Granted Patent B2

US 12,417,086 · App. 18/220,223 · Granted Sep 16, 2025

Inventors: Sergei S. Avedisov (Cupertino, CA); Mohammad Irfan Khan (Mountain View, CA); Onur Altintas (Mountain View, CA)

Assignees: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.; TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA

G06F8/61B60R16/0231G06F8/453

Abstract

Claims (37)

1. A method, comprising:

responsive to an inoperability of a vehicle above a threshold, requesting for the vehicle to be remotely operated;

receiving software, by the vehicle, based on level of the inoperability;

responsive to an installation of the software on the vehicle, remotely operating the vehicle using the installed software;

responsive to the inoperability of the vehicle above the threshold while it is remotely operated, receiving an update to the software;

responsive to an installation of the updated software on the vehicle, further remotely operating the vehicle using the installed updated software; and

responsive to the inoperability below the threshold, requesting a cessation of the further remote operation of the vehicle, wherein one or more of the software and the updated software assists in maneuvering the vehicle from a scenario where it is difficult to maneuver out of in a time that is less than the threshold.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the software and the updated software include an enhancement of functionality to be performed by the vehicle and assists in maneuvering the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 , responsive to one or more of the remote operating of the vehicle, and the further remote operating of the vehicle, sending data to a server, wherein the data is related to a condition of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the updated software is based on a new environmental condition of the vehicle after the remote operating, when the new environment is different from an original environmental condition.

5. The method of claim 1 , responsive to the inoperability being below the threshold after the updated software is installed on the vehicle, sending a notification of the inoperability to proximate vehicles.

6. The method of claim 1 , responsive to the inoperability of the vehicle being above the threshold and a condition of at least one passenger of the vehicle being above another threshold, requesting, by the vehicle, emergency services.

7. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory, wherein the processor and the memory are communicably coupled, wherein the processor:

responsive to an inoperability of a vehicle above a threshold, requests for the vehicle to be remotely operated;

receives software, by the vehicle, based on level of the inoperability;

responsive to an installation of the software on the vehicle, remotely operates the vehicle via the use of the installed software;

responsive to the inoperability of the vehicle above the threshold, while it is remotely operated, receives an update to the software;

responsive to an installation of the updated software on the vehicle, further remotely operates the vehicle using the installed updated software; and

responsive to the inoperability below the threshold, requests a cessation of the further remote operation of the vehicle, wherein one or more of the software and the updated software assists in maneuvering the vehicle from a scenario where it is difficult to maneuver out of in a time that is less than the threshold.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein one or more of the software and the updated software include an enhancement of functionality to be performed by the vehicle and assists in a maneuver of the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 7 , responsive to one or more of the remote operating of the vehicle, and the further remote operating of the vehicle, the processor sends data to a server, wherein the data is related to a condition of the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the updated software is based on a new environmental condition of the vehicle after the remote operation, when the new environment is different from an original environmental condition.

11. The system of claim 7 , responsive to the inoperability being below the threshold after the updated software is installed on the vehicle, the processor sends a notification of the inoperability to proximate vehicles.

12. The system of claim 7 , responsive to the inoperability of the vehicle being above the threshold and a condition of at least one passenger of the vehicle being above another threshold, the processor requests, by the vehicle, emergency services.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, that when read by a processor, cause the processor to perform:

responsive to an inoperability of a vehicle above a threshold, requesting for the vehicle to be remotely operated;

receiving software, by the vehicle, based on level of the inoperability;

responsive to an installation of the software on the vehicle, remotely operating the vehicle using the installed software;

responsive to the inoperability of the vehicle above the threshold while it is remotely operated, receiving an update to the software;

responsive to an installation of the updated software on the vehicle, further remotely operating the vehicle using the installed updated software; and

responsive to the inoperability below the threshold, requesting a cessation of the further remote operation of the vehicle, wherein one or more of the software and the updated software assists in maneuvering the vehicle from a scenario where it is difficult to maneuver out of in a time that is less than the threshold.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein one or more of the software and the updated software include an enhancement of functionality to be performed by the vehicle and assists in maneuvering the vehicle.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , responsive to one or more of the remote operating of the vehicle, and the further remote operating of the vehicle, sending data to a server, wherein the data is related to a condition of the vehicle.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the updated software is based on a new environmental condition of the vehicle after the remote operating, when the new environment is different from an original environmental condition.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 , responsive to the inoperability of a vehicle being above the threshold and a condition of at least one passenger of the vehicle being above another threshold, requesting, by the vehicle, emergency services.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (49)