Dynamic customization of an autonomous vehicle experience

• US 10,627,249 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2017
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lau, Erie Lai Har, Dowlatkhah, Sangar
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Application Number:
  US15/829,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20190170528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• 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: 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: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Dynamic customization of an autonomous vehicle experience is presented herein. A dynamic recommendation engine can comprise a subscriber interface component, a data component, and a configuration component. The subscriber interface component can receive, from a subscriber of an autonomous vehicle service, a request specifying a route of transport by an autonomous vehicle; and based on the request, the data component can obtain, via a network slice comprising a virtual network function of the autonomous vehicle service, profile information for the subscriber and route information for the route. Further, the configuration component can determine, via the network slice based on the profile information and the route information, configuration data for the autonomous vehicle, and send, via the network slice, the configuration data directed to the autonomous vehicle to facilitate the transport by the autonomous vehicle.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

in response to receiving, from a subscriber of an autonomous vehicle service, a request specifying a route of transport by an autonomous vehicle, obtaining, via a network slice comprising a virtual network function of the autonomous vehicle service, profile information for the subscriber and route information for the route, wherein the profile information represents a selection of an interior configuration of the autonomous vehicle with respect to at least an entertainment configuration of the interior; and

in response to determining, via the network slice based on the profile information and the route information, configuration data for the autonomous vehicle, sending, via the network slice, the configuration data directed to the autonomous vehicle to facilitate the transport by the autonomous vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the selection is a first selection, and wherein the profile information represents a second selection of a type of the autonomous vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the selection is a first selection, and wherein the profile information represents a second selection of a class of the autonomous vehicle service.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the profile information represents the selection of the interior configuration of the autonomous vehicle with respect to at least one of a temperature of the interior or a seating configuration of the interior.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the route comprises a first route, and wherein the profile information represents a preference of the subscriber corresponding to a second route.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the subscriber is a first occupant, wherein the autonomous vehicle is a first vehicle, and wherein the operations further comprise:

deriving the profile information based on occupant information representing a preference of a second occupant of a second vehicle associated with the route.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the route information comprises traffic information for the route.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the configuration data specifies a configuration for at least one of a temperature of the interior of the autonomous vehicle, a seating configuration of the interior, a multimedia configuration of the interior, or a direction of the autonomous vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual network function corresponds to a group of software network functions of respective vehicle services comprising the autonomous vehicle service.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the network slice is a first network slice, wherein the virtual network function is a first virtual network function of the group of software network functions, wherein the autonomous vehicle service is a first service of the respective vehicle services, and wherein the first network slice corresponds to first control and user planes that are distinct from second control and user planes corresponding to a second network slice that is associated with a second virtual network function of the group of software network functions that is associated with a second service of the respective vehicle services.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the receiving the request, instantiating the network slice in the memory to provision the autonomous vehicle service.

12. A method, comprising:

in response to receiving a request associated with a subscriber identity of an autonomous vehicle service, instantiating, by a system comprising a processor, a network slice of the autonomous vehicle service as a virtual network function to facilitate a transport, via an autonomous vehicle, of a subscriber identified by the subscriber identity according to a route that has been specified by the request; and

in response to obtaining, by the system using the network slice, a profile of the subscriber identity and route information of the route,

determining, based on the profile and the route information using the network slice, configuration data, and

sending, using the network slice, the configuration data directed to the autonomous vehicle to facilitate the transport of the subscriber, wherein the obtaining the profile of the subscriber identity comprises obtaining information presenting at least an entertainment configuration for an interior of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the autonomous vehicle service is a first service, wherein the network slice is a first network slice, wherein the virtual network function is a first virtual network function, and wherein the instantiating comprises:

instantiating the first network slice using a first control plane, wherein a second network slice has been instantiated as a second virtual network function using a second control plane that is different from the first control plane.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the obtaining the profile of the subscriber identity comprises obtaining information presenting at least one of an environmental preference for the interior of the vehicle or a seating configuration for the interior.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the subscriber is a first occupant, wherein the autonomous vehicle is a first vehicle, and wherein the obtaining the profile of the first occupant comprises determining a preference of a second occupant of a second vehicle corresponding to the route.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining the route information comprises:

determining a traffic condition of the route.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining the configuration data comprises:

determining a detour for the route.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving, from a subscriber of a vehicle service, a request for transportation, via an autonomous vehicle, to a destination;

based on the request, obtaining, via a network slice comprising a virtual network function, a subscriber profile of the subscriber and route information of a route corresponding to the destination, wherein the subscriber profile represents a selection of an interior configuration of the autonomous vehicle with respect to an entertainment configuration of the interior; and

based on the subscriber profile and the route information,

generating, via the network slice, configuration data for the autonomous vehicle, and

sending, via the network slice, the configuration data directed to the autonomous vehicle to facilitate the transportation to the destination.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the virtual network function is a first virtual function, and wherein the first virtual function corresponds to a first control plane that is different than a second control plane corresponding to a second virtual function.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the generating the configuration data comprises generating detour information to facilitate the transportation to the destination via a detour.