Autonomous vehicle signaling of third-party detection

A computer-implemented method of signaling, to a third-party external to a vehicle, that the third-party has been detected by the vehicle, comprising:

• monitoring, using one or more sensors associated with the vehicle, an environment in which the vehicle is located, the environment in which the vehicle is located being a vehicle environment;
• detecting, based upon sensor data obtained from the one or more sensors while monitoring the vehicle environment and by using one or more processors associated with the vehicle and communicatively connected to the one or more sensors, that a third-party is located within the vehicle environment, the third-party being a person;
• and
• engaging in a dialogue with the third-party, including:
• generating, by one or more processors, a notification indicating that a presence of the third-party has been detected by the vehicle, the notification being a third-party detection notification;
• transmitting, into the vehicle environment via one or more signaling devices associated with the vehicle, one or more indications of the third-party detection notification, thereby alerting the third-party that the presence of the third-party has been detected by the vehicle;
• detecting, via the one or more sensors associated with the vehicle, a bodily signal made by the third-party in response to the third-party detection notification;
• and
• based upon the detected bodily signal of the third-party, at least one of:
• communicating an acknowledgment to the third-party, communicating a response to the third-party, or modifying an operation of the vehicle.

A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for acknowledging third-party detection that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer system, cause the computer system to:

• monitor, via one or more sensors associated with the vehicle, an environment in which the vehicle is located, the environment in which the vehicle is located being a vehicle environment;
• detect that a third-party is located within the vehicle environment based upon sensor data obtained from the one or more sensors while monitoring the vehicle environment in which the vehicle is located, the third-party being a person;
• and
• engage in a dialogue with the third-party including executing at least a portion of the stored instructions to cause the computer system to:
• generate a notification indicating that a presence of the third-party has been detected by the vehicle, the notification being a third-party detection notification;
• transmit, into the vehicle environment via one or more signaling devices associated with the vehicle, one or more indications of the third-party detection notification, thereby alerting the third-party that the presence of the third-party has been detected by the vehicle;
• detect, via the one or more sensors associated with the vehicle, a bodily signal made by the third-party in response to the third-party detection notification;
• and
• based upon the detected bodily signal of the third-party, at least one of:
• communicate an acknowledgment to the third-party, communicate a response to the third-party, or modify an operation of the vehicle.