IP Library Granted Patent US 10,255,816
Granted Patent B2
US 10,255,816 · App. 15/139,612 · Granted Apr 9, 2019

Transport vehicle configuration for impaired riders

Inventor: Emily Bartel (Pittsburgh, PA)
Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
G08G1/202B60K28/06G06Q10/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,255,816
App. No.
15/139,612
Granted
Apr 9, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system can accommodate riders of a transportation arrangement service that have certain physical impairments, such as visual, hearing, or movement impairments. In certain aspects, a transportation facilitation system can create rider profiles that specify a particular impairment, and vehicle profiles indicating accommodation features. The transport facilitation system can receive a pick-up request, utilize the rider profile and vehicle profiles of vehicle proximate to a pick-up location, select a vehicle to service the pick-up request, and generate a configuration set to configure the selected vehicle to accommodate the impaired user.

Claims (28)

1. A self-driving vehicle (SDV) comprising:

a sensor system to detect a physical environment of the SDV;

a plurality of configurable components;

acceleration, braking, and steering systems;

a control system to execute an instruction set that causes the control system to:

process sensor data from the sensor system to operate the acceleration, braking, and steering systems to autonomously control the SDV along a current route through the physical environment;

receive, over one or more networks, a directive from a backend system to service a pick-up request from a requesting user, the directive comprising user profile data indicating a physical impairment of the requesting user; and

based on the user profile data indicating the physical impairment of the requesting user, execute a set of configurations to cause the SDV to aid the requesting user over a trip duration between a pick-up location and a destination, wherein executing the set of configurations includes controlling or adjusting one or more of the plurality of configurable components;

wherein the physical impairment comprises a visual impairment, and wherein the set of configurations causes the control system to (i) output audio assistance to aid the requesting user in entering and exiting the SDV, and (ii) dynamically monitor the requesting user, based on the sensor data, in order to output the audio assistance.

2. The SDV of claim 1 , wherein the set of configurations causes the control system to initiate a speech recognition control interface to enable the requesting user to control the plurality of configurable components by providing voice input to the SDV.

3. The SDV of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of configurable components comprises one or more of a seat adjustment component, an audio system, one or more windows of the SDV, a locking system, a climate control system, or a network service system.

4. The SDV of claim 1 , wherein the directive is received from a backend transport facilitation system that manages a transportation service for users throughout a given region, and wherein the set of configurations is based on a set of configuration commands received from the backend transport facilitation system to accommodate the requesting user.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a self-driving vehicle (SDV), cause the one or more processors to:

process sensor data from a sensor array of the SDV to operate acceleration, braking, and steering systems of the SDV to autonomously control the SDV along a current route through a physical environment;

receive, over one or more networks, a directive from a backend system to service a pick-up request from a requesting user, the directive comprising user profile data indicating a physical impairment of the requesting user; and

based on the user profile data indicating the physical impairment of the requesting user, execute a set of configurations to cause the SDV to aid the requesting user over a trip duration between a pick-up location and a destination, wherein executing the set of configurations includes controlling or adjusting one or more of a plurality of configurable components of the SDV;

wherein the physical impairment comprises a visual impairment, and wherein the set of configurations causes the one or more processors to (i) output audio assistance to aid the requesting user in entering and exiting the SDV, and (ii) dynamically monitor the requesting user, based on the sensor data, in order to output the audio assistance.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein the set of configurations causes the one or more processors to initiate a speech recognition control interface to enable the requesting user to control the plurality of configurable components by providing voice input to the SDV.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of configurable components comprises one or more of a seat adjustment component, an audio system, one or more windows of the SDV, a locking system, a climate control system, or a network service system.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein the directive is received from a backend transport facilitation system that manages a transportation service for users throughout a given region, and wherein the set of configurations is based on a set of configuration commands received from the backend transport facilitation system to accommodate the requesting user.

9. A computer-implemented method of facilitating transport, the method being performed by one or more processors of a control system of a self-driving vehicle (SDV) and comprising:

processing sensor data from a sensor array of the SDV to operate acceleration, braking, and steering systems of the SDV to autonomously control the SDV along a current route through a physical environment;

receiving, over one or more networks, a directive from a backend system to service a pick-up request from a requesting user, the directive comprising user profile data indicating a physical impairment of the requesting user; and

based on the user profile data indicating the physical impairment of the requesting user, executing a set of configurations to cause the SDV to aid the requesting user over a trip duration between a pick-up location and a destination, wherein executing the set of configurations includes controlling or adjusting one or more of a plurality of configurable components of the SDV;

wherein the physical impairment comprises a visual impairment, and wherein the set of configurations causes the control system to (i) output audio assistance to aid the requesting user in entering and exiting the SDV, and (ii) dynamically monitor the requesting user, based on the sensor data, in order to output the audio assistance.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the set of configurations causes the control system to initiate a speech recognition control interface to enable the requesting user to control the plurality of configurable components by providing voice input to the SDV.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of configurable components comprises one or more of a seat adjustment component, an audio system, one or more windows of the SDV, a locking system, a climate control system, or a network service system.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the directive is received from a backend transport facilitation system that manages a transportation service for users throughout a given region, and wherein the set of configurations is based on a set of configuration commands received from the backend transport facilitation system to accommodate the requesting user.

Assignments (7)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNMENT DOCUMENT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 054919 FRAME: 0026. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Mar 2, 2022
From: UATC, LLC
To: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 059692/0280 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 7, 2021
From: UATC, LLC
To: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 054919/0026 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE NATURE OF CONVEYANCE FROM CHANGE OF NAME TO ASSIGNMENT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 050353 FRAME 0884. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CORRECT CONVEYANCE SHOULD BE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Nov 27, 2019
From: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: UATC, LLC
Reel/Frame 051145/0001 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 12, 2019
From: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: UATC, LLC
Reel/Frame 050353/0884 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 2, 2016
From: APPARATE INTERNATIONAL C.V.
To: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 040543/0985 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 1, 2016
From: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: APPARATE INTERNATIONAL C.V.
Reel/Frame 040541/0940 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 19, 2016
From: BARTEL, EMILY
To: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 038644/0850 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20170316696A1 · Nov 2, 2017