Self-driving vehicle systems and methods

• US 10,255,648 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2018
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Drivent LLC
• Original Assignee: Drivent LLC
• Inventors: Wengreen, Eric John, Schwie, Wesley Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewandroski, Sara J
• Application Number:
  US15/863,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20180130161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 458 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• 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 1/12 Target-seeking control
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

Self-driving vehicles have unlimited potential to learn and predict human behavior and perform actions accordingly. Several embodiments described herein include a method of using a vehicle management system to operate a self-driving vehicle. Methods include coupling communicatively, by the vehicle management system, a remote computing device to the self-driving vehicle, and then determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system. Methods also include identifying, by the vehicle management system, a pick-up location of the user and sending, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to the pick-up location in response to determining that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system.

Claims

1. A method of using a vehicle management system to operate a self-driving vehicle, wherein the vehicle management system is configured to be communicatively coupled with a remote computing device configured to operate software adapted to enable a user to control behaviors of the self-driving vehicle, the method comprising:

coupling communicatively, by the vehicle management system, the remote computing device to the self-driving vehicle, and then determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system;

identifying, by the vehicle management system, a pick-up location of the user;

sending, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to the pick-up location in response to determining that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system;

sending, by the vehicle management system, a notification to an emergency contact in response to determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system, wherein the notification comprises at least one of a most recent drop-off location of the user and location information of the self-driving vehicle; and

receiving from the emergency contact, by the vehicle management system, at least one of a pick-up time and the pick-up location for the user in response to sending the notification.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system by sending a wireless communication to the remote computing device and then determining that the remote computing device did not respond to the wireless communication.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system by determining that a battery of the remote computing device is depleted below a predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system in response to determining that the vehicle management system has not received a first wireless communication from the remote computing device for a predetermined amount of time.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after sending the self-driving vehicle to the pick-up location, instructing, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to find a parking location in response to determining, by the vehicle management system, that communicative coupling between the vehicle management system and the remote computing device has been restored.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a second wireless communication from the vehicle management system to the remote computing device in response to determining that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system, wherein the second wireless communication is configured to elicit a reply wireless communication from the remote computing device to the vehicle management system when the remote computing device regains cellular communication abilities.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising instructing, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to find a parking location in response to receiving the reply wireless communication, wherein the parking location is located remotely relative to the pick-up location.

8. A method of using a vehicle management system to operate a self-driving vehicle, wherein the vehicle management system is configured to be communicatively coupled with a remote computing device configured to operate software adapted to enable a user to control behaviors of the self-driving vehicle, the method comprising:

coupling communicatively, by the vehicle management system, the remote computing device to the self-driving vehicle, and then determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system;

identifying, by the vehicle management system, a pick-up location of the user;

sending, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to the pick-up location in response to determining that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system;

sending, by the vehicle management system, a notification to an emergency contact in response to determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system, wherein the notification comprises at least one of a most recent drop-off location of the user and location information of the self-driving vehicle; and

sending the notification in response to determining, by the vehicle management system, that the user is not located at the pick-up location.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, by the vehicle management system, the pick-up location from the remote computing device prior to determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining, by the vehicle management system, the pick-up location by analyzing location data of the remote computing device in a period within thirty minutes of when the vehicle management system determines that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining, by the vehicle management system, a pick-up time based on the location data of the remote computing device during the period.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising analyzing location data of the remote computing device after a most recent drop-off of the user, and then sending, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to the pick-up location at a time determined, by the vehicle management system, based on analyzing the location data.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising analyzing, by the vehicle management system, a schedule of the user to estimate at least one of the pick-up location and a pick-up time.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining that the user is not located at the pick-up location, and instructing, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to move to a predetermined parking location that is located remotely relative to the pick-up location and a most-recent drop-off location.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving, by the vehicle management system, from the remote computing device the predetermined parking location prior to determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined parking location is a residence of the user.

17. A method of using a vehicle management system to operate a self-driving vehicle, wherein the vehicle management system is configured to be communicatively coupled with a remote computing device configured to operate software adapted to enable a user to control behaviors of the self-driving vehicle, the method comprising:

coupling communicatively, by the vehicle management system, the remote computing device to the self-driving vehicle, and then determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system;

identifying, by the vehicle management system, a pick-up location of the user;

sending, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to the pick-up location in response to determining that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system;

after sending the self-driving vehicle to the pick-up location, determining that the user is not located at the pick-up location, and instructing, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to move away from the pick-up location and to return to the pick-up location after a first period of time;

determining that the user is not located at the pick-up location after the first period of time, and instructing, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to move away from the pick-up location and to return to the pick-up location after a second period of time; and

determining that the user is not located at the pick-up location after the second period of time, and instructing, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to move away from the pick-up location and to return to the pick-up location after a third period of time, wherein the third period is greater than the second period, and the second period is greater than the first period.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system by sending a wireless communication to the remote computing device and then determining that the remote computing device did not respond to the wireless communication.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system in response to determining that the vehicle management system has not received a first wireless communication from the remote computing device for a predetermined amount of time.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system by determining that a battery of the remote computing device is depleted below a predetermined threshold.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising sending a second wireless communication from the vehicle management system to the remote computing device in response to determining that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system, wherein the second wireless communication is configured to elicit a reply wireless communication from the remote computing device to the vehicle management system when the remote computing device regains cellular communication abilities.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising instructing, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to find a parking location in response to receiving the reply wireless communication, wherein the parking location is located remotely relative to the pick-up location.

23. A method of using a vehicle management system to operate a self-driving vehicle, wherein the vehicle management system is configured to be communicatively coupled with a remote computing device configured to operate software adapted to enable a user to control behaviors of the self-driving vehicle, the method comprising:

coupling communicatively, by the vehicle management system, the remote computing device to the self-driving vehicle, and then determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system;

identifying, by the vehicle management system, a pick-up location of the user;

sending, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to the pick-up location in response to determining that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system; and

sending, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to the pick-up location at a time determined, by the vehicle management system, based on analyzing past amounts of time from past drop-offs to past pick-ups.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising receiving, by the vehicle management system, the pick-up location from the remote computing device prior to determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising determining, by the vehicle management system, the pick-up location by analyzing location data of the remote computing device in a period within thirty minutes of when the vehicle management system determines that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising analyzing location data of the remote computing device after a most recent drop-off of the user, and then sending, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to the pick-up location at a time determined, by the vehicle management system, based on analyzing the location data.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising analyzing, by the vehicle management system, a schedule of the user to estimate at least one of the pick-up location and a pick-up time.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising determining that the user is not located at the pick-up location, and instructing, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to move to a predetermined parking location that is located remotely relative to the pick-up location and a most-recent drop-off location.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising receiving, by the vehicle management system, from the remote computing device the predetermined parking location prior to determining, by the vehicle management system, that the remote computing device is no longer communicatively coupled to the vehicle management system.

30. The method of claim 23, further comprising sending, by the vehicle management system, the self-driving vehicle to the pick-up location at the time determined, by the vehicle management system, based on analyzing the past amounts of time from past drop-offs to past pick-ups at past drop-off locations within fifty yards of a most recent drop-off location.