Vehicular passenger monitoring system
Inventors
Assignees
Publication Number
US-11912285-B2
Publication Date
2024-02-27
Expiration Date
2042-01-06
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Abstract
An apparatus for an autonomous vehicle may include a plurality of sensors and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry may be configured to receive a trip plan via including a pick-up location, a drop-off location, an identity of the passenger, and control parameters, execute the trip plan according to the pick-up location, the drop-off location, the identity of the passenger, and the control parameters, receive sensor data from the plurality of sensors, and analyze the sensor data in relation to a criteria profile to determine whether compliance boundaries of the criteria profile have been violated. The criteria profile may be generated based on the trip plan and may indicate compliance boundaries for the trip plan. The processing circuitry may be further configured to send an alert in response to determining that the sensor data indicates that a violation of a compliance boundary of the criteria profile has occurred.
Core Innovation
The invention is a system, apparatus, and method for monitoring and providing feedback on the status and activities of passengers in an autonomous vehicle. The solution integrates a sensor network—including cameras, thermal cameras, heart rate sensors, respiration rate sensors, smoke/vapor detectors, and microphones—with processing circuitry configured to execute a trip plan provided via a supervisory device. The trip plan includes pick-up and drop-off locations, passenger identity, and control parameters, which are used to generate a criteria profile specifying compliance boundaries for the trip.
The system addresses the lack of human supervision in autonomous vehicles, which creates risks of unsafe, non-compliant, or undesirable behavior by passengers during a trip. In the absence of a human driver, there is no inherent oversight or concern for passenger safety, well-being, or adherence to expected behavior, necessitating a technical solution to both detect violations and alert responsible parties.
Using the processing circuitry and chief stew module, the system receives the trip plan, monitors sensor data in real time, analyzes this data against the predefined criteria profile, and sends alerts to the supervisory device or a third party when violations of compliance boundaries are detected. The criteria profile can include heat-related criteria, heart rate and respiration ranges, location boundaries, and behavioral restrictions tailored for the trip, enabling flexible supervision and intervention capabilities for a variety of use cases.
Claims Coverage
The patent contains several independent claims covering systems, methods, and apparatuses providing real-time passenger monitoring and compliance verification in autonomous vehicles. The main inventive features are summarized below.
System for autonomous vehicle passenger monitoring and compliance using heat data
A system including a supervisory device to receive a trip plan with pick-up and drop-off locations, passenger identity, and control parameters (including a heat-related criterion), and an autonomous vehicle with processing circuitry and a sensor network containing a thermal camera. The processing circuitry implements a chief stew module to receive the trip plan, execute the trip, receive sensor data, analyze data relative to a criteria profile, and send alerts upon compliance violations, particularly analyzing heat data to detect and alert on physical behavior of more than one passenger.
Method for monitoring activity in an autonomous vehicle by analyzing sensor data against a criteria profile
A method comprising receiving a trip plan (with a heat-related criterion), executing the trip by an autonomous vehicle, receiving sensor data from a network including a thermal camera, and analyzing such data against a criteria profile based on the trip plan. Alerts are generated and sent to a supervisory or third party device upon detection of violations, including those identified through heat data indicating physical behavior between passengers.
Apparatus for autonomous vehicle monitoring based on trip criteria and sensor feedback
An apparatus configured with multiple sensors—including a camera, thermal camera, and location sensor—and processing circuitry to receive a trip plan (with pick-up/drop-off, passenger identity, and heat-related criterion), execute the trip, analyze sensor data relative to a criteria profile, and send alerts for violations, particularly when heat data is indicative of prohibited physical behavior.
Collectively, these inventive features define an integrated approach for autonomous vehicles to receive trip plans with customizable compliance criteria, monitor passengers using a variety of sensors (notably thermal cameras), analyze activities against a generated profile, and issue alerts when violations (including those based on heat data indicative of specific behaviors) occur.
Stated Advantages
Enables driverless autonomous vehicle operation while providing passenger safety monitoring and oversight.
Supports flexible supervision and enforcement of behavioral and safety parameters tailored to each trip.
Allows real-time alerting to supervisors or third parties when compliance boundaries are violated, addressing risks introduced by absence of human drivers.
Documented Applications
Monitoring and supervising teenagers during outings, such as dates or group events, in autonomous vehicles.
Transporting children to school, lessons, practices, or play dates with monitoring for safety and compliance.
Transporting elderly individuals to appointments (e.g., doctor or dentist visits) with health and safety monitoring.
General use in providing oversight for any passenger—child, adult, elderly—during autonomous vehicle trips to ensure compliance with predetermined behavioral and safety criteria.
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