Lyft, Inc.

Jess Garms

Taggart Matthiesen

Sebastian Rolf Johan Brannstrom

Jisi Guo

Sebastian Brannstrom

In one embodiment, a transportation system may receive a ride request of a requestor from a requestor computing device. In response to receiving the ride request, the transportation system may present an option to include an autonomous vehicle among available vehicle types for fulfilling the ride request. The transportation system may determine whether the option to include the autonomous vehicle was selected and match the ride request to a vehicle based on determining whether the option to include the autonomous vehicle was selected.

Autonomous vehicle pickup and drop-off management

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, using one or more sensors of a first vehicle, sensor data associated with an environment surrounding the first vehicle. The method includes detecting, using the sensor data, a second vehicle in the environment surrounding the first vehicle. The method includes determining, based on the sensor data, a first movement context associated with the first vehicle and a second movement context associated with the second vehicle. The method includes coordinating, via a ride matching system, movements between the first vehicle and the second vehicle based on the first movement context associated with the first vehicle and the second movement context associated with the second vehicle.

Autonomous vehicle notification system

Embodiments provide systems, methods and computer-readable medium to manage rider pickup and drop-off for autonomous vehicles. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a ride request and an associated pickup location from a requestor computing device, matching the ride request to a vehicle, and instructing the vehicle to travel towards the pickup location. When the vehicle reaches the pickup location, an unlock request is received from the requestor computing device to unlock the vehicle. In response to receiving the unlock request, a verification is made that one or more unlock criteria associated with the vehicle are satisfied. If satisfied, a door of the vehicle is unlocked.

In one embodiment, a method includes detecting, using one or more sensors of a vehicle, an entity in an environment surrounding the vehicle. The method includes determining a position of the entity relative to the vehicle. The method includes determining that a message is to be provided to the entity. The method includes selecting at least one of multiple notification devices of the vehicle based on the position of the entity relative to the vehicle. The method includes providing the message to the entity using the selected notification device.

Embodiments provide techniques, including systems and methods, to manage rider pickup and drop-off for autonomous vehicles. A user can request a ride through an autonomous ride request GUI. The requestor can provide pickup and drop-off locations. Based on the locations, it can be determined whether an autonomous ride is available. If not, alternative ride types can be suggested. If so, an autonomous vehicle can be sent to the pickup location. Embodiments provide pickup and drop-off graphical user interfaces (GUIs), in addition to the autonomous ride request GUI, through which localized pickup and drop-off information may be received. When an autonomous vehicle is within a threshold distance of the pickup or drop-off location, the corresponding GUI can be displayed. The GUI can include one or more selectable localized location elements. The requestor may then select the element corresponding to a desired location to be picked-up or dropped-off.

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, by a computing device of a first vehicle, a message, from a second vehicle, to be presented to an entity within proximity of the first vehicle. The method includes determining, by the computing device of the first vehicle, a location of the entity relative to the first vehicle. The method includes selecting, by the computing device of the first vehicle, a notification device of the first vehicle based on the location of the entity relative to the first vehicle. The method includes causing, by the computing device of the first vehicle, the message from the second vehicle to be presented to the entity by the selected notification device.

In one embodiment, a method includes detecting, by a computing device of an autonomous vehicle, one of multiple entities within a proximity of the autonomous vehicle. The method also includes determining a location of the one of the entities relative to the autonomous vehicle, determining a type of the one of the entities, and determining a predefined message to be presented to the one of the entities based on the location of the one of the entities relative to the autonomous vehicle and further based on the type of the one of the entities. The predefined message is specific to the type of the one of the entities. The method includes causing the predefined message to be presented to the one of the entities by a notification device of the autonomous vehicle associated with the location of the one of the entities relative to the autonomous vehicle.

As the number of autonomous vehicles on the road increases, the need to better integrate those vehicles with traffic also increases. As discussed, various entities in common traffic scenarios (e.g., other vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians, etc.) are all accustomed to navigating traffic in particular ways. Embodiments provide techniques, including systems and methods, for autonomous vehicles to identify entities in traffic and communicate messages to those entities based on the autonomous vehicle's planned movements. For example, embodiments allow the use of one or more notification devices distributed across an autonomous vehicle to provide messages to nearby entities. Accordingly, embodiments utilize available sensor data to identify nearby entities and provide messages to these entities.

Growing community of inventors

San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Jess Garms