Methods and systems for configuring vehicle communications
The present disclosure is directed to configuring vehicle communications. In particular, a computing system comprising one or more computing devices physically located onboard a vehicle can communicate a plurality of different and distinct types of information associated with the vehicle to a remotely located computing system via a data stream transmitted from the vehicle to the remotely located computing system. The computing system can determine one or more changes in at least one of a mode, state, or context of the vehicle, and responsive to determining the change(s), the computing system can modify one or more parameters of the data stream transmitted from the vehicle to the remotely located computing system.
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
communicating, by a computing system comprising one or more computing devices physically located onboard a vehicle, to a remotely located computing system, and via a data stream transmitted from the vehicle to the remotely located computing system, a plurality of different and distinct types of information associated with the vehicle;
determining, by the computing system, one or more changes in at least one of a mode, state, or context of the vehicle;
responsive to determining the one or more changes, modifying, by the computing system, one or more parameters of the data stream transmitted from the vehicle to the remotely located computing system, wherein modifying the one or more parameters comprises changing whether the data stream includes data indicating at least one of: whether the vehicle is engaged in commissioned travel; a type of commissioned travel with which the vehicle is engaged; a pickup location associated with commissioned travel with which the vehicle is engaged; a drop-off location associated with commissioned travel with which the vehicle is engaged; passenger information associated with commissioned travel with which the vehicle is engaged; a version of software being executed by the vehicle; diagnostic information associated with the vehicle; a speed of the vehicle; a location of the vehicle; or a route which the vehicle is following; and
receiving, from the remotely located computing system, instructions for controlling the vehicle in response to receipt of the data stream transmitted from the vehicle to the remotely located computing system.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the one or more parameters comprises modifying one or more rates at which one or more of the plurality of different and distinct types of information are communicated to the remotely located computing system.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the method comprises receiving, by the computing system and from a remotely located computing device, data indicating one or more portions of the plurality of different and distinct types of information; and
modifying the one or more parameters comprises modifying the one or more parameters based at least in part on the data indicating the one or more portions.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the vehicle and the remotely located computing system are associated with a common entity that operates a plurality of vehicles including the vehicle; and
communicating the plurality of different and distinct types of information comprises communicating, via one or more networks, the data stream directly from the vehicle to the remotely located computing system.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the vehicle is associated with an entity that operates a plurality of vehicles including the vehicle; and
the remotely located computing system is associated with a different and distinct entity that provides vehicle services.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein communicating the plurality of different and distinct types of information comprises communicating, via one or more networks, the data stream directly from the vehicle to the remotely located computing system.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , wherein communicating the plurality of different and distinct types of information comprises communicating the plurality of different and distinct types of information via an application programming interface (API) provided by at least one of the computing system or the remotely located computing system.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein communicating the plurality of different and distinct types of information comprises:
communicating, via one or more networks, the data stream directly from the vehicle to a different and distinct remotely located computing system, the different and distinct remotely located computing system being associated with the entity that operates the plurality of vehicles including the vehicle; and
receiving, by the remotely located computing system and from the different and distinct remotely located computing system, the plurality of different and distinct types of information.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein communicating the plurality of different and distinct types of information comprises communicating the plurality of different and distinct types of information via an application programming interface (API) provided by at least one of the computing system, the remotely located computing system, or the different and distinct remotely located computing system.
10. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein communicating the plurality of different and distinct types of information comprises communicating the plurality of different and distinct types of information via a software development kit (SDK) provided to the computing system by the remotely located computing system.
11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein determining the one or more changes comprises determining one or more of:
whether the vehicle is in a test mode;
whether the vehicle is in a diagnostic mode;
whether the vehicle is in a remote-assistance mode;
whether the vehicle is in an environment-mapping mode;
whether the vehicle is engaged in commissioned travel; or
a type of commissioned travel with which the vehicle is engaged.
12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle comprises an autonomous vehicle.
13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the remotely located computing system is physically located onboard a different vehicle.
14. A vehicle comprising:
one or more wireless-communication interfaces; and
one or more computing devices comprising one or more processors and a memory storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising:
communicating, via the one or more wireless-communication interfaces, to a remotely located computing system, and at a first rate, a particular type of information associated with the vehicle;
responsive to determining one or more changes in at least one of a mode, state, or context of the vehicle, communicating, via the one or more wireless-communication interfaces, to the remotely located computing system, and at a second rate, the particular type of information, the second rate being different from the first rate, wherein the particular type of information includes data indicating at least one of: whether the vehicle is engaged in commissioned travel; a type of commissioned travel with which the vehicle is engaged; a pickup location associated with commissioned travel with which the vehicle is engaged; a drop-off location associated with commissioned travel with which the vehicle is engaged; passenger information associated with commissioned travel with which the vehicle is engaged; a version of software being executed by the vehicle; diagnostic information associated with the vehicle; a speed of the vehicle; a location of the vehicle; or a route which the vehicle is following; and
receiving, from the remotely located computing system, instructions for controlling the vehicle in response to receipt of the particular type of information communicated from the vehicle to the remotely located computing system.
15. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein determining the one or more changes comprises determining one or more of:
whether the vehicle is in a test mode;
whether the vehicle is in a diagnostic mode;
whether the vehicle is in a remote-assistance mode;
whether the vehicle is in an environment-mapping mode;
whether the vehicle is engaged in commissioned travel; or
a type of commissioned travel with which the vehicle is engaged.
16. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the operations comprise:
receiving, from a remotely located computing device, data indicating the second rate; and
responsive to receiving the data indicating the second rate, communicating the particular type of information at the second rate.
17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computing devices physically located onboard a vehicle cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising:
communicating, to a remotely located computing system, a plurality of different and distinct types of information associated with the vehicle;
determining one or more changes in at least one of a mode, state, or context of the vehicle; and
responsive to determining the one or more changes, determining one or more changes to at least one of:
the plurality of different and distinct types of information to be communicated to the remotely located computing system, or
one or more rates at which one or more of the plurality of different and distinct types of information are to be communicated to the remotely located computing system;
wherein the plurality of different and distinct types of information associated with the vehicle include at least two of: whether the vehicle is engaged in commissioned travel; a type of commissioned travel with which the vehicle is engaged; a pickup location associated with commissioned travel with which the vehicle is engaged; a drop-off location associated with commissioned travel with which the vehicle is engaged; passenger information associated with commissioned travel with which the vehicle is engaged; a version of software being executed by the vehicle; diagnostic information associated with the vehicle; a speed of the vehicle; a location of the vehicle; or a route which the vehicle is following; and
receiving, from the remotely located computing system, instructions for controlling the vehicle in response to receipt of the plurality of different and distinct types of information communicated from the vehicle to the remotely located computing system.
18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17 , wherein the operations comprise receiving, from a remotely located computing device, data indicating the one or more changes to the at least one of:
the plurality of different and distinct types of information to be communicated to the remotely located computing system; or
the one or more rates at which the one or more of the plurality of different and distinct types of information are to be communicated to the remotely located computing system.