# US 12,000,708 B2 · Method, computer program. device, vehicle, and network component for estimating a departure time for a user using a vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,000,708 B2 - Document ID: US12000708B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/431,114 - Filed: 2019-12-11 - Published: 2022-05-12 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2018-12-13 - Assignees: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft - Applicants: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft - Inventors: Kord Lühr; Johannes Keller; Stefan Brosig; Stephan Menzel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12000708B2 ## CPC - G01C 21/3484: {Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles} - G06Q 10/00: Administration; Management - G01C 21/343: {Calculating itineraries (travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047)} - 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)} - G07C 5/008: {communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C)} - G07C 5/0841: {Registering performance data (recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B)} - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE ## Abstract Technologies and techniques for estimating a departure time for a user of a vehicle. A departure time may be estimated for a user using a vehicle by obtaining vehicle-related data on the vehicle and obtaining personal data on the user. The departure time may be estimated on the basis of the vehicle-related data and the personal data. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for estimating a departure time of a vehicle in a control module, comprising receiving, in the control module, vehicle-related data regarding the vehicle; receiving, in the control module, personal data regarding a user of the vehicle; estimating, in the control module, the departure time, based on the vehicle-related data and personal data, using a neural network; estimating, in the control module, a vacated parking space time of the vehicle based on the estimated departure time; and providing, in the control module, a parking spot for parking the vehicle before the parking spot becomes available based on the vacated parking space time. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the personal data comprises receiving the personal data from a mobile device of the user, and wherein receiving the vehicle-related data comprises receiving vehicle-related data from the vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein estimating the departure time comprises determining a time at which the user arrives at the vehicle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising determining a location of the vehicle on the basis of the vehicle-related data, and wherein determining the time at which the user arrives at the vehicle comprises determining the time based on the personal data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a user's behavior routine on the basis of the personal data, and determining a vehicle routine on the basis of the vehicle-related data, and estimating the departure time on the basis of a comparison of the user's behavior routine and the vehicle routine. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the determination of the vehicle routine comprises evaluating vehicle starting points and destinations over a time period on the basis of the vehicle-related data, and wherein the determination of the user's behavior routine comprises an evaluation of the personal data regarding a mobility of the user. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the personal data comprises one or more of: a mobility status of the user, a user's location, a user's movement, a user's data connection, a temporal course of the user's mobility status, a temporal course of the user's location, a temporal course of the user's movement, and a temporal course of the user's data connection. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising determining real-time events on the basis of the personal data and estimating the departure time on the basis of the real-time events. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising determining reliability information for the estimation of the departure time. ### Claim 10 A network device for estimating a departure time of a vehicle, comprising communications for receiving vehicle-related data regarding the vehicle, and for receiving personal data regarding a user of the vehicle; and a processing apparatus, operatively coupled to the communications, the processing apparatus being configured to estimate a departure time, based on the vehicle-related data and personal data, using a neural network; estimate a vacated parking space time of the vehicle based on the estimated departure time, and providing a parking spot for parking the vehicle before the parking spot becomes available based on the vacated parking space time, wherein the communications is configured to communicate the parking spot of the vehicle to a network for use in one or more other vehicles to alter operation of the one or more vehicles, based on the estimated departure time. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The network device of claim 10, wherein the personal data is received from a mobile device of the user, and wherein receiving the vehicle-related data comprises receiving vehicle-related data from the vehicle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The network device of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to estimate the departure time by determining a time at which the user arrives at the vehicle. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The network device of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to determine a location of the vehicle on the basis of the vehicle-related data, and determine the time at which the user arrives at the vehicle by determining the time based on the personal data. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The network device of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to determine a user's behavior routine on the basis of the personal data, and determine a vehicle routine on the basis of the vehicle-related data, and estimate the departure time on the basis of a comparison of the user's behavior routine and the vehicle routine. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The network device of claim 14, wherein the determination of the vehicle routine comprises evaluating vehicle starting points and destinations over a time period on the basis of the vehicle-related data, and wherein the determination of the user's behavior routine comprises an evaluation of the personal data regarding a mobility of the user. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The network device of claim 10, wherein the personal data comprises one or more of: a mobility status of the user, a user's location, a user's movement, a user's data connection, a temporal course of the user's mobility status, a temporal course of the user's location, a temporal course of the user's movement, and a temporal course of the user's data connection. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The network device of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to determine real-time events on the basis of the personal data and estimating the departure time on the basis of the real-time events. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The network device of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to determine reliability information for the estimation of the departure time.