Detecting objects within a vehicle in connection with a service

• US 10,662,696 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2019
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uatc, LLC (Uber Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bradley, David McAllister, Valois, Jean-Sebastien
• Primary Examiner(s): Antonucci, Anne Marie
• Application Number:
  US16/414,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20190271184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 375 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/70 with automatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/44 Sensors therefore E05Y2400/322, E05Y2400/33, E05Y2400/55, E05Y2400/56, E05Y2400/852 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/45 Control modes
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/548 Trunk lids
• 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 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• 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: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

A system for monitoring a vehicle used in providing a service is disclosed. The system detects when the service is complete, and upon detecting that the service is complete, the system determines, from one or more sensors of the vehicle, that an object which should have been removed from the vehicle after completion of the transport service, remains in the vehicle. The system then automatically initiates performance of a remedial action.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for monitoring a vehicle that is operating to provide transportation services, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computing system comprising one or more computing devices, data that describes a first transportation service to be provided by the vehicle for a user;

receiving, by the computing system, sensor data collected by one or more sensors physically located on or within the vehicle;

detecting, by the computing system and based at least in part on the sensor data, that an object has been placed in or removed from the vehicle; and

in response to detecting that the object has been placed in or removed from the vehicle;

determining, by the computing system, that the first transportation service has started or ended; and

providing, by the computing system, data to the user indicating that the first transportation service has started or ended.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising performing an image recognition process on the sensor data to recognize the object based on visual characteristics.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

detecting, by the computing system and based at least in part on the sensor data, that the object has been placed in or removed from the vehicle comprises detecting, by the computing system and based at least in part on the sensor data, that the object has been placed in the vehicle; and

determining, by the computing system, that the first transportation service has started or ended comprises, in response to detecting that the object has been placed in the vehicle, determining, by the computing system, that the first transportation service has started.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

detecting, by the computing system and based at least in part on the sensor data, that the object has been placed in or removed from the vehicle comprises detecting, by the computing system and based at least in part on the sensor data, that the object has been removed from the vehicle; and

determining, by the computing system, that the first transportation service has started or ended comprises, in response to detecting that the object has been removed from the vehicle, determining, by the computing system, that the first transportation service has ended.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first transportation service is a delivery service and the object is an item to be delivered.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first transportation service is a passenger transportation service for a human passenger and the object is associated with the human passenger.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises an autonomous vehicle.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more cameras.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more weighing devices.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more antennas of the vehicle that use wireless protocols.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the transportation service comprises a food delivery service.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein detecting, by the computing system and based at least in part on the sensor data, that an object has been placed in or removed from the vehicle further comprises detecting that a food product has been placed in or removed from the vehicle.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a food product.

14. A vehicle comprising:

one or more sensors that generate sensor data; and

a control system to execute instructions that cause the vehicle to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a remote system, instructions for the vehicle to provide a first transportation service for a user;

obtaining the sensor data generated by the one or more sensors;

detecting, based at least in part on the sensor data, that an object has been placed in or removed from the vehicle; and

in response to detecting that the object has been placed in or removed from the vehicle;

determining that the first transportation service has started or ended; and

providing data to the user indicating that the first transportation service has started or ended.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise performing an image recognition process on the sensor data recognize the object based on visual characteristics.

16. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein:

detecting, based at least in part on the sensor data, that the object has been placed in or removed from the vehicle comprises detecting, based at least in part on the sensor data, that the object has been placed in the vehicle; and

determining that the first transportation service has started or ended comprises, in response to detecting that the object has been placed in the vehicle, determining that the first transportation service has started.

17. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein:

detecting, based at least in part on the sensor data, that the object has been placed in or removed from the vehicle comprises detecting, based at least in part on the sensor data, that the object has been removed from the vehicle; and

determining that the first transportation service has started or ended comprises, in response to detecting that the object has been removed from the vehicle, determining that the first transportation service has ended.

18. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the first transportation service is a delivery service and the object is an item to be delivered.

19. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the first transportation service is a passenger transportation service for a human passenger and the object is associated with the human passenger.

20. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the vehicle comprises an autonomous vehicle.

21. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more cameras.

22. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the one or more sensors comprise one or more weighing devices.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an on-board computing system of a vehicle, cause the on-board computing system to perform operations including:

receiving, by the on-board computing system, data that describes a first transportation service to be provided by the vehicle for a user;

receiving, by the on-board computing system, sensor data collected by one or more sensors physically located on or within the vehicle;

detecting, by the on-board computing system and based at least in part on the sensor data, that an object has been placed in or removed from the vehicle; and

in response to detecting that the object has been placed in or removed from the vehicle;

determining, by the on-board computing system, that the first transportation service has started or ended; and

providing, by the on-board computing system, data to the user indicating that the first transportation service has started or ended.