Patent Issued for Autonomous vehicle control signal (USPTO 11124186): State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company

2021 OCT 12 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (Bloomington, Illinois, United States) has been issued patent number 11124186, according to news reporting originating out of Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx editors.

The patent’s inventors are Christensen, Scott T. (Salem, OR, US), Farris, Scott (Bloomington, IL, US), Hayward, Gregory (Bloomington, IL, US), Konrardy, Blake (Bloomington, IL, US).

This patent was filed on March 25, 2019 and was published online on September 21, 2021.

From the background information supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: “Vehicles are typically operated by a human vehicle operator who controls both steering and motive controls. Operator error, inattention, inexperience, misuse, or distraction leads to many vehicle collisions each year, resulting in injury and damage. Autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles augment vehicle operators’ information or replace vehicle operators’ control commands to operate the vehicle, in whole or part, with computer systems based upon information from sensors within, or attached to, the vehicle. Such vehicles may be operated with or without passengers, thus requiring different means of control than traditional vehicles. Such vehicles also may include a plurality of advanced sensors, capable of providing significantly more data (both in type and quantity) than is available even from GPS navigation assistance systems installed in traditional vehicles.

“Ensuring safe operation of such autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles is of the utmost importance because the automated systems of these vehicles may not function properly in all environments. Although autonomous operation may be safer than manual operation under ordinary driving conditions, unusual or irregular environmental conditions may significantly impair the functioning of the autonomous operation features controlling the autonomous vehicle. Under some conditions, autonomous operation may become impractical or excessively dangerous. As an example, fog or heavy rain may greatly reduce the ability of autonomous operation features to safely control the vehicle. Additionally, damage or other impairment of sensors or other components of autonomous systems may significantly increase the risks associated with autonomous operation. Such conditions may change frequently, thereby changing the safety of autonomous vehicle operation.”

Supplementing the background information on this patent, NewsRx reporters also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “The present embodiments may be related to autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle operation, including driverless operation of fully autonomous vehicles. The embodiments described herein relate particularly to various aspects of communication between autonomous operation features, components, and software. An autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle may communicate with other vehicles within a predetermined communication range to alert the other vehicles of maneuvers which the autonomous vehicle will make (e.g., turns, lane changes, etc.) or to coordinate actions between several vehicles (e.g., coordinating paths based upon when each vehicle will exit a highway). Additionally, some aspects relate to communications which alert other vehicles of road segment conditions as the other vehicles approach the road segment, such as traffic, accidents, potholes, ice patches, construction, etc. Specific systems and methods are summarized below. The methods and systems summarized below may include additional, less, or alternate actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

“In one aspect, a computer-implemented method for controlling vehicle signals in a vehicle having one or more autonomous operation features may be provided. The method may include determining in a vehicle having one or more autonomous operation features, an upcoming maneuver for the vehicle; identifying a vehicle signal which is indicative of the upcoming maneuver; causing the vehicle to present the vehicle signal; and/or after presenting the vehicle signal, causing the vehicle to perform the maneuver.

“The vehicle signal may be presented when the vehicle is unable to transmit communications to other vehicles having one or more autonomous operation features. Moreover, the vehicle signal may be an electromagnetic signal outside of a visible light spectrum, wherein another vehicle having one or more autonomous operation features decodes the electromagnetic signal to identify the upcoming maneuver. The vehicle signal may indicate at least one of: braking, turning left or right, turning around, reversing, speeding up, slowing down, changing lanes, merging, another vehicle is travelling too close to the vehicle, moving or swerving to avoid a collision with another vehicle, the vehicle is losing control, and/or a system failure in at least one of the one or more autonomous operation features. Further, the vehicle signal may be presented visually via one or more lights attached to the vehicle, and/or presented audibly via a vehicle horn or one or more speakers.

“In some embodiments, the method may further include simultaneously transmitting a communication to one or more other vehicles having one or more autonomous operation features within a communication range of the vehicle as the vehicle signal is presented, the communication including an indication of the upcoming maneuver, wherein the other vehicles having one or more autonomous operation features receive the communication and/or pedestrians or vehicles without autonomous operation features perceive the vehicle signal. Additionally, the method may also include when an acknowledgment signal is not received at the one or more processors from at least one of the one or more other vehicles in response to transmitting the communication, causing the vehicle to present the vehicle signal to the at least one other vehicle. In further embodiments, the method may include decoding one or more other vehicle signals received from one or more other vehicles.

“Systems or computer-readable media storing instructions for implementing all or part of the system described above may also be provided in some aspects. Systems for implementing such methods may include one or more of the following: a special-purpose assessment computing device, a mobile computing device, a personal electronic device, an on-board computer, a remote server, one or more sensors, one or more communication modules configured to communicate wirelessly via radio links, radio frequency links, and/or wireless communication channels, and/or one or more program memories coupled to one or more processors of the mobile computing device, personal electronic device, on-board computer, or remote server. Such program memories may store instructions to cause the one or more processors to implement part or all of the method described above. Additional or alternative features described herein below may be included in some aspects.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A computer-implemented method for controlling vehicle signals in a vehicle having one or more autonomous operation features, comprising: determining, at one or more processors in a vehicle having one or more autonomous operation features, an upcoming maneuver for the vehicle; identifying, by the one or more processors, a vehicle signal which is indicative of the upcoming maneuver; causing, by the one or more processors, the vehicle to present the vehicle signal; after presenting the vehicle signal, causing, by the one or more processors, the vehicle to perform the maneuver; and transmitting, by the one or more processors, a communication to one or more other vehicles having one or more autonomous operation features within a communication range of the vehicle, the communication including an indication of the upcoming maneuver.

“2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle signal is presented when the vehicle is unable to transmit communications to other vehicles having one or more autonomous operation features.

“3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle signal is an electromagnetic signal outside of a visible light spectrum, wherein another vehicle having one or more autonomous operation features decodes the electromagnetic signal to identify the upcoming maneuver.

“4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle signal indicates at least one of: braking, turning left or right, turning around, reversing, speeding up, slowing down, changing lanes, merging, another vehicle is travelling too close to the vehicle, moving or swerving to avoid a collision with another vehicle, the vehicle is losing control, or a system failure in at least one of the one or more autonomous operation features.

“5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle signal is presented visually via one or more lights attached to the vehicle, or presented audibly via a vehicle horn or one or more speakers.

“6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: when an acknowledgment signal is not received at the one or more processors from at least one of the one or more other vehicles in response to transmitting the communication, causing, by the one or more processors, the vehicle to present the vehicle signal to the at least one other vehicle.

“7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: decoding, by the one or more processors, one or more other vehicle signals received from one or more other vehicles.

“8. A computer system configured to control vehicle signals in a vehicle having one or more autonomous operation features, the computer system comprising one or more local or remote processors, transceivers, and/or sensors configured to: determine, in a vehicle having one or more autonomous operation features, an upcoming maneuver for the vehicle; identify a vehicle signal which is indicative of the upcoming maneuver; cause the vehicle to present the vehicle signal; after presenting the vehicle signal, cause the vehicle to perform the maneuver; and transmit a communication to one or more other vehicles having one or more autonomous operation features within a communication range of the vehicle, the communication including an indication of the upcoming maneuver.

“9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the vehicle signal is presented when the vehicle is unable to transmit communications to other vehicles having one or more autonomous operation features.

“10. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the vehicle signal is an electromagnetic signal outside of a visible light spectrum, wherein another vehicle having one or more autonomous operation features decodes the electromagnetic signal to identify the upcoming maneuver.

“11. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the vehicle signal indicates at least one of: braking, turning left or right, turning around, reversing, speeding up, slowing down, changing lanes, merging, another vehicle is travelling too close to the vehicle, moving or swerving to avoid a collision with another vehicle, the vehicle is losing control, or a system failure in at least one of the one or more autonomous operation features.

“12. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the vehicle signal is presented visually via one or more lights attached to the vehicle, or presented audibly via a vehicle horn or one or more speakers.

“13. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the one or more local or remote processors, transceivers, or sensors are further configured to: when an acknowledgment signal is not received from at least one of the one or more other vehicles in response to transmitting the communication, cause the vehicle to present the vehicle signal to the at least one other vehicle.

“14. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the one or more local or remote processors, transceivers, or sensors are further configured to: decode one or more other vehicle signals received from one or more other vehicles.

“15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing thereon a set of instructions that, when executed on one or more processors in a head unit of a vehicle having one or more autonomous operation features, causes the one or more processors to: determine an upcoming maneuver for the vehicle; identify a vehicle signal which is indicative of the upcoming maneuver; cause the vehicle to present the vehicle signal; after presenting the vehicle signal, cause the vehicle to perform the maneuver; and transmit a communication to one or more other vehicles having one or more autonomous operation features within a communication range of the vehicle, the communication including an indication of the upcoming maneuver.

“16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the vehicle signal is presented when the vehicle is unable to transmit communications to other vehicles having one or more autonomous operation features.

“17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the vehicle signal is an electromagnetic signal outside of a visible light spectrum, wherein another vehicle having one or more autonomous operation features decodes the electromagnetic signal to identify the upcoming maneuver.

“18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the vehicle signal indicates at least one of: braking, turning left or right, turning around, reversing, speeding up, slowing down, changing lanes, merging, another vehicle is travelling too close to the vehicle, moving or swerving to avoid a collision with another vehicle, the vehicle is losing control, or a system failure in at least one of the one or more autonomous operation features.

“19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the vehicle signal is presented visually via one or more lights attached to the vehicle, or presented audibly via a vehicle horn or one or more speakers.

“20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the set of instructions further comprising instructions that causes the one or more processors to: decode one or more other vehicle signals received from one or more other vehicles.”

For the URL and additional information on this patent, see: Christensen, Scott T. Autonomous vehicle control signal. U.S. Patent Number 11124186, filed March 25, 2019, and published online on September 21, 2021. Patent URL: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=11124186.PN.&OS=PN/11124186RS=PN/11124186

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