Various interior and exterior features for autonomous vehicles

• US 10,665,140 B1
• Filed: 06/21/2017
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ahn, YooJung, Gross, Jared S., Chen, Xintao
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunlap, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US15/628,789
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/40 Adaptation of control equipment on vehicle for remote actuation from a stationary place devices along the route for controlling devices on rail vehicles B61L3/00; central rail-traffic control systems B61L27/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/005 Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles , e.g. dismountable auxiliary seatsB60N2/02 takes precedence ; for railway vehicles B61D1/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/04 the devices being headlights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/06 adjustable, e.g. remotely-controlled from inside vehicle B60Q1/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/085 due to special conditions, e.g. adverse weather, type of road, badly illuminated road signs or potential dangers B60Q1/10, B60Q1/12, B60Q1/1423 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/507 specific to autonomous vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/543 for indicating other states or conditions of the vehicle indicating taxis' state of hire or fare G07B13/045
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 63/025 Modular vehicles superstructures for busses having modular sections B62D31/025
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/371 with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2027/001 Comprising a presence or proximity detector
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/04 by land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/048 : Advertisement panels on sides, front or back of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/0485 : Advertising means on windshields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 : using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 : specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 : with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

Because of the nature of autonomous vehicles, and in particular that they do not require manual inputs from a driver or passenger to control braking and steering, autonomous vehicle can include features that may not necessarily be useful or practical in a typical non-autonomous (or semi-autonomous vehicle) that would require such manual input.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a first display arranged at a first door of a vehicle, the first display being configured to provide information to a person in an external environment of the vehicle;

a second display that is arranged on the vehicle but that is not arranged at the first door of the vehicle, the second display being configured to provide information to the person in the external environment; and

one or more processors configured to;

identify a potential passenger in the environment of the vehicle from sensor information captured in the external environment; and

use both the first display and the second display to display an animation to the potential passenger in order to guide the potential passenger towards the first door so that the potential passenger is able to locate the first door and gain entry to the vehicle, wherein the animation is displayed first on one of the first display and the second display and subsequently on the other one of the first display and the second display.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein at least the first display or the second display includes a touch sensitive input and the first door does not include a door handle, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

receive, from the touch sensitive input, information indicating that an area of at least the first display or the second display has been contacted; and

in response to the received information, unlocking the first door.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the animation is displayed first on the second display and subsequently on the first display.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first display is adjacent to the second display.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine a number of seats within the vehicle;

determine a number of occupied seats within the vehicle; and

display, on one or both of the first display and the second display, information identifying a number of available seats within the vehicle based on the number of seats and the number of occupied seats.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine an updated number of occupied seats within the vehicle based on a change in a number of passengers within the vehicle; and

display, on one or both of the first display and the second display, updated information identifying an updated number of available seats within the vehicle based on the number of seats and the updated number of occupied seats.

7. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to display the information identifying the number of available seats as the vehicle approaches a pickup or drop off location for one or more passengers.

8. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein displaying the information identifying the number of available seats includes displaying a representative object for each seat of the number of seats and highlighting one or more of the representative objects according to the number of occupied seats.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to display the information identifying the number of occupied seats.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to display, on one or both of the first display and the second display, instructions for opening the first door.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the second display is arranged at a second door of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the second door of the vehicle is adjacent to the first door.

13. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a pop up sensor box configured to extend above and retract into a roof panel of the vehicle, the pop up sensor box housing one or more sensors configured to provide the sensor information.

14. A method of operating a vehicle, comprising:

identifying, by one or more processors, a person in an external environment of the vehicle from sensor information captured in the external environment;

identifying, by the one or more processors, the person as a potential passenger of the vehicle;

determining, by the one or more processors, a first door of the vehicle through which the potential passenger will be permitted to enter the vehicle;

guiding the potential passenger around the vehicle to the first door using an animation, wherein the animation is displayed using both a first display arranged at the first door of the vehicle, and a second display that is arranged on the vehicle but that is not arranged at the first door of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the animation is displayed first on the second display and subsequently on the first display.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the animation involves moving an image from the second display to the first display.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, information indicating that an area of at least the first display or the second display has been contacted; and

in response to the received information, unlocking the first door.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, a number of seats within the vehicle;

determining, by the one or more processors, a number of occupied seats within the vehicle; and

displaying, on one or both of the first display and the second display, information identifying a number of available seats within the vehicle based on the number of seats and the number of occupied seats.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, an updated number of occupied seats within the vehicle based on a change in a number of passengers within the vehicle; and

displaying, on one or both of the first display and the second display, updated information identifying an updated number of available seats within the vehicle based on the number of seats and the updated number of occupied seats.