WO2017180366A1

WO2017180366A1 - System and method for coordination of autonomous vehicle pickup in a smart space environment

Info

Publication number: WO2017180366A1
Application number: PCT/US2017/025905
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marko Palviainen; Jani Mantyjarvi; Jussi RONKAINEN; Mikko Tarkiainen
Original assignee: Pcms Holdings, Inc.
Priority date: 2016-04-13
Filing date: 2017-04-04
Publication date: 2017-10-19

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for coordinating autonomous vehicle pickup of a user exiting a facility. In an exemplary embodiment, a smart space manager receives, from a user device, information identifying an autonomous vehicle associated with a user of the user device. The smart space manager also receives an indication that the user intends to exit the facility. For each potential exit from the facility, the smart space manager determines (i) a projected user arrival time at the respective exit and (ii) a projected vehicle arrival time at the respective exit. From among the potential exits, the smart space manager selects the exit having the earliest departure time, where the departure time is the later of the projected vehicle arrival time and the projected user arrival time for an exit. The smart space manger directs the vehicle and the user to the selected exit.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COORDINATION OF AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE PICKUP IN A SMART SPACE ENVIRONMENT

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application is a non-provisional filing of, and claims benefit under 35 U.S.C §119(e) from, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/322,056, entitled "System and Method for Coordination of Autonomous Vehicle Pickup in a Smart Space Environment," filed April 13, 2016, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Individuals leaving large, multi-exit venues such as shopping malls and sports arenas may have difficulty accessing their vehicles. Some systems may be based on communicating the actual location of the vehicle in the parking place to a user. In the case of autonomous vehicles, a user may be picked up by the vehicle from the exit of a facility, but this can lead to confusion in cases where a facility has multiple exits. Similarly, delays can arise when multiple autonomous vehicles attempt to access an exit.

SUMMARY

[0003] Systems and methods disclosed herein address the mobility of autonomous vehicles (AV) and their owners (or temporary, e.g., daily users) and pre-arranging availability of the AV. Exemplary embodiments address how to enable more efficient flow of traffic around a large, multi-exit venue where many people may be simultaneously requesting their autonomous vehicles to arrive for pickup. Without coordination, traffic easily becomes congested, leading to increased and indeterminate waiting times for the people waiting for their vehicles, e.g., in front of malls or indoor office complexes.

[0004] In an exemplary embodiment, a smart space manager associated with a facility receives, from a user device, information identifying an autonomous vehicle associated with a user of the user device. The smart space manager also receives an indication that the user intends to exit the facility. For each potential exit from the facility, the smart space manager determines (i) a projected user arrival time at the respective exit and (ii) a projected vehicle arrival time at the respective exit. From among the potential exits, the smart space manager selects the exit having the earliest departure time, where the departure time is the later of the projected vehicle arrival time and the projected user arrival time for an exit. The smart space manger directs the vehicle and the user to the selected exit. The projected user arrival time may be determined by locating the user within the facility and determining a potential walking time to each of the exits. The projected vehicle arrival time may be determined by locating the user's vehicle and determining a potential driving time to each of the exits. In some embodiments, this determination is made by querying the vehicle to determine the potential driving time.

[0005] Projected arrival times refer to a time at which arrival would be expected if the relevant path were to be taken. A projected arrival time may thus be determined, e.g., for a particular exit point, even if the user does not ultimately choose to travel to that particular exit point.

[0006] Systems and methods described herein may additionally be employed where there is some distance between an exit point from a facility and a vehicle pickup location, e.g., where the user traverses a plaza to reach a pickup location after exiting a facility. Projected arrival times may be projected arrival times at the vehicle pickup location. In some embodiments, a plaza, lawn, or other outdoor space may be part of the facility with vehicle pickup locations as designated exits.

[0007] In some embodiments, a smart space manager (either on its own or in communication with individual smart space exit managers) designates particular time slots for vehicle pickups at each exit. In one such embodiment, the smart space manager determines, for each of a plurality of departure points, a projected user arrival time for the user at the respective departure point and a projected vehicle arrival time for the user's vehicle at the respective departure point. For each of the plurality of departure points, an earliest available time slot is determined for the vehicle to conduct a pickup at the respective departure point, where the earliest available time slot is the earliest available time slot that begins after the projected vehicle arrival time and the projected user arrival time for that respective departure point. From among the earliest available time slots for the respective departure points, a departure time slot is selected, wherein the departure time slot is the earliest from among the earliest available time slots, and wherein the departure time slot corresponds to a selected departure point. The smart space manager directs the user and the autonomous vehicle to travel to the selected departure point.

[0008] Systems and methods disclosed herein are particularly useful where the users of AVs are moving (e.g., by foot) around large indoor building complexes in which positioning is difficult. In embodiments disclosed herein, the users' location is tracked within a smart space as the user approaches an exit, and the AV is directed to arrive near the exit at the time the user is expected to arrive at the exit.

[0009] Systems and methods disclosed herein improve the availability of a user's autonomous vehicle for a user who moves between several physical locations and smart spaces without using an AV, but who prefers for the AV to be within reach. In particular, a system may enable a smart space and an AV to negotiate dynamically (and instruct a user) to bring an AV to a user when he or she needs it, e.g., when the user exits an indoor complex.

[0010] One embodiment takes the form of a method that includes the following steps. A user's device joins the smart space (e.g., via Wi-Fi) and exchanges information about the user's vehicle. This information is passed from a smart space manager (SSM) to a smart space exit manager (SSEM). The smart space manager (SSM) queries the AV's location, and the AV's distance from various smart space exit locations is returned. The user's location is being tracked by the SSM (via beacons, Wi-Fi signals, purchase information, or some other technique, or a combination of techniques). Based on this information, the SSM makes a prediction of the potential exit where the user may want his/her AV, and updated estimated time of arrival (ETA) (or projected arrival time) information for the AV at this potential exit is provided and returned to the SSM. The user indicates to the SSM that he or she wants to exit the space (or SSM may figure out that user is close to an exit and is likely to exit). The SSM requests pick up time slots from each exit SSEM/s (infrastructure elements outside equipped via cameras or sensors), and SSEMs return ETA for pickup and schedule a tentative pickup to SSM. This list (sorted by ETA and distance of user to the exit) is sent to the user, and the user selects an exit. The SSM returns this information to the selected SSEM to reserve the time slot. The SSM informs the AV of the pickup exit and the booked time slot for the AV to be there on time. The SSM guides the user to the exit on his device (e.g., providing walking direction such as "pass thru lobby" or "turn left"). As the autonomous vehicle approaches the smart space, the AV delivers updated status info to the SSEM and notifies the SSEM upon arrival. The SSEM provides the SSM with vehicle position information (as well as visual from camera) which informs the user of the location of the vehicle and identifies an amount of time to board the vehicle.

[0011] A further embodiment takes the form of a method of providing follow-me functionality between a user and an AV. In one such method, location updates about the user are received via short range radio. Periodic estimated arrival times of an AV to an exit of the smart space are received. These updates may be based on location updates provided by the AV to a smart space infrastructure element that has wide area connectivity, camera and sensors. An indication may be sent to the user or smart space service about the AV's arrival order to a smart space exit, and the user may be guided to that exit within the smart space. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 depicts an overview of a system architecture, in accordance with some embodiments.

[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates the appearance of a "Follow Me" button on a user interface in three different states in accordance with some embodiments.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a plan view of a smart-space shopping area, in accordance with some embodiments.

[0015] FIGs. 4A and 4B depict a process for directing autonomous vehicles and users simultaneously to the selected exit of a smart space, in accordance with some embodiments.

[0016] FIG. 5 depicts views of example user interfaces (UIs) for personal devices, in accordance with some embodiments.

[0017] FIGs. 6A and 6B depict a process for directing an autonomous vehicle towards the user's last known location, in accordance with some embodiments.

[0018] FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) that may be employed in some embodiments as a computing device that implements the functionality described herein within a user device (such as smartphone or smartwatch) or within an autonomous vehicle.

[0019] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary network entity that may be employed in exemplary embodiments as a smart space manager, smart space exit manager, Follow Me service, or other networked component as described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Systems and methods are disclosed herein for making autonomous vehicles more readily available for users who move between several physical locations and smart spaces by using other means for commuting but who prefer their own vehicle to be within reach. Exemplary systems enable a smart space and an AV to negotiate dynamically (and instruct a user) to bring an AV available to a user when he or she needs it, e.g., when a user exits an indoor complex.

[0021] FIG. 1 depicts an overview of a system architecture 100, in accordance with some embodiments. There are a number of types of modules that may be used. For at least one embodiment, modules and devices are divided into service level entities 102 and device level entities 104. [0022] In at least one embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 1, a smart space 112 is provided. The smart space 112 is associated with a database (which may be a semantic database) that contains information about users, user preferences, applications and devices in the smart space. Numerous other examples of IoT devices may be presented here.

[0023] In at least one embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 1, the smart space 112 is provided with a plurality of smart space entities. Smart space entities are modules that produce information to smart space 112, consume information in a smart space 112 and monitor how information changes in the smart space 112. There are a number of different smart space entities that may be used, as described below.

[0024] In at least one embodiment, a user's primary device 134 (e.g., a smartphone or a mobile device 108) may be one of the smart space entities. An additional smart space entity may be a user positioning service 120 configured to enable identifying the location (e.g., GPS location) of the user. A user recognition module 148 may be provided to enable recognition of the user in a smart space. For example, a user recognition module 148 may recognize when a user enters a smart space or leaves from a smart space. Multiple user interface (UI) device(s) 126 may be provided. These UI devices 126 may include an application interface 128. An application interface 128 enables an application/service module to use a UI device 126 to access an application's information and controllers. For one embodiment, an information unit 132 may be used. UI devices 126 may further include respective interaction management modules 130. An interaction management module 130 implements an application interface 128 and controls a UI device's 126 input units and UI device's 126 output units. For one embodiment, a smart space sensing unit 150 may be used by a smart space entity to determine the location of a user.

[0025] In at least one embodiment, a smart space management module 142 is provided as one of the smart space entities. The smart space management module 142 may include a smart space database interface 136, which may be an interface to a semantic database. The database interface 136 enables other smart space entities to publish information to the smart space database and to monitor changes in information in the smart space 112. Exemplary information types are application descriptions, user preferences and device descriptions. A smart space manager (SSM) 142 may also be provided as a service that may communicate with the user's device and with a "Follow Me" service 154 associated with the user's vehicle. The smart space manager 142 may include a user location service 144. The user location service 144 is capable of delivering the last known location of the user within the smart space 112, based on information gathered from the user's actions, such as vicinity to beacons, access to wireless routers, visits to nested smart spaces (e.g., shops in a mall), or purchase information from shops. The smart space manager 142 may also include a user route service. 146 The user route service 146 is capable of predicting the expected route of the user. In some embodiments, the route prediction is based on the user behavior.

[0026] The smart space management module may include one or more smart space exit managers (SSEM) 138. A smart space exit manager 138 is a service associated with a particular exit of the smart space 112. The smart space exit manager 138 provides static information about the exit, such as exit location coordinates. The smart space exit manager 138 may further operate to estimate pickup traffic congestion outside the exit, based on sensors such as cameras, and other infrastructure elements. The smart space exit manager 138 may further estimate a short- term need for pickup traffic for the exit, using information from SSM 142, user location and route services. The smart space exit manager 138 may obtain estimated time of arrival (ETA) information from AVs approaching the exit for pickup. Based on the above, the smart space exit manager 138 schedules time slots for pickup traffic outside the exit for autonomous vehicles.

[0027] The smart space management module 142 may further include a smart space-visit service ("SS-Visit Service") 140. The smart space visit service 140 may operate to notify smart space entities when the user enters into a smart space 112 or leaves from a smart space 112.

[0028] Various communication networks may be used for transferring data and messages between external communication networks 116 and among smart space entities. For one embodiment, communication networks 116 may be used to communicate with a parking service 110.

[0029] As depicted in FIG. 1, a Follow Me service module 106 may be provided. The Follow Me service 106 may be implemented as a cloud service that orchestrates the use of the Follow Me functionality in autonomous vehicles 114. The Follow Me service module 106 may include a driving plan service (DPS) 118. A DPS 118 uses available navigation services and traffic information services and produces driving plans for an autonomous vehicle 114 following a user.

[0030] In some embodiments, a Follow Me application 122 is provided on a user device 126 and a further Follow Me application 154 is provided on an autonomous vehicle 114. A Follow Me application 122, 154 enables use of a Follow Me service 106. For one embodiment, a user device's Follow Me application 122 may include an exception recognition service 124. For one embodiment, an autonomous vehicle Follow Me application 154 may include an exception recognition service 156.

[0031] A user's autonomous vehicle 114 may include an autonomous driving service (ADS) module 152. An ADS module 152 may provide services that drive an autonomous vehicle 114 to a desired destination. For at least one embodiment, an autonomous vehicle 114 may have a user interface device 158 that includes an application interface 160, an interaction manager 162, and an information unit 164. These UI device modules may enable other applications and devices to interact with an autonomous vehicle 114.

[0032] Exemplary embodiments may provide one or more the following benefits. In some embodiments, the ADS operates to predict where the user may want to board the autonomous vehicle (e.g., autonomous car) 114. Such embodiments may provide quick access to the vehicle when needed, e.g., after the user has finished shopping. Such embodiments may also shorten parking times and eliminate a user walking long distances to and from a parking spot. Such embodiments further enable a user's drop-off point to be different from the pickup point, allowing a user to avoid backtracking. The use in some embodiments of smart spaces 112 to track a user's location (e.g., indoor location) allows dynamic prediction of a user's likely exit points. Exemplary embodiments further operate to reduce traffic congestion at building exits by more closely synchronizing the arrival of the user and his or her respective vehicle at the exit, reducing the amount of time a vehicle spends idling at the exit.

[0033] FIG. 2 depicts a "Follow Me" button, which may be displayed on a user interface (e.g., a touch screen 200). The button may have different appearances in different circumstances (e.g., different modes 204, 208, 212) to provide information to the user. For example, FIG. 2 illustrates a button 202, 206, 210 in three different modes: a waiting mode 204, an autonomous drive mode 208, and an inactive mode 212.

[0034] In response to a user pressing the Follow Me button when the Follow Me mode is not active, the Follow Me mode is activated. When the Follow Me mode is active, the vehicle is permitted to act on request to change location by, e.g., a cloud-based application or other authorized actor in response to a change in location by the user. For example, the autonomous driving (or Follow Me) mode 208 allows the autonomous vehicle to be directed to drive to a selected exit of a smart space. The associated Follow Me button 206 may be used to display an ETA for the user. In the waiting mode 204, the Follow Me mode is on and the autonomous vehicle is waiting for the user nearby a selected exit of a smart space.

[0035] By pressing the deactivate button 210, the user may deactivate the Follow Me mode. In the inactive mode 212, the Follow Me mode is off. If the Follow Me function is disabled, the vehicle may respond only to explicit move requests, e.g., when the user explicitly requests that that the vehicle travels to a particular location.

[0036] FIG. 3 is a floor plan 300 of an exemplary smart space 302, which may be, for example, a large store, a shopping mall, or an event venue. A smart space 302 is often related to a specific physical location (e.g., home, a mall, a shop, and working place) that has one or more exits (e.g., exit doors) for leaving from the physical location as depicted in FIG. 3. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the shop-smart space has at least three exit routes, e.g., three exit doors 304, 306, 308. In response to a user request to exit the facility, a smart space manager may locate the user within the smart space 302 and may calculate a projected arrival time for the user at each of the three exits 304, 306, 308. The user arrival time may be based on an expected time for the user to walk to the respective exits (e.g., along the paths 312, 314, 316 indicated by dotted lines). The smart space manager may also determine a projected vehicle arrival time at each of the exits 304, 306, 308. In the example of FIG. 3, the user 310 is nearest to Exit 1 (304), but the user's vehicle 318 is nearest to Exit 3 (308). The user 310 may not depart until both the user 310 and the user's vehicle 318 are at the same exit. The smart space manager may determine a projected departure time for each exit, where the projected departure time is the later of the projected user arrival time and the projected vehicle arrival time. The smart space manager may determine which exit has the earliest projected departure time and may direct the user and the vehicle to that exit, using messages sent over a network, for example.

[0037] As an example, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, the determination of whether to direct the user and vehicle to Exit 1 (304) (to which the user 310 is closest) or to Exit 3 (308) (to which the vehicle 318 is closest) may be made using the technique described above. The determination is likely to depend on whether the user 310 will take less time to walk to Exit 3 (308) or the user's autonomous vehicle 318 will take less time to drive to Exit 1 (304).

[0038] In an exemplary embodiment, the projected user arrival time at exit i is represented by a value User ETA, and the projected autonomous vehicle arrival time at exit i is represented by a value AV ETAi. The selected exit may be the exit i that has the minimum value of max(User_ETA, , AV ETA,).

[0039] In some embodiments, the user may have the option of rejecting a recommended exit that has the earliest departure time. For example, the user may select an exit having a slightly later projected departure time in order to take a more pleasant walk through an atrium area. In some embodiments, a user may have a preference for walking rather than waiting. For example, the user may prefer to walk to Exit 3 (308), even if such a preference leads to a later departure time because he will not need to wait for his vehicle, whereas a walk to Exit 1 (304), though shorter, may entail some waiting. Such user preferences may be stored and used automatically through weighting. For example, a user may be willing to wait so long as each minute of waiting advances the departure time by at least two minutes. In some embodiments, arrival time of a user at a user's next destination may be used in exit selection calculations. For example, one exit from a shopping mall may lead to an early departure time, but that exit may be on the opposite side of the mall from the user's next destination and may add to the user's travel time to the next destination. Selection of the exit at which the user and his vehicle are to meet may be based at least in part on the user's next destination.

[0040] It may be advantageous to have an autonomous vehicle arrive at the correct exit when a user is leaving from the smart space (e.g., from a mall). However, as other visitors to the mall may also have their cars 320, 322, 324 coming for pickup to the same exit, timely organization of the arriving vehicles is helpful in order to prevent congestion at the exit. To achieve this, it is beneficial to minimize the waiting time for cars. On the other hand, it is also beneficial to minimize the waiting time for users. Preferably, both the car and the user are guided to arrive at the exit at the same time.

[0041] FIGs. 4A and 4B depict a process 400 for synchronizing the arrival of autonomous vehicles users at a selected exit of a smart space, in accordance with some embodiments. In particular, FIGs. 4A and 4B depicts a case where the user explicitly calls for pickup.

[0042] Joining the Smart Space. In the exemplary method, the user joins the smart space 412, such as a smart space of a shopping mall, and the user's device 402 exchanges vehicle information with the smart space manager 404 and receives a response 414.

[0043] Vehicle Traveling Time Query. Using a vehicle traveling time query, the mall's smart space manager 404 queries 416 the vehicle 410 for traveling time estimates to each mall exit. The AV 410 replies 418, 422 with estimated times of arrival.

[0044] User Tracking. In a user tracking step 420, the smart space tracks the user's movement inside the mall using various information sources, such as any beacons she passes, wireless routers her device connects to, nested smart space visits (e.g., shops within a mall), and/or purchase information from the shops.

[0045] Selection of Most Probable Exit. In some embodiments, the smart space manager 404 operates to predict which exit the user will take and when. The smart space manager 404 may perform this operation by, for example, tracking the user's exit routes from previous visits, and thus select the most probable exit. Alternatively, the service may select the exit that is most popular among the shop's customers.

[0046] Determination of Exit Location and Time. In some embodiments, the user notifies 424 the SSM 404 of her wish to leave the smart space. Alternatively, the smart space manager 404 may determine that the user is about to exit the mall, via the predicted exit. The SSM 404 requests 426, 432 pickup time slot estimates for the vehicle 410 to each exit, from the respective SSEMs 406, 408 of those exits. The SSEMs 406, 408 may perform preliminary scheduling 428,

434 and reply with a tentative time slot response message 430, 436. The Smart Space Manager

404 queries the user if she is leaving and whether she wants her car 410 delivered to her. The query 438 may contain a list of the time slot estimates and walking distances for each exit. The user selects 440 a suitable exit from the list and responds with a response 442. The list may be ordered by, e.g., distance from the user's current location, or the arrival times to each exit. The

SSM 404 may send a time slot request 444 to an SSEM 406. An SSEM 406 may schedule a time slot 446 and reply with a response 448. The SSM 404 may send a vehicle information indication

450 to the SSEM selected. The SSM 404 returns 454 to the user device 402 an estimate of the vehicle arrival time and walking time to the selected exit.

[0047] Car Pickup Request. The SSM 404 may request 452 that the Follow Me service deliver the car 410 to the specified exit at the given time. The ADS in the car handles the request and requests the parking service to deliver a route to the location of the selected exit of the mall smart space.

[0048] Autonomous Driving to the Exit. The ADS drives the user's vehicle 410 towards the exit. As the vehicle 410 moves, the vehicle 410 sends 468 updated travelling time estimates to the SSEM 406. Updates 468 are sent at least if preset criteria are met (e.g., ETA 5 minutes or ETA 1 minute) or if the ETA changes significantly, e.g., due to traffic. Each update 468 triggers a new scheduling at the SSEM 406, followed by an update 474 of the time slot to the vehicle 410. Close to the ETA (e.g., 1 minute before), the SSEM 406 allocates 470 a temporary parking slot for the vehicle 410 (or car) by the exit and identifies 476 the parking slot to the vehicle.

[0049] User Guidance. In some embodiments, the SSM 404 tracks the user's location. If the SSM 404 determines 460 the user is in danger of missing the pickup, the SSM 404 may send 462 one or more guidance indications to the user to indicate when the vehicle will arrive, an estimate of the walking time to the exit, and directions with respect to the user's current location (e.g., "proceed through Lobby A, then turn left"). ETA indications 476 may be sent at preset times relative to the arrival of the vehicle (e.g., ETA 5 minutes or ETA 1 minute). These indications 462, 476 may be displayed 464, 478 as notifications to the user. For one embodiment, a user's device 402 may send a location update 458 to indicate location of the user device and an associated user. For one embodiment, a location update 458 may include location coordinates of a user's device 402.

[0050] Vehicle Arrival Notification. The vehicle 410 drives to the allocated slot and notifies 480 the SSEM 406 of the vehicle's arrival. The SSEM 406 sends 482 a notification to the SSM 404 with position information (e.g., a photo of the cars outside the exit with the car's slot highlighted). The SSM 404 notifies 484 the user device 402 (which notifies 486 the user), and the user is given a preset amount of time to board the vehicle 410 and drive away 488 (e.g., three minutes).

[0051] Vehicle Exit Indication. The vehicle drives away 488 with the user and in some embodiments notifies 490 the SSEM 406, which may in turn notify 492 the SSM 404.

[0052] FIGs. 4A and 4B illustrate a process that involves a successful, user-initiated process for pickup. Other outcomes for the process also may be used in some embodiments.

[0053] Vehicle Related Exceptions. In some embodiments, if the vehicle is late due to, e.g., traffic or an accident, the SSEM may negotiate a new time slot for the vehicle. The SSM may redirect the user and the vehicle (with the user's permission) to a different exit (and different time slot). In at least one embodiment, if the vehicle cannot come at all (e.g., malfunction, accident involving the vehicle, the vehicle informs the SSEM, which cancels the pickup and informs the SSM. The SSM informs the user, and may suggest alternative transportation (e.g., call a cab or order a shared AV to pick up the user as in the above process).

[0054] User Related Exceptions. In some embodiments, where the vehicle has arrived, but the user is late, the vehicle may be sent off by the SSEM after a waiting period, and reschedule. The SSEM may allocate more waiting time, if the user is close enough, and moving towards the exit. The vehicle may be rescheduled to a different time slot and a different exit. In at least one embodiment, if the user moves towards another exit than agreed, after predefined criteria are met (e.g., the user's route indicates the other exit and the user is far enough from original exit), the SSM may (with user's permission via query) guide the car to the nearest exit on the user's present path. If the user does not want the car to pick her up, despite walking towards an exit, the SSM queries whether the user wants to be picked up, and the user declines. If the user wants to cancel an agreed pickup, she makes a new pickup request, and chooses a later time slot (and optionally, another exit) in the exit selection query.

[0055] Smart Space / SSEM Related Exceptions. In at least one embodiment, if a free parking slot is not available when the car arrives, the SSEM may notify the user, and allocate the next free spot for the car and ask the car to wait or cruise around the block until called. The SSEM may suggest the user to use another exit and schedule a pickup there. In at least one embodiment, if a free parking slot is estimated to be unavailable when the user and car are planned to arrive, the SSEM may suggest the user another, less crowded exit, and schedule a pickup there. The SSEM may allocate a later slot for the vehicle. [0056] In an embodiment, if the SSM detects that the user is about to exit, or if the user sends a pickup request to the SSM, the guidance process is restarted and run as described above.

[0057] FIG. 5 depicts views of example UIs for personal devices 501, 505, in accordance with some embodiments. In particular, FIG. 5 depicts (a) an example of the detailed instructions 502, 506 to a user by using personal devices 501, 505 when AV is approaching the AV queue and a user is approaching Exit 5B (which may include a sound or vibration 507), (b) an example of a car arrival indication on a smart space connected signpost 503, and (c) an example of the picture 504 highlighting the location of the AV.

[0058] In an exemplary use case, when the user is approaching e.g., Exit 5B of a smart space such as a mall, a system informs a user that an AV is arriving and where the AV will arrive. A system uses a user's personal devices, smart space physical connected signposts and/or smart space camera systems, e.g., surveillance, to provide illustration of the location of the arriving AV.

[0059] The foregoing components may communicate with one another and with other entities using a messaging protocol. The messaging protocol may include various types of messages such as, for example, a location update message, an arrival indication message, a smart space join request message, a smart space join response message, an ETA request message, an ETA indication message, a pickup indication message, a time slot request message, a time slot response message, an exit selection query message, an exit selection response message, a car information indication message, a guidance indication message, and/or a parking slot information message.

[0060] The location update message may include location information, e.g., a description of the location of the user. The location information may include one or more of GPS coordinates, a street address, a smart space visit indication, a purchase event at a shop, or any other indication that provides information regarding the user's location. The location update further may further include a timestamp.

[0061] The arrival indication message may be sent by the vehicle on arrival. The message may be relayed and augmented by, e.g., infrastructure components such as a SSEM to add additional information to help locating the car. The arrival indication message may include information regarding the location, e.g., coordinates of the car's location, and may include additional information, such as supplementary information that may help locate the car, e.g., a photo of the car's surroundings where the car is highlighted, or a map with an X on the car's position. [0062] The smart space join request message may include user information, such as a user ID, and vehicle information sufficient to enable communication with the vehicle.

[0063] The smart space join response message may provide an acknowledgment indicating of whether join is permitted. The smart space join response message may optionally include smart space information.

[0064] The ETA request message may be provided to permit inquiry as to the vehicle's estimated time of arrival. The vehicle may be queried as to estimated time of arrival (ETA) for a list of locations. An exemplary ETA may include a location list, which may be a list of locations to which the ETAs are requested, in, e.g., GPS coordinates.

[0065] The ETA indication message may be provided as a response to the ETA request message. The ETA indication message may include an ETA list that lists locations and their respective ETAs.

[0066] The pickup indication message may serve as a request from a user to the smart space to arrange the user's vehicle at a suitable exit. The pickup indication message may include a specific pickup time or may designate that the pickup occur as soon as possible.

[0067] The time slot request message may be used by the smart space manager to request from an SSEM a list of one or more available time slots when pickup for given vehicle is possible. The time slot request message may include a pickup time estimate, representing the earliest time for pickup. The time slot request message may further include a request type. A "final" request type may indicate that a time slot may be allocated based on the request. A "tentative" request type may be used to indicate that only a tentative allocation of a time slot be made. For one embodiment, determining a projected vehicle arrival time for an autonomous vehicle to arrive at an exit point may include determining if a pickup time slot is available within a pickup threshold time of a projected user arrival time.

[0068] The time slot response message may be used to provide a time slot list that identifies available time slot(s), e.g. by identifying the respective start times and durations. The time slot response message may further include an indication of the type of allocation, e.g. whether the allocation is final or tentative.

[0069] The exit selection query message may be used for presenting the user with a list of available exits and estimates for possible pickup times for the exits. The list may be ordered by, e.g., estimated pickup time, or closeness of the exits to the user. The exit selection query may include an exit information list, which may include a description of available time slots. The description of available time slots may include an exit description, which may be a human readable description, e.g. "Exit 1 at Elm Street." the description of available time slots may further include information on the walking time to exit, e.g., an estimated time measured based on the user's current location within the smart space. The description may further include an ETA list, listing available time slots when the user's vehicle may be scheduled for arrival at the respective exits.

[0070] The exit selection response message may include information identifying an exit and a time slot. The exit selection response message may thus identify the exit at which the user wants to be picked up and the time slot selected by the user from among the offered time slots.

[0071] The car information indication message may be used to give the SSEM information used to allow the SSEM to establish a direct communication point with the vehicle. The car information indication message may include communication endpoint information, such as communication details for the vehicle (e.g., network type, network address, authorization token).

[0072] The guidance indication message may be used by the SSM to guide the user towards the selected exit, based on information on the user's whereabouts. The guidance indication message may include an ETA (which may be an estimate of remaining time until pickup) and walking time (an estimate of how long it will take the user to walk to the exit). The guidance information message may include directions, such as any other information that may help the user arrive at the correct location at the correct time (e.g., indication of where to go next, based on user's current location).

[0073] The parking slot information message may be used by the SSEM to provide parking information to the AV. The parking slot information may include location information, such as a description of the parking slot, e.g., as GPS coordinates, or position with respect to an accurate 3D map. The parking slot information may further include a time identifying the time during which the parking slot is reserved for the AV.

[0074] In some embodiments, instead of the same car following the user, the service may assign a shared self-driving car to pick up the user at the predicted exit. This may be done by, e.g., a service that tracks available cars that are expected to be near the predicted exit spot at the predicted exit time. Other functionality may be provided in addition to pickup functionality. For example, a user may order a vehicle to appear near the exit of a shopping mall to allow for loading of purchases before the user returns to the mall for more shopping.

[0075] In addition to guiding the vehicle towards an exit close to the user, the Follow Me functionality may also contain functionality for keeping the vehicle close to the user's last known location. This functionality may be combined with the exit guidance functionality in order to minimize the travel time of the car to the exit. In order to achieve this, the following steps may be executed if a user is moving in a city.

[0076] FIGs. 6A and 6B depict a process 600 for directing autonomous vehicle towards the user's last known location, in accordance with some embodiments. In the embodiment of FIG 6, an autonomous vehicle 604 enters a range-based following mode upon an activation 612 sent by a user's device 602. An update of the user's last known location 614 is sent to a user location service 606. A vehicle 604 delivers to a user location service 606 a request 616 for a user's last known location. The user location service 606 responds 618 with coordinates and a timestamp. A calculation of the distance between the user and vehicle is performed. The Follow Me service calculates 620 a distance to the user for ensuring that the vehicle is inside a defined range (e.g., ensures that the time to pickup the user is less than 3 minutes). A range-based following process is provided. This is performed if the vehicle's distance to the user is more than defined. The Follow Me service associated with a vehicle 604 queries 622 a user route service 608 to produce a predicted route for the user. The user route service 608 may respond 624 with waypoints and timestamps. The Follow Me service associated with a vehicle 604 further queries 626 a parking service 610 to acquire information about parking lots (or other parking areas) that are near the user's expected route. A parking service 610 may create a list of parking lots near a waypoint 628 and respond 630 with such a list. Using this parking information to calculate distances 632, the Follow Me service attempts to minimize the distance to the user and selects 634 a parking lot.

[0077] The ADS drives the user's car to a position near the exit door of the shop. The ADS sends a notification to a smart space visit service that indicates that the vehicle is near the exit door of the shop. The smart space visit service delivers the notification to the Follow Me service, which sends 636 the arrival indication to the Follow Me application in the mobile (or user's) device 602. The Follow Me application in the mobile device 602 displays the notification to the user.

[0078] In an exemplary use case, a user "Lisa" has an autonomous vehicle that may communicate with a smart space, and Lisa further has a Follow Me service installed on her mobile device. Lisa travels with her autonomous vehicle (AV) to a mall. Lisa presses the "Follow Me" button in the car's dashboard. The Follow Me functionality is now activated in the AV. Lisa enters the mall smart space. The autonomous vehicle drives to a parking place near the exit that Lisa will most probably use when leaving the mall. Lisa purchases some new clothes and walks towards Exit 2. The smart space tracks her movement and queries her whether she wants her car to pick her up at her nearest exit. She agrees. As the AV approaches Exit 2, Lisa starts receiving notifications to her smart watch about how long it is expected to take for the AV to be at Exit 2. As Lisa approaches Exit 2, she receives a notification on the watch "Your car is 3^rd on the right". The signpost near Exit 2 notifies: "Lisa your car is 3^rd on the right". Lisa finds her car, puts her shopping bags in the car, and gets in the car. Lisa drives home and presses the "Follow Me" button for deactivating the Follow Me mode.

[0079] FIG. 7 is a system diagram of an exemplary wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) 702, which may be employed as a computing device that implements the functionality described herein within a user device (such as smartphone or smartwatch) or within an autonomous vehicle. As shown in FIG. 7, the WTRU 702 may include a processor 718, a communication interface 719 including a transceiver 720, a transmit/receive element 722, a speaker/microphone 724, a keypad 726, a display/touchpad 728, a non-removable memory 730, a removable memory 732, a power source 734, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 736, and sensors 738. The WTRU 702 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0080] The processor 718 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 718 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input/output processing, and/or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 702 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 718 may be coupled to the transceiver 720, which may be coupled to the transmit/receive element 722. While FIG. 7 depicts the processor 718 and the transceiver 720 as separate components, the processor 718 and the transceiver 720 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0081] The transmit/receive element 722 may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station over the air interface 716. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit/receive element 722 may be an antenna configured to transmit and/or receive RF signals. In another embodiment, the transmit/receive element 722 may be an emitter/detector configured to transmit and/or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, as examples. In yet another embodiment, the transmit/receive element 722 may be configured to transmit and receive both RF and light signals. The transmit/receive element 722 may be configured to transmit and/or receive any combination of wireless signals. [0082] In addition, although the transmit/receive element 722 is depicted in FIG. 7 as a single element, the WTRU 702 may include any number of transmit/receive elements 722. More specifically, the WTRU 702 may employ MTMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 702 may include two or more transmit/receive elements 722 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 716.

[0083] The transceiver 720 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit/receive element 722 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit/receive element 722. As noted above, the WTRU 702 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 720 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 702 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as UTRA and IEEE 802.11, as examples.

[0084] The processor 718 of the WTRU 702 may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from, the speaker/microphone 724, the keypad 726, and/or the display/touchpad 728 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 718 may also output user data to the speaker/microphone 724, the keypad 726, and/or the display/touchpad 728. In addition, the processor 718 may access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 730 and/or the removable memory 732. The non-removable memory 730 may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 732 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 718 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 702, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0085] The processor 718 may receive power from the power source 734, and may be configured to distribute and/or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 702. The power source 734 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 702. As examples, the power source 734 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), and the like), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0086] The processor 718 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 736, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 702. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 736, the WTRU 702 may receive location information over the air interface 716 from a base station and/or determine its location based on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. The WTRU 702 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0087] The processor 718 may further be coupled to other peripherals 738, which may include one or more software and/or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and/or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 738 may include sensors such as an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, and the like.

[0088] FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary network entity 890 that may be used in embodiments of systems and methods disclosed herein, for example as a smart space manager, smart space exit manager, Follow Me service, or other networked component as described herein. As depicted in FIG. 8, network entity 890 includes a communication interface 892, a processor 894, and non- transitory data storage 896, all of which are communicatively linked by a bus, network, or other communication path.

[0089] Communication interface 892 may include one or more wired communication interfaces and/or one or more wireless-communication interfaces. With respect to wired communication, communication interface 892 may include one or more interfaces such as Ethernet interfaces, as an example. With respect to wireless communication, communication interface 892 may include components such as one or more antennae, one or more transceivers/chipsets designed and configured for one or more types of wireless (e.g., LTE) communication, and/or any other components deemed suitable by those of skill in the relevant art. And further with respect to wireless communication, communication interface 892 may be equipped at a scale and with a configuration appropriate for acting on the network side— as opposed to the client side— of wireless communications (e.g., LTE communications, Wi-Fi communications, and the like). Thus, communication interface 892 may include the appropriate equipment and circuitry (including multiple transceivers) for serving multiple mobile stations, UEs, or other access terminals in a coverage area.

[0090] Processor 894 may include one or more processors of any type deemed suitable by those of skill in the relevant art, some examples including a general-purpose microprocessor and a dedicated DSP.

[0091] Data storage 896 may take the form of any non-transitory computer-readable medium or combination of such media, some examples including flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), and random-access memory (RAM) to name but a few, as any one or more types of non- transitory data storage deemed suitable by those of skill in the relevant art may be used. As depicted in FIG. 8, data storage 896 contains program instructions 897 executable by processor 894 for carrying out various combinations of the various network-entity functions described herein.

[0092] Note that various hardware elements of one or more of the described embodiments are referred to as "modules" that carry out (perform or execute) various functions that are described herein in connection with the respective modules. As used herein, a module includes hardware (e.g., one or more processors, one or more microprocessors, one or more microcontrollers, one or more microchips, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), one or more memory devices) deemed suitable by those of skill in the relevant art for a given implementation. Each described module may also include instructions executable for carrying out the one or more functions described as being carried out by the respective module, and those instructions may take the form of or include hardware (hardwired) instructions, firmware instructions, software instructions, and/or the like, and may be stored in any suitable non-transitory computer-readable medium or media, such as commonly referred to as RAM and ROM.

[0093] Although features and elements are described above in particular combinations, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that each feature or element may be used alone or in any combination with the other features and elements. In addition, the methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated in a computer- readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a register, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor in association with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a user device, information identifying an autonomous vehicle associated with a user of the user device;

receiving, from the user device, an indication that the user intends to exit the facility; for each of a plurality of potential exit points from the facility, determining (i) a projected user arrival time for the user at the respective exit point and (ii) a projected vehicle arrival time for the autonomous vehicle at the respective exit point;

from among the potential exit points, selecting the exit point having an earliest departure time, where the departure time for an exit point is the later of the projected vehicle arrival time and the projected user arrival time for a respective exit point; and

directing the autonomous vehicle to the selected exit point.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the projected vehicle arrival time comprises sending a vehicle traveling time query to the autonomous vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the projected vehicle arrival time for the autonomous vehicle at the respective exit point comprises determining if a pickup time slot is available within a pickup threshold time of the projected user arrival time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining exit point availability by querying an infrastructure element associated with the exit point, and wherein selecting the exit point is performed only among available exit points.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a location of the user device, wherein the determination of the projected user arrival time for an exit point is based on a projected travel time from the location of the user device to the exit point.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, to the user device, a message requesting that the user move to the selected exit point.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein directing the autonomous vehicle to the selected exit point comprises sending location coordinates of the selected exit point to the autonomous vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein directing the autonomous vehicle to the selected exit point comprises sending information related to the projected vehicle arrival time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the projected user arrival time for an exit point is a projected time for the user to walk to the exit point.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the projected vehicle arrival time for an exit point is a projected time for the autonomous vehicle to drive to the exit point.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, to the user device, information regarding the plurality of potential exit points from the facility; and

receiving, from the user device, an indication of a preference of an exit point chosen from the plurality of potential exit points from the facility,

wherein the selected exit point is selected further based on the exit point preference.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the information regarding the plurality of potential exit points from the facility comprises a projected timeslot for the autonomous vehicle to arrive at each of the plurality of potential exit points from the facility and a projected walking time for the user to arrive at each of the plurality of potential exit points from the facility.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an estimated arrival time of the autonomous vehicle at the selected exit point; and

sending to the user device the estimated arrival time of the autonomous vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13, where the estimated arrival time of the autonomous vehicle is received from an infrastructure element associated with the selected exit point.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication that the autonomous vehicle has arrived at a designated parking slot; and

sending to the user device the indication that the autonomous vehicle has arrived at the designated parking slot.

16. The method of claim 15, where the indication that the autonomous vehicle has arrived at the designated parking slot is received from an infrastructure element associated with the selected exit point.

17. The method of claim 2, wherein sending the vehicle traveling time query to the autonomous vehicle comprises sending a list of the plurality of potential exit points from the facility.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a projected vehicle arrival time for each of the plurality of potential exit points from the facility.

19. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the location of the user device comprises receiving location coordinates from the user device.

20. A system comprising at least one processor and a non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions operative, when executed on the processor, to perform functions comprising:

receiving, from the user device, an indication that the user intends to exit the facility; for each of a plurality of potential exit points from the facility, determining (i) a projected user arrival time for the user at the respective exit point and (ii) a projected vehicle arrival time for the vehicle at the respective exit point;

directing the vehicle to the selected exit point.