IP Library Granted Patent US 11,507,111
Granted Patent B2
US 11,507,111 · App. 16/446,021 · Granted Nov 22, 2022

Autonomous vehicle fleet management for improved computational resource usage

Inventors: Valerie Nina Chadha (San Francisco, CA); Ye Yuan (Belmont, CA); Neil Stegall (Pittsburgh, PA); Brent Justin Goldman (San Francisco, CA); Kane Sweeney (Oakland, CA); Rei Chiang (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
G05D1/0291G05D1/0088G05D1/0276G05D2201/0213
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,507,111
App. No.
16/446,021
Granted
Nov 22, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for evaluating and deploying fleets of autonomous in operational domains are described. A computing system may obtain data indicative of one or more capabilities of at least one autonomous vehicle, data indicative of vehicle service dynamics in an operational domain over a period of time, and determining a plurality of resource performance parameters respectively for a plurality of autonomous vehicle fleets associated with potential deployment in the operational domain. Each autonomous vehicle fleet can be associated with a different number of autonomous vehicles The resource performance parameter for each autonomous vehicle fleet can be based at least in part on the one or more capabilities of the at least one autonomous vehicle and the vehicle service dynamics in the operational domain. The computing system can initiate an action associated with the operational domain based at least in part on the plurality of resource performance parameters.

Claims (55)

1. A computer-implemented method for determining autonomous vehicle fleets, comprising:

obtaining, by a computing system comprising one or more computing devices, data indicative of one or more capabilities of at least one autonomous vehicle;

obtaining, by the computing system, data indicative of vehicle service dynamics in an operational domain over a period of time;

determining, by the computing system, a plurality of resource performance parameters respectively for a plurality of autonomous vehicle fleets associated with potential deployment in the operational domain, each autonomous vehicle fleet associated with a different number of autonomous vehicles, the resource performance parameter for each autonomous vehicle fleet based at least in part on the one or more capabilities of the at least one autonomous vehicle and the vehicle service dynamics in the operational domain;

determining, by the computing system, a measure of breakeven utilization for the plurality of autonomous vehicle fleets, the measure of breakeven utilization is based at least in part on a number of autonomous vehicles having a total resource outflow per unit that is equal to a total resource outflow per unit for a fleet of non-autonomous vehicles; and

initiating, by the computing system, an action associated with the operational domain based at least in part on the plurality of resource performance parameters.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:

the plurality of resource performance parameters includes a plurality of measures of resource return respectively for the plurality of autonomous vehicle fleets.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein:

the measure of resource return for each of the plurality of autonomous vehicle fleets is a measure of fleet-level return associated with such autonomous vehicle fleet.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein:

the measure of resource return for each of the plurality of autonomous vehicle fleets is a measure of marginal resource return associated with individual autonomous vehicles of such autonomous vehicle fleet.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:

the plurality of resource performance parameters includes a plurality of measures of efficiency respectively for the plurality of autonomous vehicle fleets.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein:

the measure of efficiency for each of the plurality of autonomous vehicle fleets includes a measure of time efficiency associated with such autonomous vehicle fleet.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein:

the measure of efficiency for each of the plurality of autonomous vehicle fleets includes a measure of predicted mileage efficiency associated with such autonomous vehicle fleet.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

obtaining, by the computing system, data indicative of a resource outflow associated with the at least one autonomous vehicle;

wherein determining the resource performance parameter associated with deployment of each of the plurality of autonomous vehicle fleets is based at least in part on the resource outflow associated with such at least one autonomous vehicle.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the resource outflow is based on at least one of operation or deployment of the at least one autonomous vehicle.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:

the data indicative of vehicle service dynamics includes data indicative of usage associated with one or more vehicle service types.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein:

the usage includes a supply and a demand associated with the one or more vehicle service types.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

obtaining, by the computing system, data associated with a plurality of potential travel routes within the operational domain of the at least one autonomous vehicle; and

determining, by the computing system, a level of addressability of the operational domain based at least in part on the one or more capabilities of the at least one autonomous vehicle and the plurality of potential travel routes within the operational domain of the at least one autonomous vehicle;

wherein the plurality of resource performance parameters is based at least in part on the level of addressability of the operational domain.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , further comprising:

determining data indicative of vehicle service requests that are serviceable by the at least one autonomous vehicle in the operational domain based on the plurality of potential travel routes and the vehicle service dynamics;

wherein the plurality of resource performance parameters is based at least in part on the vehicle service requests that are serviceable by the at least one autonomous vehicle.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more capabilities of the at least one autonomous vehicle are indicative of at least one of an ability of the at least one autonomous vehicle to operate in a weather condition, a vehicle operating condition, or a vehicle maneuverability.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein initiating, by the computing system, the action associated with the operational domain based at least in part on the plurality of resource performance parameters associated with the plurality of autonomous vehicle fleets comprises:

generating, by the computing system, data indicative of the plurality of resource performance parameters; and

outputting, by the computing system, the data indicative of the plurality of resource performance parameters.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:

the plurality of resource performance parameters includes a first plurality of resource performance parameters based on a first profile, the first profile including at least one of a first set of capabilities of the at least one autonomous vehicle or a first set of vehicle service dynamics; and

the plurality of resource performance parameters includes a second plurality of resource performance parameters based on a second profile, the second profile including at least one of a second set of capabilities of the at least one autonomous vehicle or a second set of vehicle service dynamics.

17. A computing system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media that collectively store instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

obtaining data indicative of one or more capabilities of at least one autonomous vehicle;

obtaining data indicative of vehicle service dynamics in an operational domain over a period of time;

determining a plurality of resource performance parameters respectively for a plurality of autonomous vehicle fleets associated with potential deployment in the operational domain, each autonomous vehicle fleet associated with a different number of autonomous vehicles, the resource performance parameter for each autonomous vehicle fleet based at least in part on the one or more capabilities of the at least one autonomous vehicle and the vehicle service dynamics in the operational domain;

determining a measure of breakeven utilization for the plurality of autonomous vehicle fleets, the measure of breakeven utilization is based at least in part on a number of autonomous vehicles having a total resource outflow per unit that is equal to a total resource outflow per unit for a fleet of non-autonomous vehicles; and

initiating, an action associated with the operational domain based at least in part on the plurality of resource performance parameters.

18. One or more tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media that collectively store instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the operations comprising:

obtaining data indicative of one or more capabilities of at least one autonomous vehicle;

obtaining data indicative of a resource outflow associated with operation of a first fleet of autonomous vehicles in an operational domain and a resource outflow associated with a second fleet of non-autonomous vehicles in the operational domain;

determining a convergence associated with a measure of the resource outflow associated with the first fleet of autonomous vehicles and the measure of the resource outflow associated with the second fleet of autonomous vehicles;

determining a measure of utilization based at least in part on the one or more capabilities of the least one autonomous vehicle, a measure of the resource outflow associated with the first fleet of autonomous vehicles, the measure of the resource outflow associated with the second fleet of non-autonomous vehicles, and the convergence;

determining a fleet size of the first fleet of autonomous vehicles for deployment in the operational domain based at least in part on the measure of utilization; and

initiating an action associated with the first fleet of autonomous vehicles in the operational domain based at least in part on the fleet size of the first fleet of autonomous vehicles determined for deployment in the operational domain.

Assignments (9)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE APPLICATION NUMBER PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 59692 FRAME: 345. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Mar 4, 2025
From: UATC, LLC
To: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 070393/0307 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE TO REMOVE THE LINE THROUGH APPLICATION/SERIAL NUMBERS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 054805 FRAME: 0001. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jul 20, 2022
From: UATC, LLC
To: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 060776/0897 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNMENT DOCUMENT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 054940 FRAME: 0765. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Mar 2, 2022
From: UATC, LLC
To: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 059692/0345 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE INCLUSION OF SEVERAL SERIAL NUMBERS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 054805 FRAME: 0002. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jan 12, 2022
From: UATC, LLC
To: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 058717/0527 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 8, 2021
From: UATC, LLC
To: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 054940/0765 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 8, 2021
From: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: UATC, LLC
Reel/Frame 054940/0279 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 18, 2020
From: UATC, LLC
To: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 054805/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 2, 2020
From: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: UATC, LLC
Reel/Frame 054637/0041 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 17, 2019
From: CHADHA, VALERIE NINA; YUAN, YE; STEGALL, NEIL; SWEENEY, KANE; CHIANG, REI; GOLDMAN, BRENT JUSTIN
To: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 049781/0139 →