External facing communications for autonomous vehicles
Aspects of the disclosure provide for displaying notifications on a display of an autonomous vehicle 100 . In one instance, a distance from the vehicle to a destination of the vehicle or a passenger may be determined. When the distance is between a first distance and a second distance, a first notification 650 may be displayed on the display. The second distance may be less than the first distance. When the distance is less than the second distance, a second notification 660 may be displayed on the display. The second notification provides additional information not provided by the first notification.
1. A method comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors of a vehicle, instructions for the vehicle to travel to a first location while operating in an autonomous driving mode to pick up a passenger;
in response to the instructions, controlling, by the one or more processors, the vehicle to travel to the first location;
determining, by the one or more processors, a distance in time or space from the first location based on a context in which the vehicle is currently driving;
determining, by the one or more processors, content for display based on the context in which the vehicle is currently driving; and
when the vehicle reaches the distance, displaying, by the one or more processors on a display of the vehicle, the determined content.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content changes based on a distance in time or space the vehicle is from the first location.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content includes a message that can be adjusted to increase legibility and comprehension of the message.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the context includes a number of passengers waiting to be picked up at the first location.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the context includes a number of vehicles picking up or dropping off a passenger at the first location.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the context includes at least one of a current speed of the vehicle or current traffic conditions.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the context includes expected ambient lighting conditions based on time of day.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the context includes current weather conditions.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content is dynamically adjusted based, at least in part, on preferences of the passenger.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content is dynamically adjusted to change a size of the content to aid in identification and recognition of the content by the passenger.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content is dynamically adjusted to change saturation or hue of the content to aid in identification and recognition of the content by the passenger.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of hue and brightness of the content is adjusted based on a coordination between the vehicle and one or more other vehicles.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content is dynamically adjusted to change timing of the content to aid in identification and recognition by the passenger.
14. A vehicle configured to operate in an autonomous driving mode, the vehicle comprising:
a display; and
one or more processors configured to:
receive instructions for the vehicle to travel to a first location while operating in the autonomous driving mode to pick up a passenger;
in response to the instructions, control the vehicle to travel to the first location;
determine a distance in time or space from the first location based on a context in which the vehicle is currently driving;
determine content for display based on the context in which the vehicle is currently driving; and
when the vehicle reaches the distance, display, on a display of the vehicle, the determined content.
15. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the display is mounted at a center of a dashboard of the vehicle and oriented outwards, or mounted on a roof of the vehicle.
16. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the context includes one or more of a number passengers waiting to be picked up at the first location, a number of vehicles picking up or dropping off a passenger at the first location, a current speed of the vehicle, current traffic conditions, expected ambient lighting conditions based on time of day, or current weather conditions.
17. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the content is dynamically adjusted based, at least in part, on preferences of the passenger.
18. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the content is dynamically adjusted to change a size of the content to aid in identification and recognition of the content by the passenger.
19. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the content is dynamically adjusted to change saturation or hue of the content to aid in identification and recognition of the content by the passenger.
20. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein at least one of hue and brightness of the content is adjusted based on a coordination between the vehicle and one or more other vehicles.