# US 2021/0241188 A1 · Vehicle ride sharing system and method using smart modules

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- Number: US 2021/0241188 A1
- Document ID: US20210241188A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/240,018
- Filed: 2021-04-26
- Published: 2021-08-05
- Earliest claimed: 2016-08-03
- Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
- Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
- Inventors: Pietro Buttolo; Stuart C. Salter; James Stewart Rankin, II; James J. Surman; Annette Lynn Huebner; Jeffrey A. Wallace; Cornel Lewis Gardner
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210241188A1

## CPC

- B60W 60/00253: {Taxi operations}
- G06Q 10/02: Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
- G01C 21/3438: {Rendezvous; Ride sharing}
- G06Q 10/0283: {for travel seating}
- G06Q 10/0631: Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
- G06Q 10/109: Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
- B60W 2554/4029: Pedestrians
- B60W 2554/80: Spatial relation or speed relative to objects
- B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
- 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
- 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)

## Abstract

A vehicle sharing system includes a vehicle having interior transceiver modules associated with different passenger seating areas and a vehicle computing system (VCS) including a processor and a memory in communication with the modules and programmed to detect occupancy status of each seating area based on signals from the modules and to communicate the occupancy statuses to a remote server to facilitate scheduling of ride-sharing passengers for a specified seating area of the vehicle. The reserved seating location may be used to align the seating location/door with a passenger during pick-up, adjust vehicle accessory settings associated with the reserved seating location, and activate a visual indicator to direct the passenger to the assigned/reserved seating location.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computing system comprising:
one or more processors; and
a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to:
receive a transport reservation request;
receive, from a vehicle, first data indicative of occupant location within the vehicle, the first data based on signals received from a mobile device of a first passenger inside the vehicle;
match a next passenger to the vehicle;
based on a position of the first passenger within the vehicle, transmit second data indicative of a pick-up location such that an open seat within the vehicle is adjacent to the next passenger at the pick-up location.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The computing system of claim 1, wherein the first data is based on BLUETOOTH® signals.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The computing system of claim 1, wherein the first data is based on accelerometer data.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The computing system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises an autonomous vehicle (AV).

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The computing system of claim 4, wherein the second data is configured to cause the computing system of the AV to autonomously operate control mechanisms of the AV in order to position the vehicle adjacent to the next passenger at the pick-up location.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The computing system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is further configured to:
transmit seat location data to a mobile device of the next passenger, the seat location data causing the mobile device of the next passenger to present a seat location within the vehicle.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The computing system of claim 1, wherein the instructions to match the next passenger to the vehicle includes instructions to match the next passenger to the vehicle based on user preferences of the next passenger.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The computing system of claim 1, wherein the instructions to match the next passenger to the vehicle includes instruction to match the next passenger to the vehicle based on a seat of the vehicle being available.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The computing system of claim 1, wherein the second data includes route information that is configured to be presented by a device within the vehicle.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The computing system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is further configured to:
cause transmission of a notification to the mobile device of the next passenger prior to pick-up.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The computing system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is further configured to:
determine movement of passenger within the vehicle.

### Claim 12

A vehicle carpooling system, comprising:
at least one processor and a memory in communication with one or more of the at least one, the processor configured to:
determine an occupancy status of a vehicle, wherein the occupancy status includes a first seat occupied by a first passenger in the vehicle;
sending occupancy status data to facilitate scheduling of a next passenger for the vehicle;
receive an indication of a ride match of a second passenger to a second seat in the vehicle;
receive location data indicating a pick-up location for the second passenger;
position the vehicle to align a door of the vehicle associated with the second seat with the position of the second passenger at the pick-up location.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The vehicle carpool system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to cause display of route information associated with the pick-up location data.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The vehicle carpool system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to determine movement of the first passenger within the vehicle.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The vehicle carpool system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to receive signals indicative of position from the first passenger within the vehicle.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The vehicle carpool system of claim 15, wherein position data is based on at least one of BLUETOOTH® signals or accelerometer data.

### Claim 17 (depends on 12)

The vehicle carpool system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to cause seat assignment data to be transmitted to a mobile device of the second passenger.

### Claim 18 (depends on 12)

The vehicle carpool system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to cause an indication of a seat assignment to be presented.

### Claim 19 (depends on 12)

The vehicle carpool system of claim 12, wherein the pick-up location data includes route information that is configured to be presented within the vehicle.

### Claim 20 (depends on 12)

The vehicle carpool system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:
cause transmission of a message to a mobile device of the next passenger prior to pick up.