Patent Issued for Autonomous vehicle convergence avoidance systems and methods (USPTO 11922810): United Services Automobile Association

2024 MAR 22 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- A patent by the inventors Dixon, David Patrick (Boerne, TX, US), Dziuk, Janelle Denice (Falls City, TX, US), Guerra, Oscar (San Antonio, TX, US), Khmelev, Yevgeniy Viatcheslavovich (San Antonio, TX, US), Philbrick, Ashley Raine (San Antonio, TX, US), Pollack, Jeffrey Neal (San Antonio, TX, US), Russell, Ryan Thomas (San Antonio, TX, US), filed on May 23, 2022, was published online on March 5, 2024, according to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx correspondents.

Patent number 11922810 is assigned to United Services Automobile Association (San Antonio, Texas, United States).

The following quote was obtained by the news editors from the background information supplied by the inventors: “The present disclosure relates generally to autonomous vehicle systems and methods.

“Some vehicles (e.g., autonomous vehicles) are capable of controlling driving operations of the vehicle, such that a person may not interact with or control the vehicle as the vehicle drives to a destination. In such vehicles, a vehicle control system may control the driving operations of the vehicle based on a set of algorithms.

“This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it may be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.”

In addition to the background information obtained for this patent, NewsRx journalists also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “In one embodiment, a vehicle adjustment system includes one or more processors configured to receive data from one or more sensors coupled to a vehicle that is in a stationary position. The one or more processors are configured to analyze the data to determine whether an object is within a buffer zone surrounding the vehicle while the vehicle is in the stationary position. In response to determining that the object is within the buffer zone while the vehicle is in the stationary position, the one or more processors are configured to provide control signals to one or more driving components of the vehicle to reposition the vehicle to an alternate position.

“In one embodiment, a method of operating a vehicle adjustment system includes receiving, at one or more processors, data from one or more sensors coupled to a vehicle that is in a stationary position. The method also includes analyzing the data to determine whether an object is within a buffer zone surrounding the vehicle while the vehicle is in the stationary position using the one or more processors. The method further includes providing, using the one or more processors, control signals to one or more driving components of the vehicle to reposition the vehicle to an alternate position in response to determining that the object is within the buffer zone while the vehicle is in the stationary position.

“In one embodiment, a method of operating a vehicle adjustment system includes receiving, at one or more processors, data from one or more sensors coupled to a vehicle that is in a stationary position. The method also includes receiving an input indicative of a preference of an occupant of the vehicle at the one or more processors. The method further includes analyzing, using the one or more processors, the data to determine whether an object is within a buffer zone surrounding the vehicle while the vehicle is in the stationary position. The method further includes determining an alternate position for the vehicle that would cause the object to be outside of the buffer zone based on the data and the preference using the one or more processors.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A vehicle adjustment system, comprising: one or more processors; memory storing instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to: analyze data from one or more sensors coupled to a vehicle to identify one or more characteristics of an object in a vicinity of the vehicle; adjust a buffer zone surrounding the vehicle based on the one or more characteristics of the object to establish an adjusted buffer zone; and provide control signals to one or more driving components of the vehicle to move the vehicle to place the object outside of the adjusted buffer zone.

“2. The vehicle adjustment system of claim 1, wherein the object is another vehicle.

“3. The vehicle adjustment system of claim 2, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise a make of the another vehicle, a model of the another vehicle, or both.

“4. The vehicle adjustment system of claim 2, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise presence of a collision avoidance feature on the another vehicle.

“5. The vehicle adjustment system of claim 2, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise a collision history of the another vehicle.

“6. The vehicle adjustment system of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise a movement of the object, a type of the object, a size of the object, or any combination thereof.

“7. The vehicle adjustment system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to provide the control signals to the one or more driving components of the vehicle to move the vehicle from a stationary position.

“8. The vehicle adjustment system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to provide the control signals to the one or more driving components of the vehicle to move the vehicle without any occupants in the vehicle.

“9. The vehicle adjustment system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to select an alternate position for the vehicle and to provide the control signals to the one or more driving components of the vehicle to move the vehicle to the alternate position to place the object outside of the adjusted buffer zone.

“10. The vehicle adjustment system of claim 9, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to select the alternate position for the vehicle based on respective characteristics of other vehicles in proximity to the alternate position.

“11. The vehicle adjustment system of claim 9, wherein the alternate position is in a parking lot, and the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to: analyze the data to determine that the vehicle is at the alternate position in the parking lot; access a fee schedule of the parking lot; determine an owner of the parking lot; and transfer an appropriate amount of money from an account of a designated individual associated with the vehicle to the owner of the parking lot based on the fee schedule.

“12. The vehicle adjustment system of claim 9, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to provide a notification to a device of a person associated with the vehicle in response to the vehicle being repositioned to the alternate position.

“13. The vehicle adjustment system of claim 9, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to: receive an input indicative of a preference of a person associated with the vehicle; and determine the alternate position based on the data and the preference.

“14. The vehicle adjustment system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to adjust the buffer zone surrounding the vehicle based on the one or more characteristics of the object and weather conditions to establish the adjusted buffer zone.

“15. A method of operating a vehicle adjustment system, comprising: receiving, at one or more processors, data from one or more sensors coupled to a vehicle; analyzing, using the one or more processors, the data to identify one or more characteristics of an object in a vicinity of the vehicle; adjusting, using the one or more processors, a buffer zone surrounding the vehicle based on the one or more characteristics of the object to establish an adjusted buffer zone; and providing, using the one or more processors, control signals to one or more driving components of the vehicle to reposition the vehicle to place the object outside of the adjusted buffer zone.

“16. The method of claim 15, comprising: analyzing, using the one or more processors, additional data to identify one or more respective characteristics of an additional object in the vicinity of the vehicle; adjusting, using the one or more processors, the buffer zone based on the one or more respective characteristics of the additional object to establish the adjusted buffer zone; and providing, using the one or more processors, additional control signals to the one or more driving components of the vehicle to move the vehicle to place the additional object outside of the adjusted buffer zone.

“17. The method of claim 15, comprising: identifying, using the one or more processors, weather conditions in the vicinity of the vehicle; and adjusting, using the one or more processors, the buffer zone surrounding the vehicle based on the one or more characteristics of the object and the weather conditions to establish the adjusted buffer zone.

“18. The method of claim 17, comprising identifying the weather conditions based on the data from the one or more sensors.

“19. A vehicle adjustment system, comprising: one or more processors; memory storing instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to: analyze data from one or more sensors coupled to a vehicle to identify one or more characteristics of an object in a vicinity of the vehicle; adjust a buffer zone surrounding the vehicle based on the one or more characteristics of the object to establish an adjusted buffer zone; and in response to determining that the object is within the adjusted buffer zone, provide control signals to one or more driving components of the vehicle to move the vehicle into an alternate position to place the object outside of the adjusted buffer zone.

“20. The vehicle adjustment system of claim 19, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to adjust the buffer zone surrounding the vehicle based on the one or more characteristics of the object and weather conditions to establish the adjusted buffer zone.”

URL and more information on this patent, see: Dixon, David Patrick. Autonomous vehicle convergence avoidance systems and methods. U.S. Patent Number 11922810, filed May 23, 2022, and published online on March 5, 2024. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(11922810)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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