US 2018/0322775 A1 · MOBILE DEVICE FOR AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ENHANCEMENT SYSTEM

Abstract

The present application is directed to an Autonomous Vehicle Enhancement System (AVES) and method for monitoring and managing a virtual or existing fleet of autonomous vehicles in a transportation network and dispatching the autonomous vehicles to users. The AVES includes an AVES Central Operations Center (COC) that communicates with AVES vehicle equipment installed in the autonomous vehicles and AVES applications installed on computing devices accessible by the users. The AVES improves the operating efficiency of a transportation network by monitoring the condition of autonomous vehicles, optimizing the geographical distribution of the autonomous vehicles and optimizing assignment of the autonomous vehicles to users requesting services. The AVES COC monitors and controls the autonomous vehicles via the AVES vehicle equipment. The AVES COC communicates with the users via the AVES applications to provide services to the users. The AVES vehicle equipment and the AVES applications installed on the computing devices communicate with each other to fulfill user request for services.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an Autonomous Vehicle Enhancement System (AVES) application comprising a set of computer executable instructions configured to be executed by a processor of a user mobile device to provide the user transportation network services, where the AVES application, when executed by the processor of the user mobile device, causes the user mobile device to:

prompt the user to provide a user ID;
communicate with an AVES Central Operations Center (COC) to authenticate the user ID;
receive a trip request including pickup location, pickup date/time, destination location, and any intermediate stop location(s);
send the trip request to the AVES COC;
receive a unique trip ID for the trip request and a description of an autonomous vehicle selected to fulfill the trip request;
and
transmit a signal encoded with the unique trip ID for the selected autonomous vehicle to locate, track and drive toward the user mobile device.

4 more elements

A method of providing transportation network services via an Autonomous Vehicle Enhancement System (AVES) application installed on a user mobile device, comprising the steps of:

the user mobile device rendering a graphical user interface on a display;
the user mobile device prompting the user to provide a user ID via the graphical user interface;
the user mobile device communicating with an AVES Central Operations Center (COC) to authenticate the user ID;
the user mobile device receiving a trip request via the graphical user interface including pickup location, pickup date/time, destination location, and any intermediate stop location(s);
the user mobile device sending the trip request to the AVES COC;
the user mobile device receiving a unique trip ID for the trip request and a description of an autonomous vehicle selected to fulfill the trip request;
the user mobile device providing the unique trip ID for the trip request and the description of the autonomous vehicle selected to fulfill the trip request via the graphical user interface;
and
the user mobile device transmitting a signal encoded with the unique trip ID for the selected autonomous vehicle to locate, track and drive toward the user mobile device.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Mobile device for autonomous vehicle enhancement system

Life of this patent

Mobile device for autonomous vehicle enhancement system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14