preference information.

5. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the travel history is generated by determining the start and end locations from mapping data and recording movement of each vehicle at time intervals to generate three-dimensional data comprising positional data in two dimensions and time in a third dimension.

6. A computer system for deploying autonomously controlled vehicles, comprising:

a database for storing profiles of users of the system, the profiles comprising information regarding a plurality of user preferences, and user travel history;

a vehicle deployment module for causing anticipatory deployment of the autonomously controlled vehicles by determining routes of the vehicles as a function of the profiles to generate vehicle control information to define routes by determining geographical locations and times of day for which users of the system will request transportation services, as a function of multiple variables that indicate one or more geographic locations and times where a highest probability exists that the users will require transportation services, each route including a start point and an end point, and a time corresponding to each start point and end point,

wherein determining the geographical locations and times of day for which users of the system will request transportation services comprises;

determining for each user in a group of users of the system, locations and times where each user will require transportation services to generate user location/time data, for each user in the group of users, indicative of locations and times of future requests for transportation services;

tabulating the user location/time data for each user in the group of users, to generate a probability value associated with the user location/time data for each user in the group of users, the probability indicative of future requests for transportation services;

modifying each probability value as a function of a plurality of weighted variables, to modify prediction of requests for transportation services at a location and time by each user in the group, and

performing heuristic calculations to modify the probability value for each user in the group;

wherein each start point, and time corresponding to the start point, of each deployed vehicle is generated as function of time and location to an anticipated usage of the deployed vehicle; and

a communications module for causing the vehicle control information to be transmitted to the deployed vehicle, the vehicle control information comprising the start point and end point, and a time corresponding to the start point and the end point for the deployed vehicle, and the vehicle control information causing the deployed vehicle to pre-deploy based on anticipated requests for transportation services.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein determining for each user in a group of users of the system, locations and times where the user will require transportation services to generate user location/time data comprises:

obtaining collaboration data pertaining to shared use preferences by the users via an electronic device, the shared use preferences including data preferences selected from the group consisting of ride sharing preferences, schedule adjusting preferences, and route adjusting preferences.

8. A computer system for deploying autonomously controlled vehicles, comprising:

a database for storing profiles of users of the system, the profiles comprising information regarding a plurality of user preferences, and user travel history;

a vehicle deployment module for causing anticipatory deployment of the vehicles by determining routes of the vehicles as a function of the profiles to generate vehicle control information to define routes, each route including a start point and an end point, and a time corresponding to each start and end point,

wherein the start point, and time corresponding to the start point, of each deployed vehicle is a function of time and location to an anticipated usage of the deployed vehicle; and

a communications module for causing the vehicle control information to be transmitted to the vehicles, the vehicle control information comprising the start and end points and the time corresponding to each start and end point for the corresponding vehicle;

wherein the vehicle deployment module determines routes of the vehicles by;

determining geographical locations and times of day where users of the system, that request transportation services, will require transportation services, by generating a dynamic forward looking matrix of values for anticipated requests for the transportation services at different times and locations so that autonomous vehicles responsive to the computer system are dynamically positioned to service the requests being anticipated; and

generating vehicle control information as a function of the matrix of values;

wherein the vehicle control information causes the vehicles to pre-deploy based on anticipated requests for transportation services.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the matrix of values is further generated as a function of type and kind of vehicle, level of social interaction and privacy desired, price and routes.

10. A computer system for enabling deployment of autonomously controlled vehicles in a manner that anticipates time and location at which vehicles within a vehicle fleet will be needed by one or more users, comprising:

a database for storing profiles of users of the system, the profiles comprising information regarding a plurality of user preferences, and user travel history;

a vehicle deployment module that retrieves from the database selected user travel history and selected user preferences and calculates as a function of the user travel history and user preferences that are retrieved, geographical locations and times of day where users that request transportation services will require the transportation services; and

a communications module, responsive to the vehicle deployment module, that causes transmission of vehicle control information to cause selected vehicles in the vehicle fleet to be pre-deployed as a function of time and location to those users requesting transportation services;

wherein the vehicle deployment module responds to a vehicle being committed to a travel request by a user of the one or more users by modifying availability information for the vehicle being committed to the travel request and by recalculating deployment locations and times for other vehicles in the vehicle fleet.

11. The computer system of claim 10 wherein the profiles further comprise group information that causes a user to be treated by the computer system as a member of one or more groups as indicated by the group information, and wherein the vehicle deployment module causes only vehicles associated with a group in which a user is a member to be deployed for the user.

12. The computer system of claim 10 wherein the vehicle deployment module responds to a vehicle completing a trip associated with a travel request by a user by modifying availability information for the vehicle being completing the travel request and by recalculating deployment locations and times for other vehicles in the vehicle fleet.

13. The computer system of claim 12 wherein the vehicle deployment module responds to a change in a travel request by a user by recalculating deployment locations and times for vehicles in the vehicle fleet.

14. The computer system of claim 10 wherein the profiles further comprise group information that causes a user of the one or more users to be treated by the computer system as a member of one or more groups as indicated by the group information,

wherein the vehicle deployment module causes only vehicles associated with a group in which a user is a member to be deployed for the user, and

wherein the vehicle deployment module responds to a vehicle being committed to a travel request by a user who is a member of a first group and a second group by

deploying a vehicle associated with the first group for the user,

modifying availability information for the vehicles associated with the first and the second groups, and

recalculating deployment locations and times for vehicles in accordance with the modified availability information.

15. A computer system for enabling deployment of autonomously controlled vehicles in a manner that anticipates time and location at which vehicles within a vehicle fleet will be needed by one or more users of the system, comprising:

a database for storing profiles of users of the system, the profiles comprising information regarding a plurality of user preferences, and user travel history, wherein each user of the system is associated with one or more user groups and wherein each vehicle in the vehicle fleet is associated with a single group of the user groups;

a vehicle deployment module that

retrieves from the database, user travel history and user preferences;

calculates, as a function of the user travel history and user preferences that are retrieved, deployment times and locations of each vehicle in the vehicle fleet in accordance with historical travel information indicated by the user travel history and existing user travel requests entered by users of the system; and

recalculates upon initiation and termination of deployment of a vehicle for a user of the system that requests a ride, subsequent deployment times locations of the vehicle and of all other vehicles in the groups with which the user of the system that requests a ride is associated; and

a communications module that causes transmission of vehicle control information to vehicles in the vehicle fleet to cause vehicles to be anticipatorily deployed in accordance with times and locations determined by the vehicle deployment module such that the deployed vehicles are deployed as a function of time and location with respect to users of the system requesting transportation services.

16. The computer system of claim 15 wherein the vehicle deployment module further calculates deployment times and locations of each vehicle in the vehicle fleet in accordance with capabilities of each vehicle.