Methods and systems for providing alerts to a driver of a vehicle via condition detection and wireless communications

• US 10,089,871 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2017
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Lopez-Hinojosa, Brennan T., Lopez, Kermit D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Hoi
• Application Number:
  US15/688,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20170358207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 340905, 340449, 340457, 340576, 340667, 34053913, 340 561, 340 81, 340438, 348148, 701 48, 701 49, 701 45
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 9/00 Reinforcements or ply arrangement of pneumatic tyres inserts having reinforcing means B60C5/08; bead structure, e.g. turnup or overlap construction, B60C15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09623 Systems involving the acquisition of information from passive traffic signs by means mounted on the vehicle G08G1/0967 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A monitoring system can determine that a vehicle is not being operated by a driver. Based on the vehicle not being operated, the monitoring system can analyze data from one or more sensors of the vehicle to monitor a passenger compartment of the vehicle. Based on the data from the one or more sensors, the monitoring system can detect an anomaly within the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Based, at least in part, on detecting the anomaly, the monitoring system can transmit a signal corresponding to an alert to a computing device of the driver, the alert indicating the anomaly.

Claims

1. A monitoring system comprising:

one or more sensors;

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to;

determine that a vehicle is not being operated by a driver;

based on the vehicle not being operated, analyze data from the one or more sensors to monitor a passenger compartment of the vehicle;

based on the data from the one or more sensors, detect an anomaly within the passenger compartment of the vehicle;

based, at least in part, on detecting the anomaly, transmit a signal corresponding to an alert to a computing device of the driver, the alert indicating the anomaly;

record, in the memory, alert data indicative of a number of times the driver is alerted; and

periodically transmit the alert data to a central repository.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions cause the monitoring system to transmit the signal to the computing device of the driver over one or more wireless networks.

3. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a camera, and wherein the executed instructions cause the monitoring system to detect the anomaly by analyzing the data from the camera.

4. The monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the executed instructions cause the monitoring system to analyze the data from the camera by determining that the data do not conform to an expected pattern corresponding to the passenger compartment.

5. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions cause the monitoring system to determine that the vehicle is not being operated by a driver by determining that each door of the vehicle is closed and locked.

6. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise an audio sensor, and wherein the executed instructions cause the monitoring system to detect the anomaly by analyzing audio data from the audio sensor.

7. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the anomaly corresponds to a person, other than the driver, remaining in the passenger compartment.

8. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a temperature sensor, and wherein the executed instructions cause the monitoring system to further transmit the signal to a computing device of the driver based on a temperature within the passenger compartment increasing above a threshold temperature.

9. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the alert comprises at least one of an audible alert from one or more speakers of the computing device or a text message alert displayed on the computing device.

10. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a smartphone or a tablet computer.

11. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the executed instructions cause the monitoring system to determine that the vehicle is not being operated based on a key being removed from an ignition of the vehicle.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

determine that a vehicle is not being operated by a driver;

based on the vehicle not being operated, analyze data from one or more sensors of the vehicle to monitor a passenger compartment of the vehicle;

based on the data from the one or more sensors, detect an anomaly within the passenger compartment of the vehicle;

based, at least in part, on detecting the anomaly, transmit a signal corresponding to an alert to a computing device of the driver, the alert indicating the anomaly;

record, in memory, alert data indicative of a number of times the driver is alerted; and

periodically transmit the alert data to a central repository.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the executed instructions cause the one or more processors to transmit the signal to the computing device of the driver over one or more wireless networks.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a camera, and wherein the executed instructions cause the one or more processors to detect the anomaly by analyzing the data from the camera.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the executed instructions cause the one or more processors to analyze the data from the camera by determining that the data do not conform to an expected pattern corresponding to the passenger compartment.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the executed instructions cause the one or more processors to determine that the vehicle is not being operated by a driver by determining that each door of the vehicle is closed and locked.

17. A computer-implemented method of anomaly detection, the method being performed by one or more processors and comprising:

determining that a vehicle is not being operated by a driver;

based on the vehicle not being operated, analyzing data from one or more sensors of the vehicle to monitor a passenger compartment of the vehicle;

based on the data from the one or more sensors, detecting an anomaly within the passenger compartment of the vehicle;

based, at least in part, on detecting the anomaly, transmitting a signal corresponding to an alert to a computing device of the driver, the alert indicating the anomaly;

recording, in the memory, alert data indicative of a number of times the driver is alerted; and

periodically transmitting the alert data to a central repository.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors transmit the signal to the computing device of the driver over one or more wireless networks.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a camera, and wherein the one or more processors detect the anomaly by analyzing the data from the camera.