WO2018086127A1 - Method and apparatus for modifying a vehicle route - Google Patents

Method and apparatus for modifying a vehicle route Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2018086127A1
WO2018086127A1 PCT/CN2016/105765 CN2016105765W WO2018086127A1 WO 2018086127 A1 WO2018086127 A1 WO 2018086127A1 CN 2016105765 W CN2016105765 W CN 2016105765W WO 2018086127 A1 WO2018086127 A1 WO 2018086127A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
vehicle
route
complete
fuel
modified
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/CN2016/105765
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Yue Chen
Chaobin GUO
Weidong MENG
Original Assignee
Nokia Technologies Oy
Nokia Technologies (Beijing) Co., Ltd.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Nokia Technologies Oy, Nokia Technologies (Beijing) Co., Ltd. filed Critical Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority to EP16921253.7A priority Critical patent/EP3532800A4/en
Priority to PCT/CN2016/105765 priority patent/WO2018086127A1/en
Publication of WO2018086127A1 publication Critical patent/WO2018086127A1/en

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
    • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
    • G01C21/26—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
    • G01C21/34—Route searching; Route guidance
    • G01C21/3453—Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
    • G01C21/3469—Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
    • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
    • G01C21/26—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
    • G01C21/34—Route searching; Route guidance
    • G01C21/3407—Route searching; Route guidance specially adapted for specific applications
    • G01C21/3438—Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route

Definitions

  • An apparatus, method, and computer program product are provided in accordance with an example embodiment in order to generally facilitate vehicle navigation, and more particularly, to reroute an autonomous vehicle based on modification to the vehicle’s planned route.
  • Navigation systems are used in conjunction with routing vehicles not only for personal use, but also for commercial uses such as taxicabs and other vehicles for fare.
  • the rise of autonomous vehicles, and their corresponding uses in these fields present new challenges for vehicle routing and navigation systems.
  • an autonomous vehicle may be traveling along a previously determined route when a passenger desires to change the previously determined route. This change to the previously determined route may impact the ability of the vehicle to complete the newly defined route.
  • the vehicle may be assigned to pick up additional passengers following the completion of the previously defined route, but may not be able to complete the newly defined route required to pick up the additional passengers due to lack of available fuel. This change in plans may lead to increased costs due to inefficient routing and/or may lead to safety concerns for passengers who are left stranded by a vehicle without fuel.
  • An apparatus, method, and computer program product are provided according to an example embodiment in order to intelligently reroute a vehicle.
  • An example of the disclosure may provide an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code with the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to identify a primary route associated with a vehicle.
  • the apparatus receives a modification to the primary route resulting in a modified route for the vehicle.
  • the apparatus calculates the fuel required to complete the modified route and determines if the minimum fuel required to complete the modified route exceeds a fuel capacity of the vehicle. Upon determining that the fuel required to complete the modified route does not exceed the fuel capacity of the vehicle, the apparatus causes the vehicle to complete the modified route.
  • the primary route may be created by the apparatus upon receipt of one or more of a user inputted destination or starting location.
  • the apparatus may be configured to determine the modified route by analyzing at least one of one or more points of interest identified by a user, one or more ambient conditions of a location of the vehicle, a traffic condition associated with the location of the vehicle, or a load weight characteristic of the vehicle.
  • the apparatus may be configured to, upon determining that the fuel required to complete the modified route exceeds the fuel capacity of the vehicle, determine a relay route and cause the vehicle to complete the relay route. In some further embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to determine the relay route by locating a replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route and to route the replacement vehicle to a relay point along the relay route.
  • the apparatus may be configured to, upon determining that there is no replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route, determine a charge route and cause the vehicle to complete the charge route.
  • the apparatus may be configured to determine the charge route by determining a location of a service point capable of at least partially replenishing the fuel capacity of the vehicle.
  • the apparatus of any of the above embodiments may be utilized by at least one of a battery powered or petroleum-based fuel powered vehicle. Additionally, the fuel capacity of the vehicle may correspond to at least one of the electric charge of the vehicle or the current petroleum-based fuel level of the vehicle.
  • the method of the present disclosure includes identifying a primary route associated with a vehicle and receiving a modification to the primary route where the modification to the primary route results in a modified route.
  • the method comprises calculating a minimum fuel amount required to complete the modified route and determining ifthe fuel amount required to complete the modified route exceeds a fuel capacity of the vehicle.
  • the method further includes, upon determining that the fuel amount required to complete the modified route does not exceed the fuel capacity of the vehicle, causing the vehicle to complete the modified route.
  • the method may include creating the primary route upon receipt of at least one of a user inputted destination or starting location.
  • the method may further include determining the modified route by analyzing at least one of one or more points of interest identified by a user, one or more ambient conditions of a location of the vehicle, a traffic condition associated with the location of the vehicle or a load weight characteristic of the vehicle.
  • the method may include, upon determining that the fuel required to complete the modified route exceeds the fuel capacity of the vehicle, determining a relay route and causing the vehicle to complete the relay route. In some further embodiments, the method may include determining the relay route by locating a replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route, and routing the replacement vehicle to a relay point along the relay route.
  • the method may include, upon determining that there is no replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route, determining a charge route and causing the vehicle to complete the charge route.
  • the method may include determining the charge route by determining a location of a service point capable of at least partially replenishing the fuel capacity of the vehicle.
  • the method of any of the above embodiments may be utilized by at least one of a battery powered or petroleum-based fuel powered vehicle. Additionally, the fuel capacity of the vehicle may correspond to at least one of the electric charge of the vehicle or the current petroleum-based fuel level of the vehicle.
  • a computer program product comprises at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code portions stored therein, with the computer executable program code portions comprising program code instructions for identifying a primary route associated with a vehicle and receiving a modification to the primary route that results in a modified route.
  • the computer executable program code portions also comprise program code instructions for calculating a minimum fuel amount required to complete the modified route, and determining if the fuel amount required to complete the modified route exceeds a fuel capacity of the vehicle.
  • the computer program product further including instructions for, upon determining that the fuel value required to complete the modified route does not exceed the fuel capacity of the vehicle, causing the vehicle to complete the modified route.
  • the computer program product may include instructions for creating the primary route upon receipt of at least one of a user inputted destination or starting location.
  • the computer program product may further include instructions for determining the modified route by analyzing at least one of one or more points of interest identified by the user, one or more ambient conditions of a location of the vehicle, a traffic condition associated with the location of the vehicle, or a load weight characteristic of the vehicle.
  • the computer program product may include instructions for, upon determining that the fuel required to complete the modified route exceeds the fuel capacity of the vehicle, determining a relay route, and causing the vehicle to complete the relay route.
  • the computer program product may include instructions for determining the relay route by locating a replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route, and routing the replacement vehicle to a relay point along the relay route.
  • the computer program product may include instructions for, upon determining that there is no replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route, determining a charge route, and causing the vehicle to complete the charge route.
  • the computer program product may include instructions for determining the charge route by determining a location of a service point capable of at least partially replenishing the fuel capacity of the vehicle.
  • the computer program product of any of the above embodiments may be utilized by at least one of a battery powered or petroleum-based fuel powered vehicle. Additionally, the fuel capacity of the vehicle may correspond to at least one of the electric charge of the vehicle or the current petroleum-based fuel level of the vehicle.
  • an apparatus in yet another example embodiment, includes means for identifying a primary route associated a vehicle, means for receiving a modification to the primary route that results in a modified route, calculating a minimum fuel amount required to complete the modified route, determining if the minimum fuel amount required to complete the modified route exceeds a fuel capacity of the vehicle, and, if the fuel required to complete the modified route does not exceed the fuel capacity of the vehicle, causing the vehicle to complete the modified route.
  • the means for determining the primary route may be configured to receive at least one of a user inputted destination or starting location.
  • the means for determining the modified route includes analyzing at least one of one or more points of interest identified by the user, one or more ambient conditions of a location of the vehicle, a traffic condition associated with the location of the vehicle, and a load weight characteristic of the vehicle.
  • the apparatus may further include, upon determining that the fuel to complete the modified route exceeds the fuel capacity of the vehicle, means for determining a relay route and causing the vehicle to complete the relay route.
  • the means for determining a relay route may include locating a replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route, and routing the replacement vehicle to a relay point along the relay route.
  • the apparatus may further comprise, upon confirmation that no replacement vehicle is capable of completing the modified route, means for determining a charge route and causing the vehicle to complete the charge route.
  • FIG. 1 shows an example of a vehicle environment that may be subject to control by the apparatuses, methods, and/or computer program products described further herein, according to an example embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an apparatus that may be specifically configured in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 3 shows a flowchart illustrating operations performed, such as by the apparatus of FIG. 2, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 4 shows a flowchart illustrating operations performed, such as by the apparatus of FIG. 2, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 shows a flowchart illustrating operations performed, such as by the apparatus of FIG. 2, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention.
  • a vehicle may refer to an electrically powered vehicle, gas powered, diesel powered, and any combination of the above.
  • An apparatus, method, and computer program product are provided for rerouting an autonomous vehicle, such as based upon a user’s (e.g., passenger’s) input.
  • the apparatus may identify the primary (e.g., the current or previously user inputted) rotue associated with a vehicle.
  • the apparatus may receive a modification, such as from the user, to modify the primary route.
  • the apparatus may modify the primary route to create a modified route, such as a modified route that includes various points of interest inputted by the user.
  • the apparatus may calculate the amount of fuel required to complete the modified route, and may compare this amount to the fuel capacity (e.g., a current fuel level or the vehicle charge) of the vehicle to determine if the vehicle is capable of completing the modified route. If the fuel level is sufficient to complete the modified route, the apparatus may cause the vehicle to complete the modified route.
  • the fuel capacity e.g., a current fuel level or the vehicle charge
  • the apparatus may, upon determining that the current fuel capacity is insufficient, determine a relay route along which a replacement vehicle may relay with the current vehicle. In such an embodiment, the replacement vehicle’s fuel capacity is sufficient to complete the modified route. Additionally, the apparatus may cause the vehicle to complete the relay route by meeting a replacement along the relay route at a relay point.
  • the apparatus may, upon determining that no replacement vehicle within a geographic location is available to complete the modified route, determine a charge route and optionally provide the charge route to the user for confirmation.
  • the charge route may include a stop at a location capable of refueling or recharging the vehicle such that the vehicle may thereafter complete the modified route.
  • a sample environment is provided that illustrates a vehicle 100 traveling along a primary route 102 to a primary destination 104.
  • the vehicle 100 may determine a modified route 106 with a modified destination 108.
  • the modified route may stop at or pass by one or more points of interest 110 based on input, for example, by the user.
  • the vehicle 100 may repeatedly determine a modified route 106 based upon multiple modifications made to the primary route 102 at different times and locations along the primary route 102.
  • the vehicle 100 may be traveling upon a first modified route and receive further modifications such that the first modified route is treated as the primary route 102 and the changes to the first modified route (e.g., now the primary route 102) result in a second modified route treated as the modified route 106.
  • the present disclosure contemplates any number of modifications to the route currently traveled by the vehicle 100.
  • a sample apparatus 200 of one embodiment is illustrated with one or more processors 202, a memory 204, one or more input/output interfaces 206, one or more communication interfaces 208, one or more wireless interfaces 210, and a display 212.
  • the apparatus may be entirely embodied by the device housed within a vehicle (e.g., vehicle 100 in FIG. 1) .
  • the apparatus 200 may be associated with the vehicle and in communication with the vehicle, but is physically separate from the vehicle.
  • the interface system 206 and display 212 may be embodied by a user device, but one or more of the elements of the apparatus 200, such as the processor 202, the memory 204 and/or the communication interface 208, may be embodied by a computing device external to the vehicle, such as a server, a traffic control center or the like, or, alternatively, onboard the vehicle, such as an onboard navigation system or the like.
  • the user device may be embodied by, for example, a wearable device, such as an arm-band or smart watch, a mobile telephone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a touch surface, a gaming device, a camera, an electronic book, a pager, a mobile television, a gaming device, a camera, a video recorder, an audio/video player, a radio, a positioning device (e.g., global positioning system (GPS) device) , or any combination of the aforementioned, and other types of voice and text communications systems.
  • a wearable device such as an arm-band or smart watch
  • a mobile telephone such as a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a touch surface, a gaming device, a camera, an electronic book, a pager, a mobile television, a gaming device, a camera, a video recorder, an audio/video player, a radio,
  • the input/output interface system (s) 206 may be in communication with the other elements of the apparatus 200, such as may be supported by the communication interface 208, by either wireless communications or wireline communications.
  • the wireless communications may include proximity based wireless communication techniques, such as communications via wireless local area network, Bluetooth communication or the like, or a network-based communications, such as communications via a wide area network, e.g., the internet, a cellular network or the like.
  • the input/output interface system (s) 206 is co-located with the processor 202, the memory 204 and/or the communication interface 208 (s) and, as such, may be embodied by a user device as described above.
  • the apparatus may include or otherwise be in communication with a processor 202, a memory device 204 and a communication interface 208.
  • the processor 202 (and/or co-processors or any other processing circuitry assisting or otherwise associated with the processor) may be in communication with the memory device 204 via a bus for passing information among components of the apparatus 200.
  • the memory device 204 may include, for example, one or more volatile and/or non-volatile memories, such as a non-transitory computer readable medium.
  • the memory device 204 may be an electronic storage device (e.g., a computer readable storage medium) comprising gates configured to store data (e.g., bits) that may be retrievable by a machine (e.g., a computing device like the processor) .
  • the memory device 204 may be configured to store information, data, content, applications, instructions, or the like for enabling the apparatus to carry out various functions in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention.
  • the memory device could be configured to buffer input data for processing by the processor 202.
  • the memory device 204 could be configured to store instructions for execution by the processor 202.
  • the apparatus 200 may be embodied as a chip or chip set.
  • the apparatus 200 may comprise one or more physical packages (e.g., chips) including materials, components and/or wires on a structural assembly (e.g., a baseboard) .
  • the structural assembly may provide physical strength, conservation of size, and/or limitation of electrical interaction for component circuitry included thereon.
  • the apparatus 200 may therefore, in some cases, be configured to implement an embodiment of the present invention on a single chip or as a single “system on a chip. ”
  • a chip or chipset may constitute means for performing one or more operations for providing the functionalities described herein.
  • the processor 202 may be embodied in a number of different ways.
  • the processor 202 may be embodied as one or more of various hardware processing means such as a coprocessor, a microprocessor, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP) , a processing element with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other processing circuitry including integrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) , an FPGA (field programmable gate array) , a microcontroller unit (MCU) , a hardware accelerator, a special-purpose computer chip, or the like.
  • the processor 202 may include one or more processing cores configured to perform independently.
  • a multi-core processor may enable multiprocessing within a single physical package.
  • the processor 202 may include one or more processors configured in tandem via the bus to enable independent execution of instructions, pipelining and/or multithreading.
  • the processor 202 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory device 204 or otherwise accessible to the processor 202. Alternatively or additionally, the processor 202 may be configured to execute hard coded functionality. As such, whether configured by hardware or software methods, or by a combination thereof, the processor 202 may represent an entity (e.g., physically embodied in circuitry) capable of performing operations according to an embodiment of the present invention while configured accordingly. Thus, for example, when the processor 202 is embodied as an ASIC, FPGA or the like, the processor 202 may be specifically configured hardware for conducting the operations described herein.
  • the instructions may specifically configure the processor 202 to perform the algorithms and/or operations described herein when the instructions are executed.
  • the processor 202 may be a processor of a specific device configured to employ an embodiment of the present invention by further configuration of the processor 202 by instructions for performing the algorithms and/or operations described herein.
  • the processor 202 may include, among other things, a clock, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and logic gates configured to support operation of the processor.
  • ALU arithmetic logic unit
  • the communication interface 208 may be any means such as a device or circuitry embodied in either hardware or a combination of hardware and software that is configured to receive and/or transmit data, such as by supporting communications with the input/output interface system (s) 206.
  • the communication interface may include, for example, an antenna (or multiple antennas) and supporting hardware and/or software for enabling communications with a wireless communication network.
  • the communication interface 208 may include the circuitry for interacting with the antenna (s) to cause transmission of signals via the antenna (s) or to handle receipt of signals received via the antenna (s) .
  • the communication interface may alternatively or also support wired communication.
  • the communication interface may include a communication modem and/or other hardware/software for supporting communication via cable, digital subscriber line (DSL) , universal serial bus (USB) or other mechanisms.
  • DSL digital subscriber line
  • USB universal serial bus
  • the vehicle route modification method 300 may include determining a primary route of a vehicle, such as a fully or partially autonomous vehicle, at Block 302 and receiving a modification to the primary route at Block 304.
  • the method 300 may also include determining a modified route based upon the modification to the primary route at Block 306.
  • the method 300 may further include calculating the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 308, and calculating the current fuel level of the vehicle at Block 310.
  • the method 300 may determine if the current fuel of the vehicle exceeds the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 312. If the fuel level does not exceed the fuel required to complete the modified route, the method may notify the user (e.g., passenger (s) ) of inadequate fuel at Block 314. If the current fuel level exceeds the fuel required to complete the modified route, the method may cause the vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 316.
  • the user e.g., passenger (s)
  • the apparatus 200 may include means, such as the processor 202, the communications interfaces (s) 208 or the like, for determining a primary route associated with a vehicle at Block 302.
  • the primary route may be the route currently traveled by the vehicle (e.g., vehicle 100 in FIG. 1) .
  • This primary route may be created by input from a user of a destination and/or starting point.
  • the user may input a starting point and a destination, and the apparatus, such as the processor, may calculate the appropriate route to travel the distance between the user-inputted starting point and destination.
  • a user-inputted starting point is not required, such as in instances in which the current location of a vehicle is considered the starting point.
  • the vehicle e.g., taxicab or vehicle for fare
  • the vehicle may be approached by a user while the vehicle is parked awaiting a request for service.
  • the vehicle may not require the user to input a starting point as the vehicle may determine its location independently (e.g., through GPS or other location determining system) .
  • the primary route may be pre-determined or preset prior to receiving passengers such that input is not required to define either the starting point or the destination.
  • the vehicle may be set as a service traveling between an airport and local hotel. Upon receiving a user’s request for travel, the vehicle may complete the route between the airport and the local hotel without requiring input of a destination from the user.
  • the apparatus 200 such as the processor 202 may determine the primary route at Block 302 by considering various route factors including: estimated time of completion, traffic patterns, ambient conditions at the location of the vehicle, such as the road conditions (e.g., hills, flats, mountains, straights, etc. ) and/or the weather conditions, fuel status, and load weight characteristics of the vehicle, potentially among other factors.
  • route factors including: estimated time of completion, traffic patterns, ambient conditions at the location of the vehicle, such as the road conditions (e.g., hills, flats, mountains, straights, etc. ) and/or the weather conditions, fuel status, and load weight characteristics of the vehicle, potentially among other factors.
  • the apparatus 200 may include means, such as the processor 202, the input interface 206, the communications interfaces (s) 208 or the like, for receiving a modification to the primary route at Block 304 and means, such as the processor or the like, for determining a modified route based upon the modification to the primary route at Block 306.
  • the modification to the primary route at Block 304 may be inputted by a user currently utilizing the vehicle.
  • the modifications may be made by a separate system in communication with the vehicle.
  • a taxicab may be traveling along a primary route when a centralized dispatch service receives notification of a traffic incident or other delay along the primary route.
  • the centralized dispatch service may provide a modification to the primary route in order to reduce commute time for the vehicle.
  • the modifications that create the modified route may take various forms, the user may modify the route by changing the destination or by requiring the vehicle to pass by one or more points of interest that are not on the primary route.
  • the apparatus 200 such as the processor 202, may determine the modified route at Block 306 by rerouting the vehicle to stop at or at least drive by one or more points of interest as set by a user.
  • a user may input a modification to the primary route requesting to stop at a grocery store on their way home, or may wish for the route traveled by the vehicle to pass a famous landmark before reaching their destination.
  • the apparatus 200 may determine the modified route at Block 306 by ensuring that the one or more locations requested by the user appear on the modified route.
  • the apparatus 200 may determine the route between these one or more locations by considering various route factors including: estimated time of completion, traffic conditions and patterns, ambient conditions at the location of the vehicle, such as the road conditions (e.g., hills, flats, mountains, straights, etc. ) and/or weather conditions, fuel status, load weight characteristics of the vehicle, number and type (children, elderly, disabled, etc. ) of passengers, number and type of luggage, among others.
  • the apparatus 200 may include means, such as the processor 202 or the like, for calculating the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 308, calculating the current fuel level of the vehicle at Block 310, and determining if the current fuel level of the vehicle exceeds the fuel required to complete modified route at Block 312.
  • the method 300 may calculate the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 308 based upon the distance to be traveled by the vehicle to complete the modified route and the fuel efficiency (e.g., miles per gallon or equivalent) of the vehicle, such as by dividing the distance to be traveled by the vehicle to complete the modified route by the fuel efficiency of the vehicle.
  • the fuel efficiency e.g., miles per gallon or equivalent
  • the apparatus 200 may be in communication with one or more sensors disposed within or in proximity to the fuel tank of the vehicle.
  • the one or more sensors may determine the fuel level currently in the vehicle, and convey this information to the apparatus 200.
  • the apparatus 200 such as the processor 202, may determine if the current fuel level of the vehicle exceeds the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 312 by comparing the two values calculated above.
  • the apparatus 200 may include means, such as the processor 202, the communications interfaces (s) 208 or the like, for notifying the user of inadequate fuel to complete the requested modified route at Block 314.
  • the apparatus 200 such as the processor 202, may not only notify the user of the inadequate fuel supply for completing the modified route, but may further request a different modification to the primary route that stays within the geographic region capable of being reached by the vehicle at its current fuel level.
  • the apparatus 200 and method 300 may not only notify the user but may take additional actions hereinafter described in order to complete the modified route.
  • the apparatus 200 may include means, such as the processor 202 or the like, for, upon determining that the current fuel level of the vehicle does exceed the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 312, causing the vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 316.
  • the vehicle relay modification method 400 may include determining a primary route of a vehicle at Block 402 and receiving a modification to the primary route at Block 404.
  • the method 400 may also include determining a modified route based upon the modification to the primary route at Block 406.
  • the method 400 may further include calculating the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 408, and calculating the current fuel level, that is, the fuel capacity, of the vehicle at Block 410.
  • the method 400 may determine if the current fuel of the vehicle exceeds the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 412. If the current fuel level exceeds the fuel required to complete the modified route, the method may cause the vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 416. As will be understood, blocks 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 412 and 416 have been described above in conjunction with the embodiment of Figure 3. However, if the fuel level does not exceed the fuel required to complete the modified route, in addition to or instead of notifying the user as described above in conjunction with Block 314, the method may identify a second vehicle with adequate fuel, at least in combination with the first, e.g., current, vehicle, to complete the modified route at Block 414.
  • the method may determine a relay route for the first vehicle with a relay point along the relay route at Block 418 at which the second vehicle will be located. The method may further cause the first vehicle to complete the relay route by arriving at a relay point at Block 420. Upon the user transferring from the first vehicle to the second vehicle, the method may cause the second vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 422.
  • the vehicle relay modification method 400 may be used in some embodiments in an instance when the current fuel level of the vehicle (e.g., first vehicle in FIG. 4) is determined not to exceed the fuel required to complete the modified route at Blocks 312, 412.
  • the apparatus 200 may include means, such as the processor 202, the communications interfaces (s) 208 or the like, for identifying a second vehicle with adequate fuel to complete the modified route at Block 414.
  • the apparatus 200 such as the processor 202, may be in communication with a separate system monitoring multiple vehicles in a proximity to the first vehicle, such as by monitoring a fleet of autonomous vehicles of which the first vehicle is a member.
  • the first vehicle may be in communication with a second vehicle disposed a location solely for the purpose relaying with the first vehicle.
  • the apparatus 200 may include means, such as the processor 202 or the like, for determining a relay route with a relay point along the relay route at Block 418.
  • the determination of the relay route may, in some embodiments, consider various route factors including: estimated time of completion, traffic conditions and patterns, , ambient conditions at the location of the vehicle, such as the road conditions (e.g., hills, flats, mountains, straights, etc. ) and/or weather conditions, fuel status, and load weight characteristics of the vehicle, number and type (children, elderly, disabled, etc.
  • the apparatus 200 such as the processor 202, establishes the relay point such that the first vehicle not only has sufficient fuel to travel to the relay point, but also ensures that a minimum fuel value is maintained in order for the vehicle to return to a fueling station, such as a centralized fueling station.
  • the apparatus 200 may include means, such as the processor 202 or the like, for causing the first vehicle and the second vehicle (e.g., relay or replacement vehicle) to arrive at the relay point at Block 420.
  • the second vehicle e.g., relay or replacement vehicle
  • at least components of the apparatus 200 such as the processor 202, may be embodied by a computing device external to the first and second vehicles for communicating with and at least partially controlling both the first and second vehicles.
  • the user may exit the first vehicle and enter the second vehicle.
  • the apparatus 200 such as the processor 202, the input interface 206 or the like, of the second vehicle may request confirmation from the user before departing the relay point in order to ensure every user is currently in the second vehicle.
  • the apparatus 200 may include means, such as the processor 202 or the like, for causing the second vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 422.
  • a single transition from a first vehicle to a second vehicle at a single relay point may be sufficient to complete the modified route
  • other embodiments may utilize two or more relay points and three or more relay vehicles to complete the modified route, particularly if the route is repeatedly modified and becomes appreciably longer.
  • a user may input a particularly long route with multiple stops requiring the first vehicle to relay with a second vehicle and the second vehicle to relay with a third vehicle.
  • the apparatus 200, method, and computer program product may consider the convenience of the determined relay point (s) .
  • the apparatus 200 such as the processor 202
  • the apparatus 200 may be configured to determine that rainy weather is present at the relay point, and may determine a different relay point which satisfies the various constraints, but that also provides cover from the rain.
  • the apparatus 200 such as the processor 202
  • the apparatus 200 may be configured to that the first vehicle is carrying one or more disabled passengers and, as such, may identify a relay point which satisfies the various constraints, but that also is accessible for the disabled passengers.
  • the apparatus 200 such as the processor 202, may be configured to complete the modified route with the fewest number of relay locations.
  • the vehicle charge modification method 500 may include determining a primary route of a vehicle at Block 502, and receiving a modification to the primary route at Block 504.
  • the method 500 may also include determining a modified route based upon the modification to the primary route at Block 506.
  • the method 500 may further include calculating the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 508 and calculating the current fuel level of the vehicle at Block 510.
  • the method 500 may determine if the current fuel of the vehicle exceeds the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 512. If the current fuel level exceeds the fuel required to complete the modified route, the method may cause the vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 516. However, if the fuel level does not exceed the fuel required to complete the modified route, the method of an example embodiment, as described in more detail above in conjunction with FIG. 4, may determine if a second vehicle with adequate fuel to complete the modified route is available at Block 514. Upon locating a second vehicle at Block 514, the method may determine a relay route for the first vehicle with a relay point along the relay route at Block 518.
  • the method may further cause the first vehicle to complete the relay route by arriving at a relay point at Block 520.
  • the method may cause the second vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 522.
  • the method may determine a charge route for the vehicle at Block 524 and may cause the vehicle (e.g., the first vehicle in FIGS. 3-4) to complete the charge route at Block 526.
  • the method 500 may cause the first vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 528.
  • the vehicle charge modification method 500 may be used in some embodiments in an instance when the current fuel level of the vehicle (e.g., first vehicle in FIGS. 4-5) is determined not to exceed the fuel required to complete the modified route at Blocks 312, 412, 512 and the method fails to identify a second vehicle with adequate fuel to complete the modified route at Block 514 (or the use of a relay vehicle is otherwise undesirable) .
  • the apparatus 200 may include means, such as the processor 202, or the like, for determining a charge route at Block 524.
  • the apparatus 200 such as the processor 202, may be configured to determine a fuel source that the first vehicle can reach with its current fuel supply and that is capable of refueling the first vehicle such that the fuel capacity of the first vehicle (the current amount of fuel carried by the first vehicle) is at least partially replenished to insure that the first vehicle has adequate fuel to complete the modified route.
  • the vehicle may operate with any applicable or known fuel source, such as by being battery powered and/or petroleum-based fuel powered.
  • the apparatus 200 such as the processor 202, may be configured to determine a geographic location within a proximity to the first vehicle (e.g., within fuel range) capable of refueling or recharging the vehicle at Block 524, such as by reference to a listing of fuel sources and their corresponding locations maintained by memory 204 or accessible via the communication interface 208.
  • the first vehicle may be required to remain at the charging location for a set amount of time before completing the modified route.
  • the charging station may require additional time to full recharge the vehicle.
  • the apparatus 200 Upon determining a charge route for the first vehicle, the apparatus 200, such as the processor 202, may be configured to cause the first vehicle to complete the charge route to the fuel source at Block 526. Upon refueling or recharging, the apparatus 200, such as the processor 202, may cause the first vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 528.
  • the apparatus 500 may not attempt to identify a second vehicle with adequate fuel to complete the modified route at Block 514.
  • the apparatus 200 such as the processor 202, may, upon determining that the current fuel level, that is, the fuel capacity, of the first vehicle does not exceed the fuel required to complete the modified route, determine a charge route for the first at Block 524.
  • the apparatus 200 such as the processor 202, may determine that the time or distance required to relay with a second vehicle exceeds the aggregate time or distance required to complete the charge route and subsequently the modified route at Blocks 526, 528 and, as such, may forego further consideration of the use of a relay vehicle and may, instead, proceed directly with the charge route.
  • a user may be notified and/or confirmation from a user may be sought prior to modifying the route, such as to a relay route or a charge route.
  • the user may not provide the requested confirmation, such as in an instance in which the user desires to take a separate vehicle.
  • the method 500 may determine a charge route for the first vehicle at Block 524 and may provide a notification to the user of the vehicle’s planned charge route. The user may decide that they would prefer leaving the first vehicle in order to retain the services of another vehicle or that the user may walk the remaining distance to their destination.
  • a single vehicle may be utilized with multiple passengers on multiple successive routes.
  • the methods and apparatus 200 disclosed above may analyze the effect of a modification of the route taken by a first user on the fuel available for a successive route by a different user.
  • a first user may modify his or her trip such that the vehicle may require refueling and/or recharging before another user may utilize the vehicle.
  • the above described apparatuses, methods, and computer program products of an example embodiment may be configured to only allow modifications that do not affect the ability of the vehicle to complete subsequent routes for different users for which the vehicle is already scheduled.
  • the apparatus 200 such as the processor 202, may not permit the modification.
  • the apparatuses, methods, and computer program products of an example embodiment may be configured to route the vehicle such that the vehicle completes its route at or near a recharging or refueling station to ensure a vehicle is not stranded without fuel.
  • the apparatus 200 may include one or more video cameras installed in or on the vehicle. These cameras may be in communication with the apparatus 200 and may be utilized to monitor the number of passengers in the vehicle, the number and type of luggage held by the vehicle, etc. Additionally, in some embodiments, the apparatuses, methods, and computer program products may be in communication with the a computing device of the user, such as the user’s smartphone, in order to access the user’s (e.g., passenger’s) calendar, email accounts, and instant messaging accounts, among others such that the route determined as described herein does not impact the plans of the user.
  • a computing device of the user such as the user’s smartphone
  • the apparatus may analyze a passenger’s calendar to note that the passenger has a scheduled activity at a predefined time, such as plans to attend a movie one hour from the time of pick up.
  • the apparatus such as the processor, of this example embodiment may provide a notification to the passenger that a proposed modification to the route may cause the passenger to be delayed in arrival to the scheduled activity, such as their scheduled movie.
  • the route chosen e.g., modified route, relay route, and/or charge route
  • each block of the flowchart, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart may be implemented by various means, such as hardware, firmware, processor, circuitry, and/or other devices associated with execution of software including one or more computer program instructions.
  • one or more of the procedures described above may be embodied by computer program instructions.
  • the computer program instructions which embody the procedures described above may be stored by a memory 204 of an apparatus 200 employing an embodiment of the present invention and executed by a processor 202 of the apparatus.
  • any such computer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus (e.g., hardware) to produce a machine, such that the resulting computer or other programmable apparatus implements the functions specified in the flowchart blocks.
  • These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that may direct a computer or other programmable apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture the execution of which implements the function specified in the flowchart blocks.
  • the computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus to cause a series of operations to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide operations for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart blocks.
  • blocks of the flowchart support combinations of means for performing the specified functions and combinations of operations for performing the specified functions for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that one or more blocks of the flowchart, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based computer systems which perform the specified functions, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
  • certain ones of the operations above may be modified or further amplified. Furthermore, in some embodiments, additional optional operations may be included. Modifications, additions, or amplifications to the operations above may be performed in any order and in any combination.

Abstract

A vehicle route modification apparatus, method, and computer program product are provided. The apparatus determines a primary route associated vehicle and receives a modification to the primary route resulting in a modified route. The apparatus calculates the fuel level required to complete the modified route and the current fuel level of the vehicle. The apparatus determines if the current fuel level exceeds the fuel required to complete the modified route. A relay route may be used to relay a first vehicle with a second vehicle capable of completing the modified route. Alternatively, a charge route may be used to refuel or recharge the vehicle in order to complete the modified route.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MODIFYING A VEHICLE ROUTE
TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD
An apparatus， method， and computer program product are provided in accordance with an example embodiment in order to generally facilitate vehicle navigation， and more particularly， to reroute an autonomous vehicle based on modification to the vehicle’s planned route.
BACKGROUND
Navigation systems are used in conjunction with routing vehicles not only for personal use， but also for commercial uses such as taxicabs and other vehicles for fare. However， the rise of autonomous vehicles， and their corresponding uses in these fields， present new challenges for vehicle routing and navigation systems. Generally， it may be cumbersome for autonomous vehicles to accept route changes input by passengers during a trip.
By way of example， an autonomous vehicle may be traveling along a previously determined route when a passenger desires to change the previously determined route. This change to the previously determined route may impact the ability of the vehicle to complete the newly defined route. In a more particular example， the vehicle may be assigned to pick up additional passengers following the completion of the previously defined route， but may not be able to complete the newly defined route required to pick up the additional passengers due to lack of available fuel. This change in plans may lead to increased costs due to inefficient routing and/or may lead to safety concerns for passengers who are left stranded by a vehicle without fuel.
BRIEF SUMMARY
An apparatus， method， and computer program product are provided according to an example embodiment in order to intelligently reroute a vehicle. An example of the disclosure may provide an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code with the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to identify a primary route associated with a vehicle. The apparatus receives a modification to the primary route resulting in a modified route for the vehicle. The apparatus calculates the fuel required to complete the modified route and determines if the minimum fuel required to  complete the modified route exceeds a fuel capacity of the vehicle. Upon determining that the fuel required to complete the modified route does not exceed the fuel capacity of the vehicle， the apparatus causes the vehicle to complete the modified route.
In one embodiment， the primary route may be created by the apparatus upon receipt of one or more of a user inputted destination or starting location. The apparatus may be configured to determine the modified route by analyzing at least one of one or more points of interest identified by a user， one or more ambient conditions of a location of the vehicle， a traffic condition associated with the location of the vehicle， or a load weight characteristic of the vehicle.
In another embodiment， the apparatus may be configured to， upon determining that the fuel required to complete the modified route exceeds the fuel capacity of the vehicle， determine a relay route and cause the vehicle to complete the relay route. In some further embodiments， the apparatus may be configured to determine the relay route by locating a replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route and to route the replacement vehicle to a relay point along the relay route.
In a still further embodiment， the apparatus may be configured to， upon determining that there is no replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route， determine a charge route and cause the vehicle to complete the charge route. The apparatus may be configured to determine the charge route by determining a location of a service point capable of at least partially replenishing the fuel capacity of the vehicle.
The apparatus of any of the above embodiments may be utilized by at least one of a battery powered or petroleum-based fuel powered vehicle. Additionally， the fuel capacity of the vehicle may correspond to at least one of the electric charge of the vehicle or the current petroleum-based fuel level of the vehicle.
The method of the present disclosure includes identifying a primary route associated with a vehicle and receiving a modification to the primary route where the modification to the primary route results in a modified route. The method comprises calculating a minimum fuel amount required to complete the modified route and determining ifthe fuel amount required to complete the modified route exceeds a fuel capacity of the vehicle. The method further includes， upon determining that the fuel amount required to complete the modified route does not exceed the fuel capacity of the vehicle， causing the vehicle to complete the modified route.
In one embodiment， the method may include creating the primary route upon receipt of at least one of a user inputted destination or starting location. The method may further include determining the modified route by analyzing at least one of one or more points of interest identified by a user， one or more ambient conditions of a location of the vehicle， a traffic condition associated with the location of the vehicle or a load weight characteristic of the vehicle.
In another embodiment， the method may include， upon determining that the fuel required to complete the modified route exceeds the fuel capacity of the vehicle， determining a relay route and causing the vehicle to complete the relay route. In some further embodiments， the method may include determining the relay route by locating a replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route， and routing the replacement vehicle to a relay point along the relay route.
In a still further embodiment， the method may include， upon determining that there is no replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route， determining a charge route and causing the vehicle to complete the charge route. The method may include determining the charge route by determining a location of a service point capable of at least partially replenishing the fuel capacity of the vehicle.
The method of any of the above embodiments may be utilized by at least one of a battery powered or petroleum-based fuel powered vehicle. Additionally， the fuel capacity of the vehicle may correspond to at least one of the electric charge of the vehicle or the current petroleum-based fuel level of the vehicle.
In another embodiment， a computer program product is provided that comprises at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code portions stored therein， with the computer executable program code portions comprising program code instructions for identifying a primary route associated with a vehicle and receiving a modification to the primary route that results in a modified route. The computer executable program code portions also comprise program code instructions for calculating a minimum fuel amount required to complete the modified route， and determining if the fuel amount required to complete the modified route exceeds a fuel capacity of the vehicle. The computer program product further including instructions for， upon determining that the fuel value required to complete the modified route does not exceed the fuel capacity of the vehicle， causing the vehicle to complete the modified route.
In one embodiment， the computer program product may include instructions for creating the primary route upon receipt of at least one of a user inputted destination or starting location. The computer program product may further include instructions for determining the modified route by analyzing at least one of one or more points of interest identified by the user， one or more ambient conditions of a location of the vehicle， a traffic condition associated with the location of the vehicle， or a load weight characteristic of the vehicle.
In another embodiment， the computer program product may include instructions for， upon determining that the fuel required to complete the modified route exceeds the fuel capacity of the vehicle， determining a relay route， and causing the vehicle to complete the relay route. In some further embodiments， the computer program product may include instructions for determining the relay route by locating a replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route， and routing the replacement vehicle to a relay point along the relay route.
In a still further embodiment， the computer program product may include instructions for， upon determining that there is no replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route， determining a charge route， and causing the vehicle to complete the charge route. The computer program product may include instructions for determining the charge route by determining a location of a service point capable of at least partially replenishing the fuel capacity of the vehicle.
The computer program product of any of the above embodiments may be utilized by at least one of a battery powered or petroleum-based fuel powered vehicle. Additionally， the fuel capacity of the vehicle may correspond to at least one of the electric charge of the vehicle or the current petroleum-based fuel level of the vehicle.
In yet another example embodiment， an apparatus is provided that includes means for identifying a primary route associated a vehicle， means for receiving a modification to the primary route that results in a modified route， calculating a minimum fuel amount required to complete the modified route， determining if the minimum fuel amount required to complete the modified route exceeds a fuel capacity of the vehicle， and， if the fuel required to complete the modified route does not exceed the fuel capacity of the vehicle， causing the vehicle to complete the modified route. The means for determining the primary route may be configured to receive at least one of a user inputted destination or starting location. In an example embodiment， the means for determining the modified route includes analyzing at least one of one or more points  of interest identified by the user， one or more ambient conditions of a location of the vehicle， a traffic condition associated with the location of the vehicle， and a load weight characteristic of the vehicle.
The apparatus may further include， upon determining that the fuel to complete the modified route exceeds the fuel capacity of the vehicle， means for determining a relay route and causing the vehicle to complete the relay route. The means for determining a relay route may include locating a replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route， and routing the replacement vehicle to a relay point along the relay route.
The apparatus may further comprise， upon confirmation that no replacement vehicle is capable of completing the modified route， means for determining a charge route and causing the vehicle to complete the charge route.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Having thus described certain example embodiments of the invention in general terms， reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings， which are not necessarily drawn to scale， and wherein：
FIG. 1 shows an example of a vehicle environment that may be subject to control by the apparatuses， methods， and/or computer program products described further herein， according to an example embodiment of the present invention；
FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an apparatus that may be specifically configured in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention；
FIG. 3 shows a flowchart illustrating operations performed， such as by the apparatus of FIG. 2， in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention；
FIG. 4， shows a flowchart illustrating operations performed， such as by the apparatus of FIG. 2， in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention； and
FIG. 5， shows a flowchart illustrating operations performed， such as by the apparatus of FIG. 2， in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Some embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings， in which some， but not all，  embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed， various embodiments of the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein； rather， these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. As used herein， the description may refer to an “apparatus. ” However， elements of the apparatus described herein may be equally applicable to the claimed method and computer program product. In any embodiment of the present disclosure， a vehicle may refer to an electrically powered vehicle， gas powered， diesel powered， and any combination of the above. Additionally， the principles disclosed herein may equally be applied to a vehicle using any power source or fuel source. This disclosure may refer to an automobile as the applicable vehicle. However， any form of transportation may equally use the apparatuses， methods， and computer products disclosed herein. Thus， use of any such terms should not be taken to limit the spirit and scope of embodiments of the present invention.
An apparatus， method， and computer program product are provided for rerouting an autonomous vehicle， such as based upon a user’s (e.g.， passenger’s) input. In one embodiment， the apparatus may identify the primary (e.g.， the current or previously user inputted) rotue associated with a vehicle. The apparatus may receive a modification， such as from the user， to modify the primary route. The apparatus may modify the primary route to create a modified route， such as a modified route that includes various points of interest inputted by the user. The apparatus may calculate the amount of fuel required to complete the modified route， and may compare this amount to the fuel capacity (e.g.， a current fuel level or the vehicle charge) of the vehicle to determine if the vehicle is capable of completing the modified route. If the fuel level is sufficient to complete the modified route， the apparatus may cause the vehicle to complete the modified route.
In one embodiment， the apparatus may， upon determining that the current fuel capacity is insufficient， determine a relay route along which a replacement vehicle may relay with the current vehicle. In such an embodiment， the replacement vehicle’s fuel capacity is sufficient to complete the modified route. Additionally， the apparatus may cause the vehicle to complete the relay route by meeting a replacement along the relay route at a relay point.
In a further embodiment， the apparatus may， upon determining that no replacement vehicle within a geographic location is available to complete the modified route， determine a  charge route and optionally provide the charge route to the user for confirmation. The charge route may include a stop at a location capable of refueling or recharging the vehicle such that the vehicle may thereafter complete the modified route.
With reference to FIG. 1， a sample environment is provided that illustrates a vehicle 100 traveling along a primary route 102 to a primary destination 104. Upon receipt of input from a user to modify the primary route 102， the vehicle 100 may determine a modified route 106 with a modified destination 108. In some embodiments described herein， the modified route may stop at or pass by one or more points of interest 110 based on input， for example， by the user. In some embodiments， the vehicle 100 may repeatedly determine a modified route 106 based upon multiple modifications made to the primary route 102 at different times and locations along the primary route 102. In such an embodiment， the vehicle 100 may be traveling upon a first modified route and receive further modifications such that the first modified route is treated as the primary route 102 and the changes to the first modified route (e.g.， now the primary route 102) result in a second modified route treated as the modified route 106. Although described hereinafter with regards to a single modification to the primary route 102， the present disclosure contemplates any number of modifications to the route currently traveled by the vehicle 100.
With reference to FIG. 2， a sample apparatus 200 of one embodiment is illustrated with one or more processors 202， a memory 204， one or more input/output interfaces 206， one or more communication interfaces 208， one or more wireless interfaces 210， and a display 212. The apparatus may be entirely embodied by the device housed within a vehicle (e.g.， vehicle 100 in FIG. 1) . In other embodiments， the apparatus 200 may be associated with the vehicle and in communication with the vehicle， but is physically separate from the vehicle. For example， the interface system 206 and display 212 may be embodied by a user device， but one or more of the elements of the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， the memory 204 and/or the communication interface 208， may be embodied by a computing device external to the vehicle， such as a server， a traffic control center or the like， or， alternatively， onboard the vehicle， such as an onboard navigation system or the like. In this regard， the user device may be embodied by， for example， a wearable device， such as an arm-band or smart watch， a mobile telephone， a smartphone， a personal digital assistant (PDA) ， a tablet computer， a laptop computer， a touch surface， a gaming device， a camera， an electronic book， a pager， a mobile television， a gaming device， a camera， a video recorder， an audio/video player， a radio， a positioning device (e.g.，  global positioning system (GPS) device) ， or any combination of the aforementioned， and other types of voice and text communications systems. In these embodiments in which the input/output interface system (s) 206 is separate from one or more other elements of the apparatus 200， the input/output interface system (s) 206 embodied by the user device may be in communication with the other elements of the apparatus 200， such as may be supported by the communication interface 208， by either wireless communications or wireline communications. In an instance in which the input/output interface system (s) 206 are in communication with the other elements of the apparatus 200 via wireless communications 210， the wireless communications may include proximity based wireless communication techniques， such as communications via wireless local area network， Bluetooth communication or the like， or a network-based communications， such as communications via a wide area network， e.g.， the internet， a cellular network or the like. In at least some embodiments， however， the input/output interface system (s) 206 is co-located with the processor 202， the memory 204 and/or the communication interface 208 (s) and， as such， may be embodied by a user device as described above.
Regardless of the manner in which the apparatus 200 is embodied， the apparatus may include or otherwise be in communication with a processor 202， a memory device 204 and a communication interface 208. In some embodiments， the processor 202 (and/or co-processors or any other processing circuitry assisting or otherwise associated with the processor) may be in communication with the memory device 204 via a bus for passing information among components of the apparatus 200. The memory device 204 may include， for example， one or more volatile and/or non-volatile memories， such as a non-transitory computer readable medium. In other words， for example， the memory device 204 may be an electronic storage device (e.g.， a computer readable storage medium) comprising gates configured to store data (e.g.， bits) that may be retrievable by a machine (e.g.， a computing device like the processor) . The memory device 204 may be configured to store information， data， content， applications， instructions， or the like for enabling the apparatus to carry out various functions in accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention. For example， the memory device could be configured to buffer input data for processing by the processor 202. Additionally or alternatively， the memory device 204 could be configured to store instructions for execution by the processor 202.
In some embodiments， the apparatus 200 may be embodied as a chip or chip set. In other words， the apparatus 200 may comprise one or more physical packages (e.g.， chips) including materials， components and/or wires on a structural assembly (e.g.， a baseboard) . The structural assembly may provide physical strength， conservation of size， and/or limitation of electrical interaction for component circuitry included thereon. The apparatus 200 may therefore， in some cases， be configured to implement an embodiment of the present invention on a single chip or as a single “system on a chip. ” As such， in some cases， a chip or chipset may constitute means for performing one or more operations for providing the functionalities described herein.
The processor 202 may be embodied in a number of different ways. For example， the processor 202 may be embodied as one or more of various hardware processing means such as a coprocessor， a microprocessor， a controller， a digital signal processor (DSP) ， a processing element with or without an accompanying DSP， or various other processing circuitry including integrated circuits such as， for example， an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) ， an FPGA (field programmable gate array) ， a microcontroller unit (MCU) ， a hardware accelerator， a special-purpose computer chip， or the like. As such， in some embodiments， the processor 202 may include one or more processing cores configured to perform independently. A multi-core processor may enable multiprocessing within a single physical package. Additionally or alternatively， the processor 202 may include one or more processors configured in tandem via the bus to enable independent execution of instructions， pipelining and/or multithreading.
In an example embodiment， the processor 202 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory device 204 or otherwise accessible to the processor 202. Alternatively or additionally， the processor 202 may be configured to execute hard coded functionality. As such， whether configured by hardware or software methods， or by a combination thereof， the processor 202 may represent an entity (e.g.， physically embodied in circuitry) capable of performing operations according to an embodiment of the present invention while configured accordingly. Thus， for example， when the processor 202 is embodied as an ASIC， FPGA or the like， the processor 202 may be specifically configured hardware for conducting the operations described herein. Alternatively， as another example， when the processor 202 is embodied as an executor of software instructions， the instructions may specifically configure the processor 202 to perform the algorithms and/or operations described herein when the instructions are executed. However， in some cases， the processor 202 may be a  processor of a specific device configured to employ an embodiment of the present invention by further configuration of the processor 202 by instructions for performing the algorithms and/or operations described herein. The processor 202 may include， among other things， a clock， an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and logic gates configured to support operation of the processor.
Meanwhile， the communication interface 208 may be any means such as a device or circuitry embodied in either hardware or a combination of hardware and software that is configured to receive and/or transmit data， such as by supporting communications with the input/output interface system (s) 206. In this regard， the communication interface may include， for example， an antenna (or multiple antennas) and supporting hardware and/or software for enabling communications with a wireless communication network. Additionally or alternatively， the communication interface 208 may include the circuitry for interacting with the antenna (s) to cause transmission of signals via the antenna (s) or to handle receipt of signals received via the antenna (s) . In some environments， the communication interface may alternatively or also support wired communication. As such， for example， the communication interface may include a communication modem and/or other hardware/software for supporting communication via cable， digital subscriber line (DSL) ， universal serial bus (USB) or other mechanisms.
The method， apparatus 200， and computer program product of an example embodiment will now be described in conjunction with the operations illustrated in FIGS. 3-5. With reference to FIG. 3， a flowchart is provided that illustrates a vehicle route modification method 300 for use with some embodiments described herein. The vehicle route modification method 300 may include determining a primary route of a vehicle， such as a fully or partially autonomous vehicle， at Block 302 and receiving a modification to the primary route at Block 304. The method 300 may also include determining a modified route based upon the modification to the primary route at Block 306. The method 300 may further include calculating the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 308， and calculating the current fuel level of the vehicle at Block 310. Based upon these calculations， the method 300 may determine if the current fuel of the vehicle exceeds the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 312. If the fuel level does not exceed the fuel required to complete the modified route， the method may notify the user (e.g.， passenger (s) ) of inadequate fuel at Block 314. If the current fuel level exceeds the fuel required to complete the modified route， the method may cause the vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 316.
With continued reference to FIG. 3， the apparatus 200 may include means， such as the processor 202， the communications interfaces (s) 208 or the like， for determining a primary route associated with a vehicle at Block 302. The primary route may be the route currently traveled by the vehicle (e.g.， vehicle 100 in FIG. 1) . This primary route may be created by input from a user of a destination and/or starting point. In some embodiments， the user may input a starting point and a destination， and the apparatus， such as the processor， may calculate the appropriate route to travel the distance between the user-inputted starting point and destination. In some other embodiments， a user-inputted starting point is not required， such as in instances in which the current location of a vehicle is considered the starting point. By way of example， the vehicle (e.g.， taxicab or vehicle for fare) may be approached by a user while the vehicle is parked awaiting a request for service. In such a situation， the vehicle may not require the user to input a starting point as the vehicle may determine its location independently (e.g.， through GPS or other location determining system) . In some embodiments， the primary route may be pre-determined or preset prior to receiving passengers such that input is not required to define either the starting point or the destination. By way of example， the vehicle may be set as a service traveling between an airport and local hotel. Upon receiving a user’s request for travel， the vehicle may complete the route between the airport and the local hotel without requiring input of a destination from the user. The apparatus 200， such as the processor 202 may determine the primary route at Block 302 by considering various route factors including： estimated time of completion， traffic patterns， ambient conditions at the location of the vehicle， such as the road conditions (e.g.， hills， flats， mountains， straights， etc. ) and/or the weather conditions， fuel status， and load weight characteristics of the vehicle， potentially among other factors.
Once a primary route has been determined， the apparatus 200 may include means， such as the processor 202， the input interface 206， the communications interfaces (s) 208 or the like， for receiving a modification to the primary route at Block 304 and means， such as the processor or the like， for determining a modified route based upon the modification to the primary route at Block 306. In some embodiments， the modification to the primary route at Block 304 may be inputted by a user currently utilizing the vehicle. In some other embodiments， the modifications may be made by a separate system in communication with the vehicle. By way of example， a taxicab may be traveling along a primary route when a centralized dispatch service receives notification of a traffic incident or other delay along the primary route. In such  an embodiment， the centralized dispatch service may provide a modification to the primary route in order to reduce commute time for the vehicle. Although the modifications that create the modified route may take various forms， the user may modify the route by changing the destination or by requiring the vehicle to pass by one or more points of interest that are not on the primary route. By way of example in which the user inputs one or more points of interest， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may determine the modified route at Block 306 by rerouting the vehicle to stop at or at least drive by one or more points of interest as set by a user. By way of example， a user may input a modification to the primary route requesting to stop at a grocery store on their way home， or may wish for the route traveled by the vehicle to pass a famous landmark before reaching their destination. Upon receiving the modification to the primary route at Block 304， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may determine the modified route at Block 306 by ensuring that the one or more locations requested by the user appear on the modified route. Alternatively or additionally， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may determine the route between these one or more locations by considering various route factors including： estimated time of completion， traffic conditions and patterns， ambient conditions at the location of the vehicle， such as the road conditions (e.g.， hills， flats， mountains， straights， etc. ) and/or weather conditions， fuel status， load weight characteristics of the vehicle， number and type (children， elderly， disabled， etc. ) of passengers， number and type of luggage， among others.
Upon determining a modified route at Block 306， the apparatus 200 may include means， such as the processor 202 or the like， for calculating the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 308， calculating the current fuel level of the vehicle at Block 310， and determining if the current fuel level of the vehicle exceeds the fuel required to complete modified route at Block 312. The method 300 may calculate the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 308 based upon the distance to be traveled by the vehicle to complete the modified route and the fuel efficiency (e.g.， miles per gallon or equivalent) of the vehicle， such as by dividing the distance to be traveled by the vehicle to complete the modified route by the fuel efficiency of the vehicle. In order to calculate the current fuel level of the vehicle at Block 310， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may be in communication with one or more sensors disposed within or in proximity to the fuel tank of the vehicle. In such an embodiment， the one or more sensors may determine the fuel level currently in the vehicle， and  convey this information to the apparatus 200. The apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may determine if the current fuel level of the vehicle exceeds the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 312 by comparing the two values calculated above.
Upon determining that the current fuel level of the vehicle does not exceed the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 312， the apparatus 200 may include means， such as the processor 202， the communications interfaces (s) 208 or the like， for notifying the user of inadequate fuel to complete the requested modified route at Block 314. In some embodiments， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may not only notify the user of the inadequate fuel supply for completing the modified route， but may further request a different modification to the primary route that stays within the geographic region capable of being reached by the vehicle at its current fuel level. In an instance when the fuel level is inadequate to complete the modified route， the apparatus 200 and method 300 may not only notify the user but may take additional actions hereinafter described in order to complete the modified route. Alternatively， the apparatus 200 may include means， such as the processor 202 or the like， for， upon determining that the current fuel level of the vehicle does exceed the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 312， causing the vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 316.
With reference to FIG. 4， a flowchart is provided that illustrates a vehicle relay modification method 400 for use with some embodiments described herein， such as in instances in which the vehicle， also referenced as the first vehicle， is unable to complete the modified route and the user must transition to a second vehicle for the duration of the modified route. The vehicle relay modification method 400 may include determining a primary route of a vehicle at Block 402 and receiving a modification to the primary route at Block 404. The method 400 may also include determining a modified route based upon the modification to the primary route at Block 406. The method 400 may further include calculating the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 408， and calculating the current fuel level， that is， the fuel capacity， of the vehicle at Block 410. Based upon the fuel values calculated at  Blocks  408， 410， the method 400 may determine if the current fuel of the vehicle exceeds the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 412. If the current fuel level exceeds the fuel required to complete the modified route， the method may cause the vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 416. As will be understood， blocks 402， 404， 406， 408， 410， 412 and 416 have been described above  in conjunction with the embodiment of Figure 3. However， if the fuel level does not exceed the fuel required to complete the modified route， in addition to or instead of notifying the user as described above in conjunction with Block 314， the method may identify a second vehicle with adequate fuel， at least in combination with the first， e.g.， current， vehicle， to complete the modified route at Block 414. Upon locating a second vehicle at Block 414， the method may determine a relay route for the first vehicle with a relay point along the relay route at Block 418 at which the second vehicle will be located. The method may further cause the first vehicle to complete the relay route by arriving at a relay point at Block 420. Upon the user transferring from the first vehicle to the second vehicle， the method may cause the second vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 422.
With reference to FIGS. 3-4， the vehicle relay modification method 400 may be used in some embodiments in an instance when the current fuel level of the vehicle (e.g.， first vehicle in FIG. 4) is determined not to exceed the fuel required to complete the modified route at  Blocks  312， 412. In such an instance， the apparatus 200 may include means， such as the processor 202， the communications interfaces (s) 208 or the like， for identifying a second vehicle with adequate fuel to complete the modified route at Block 414. By way of example， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may be in communication with a separate system monitoring multiple vehicles in a proximity to the first vehicle， such as by monitoring a fleet of autonomous vehicles of which the first vehicle is a member. In some embodiments， the first vehicle may be in communication with a second vehicle disposed a location solely for the purpose relaying with the first vehicle.
Upon identifying a second vehicle with adequate fuel to complete the modified route at Block 414， the apparatus 200 may include means， such as the processor 202 or the like， for determining a relay route with a relay point along the relay route at Block 418. The determination of the relay route may， in some embodiments， consider various route factors including： estimated time of completion， traffic conditions and patterns， ， ambient conditions at the location of the vehicle， such as the road conditions (e.g.， hills， flats， mountains， straights， etc. ) and/or weather conditions， fuel status， and load weight characteristics of the vehicle， number and type (children， elderly， disabled， etc. ) of passengers， number and type of luggage， among others in order to satisfy any constraints imposed thereupon， such as by minimizing fuel usage by not only the first vehicle but also the second vehicle relaying with the first vehicle at the relay point  and/or by minimizing the transit time incurred by the passenger along the relay route. In some embodiments， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， establishes the relay point such that the first vehicle not only has sufficient fuel to travel to the relay point， but also ensures that a minimum fuel value is maintained in order for the vehicle to return to a fueling station， such as a centralized fueling station. The apparatus 200 may include means， such as the processor 202 or the like， for causing the first vehicle and the second vehicle (e.g.， relay or replacement vehicle) to arrive at the relay point at Block 420. In an instance in which the second vehicle must change locations， e.g.， drive， from its current location to the relay point， at least components of the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may be embodied by a computing device external to the first and second vehicles for communicating with and at least partially controlling both the first and second vehicles. At this relay point， the user (s) may exit the first vehicle and enter the second vehicle. In some embodiments， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， the input interface 206 or the like， of the second vehicle may request confirmation from the user before departing the relay point in order to ensure every user is currently in the second vehicle. Once the user (s) are located within the second vehicle， the apparatus 200 may include means， such as the processor 202 or the like， for causing the second vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 422.
Although a single transition from a first vehicle to a second vehicle at a single relay point may be sufficient to complete the modified route， other embodiments may utilize two or more relay points and three or more relay vehicles to complete the modified route， particularly if the route is repeatedly modified and becomes appreciably longer. By way of example， a user may input a particularly long route with multiple stops requiring the first vehicle to relay with a second vehicle and the second vehicle to relay with a third vehicle. Additionally， in some embodiments， the apparatus 200， method， and computer program product may consider the convenience of the determined relay point (s) . By way of example， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may be configured to determine that rainy weather is present at the relay point， and may determine a different relay point which satisfies the various constraints， but that also provides cover from the rain. By way of another example， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may be configured to that the first vehicle is carrying one or more disabled passengers and， as such， may identify a relay point which satisfies the various constraints， but that also is accessible for the disabled passengers. In some embodiments， such as in instances in  which the vehicle is carrying a number of children， elderly passengers and/or disabled passengers and/or in instances in which the vehicle is carrying a substantial quantity of luggage， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may be configured to complete the modified route with the fewest number of relay locations.
With reference to FIG. 5， a flowchart is provided that illustrates a vehicle charge modification method 500 for use with some embodiments described herein， such as to permit a vehicle to be recharged so as to complete the modified route in instances in which the first vehicle otherwise lacks sufficient fuel to complete the modified route and there are no relay vehicles suitable to complete the modified route (or the use of relay vehicles is otherwise undesirable) . The vehicle charge modification method 500 may include determining a primary route of a vehicle at Block 502， and receiving a modification to the primary route at Block 504. The method 500 may also include determining a modified route based upon the modification to the primary route at Block 506. The method 500 may further include calculating the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 508 and calculating the current fuel level of the vehicle at Block 510. Based upon the fuel values calculated at Blocks 508， 510， the method 500 may determine if the current fuel of the vehicle exceeds the fuel required to complete the modified route at Block 512. If the current fuel level exceeds the fuel required to complete the modified route， the method may cause the vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 516. However， if the fuel level does not exceed the fuel required to complete the modified route， the method of an example embodiment， as described in more detail above in conjunction with FIG. 4， may determine if a second vehicle with adequate fuel to complete the modified route is available at Block 514. Upon locating a second vehicle at Block 514， the method may determine a relay route for the first vehicle with a relay point along the relay route at Block 518. The method may further cause the first vehicle to complete the relay route by arriving at a relay point at Block 520. Upon the users transferring between the first vehicle and the second vehicle， the method may cause the second vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 522. However， if a second vehicle capable of completing the modified route is not identified at Block 514 or if the use of a relay vehicle is otherwise not desired (thereby effectively eliminating Block 514) ， the method may determine a charge route for the vehicle at Block 524 and may cause the vehicle (e.g.， the first vehicle in FIGS. 3-4) to complete the charge route at Block 526. Upon refueling or  recharging， the method 500 may cause the first vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 528.
With reference to FIGS. 3-5， the vehicle charge modification method 500 may be used in some embodiments in an instance when the current fuel level of the vehicle (e.g.， first vehicle in FIGS. 4-5) is determined not to exceed the fuel required to complete the modified route at  Blocks  312， 412， 512 and the method fails to identify a second vehicle with adequate fuel to complete the modified route at Block 514 (or the use of a relay vehicle is otherwise undesirable) . In such an instance， the apparatus 200 may include means， such as the processor 202， or the like， for determining a charge route at Block 524. In this regard， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may be configured to determine a fuel source that the first vehicle can reach with its current fuel supply and that is capable of refueling the first vehicle such that the fuel capacity of the first vehicle (the current amount of fuel carried by the first vehicle) is at least partially replenished to insure that the first vehicle has adequate fuel to complete the modified route. As discussed above， the vehicle may operate with any applicable or known fuel source， such as by being battery powered and/or petroleum-based fuel powered. Accordingly， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may be configured to determine a geographic location within a proximity to the first vehicle (e.g.， within fuel range) capable of refueling or recharging the vehicle at Block 524， such as by reference to a listing of fuel sources and their corresponding locations maintained by memory 204 or accessible via the communication interface 208. In some embodiments， the first vehicle may be required to remain at the charging location for a set amount of time before completing the modified route. By way of example， if the first vehicle relies upon electric or battery power to operate， the charging station may require additional time to full recharge the vehicle. Upon determining a charge route for the first vehicle， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may be configured to cause the first vehicle to complete the charge route to the fuel source at Block 526. Upon refueling or recharging， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may cause the first vehicle to complete the modified route at Block 528.
As shown by the dashed outline of  Blocks  514， 518， 520 and 522 in FIG. 5， in some embodiments， the apparatus 500 may not attempt to identify a second vehicle with adequate fuel to complete the modified route at Block 514. In such an embodiment， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may， upon determining that the current fuel level， that is， the fuel capacity， of  the first vehicle does not exceed the fuel required to complete the modified route， determine a charge route for the first at Block 524. In such an embodiment， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may determine that the time or distance required to relay with a second vehicle exceeds the aggregate time or distance required to complete the charge route and subsequently the modified route at  Blocks  526， 528 and， as such， may forego further consideration of the use of a relay vehicle and may， instead， proceed directly with the charge route.
In some embodiments， a user may be notified and/or confirmation from a user may be sought prior to modifying the route， such as to a relay route or a charge route. In some embodiments， the user may not provide the requested confirmation， such as in an instance in which the user desires to take a separate vehicle. By way of example， the method 500 may determine a charge route for the first vehicle at Block 524 and may provide a notification to the user of the vehicle’s planned charge route. The user may decide that they would prefer leaving the first vehicle in order to retain the services of another vehicle or that the user may walk the remaining distance to their destination.
In some embodiments， a single vehicle may be utilized with multiple passengers on multiple successive routes. In this regard， the methods and apparatus 200 disclosed above may analyze the effect of a modification of the route taken by a first user on the fuel available for a successive route by a different user. By way of example， a first user may modify his or her trip such that the vehicle may require refueling and/or recharging before another user may utilize the vehicle. Accordingly， the above described apparatuses， methods， and computer program products of an example embodiment may be configured to only allow modifications that do not affect the ability of the vehicle to complete subsequent routes for different users for which the vehicle is already scheduled. Thus， if a modification proposed by a user would prevent the vehicle from completing a subsequent route for which the vehicle is scheduled， the apparatus 200， such as the processor 202， may not permit the modification. Additionally， the apparatuses， methods， and computer program products of an example embodiment may be configured to route the vehicle such that the vehicle completes its route at or near a recharging or refueling station to ensure a vehicle is not stranded without fuel.
Additionally， in some embodiments， the apparatus 200 may include one or more video cameras installed in or on the vehicle. These cameras may be in communication with the apparatus 200 and may be utilized to monitor the number of passengers in the vehicle， the  number and type of luggage held by the vehicle， etc. Additionally， in some embodiments， the apparatuses， methods， and computer program products may be in communication with the a computing device of the user， such as the user’s smartphone， in order to access the user’s (e.g.， passenger’s) calendar， email accounts， and instant messaging accounts， among others such that the route determined as described herein does not impact the plans of the user. By way of example， the apparatus， such as the processor， may analyze a passenger’s calendar to note that the passenger has a scheduled activity at a predefined time， such as plans to attend a movie one hour from the time of pick up. The apparatus， such as the processor， of this example embodiment may provide a notification to the passenger that a proposed modification to the route may cause the passenger to be delayed in arrival to the scheduled activity， such as their scheduled movie. In some embodiments of the apparatus， method， or computer program product， the route chosen (e.g.， modified route， relay route， and/or charge route) may also be the shortest route between the starting point and destination.
It will be understood that each block of the flowchart， and combinations of blocks in the flowchart， may be implemented by various means， such as hardware， firmware， processor， circuitry， and/or other devices associated with execution of software including one or more computer program instructions. For example， one or more of the procedures described above may be embodied by computer program instructions. In this regard， the computer program instructions which embody the procedures described above may be stored by a memory 204 of an apparatus 200 employing an embodiment of the present invention and executed by a processor 202 of the apparatus. As will be appreciated， any such computer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus (e.g.， hardware) to produce a machine， such that the resulting computer or other programmable apparatus implements the functions specified in the flowchart blocks. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that may direct a computer or other programmable apparatus to function in a particular manner， such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture the execution of which implements the function specified in the flowchart blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus to cause a series of operations to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such  that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide operations for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart blocks.
Accordingly， blocks of the flowchart support combinations of means for performing the specified functions and combinations of operations for performing the specified functions for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that one or more blocks of the flowchart， and combinations of blocks in the flowchart， can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based computer systems which perform the specified functions， or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
In some embodiments， certain ones of the operations above may be modified or further amplified. Furthermore， in some embodiments， additional optional operations may be included. Modifications， additions， or amplifications to the operations above may be performed in any order and in any combination.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore， it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover， although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe example embodiments in the context of certain example combinations of elements and/or functions， it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard， for example， different combinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein， they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims (30)

  1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code， the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to， with the processor， cause the apparatus to at least：
    identify a primary route associated with a vehicle；
    receive a modification to the primary route， wherein the modification to the primary route results in a modified route；
    calculate a minimum fuel amount required to complete the modified route；
    determine if the minimum fuel amount required to complete the modified route exceeds a fuel capacity of the vehicle； and
    upon determining that the fuel required to complete the modified route does not exceed the fuel capacity of the vehicle， cause the vehicle to complete the modified route.
  2. An apparatus of claim 1， wherein the primary route is created by the apparatus upon receipt of at least one of a user inputted destination or starting location.
  3. An apparatus of claims 1-2， wherein the apparatus is configured to determine the modified route by analyzing at least one of one or more points of interest identified by the user， one or more ambient conditions of a location of the vehicle， a traffic condition associated with the location of the vehicle， or a load weight characteristic of the vehicle.
  4. An apparatus of claims 1-3， wherein the apparatus is configured to， upon determining that the fuel required to complete the modified route exceeds the fuel capacity of the vehicle，
    determine a relay route； and
    cause the vehicle to complete the relay route.
  5. An apparatus of claim 4， wherein the apparatus is further configured to：
    determine the relay route by locating a replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route； and
    route the replacement vehicle to a relay point along the relay route.
  6. An apparatus of claim 5， wherein， upon confirmation that no replacement vehicle is capable of completing the modified route， the apparatus is further configured to：
    determine a charge route； and
    cause the vehicle to complete the charge route.
  7. An apparatus of claim 6， wherein the apparatus is configured to determine the charge route by determining a location of a service point capable of at least partially replenishing the fuel capacity of the vehicle.
  8. An apparatus of claims 1-7， wherein the vehicle is at least one of battery powered or petroleum-based fuel powered and the fuel capacity of the vehicle is defined by at least one of an electric charge or current petroleum-based fuel level.
  9. A method comprising：
    identifying a primary route associated with a vehicle；
    receiving a modification to the primary route， wherein the modification to the primary route results in a modified route；
    calculating a minimum fuel amount required to complete the modified route；
    determining if the minimum fuel amount required to complete the modified route exceeds a fuel capacity of the vehicle； and
    upon determining that the fuel required to complete the modified route does not exceed the fuel capacity of the vehicle， causing the vehicle to complete the modified route.
  10. A method of claim 9， further comprising creating the primary route upon receipt of at least one of a user inputted destination or starting location.
  11. A method of claims 9-10， further comprising determining the modified route by analyzing at least one of one or more points of interest identified by the user， one or more  ambient conditions of a location of the vehicle， a traffic condition associated with the location of the vehicle， or a load weight characteristic of the vehicle.
  12. A method of claims 9-11， further comprising， upon determining that the fuel required to complete the modified route exceeds the fuel capacity of the vehicle：
    determining a relay route； and
    causing the vehicle to complete the relay route.
  13. A method of claim 12， further comprising：
    determining the relay route by locating a replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route； and
    routing the replacement vehicle to a relay point along the relay route.
  14. A method of claim 13， further comprising， upon confirmation that no replacement vehicle is capable of completing the modified route：
    determining a charge route； and
    causing the vehicle to complete the charge route.
  15. A method of claim 14， further comprising determining the charge route by locating a service point capable of at least partially replenishing the fuel capacity of the vehicle.
  16. A method of claims 9-15， wherein the vehicle is at least one of battery powered or petroleum-based fuel powered and the fuel capacity of the vehicle is defined by at least one of an electric charge or current petroleum-based fuel level.
  17. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code portions stored therein， the computer executable program code portions comprising program code instructions for：
    identifying a primary route associated with a vehicle；
    receiving a modification to the primary route， wherein the modification to the primary route results in a modified route；
    calculating a minimum fuel amount required to complete the modified route；
    determining if the minimum fuel amount required to complete the modified route exceeds a fuel capacity of the vehicle； and
    upon determining that the fuel required to complete the modified route does not exceed the fuel capacity of the vehicle， causing the vehicle to complete the modified route.
  18. A computer program product of claim 17， wherein the computer-executable program code portions further comprise program code instructions for creating the primary route upon receipt of at least one of a user inputted destination or starting location.
  19. A computer program product of claims 17-18， wherein the computer-executable program code portions further comprise program code instructions for determining the modified route by analyzing at least one of one or more points of interest identified by the user， one or more ambient conditions of a location of the vehicle， a traffic condition associated with the location of the vehicle， or a load weight characteristic of the vehicle.
  20. A computer program product of claims 17-19， wherein the computer-executable program code portions further comprise program code instructions for， upon determining that the fuel required to complete the modified route exceeds the fuel capacity of the vehicle，
    determining a relay route； and
    causing the vehicle to complete the relay route.
  21. A computer program product of claim 20， wherein the computer-executable program code portions further comprise program code instructions for：
    determining the relay route by locating a replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route； and
    routing the replacement vehicle to a relay point along the relay route.
  22. A computer program product of claims 20-21， wherein the computer-executable program code portions further comprise program code instructions for， upon confirmation that no replacement vehicle is capable of completing the modified route：
    determining a charge route； and
    causing the vehicle to complete the charge route.
  23. A computer program product of claim 22， wherein the computer-executable program code portions further comprise program code instructions for determining the charge route by locating a service point capable of at least partially replenishing the fuel capacity of the vehicle.
  24. A computer program product of claim 17-23， wherein the vehicle is at least one of battery powered or petroleum-based fuel powered and the fuel capacity of the vehicle is defined by at least one of an electric charge and/or current petroleum-based fuel level.
  25. An apparatus for rerouting a vehicle comprising at least：
    means for identifying a primary route associated with a vehicle；
    means for receiving a modification to the primary route， wherein the modification to the primary route results in a modified route；
    means for calculating a minimum fuel amount required to complete the modified route；
    means for determining if the minimum fuel amount required to complete the modified route exceeds a fuel capacity of the vehicle； and
    means for causing the vehicle to complete the modified route.
  26. An apparatus of claim 25， wherein the means for determining the primary route is configured to receive at least one of a user inputted destination or starting location.
  27. An apparatus of claims 25-26， wherein the means for determining the modified route is configured to analyze at least one of one or more points of interest identified by the user， one or more ambient conditions of a location of the vehicle， a traffic condition associated with the location of the vehicle， or a load weight characteristic of the vehicle.
  28. An apparatus of claims 25-27， wherein the apparatus further comprises， upon determining that the fuel required to complete the modified route exceeds the fuel capacity of the vehicle，
    means for determining a relay route； and
    means for causing the vehicle to complete the relay route.
  29. An apparatus of claim 28， wherein the means for determining the relay route is configured to：
    locate a replacement vehicle capable of completing the modified route； and
    route the replacement vehicle to a relay point along a relay route.
  30. An apparatus of claim 29， wherein the apparatus further comprises， upon confirmation that no replacement vehicle is capable of completing the modified route：
    means for determining a charge route； and
    means for causing the vehicle to complete the charge route.
PCT/CN2016/105765 2016-11-14 2016-11-14 Method and apparatus for modifying a vehicle route WO2018086127A1 (en)

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