IP Library Granted Patent US 12,271,195
Granted Patent B1
US 12,271,195 · App. 18/210,447 · Granted Apr 8, 2025

Systems and methods for vehicles with limited destination ability

Inventors: Dmitri A. Dolgov (Mountain View, CA); Sebastian Thrun (Los Altos Hills, CA); Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez (Hayward, CA); Christopher Paul Urmson (Mountain View, CA); Nathaniel Fairfield (Mountain View, CA); Anthony Scott Levandowski (Berkeley, CA)
Assignee: Waymo LLC
G05D1/0088B60R1/00B60T7/22B60T8/00B60T8/17B60T8/885B60T17/18B60T17/221B60W30/08B60W40/06B60W50/14G01C21/3617G01S17/86G01S17/931G05D1/0055G05D1/021G05D1/0212G05D1/0214G05D1/0276G06Q10/02G06Q30/02G06Q30/0207G06Q40/08G06T7/20G06T7/223G06T7/231G06T7/521G06T7/74G06V20/58G06V20/64G07C9/00563B60R2300/30B60T2201/022B60T2210/32B60T2270/406B60W30/186B60W2050/0292B60W2420/403B60W2420/408B60W2552/05B60W2555/60B60W2556/10B60W2556/50B62D6/00G01S13/865G01S13/867G05B2219/2637G05D1/024G05D1/0246G05D1/0257G05D1/0274G05D1/0278G06T2207/10004G06T2207/10028G06T2207/30236G06T2207/30252G06T2207/30261G06V10/255G06V20/56G06V20/588
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,271,195
App. No.
18/210,447
Granted
Apr 8, 2025
Kind
B1
Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to limiting the use of an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle by particular occupants based on permission data. More specifically, permission data may include destinations, routes, and/or other information that is predefined or set by a third party. The vehicle may then access the permission data in order to transport the particular occupant to the predefined destination, for example, without deviation from the predefined route. The vehicle may drop the particular occupant off at the destination and may wait until the passenger is ready to move to another predefined destination. The permission data may be used to limit the ability of the particular occupant to change the route of the vehicle completely or by some maximum deviation value. For example, the vehicle may be able to deviate from the route up to a particular distance from or along the route.

Claims (40)

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a vehicle request associated with a user for transportation associated with an autonomous vehicle (AV) fleet, wherein at least one vehicle of the AV fleet is configured to operate in multiple driving modes including at least one autonomous driving mode;

determining, by the one or more processors, whether the vehicle request can be accommodated by a selected vehicle of the AV fleet based at least in part on a user profile;

in response to determining that the vehicle request can be accommodated by the selected vehicle, communicating, by the one or more processors, data associated with the vehicle request; and

dispatching the selected vehicle;

wherein the user profile includes permission data that identifies at least one trip restriction that includes a parental restriction or a guardian restriction.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the vehicle request can be accommodated by the selected vehicle includes evaluating a geographic area restriction.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the vehicle request can be accommodated by the selected vehicle includes evaluating an accident, traffic, or construction condition in an area associated with the vehicle request.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining one or more permissible routes to a destination in accordance with the vehicle request and the user profile.

5. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a vehicle request associated with a user for transportation associated with an autonomous vehicle (AV) fleet, wherein at least one vehicle of the AV fleet is configured to operate in multiple driving modes including at least one autonomous driving mode;

determining, by the one or more processors, whether the vehicle request can be accommodated by a selected vehicle of the AV fleet based at least in part on a user profile;

in response to determining that the vehicle request can be accommodated by the selected vehicle, communicating, by the one or more processors, data associated with the vehicle request; and

dispatching the selected vehicle;

wherein the user profile either: includes permission data that includes information identifying one or more speed limits during a trip in the at least one autonomous driving mode, includes a list of permissible destinations to which a rider may be driven, or identifies at least one predefined route for the vehicle request.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one trip restriction further includes a restricted destination, a restricted area through which a rider is not permitted to travel, one or more times during which the rider is not permitted to travel in the vehicle, or one or more locations at which the rider is not permitted to stop.

7. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a vehicle request associated with a user for transportation associated with an autonomous vehicle (AV) fleet, wherein at least one vehicle of the AV fleet is configured to operate in multiple driving modes including at least one autonomous driving mode;

determining, by the one or more processors, whether the vehicle request can be accommodated by a selected vehicle of the AV fleet based at least in part on a user profile;

in response to determining that the vehicle request can be accommodated by the selected vehicle, communicating, by the one or more processors, data associated with the vehicle request; and

dispatching the selected vehicle;

wherein the user profile includes permission data that is received from an authorized user who is not a rider who will be transported by the selected vehicle.

8. A system comprising:

memory configured to store dispatching information for an autonomous vehicle (AV) fleet; and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory, the one or more processors being configured to:

receive a vehicle request associated with a user for transportation associated with the AV fleet, wherein at least one vehicle of the AV fleet is configured to operate in multiple driving modes including at least one autonomous driving mode;

determine whether the vehicle request can be accommodated by a selected vehicle of the AV fleet based at least in part on a user profile;

in response to determining that the vehicle request can be accommodated by the selected vehicle, communicate data associated with the vehicle request in order to dispatch the selected vehicle; and

dispatch the selected vehicle;

wherein the system is further configured to determine one or more permissible routes to a destination in accordance with the vehicle request and the user profile.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein determination of whether the vehicle request can be accommodated by the selected vehicle includes evaluation of a geographic area restriction.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein determination of whether the vehicle request can be accommodated by the selected vehicle includes evaluation of an accident, traffic, or construction condition in an area associated with the vehicle request.

11. A system comprising:

memory configured to store dispatching information for an autonomous vehicle (AV) fleet; and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory, the one or more processors being configured to:

receive a vehicle request associated with a user for transportation associated with the AV fleet, wherein at least one vehicle of the AV fleet is configured to operate in multiple driving modes including at least one autonomous driving mode;

determine whether the vehicle request can be accommodated by a selected vehicle of the AV fleet based at least in part on a user profile;

in response to determining that the vehicle request can be accommodated by the selected vehicle, communicate data associated with the vehicle request in order to dispatch the selected vehicle; and

dispatch the selected vehicle,

wherein the user profile includes permission data that includes at least one of:

information identifying one or more speed limits during a trip in the at least one autonomous driving mode; or

at least one predefined route for the vehicle request.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 20, 2023
From: DOLGOV, DMITRI A.; THRUN, SEBASTIAN; GOMEZ, LUIS RICARDO PRADA; URMSON, CHRISTOPHER PAUL; FAIRFIELD, NATHANIEL JAMES STOLTZFUS; LEVANDOWSKI, ANTHONY SCOTT
To: GOOGLE INC.
Reel/Frame 063993/0101 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 20, 2023
From: GOOGLE INC.
To: WAYMO HOLDING INC.
Reel/Frame 064025/0060 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 20, 2023
From: WAYMO HOLDING INC.
To: WAYMO LLC
Reel/Frame 064025/0465 →