This month the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Google that reveals various aspects of the technology behind their next-gen autonomous vehicles. Google's invention relates to autonomous vehicles for maneuvering a user or passenger to a destination, for example taking a trip, autonomously. The patent covers everything from encryption keys to authenticate a ride to various aspects of the vehicle. For instance, the vehicle doesn't provide the user with a steering wheel, brakes or gas pedal. The passenger is simply seated in the vehicle as if they were in a cab. Google discusses a control console for users and an emergency stop button system. To put riders further at ease, Google is initiating a concierge service reachable by the center user console or your own smartphone should you feel nervous or about to freak out over not knowing what to do if something goes wrong, like how to unlock the door of the vehicle which is controlled by an onboard computer system.
Google's Patent Background
Autonomous vehicles, such as vehicles that do not require a human driver, can be used to aid in the transport of passengers or items from one location to another. Such vehicles may operate in a fully autonomous mode where passengers may provide some initial input, such as a destination, and the vehicle maneuvers itself to that destination.
Google Reveals Details of their Next Generation Autonomous Vehicle
Google's patent covers technology that relates to autonomous vehicles for maneuvering a user or passenger to a destination, for example taking a trip, autonomously. In order to do so, the user may provide a pickup location and a destination location for the trip to a centralized dispatching system via a client computing device, such as a mobile phone. The centralized dispatching system may then dispatch a vehicle to the pickup location. However, once the vehicle has arrived at the pickup location, the vehicle may need to authenticate the user (or user's client computing device) before unlocking the vehicle's doors and allowing the user to enter.
In order to do so, the dispatching system, via a server computing device, may provide the client computing device and the vehicle with a pair of encryption keys for authentication. As the vehicle approaches or after arriving at the pickup location, it may attempt to communicate with the client computing device, exchange keys, and authenticate the client computing device for example using a Bluetooth or LAN connection. Once the user is authenticated, the vehicle may unlock its doors and allow the user to enter and initiate the trip.
In some aspects, the vehicle unlocking its doors may be based upon an estimated distance between the client computing device and the vehicle. For example, when the user is within some first distance of the vehicle, depending on the strength of the signal from the client computing device, the user's client computing device and the vehicle may be able to pair and authenticate the user. Once authenticated to the vehicle, the vehicle would unlock its doors when the client computing device reaches some second distance from the vehicle and allow the passenger to enter the vehicle.
In some cases, the authentication may fail before the user reaches the vehicle. If so, the passenger may select an option on her phone to unlock the vehicle. In one approach, the client computing device may attempt to communicate directly with the vehicle again in order to unlock the doors. Alternatively, a message may be relayed to a customer support representative and/or the server computing device which could unlock the doors. However, such an approach requires the vehicle to be within a data zone. If this attempt fails, the passenger may try again. If the vehicle does not unlock the doors within some additional amount of time, the ride may be automatically cancelled.
Google's patent FIGS. 4A-4D noted below are examples of external views of the autonomous vehicle 100. As can be seen, the vehicle includes many features of a typical vehicle such as headlights #402, windshield #403, taillights/turn signal lights #404, rear windshield #405, doors #406, side view mirrors #408, tires and wheels #410, and turn signal/parking lights #412.
The vehicle also includes sensors of the detection system. For example, housing #414 may include one or more laser devices for having 360 degree or narrower fields of view and one or more camera devices. Housings #416 and #418 may include, for example, one or more radar and/or sonar devices.
The devices of the detection system may also be incorporated into the typical vehicle components, such as taillights and/or side view mirrors. Each of these radar, camera, and lasers devices may be associated with processing components which process data from these devices as part of the detection system and provide sensor data to the vehicle's computing device.
Google's patent FIG. 5 is an example internal view of the vehicle through the opening of door #406. In this example, there are two seats #502 for passengers with a center console #504 between them.
Directly in ahead of the seats is a dashboard configuration having a storage bin area #508 and the internal electronic display #152. As can be readily seen, the vehicle does not include a steering wheel, gas (acceleration) pedal, or brake (deceleration) pedal which would allow for a semiautonomous or manual driving mode where a passenger would directly control the steering, acceleration and/or deceleration of the vehicle via the drivetrain.
Rather, the user input is limited to a microphone of the user input (not shown), features of the console, and wireless network connections. In this regard, internal electronic display merely provides information to the passenger and need not include a touch screen or other interface for user input.
In other embodiments, the internal electronic display may include a touch screen or other user input device for entering information by a passenger such as a destination, etc.
The Center Control Console
Google's patent FIG. 6 noted above is a top down view of the console #504. The console includes various buttons for controlling features of the vehicle. For example, the console includes buttons that may be found in a typical vehicle such as buttons #602 for locking and unlocking the doors; buttons #604 for raising or lowering the windows of the doors; buttons #606 for turning on internal lights of the vehicle; buttons #608 for controlling a heating function of the seats #502, as well as buttons #610 for controlling the volume of the speakers.
In addition, the console also includes buttons #611 for initiating communication with a concierge via one of the wireless network connections. Once the concierge work station is connected to the vehicle, the concierge may communicate with the passenger via the speakers and/or the internal electronic display #152. In addition, the microphone allows the passenger to speak directly to the concierge. In some cases, the vehicle may include an internal still or video camera that allows the concierge to view the status of the passengers and confirm their safety.
The Vehicle's Emergency System
Google further notes that due to the fact that the passenger does not have direct control of the acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle by way of a gas or brake pedal, button #612 may be an emergency stop button that is critical to allowing a passenger to feel safe and act quickly in case of an immediate emergency. In addition, because of the potentially abrupt nature of a stop initiated by the emergency stopping button, the emergency stopping button may feature a cover (e.g., a clear plastic cover) that may have to be removed or flipped up in order to activate the emergency button as noted above in FIGS. 7A/B/C.
The Starting Trip 'Go' & 'Pull Over' Button
The Center Console's button #614 may be a multi-function button having different states. In the first state, button #614 may be a 'GO' button which a passenger uses to initiate a trip to a destination.
Once the vehicle is moving, button #614 may change to a 'Pull Over' button which a passenger users to initiate a non-emergency stop. In this regard, the vehicle's computing device may respond by determining a safe place to pull the vehicle over, rather than coming to a more sudden stop as with the emergency stop button. Alternatively, two buttons, one having a 'GO' state and the other having a 'Pull Over' state may be used.
In addition, the passenger may communicate with the concierge via a phone call, an application on the passenger's client computing device, a microphone, and/or the concierge button and in turn, the concierge may provide instructions control certain aspects of a vehicle via a concierge work station.
And lastly, it was interesting to note that while Google may begin with an autonomous car initially as noted above, they make it clear in their patent filing that their invention could be applicable to a wider range of vehicles in the future such as trucks, motorcycles, busses, recreational vehicles etc.
Google filed their patent application one year ago this month. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.
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