IP Library Granted Patent US 10,665,140
Granted Patent B1
US 10,665,140 · App. 15/628,789 · Granted May 26, 2020

Various interior and exterior features for autonomous vehicles

Inventors: YooJung Ahn (Mountain View, CA); Jared S. Gross (Belmont, CA); Xintao Chen (Shanghai, CN)
Assignee: Waymo LLC
G09F21/04B60K35/00B60L15/40B60L58/12B60L2250/16B60Q1/50G01R31/371G08G1/202H02J7/0047
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,665,140
App. No.
15/628,789
Granted
May 26, 2020
Kind
B1
Abstract

Because of the nature of autonomous vehicles, and in particular that they do not require manual inputs from a driver or passenger to control braking and steering, autonomous vehicle can include features that may not necessarily be useful or practical in a typical non-autonomous (or semi-autonomous vehicle) that would require such manual input.

Claims (42)

1. A vehicle comprising:

a first display arranged at a first door of a vehicle, the first display being configured to provide information to a person in an external environment of the vehicle;

a second display that is arranged on the vehicle but that is not arranged at the first door of the vehicle, the second display being configured to provide information to the person in the external environment; and

one or more processors configured to:

identify a potential passenger in the environment of the vehicle from sensor information captured in the external environment; and

use both the first display and the second display to display an animation to the potential passenger in order to guide the potential passenger towards the first door so that the potential passenger is able to locate the first door and gain entry to the vehicle, wherein the animation is displayed first on one of the first display and the second display and subsequently on the other one of the first display and the second display.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein at least the first display or the second display includes a touch sensitive input and the first door does not include a door handle, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

receive, from the touch sensitive input, information indicating that an area of at least the first display or the second display has been contacted; and

in response to the received information, unlocking the first door.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the animation is displayed first on the second display and subsequently on the first display.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the first display is adjacent to the second display.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine a number of seats within the vehicle;

determine a number of occupied seats within the vehicle; and

display, on one or both of the first display and the second display, information identifying a number of available seats within the vehicle based on the number of seats and the number of occupied seats.

6. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine an updated number of occupied seats within the vehicle based on a change in a number of passengers within the vehicle; and

display, on one or both of the first display and the second display, updated information identifying an updated number of available seats within the vehicle based on the number of seats and the updated number of occupied seats.

7. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to display the information identifying the number of available seats as the vehicle approaches a pickup or drop off location for one or more passengers.

8. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein displaying the information identifying the number of available seats includes displaying a representative object for each seat of the number of seats and highlighting one or more of the representative objects according to the number of occupied seats.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to display the information identifying the number of occupied seats.

10. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to display, on one or both of the first display and the second display, instructions for opening the first door.

11. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the second display is arranged at a second door of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the second door of the vehicle is adjacent to the first door.

13. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a pop up sensor box configured to extend above and retract into a roof panel of the vehicle, the pop up sensor box housing one or more sensors configured to provide the sensor information.

14. A method of operating a vehicle, comprising:

identifying, by one or more processors, a person in an external environment of the vehicle from sensor information captured in the external environment;

identifying, by the one or more processors, the person as a potential passenger of the vehicle;

determining, by the one or more processors, a first door of the vehicle through which the potential passenger will be permitted to enter the vehicle;

guiding the potential passenger around the vehicle to the first door using an animation, wherein the animation is displayed using both a first display arranged at the first door of the vehicle, and a second display that is arranged on the vehicle but that is not arranged at the first door of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the animation is displayed first on the second display and subsequently on the first display.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the animation involves moving an image from the second display to the first display.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, information indicating that an area of at least the first display or the second display has been contacted; and

in response to the received information, unlocking the first door.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, a number of seats within the vehicle;

determining, by the one or more processors, a number of occupied seats within the vehicle; and

displaying, on one or both of the first display and the second display, information identifying a number of available seats within the vehicle based on the number of seats and the number of occupied seats.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, an updated number of occupied seats within the vehicle based on a change in a number of passengers within the vehicle; and

displaying, on one or both of the first display and the second display, updated information identifying an updated number of available seats within the vehicle based on the number of seats and the updated number of occupied seats.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 28, 2017
From: AHN, YOOJUNG; GROSS, JARED S.; CHEN, XINTAO
To: WAYMO LLC
Reel/Frame 042851/0986 →
Continuity (1)
Provisional Application 62353329 · Jun 22, 2016
Cited By (6)
US 1,094,190 US 1,111,920 US 1,111,921 US 1,111,930 US 12,202,343 US 12,312,028