Smart Signs for Autonomous Vehicles

Abstract

The disclosure relates to smart signs or physical markers for facilitating passenger trips for autonomous vehicles. For instance, a physical marker remote from the autonomous vehicles may receive a first notification indicating a request for a trip has been made via a client computing device. The physical marker may determine when the client computing device has reached a physical marker, and in response to the determination, the physical marker may send a second notification to a dispatching server computing device indicating that the client computing device has reached a physical marker. Other aspects of the disclosure relate to various features and uses for the physical marker.

1 . A method of facilitating passenger trips for autonomous vehicles, the method comprising:
 receiving, by one or more processors of a physical marker, an indication that a passenger is assigned to the physical marker for a trip;   monitoring, by the one or more processors, using one or more sensors of the physical marker, status of a stopping area adjacent to the physical marker; and   sending, by the one or more processors, the status to a remote dispatching server computing device in order to enable the remote dispatching server computing device to dispatch one of the autonomous vehicles for the trip.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, sending, by the one or more processors, the status to an autonomous vehicle assigned to passenger. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the status indicates that the stopping area is available for an autonomous vehicle. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing, by the one or more processors, one or both of a visual or an audible notification at the physical marker indicating the status. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the status includes an autonomous vehicle approaching the stopping area. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the status includes determining, by the one or more processors, a number of pedestrians proximate to the physical marker using the one or more sensors, and wherein sending the status includes sending the number of pedestrians to the remote dispatching server computing device. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining based on the status that the passenger should be reassigned to a second physical marker; and   sending a notification to a client computing device associated with the passenger based on the determination that the passenger is able to wait at a second physical marker.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the notification includes a request for confirmation that the passenger wishes to go to the second physical marker. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the notification includes walking instructions for reaching the second physical marker from the physical marker. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the status indicates that there are too many passengers assigned to the physical marker. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the status indicates that there are too many pedestrians nearby the physical marker. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the determining that the passenger should be reassigned to a second physical marker is performed in order to reduce waiting times. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the determining that the passenger should be reassigned to a second physical marker is performed in order to distribute demand for the passenger trips. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising sending data generated by one or more sensors of the physical marker to an autonomous vehicle. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving information indicating a location of an autonomous vehicle assigned to a user of a client computing device; and   providing one or both of a visual or an audible notification at the physical marker indicating a status of the autonomous vehicle based on the received information.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors includes a L 1 DAR sensor. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising using the status to arrange a queue of the autonomous vehicles without requiring the autonomous vehicles to form a line at the stopping area. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein arranging the queue include sending an indication to a given one of the autonomous vehicle when that given one should come and stop at the stopping area. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the indication is sent to the given one based on a location of the given one relative to the physical marker. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the indication is sent to the given one based on when the given one was assigned to a particular passenger.