Systems and methods for autonomous vehicles

Abstract

An autonomous vehicle configured to facilitate its use and/or enhance what it and/or occupants can do with it, such as, for example, by: autonomously acting based on events within the autonomous vehicle, including by autonomously rerouting itself, altering a cabin of the autonomous vehicle, notifying a third party external to the autonomous vehicle, stopping (e.g., parking) the autonomous vehicle, altering how the autonomous vehicle drives itself, and/or performing other actions based on what and/or how an occupant is doing, an emergency, or another event occurring in the cabin of the autonomous vehicle; autonomously acting based on interactions with (e.g., gestures of) humans (e.g., police officers, school-crossing guards, traffic guards at roadwork or other temporary traffic control sites, drivers of other vehicles, etc.) external to the autonomous vehicle; autonomously acting based on indicators placed at particular locations (e.g., drive-through establishments, potholes, parking spots, etc.); facilitating acts of occupants in the cabin of the autonomous vehicle, such as acts unrelated to and normally not done while driving, including, for example, sleeping, exercising, working, eating, cooking, and/or any other suitable act; and/or automatically personalizing the autonomous vehicle for an occupant (e.g., a configuration of the cabin, a self-driving mode, a destination and/or a route, etc.).

1 .- 117 . (canceled) 
     
     
         118 . A vehicle comprising: a cabin including a driver's seat for an occupant of the vehicle and a user interface for interacting with the occupant; and a control system configured to autonomously drive the vehicle, monitor the occupant to determine a state of the occupant, and alter a screen of the user interface to allow the occupant to use the screen for a driving-unrelated act of the occupant during autonomous driving of the vehicle. 
     
     
         119 . The vehicle of  claim 118 , wherein the control system is configured to alter the autonomous driving of the vehicle based on the state of the occupant. 
     
     
         120 . The vehicle of  claim 119 , wherein, to alter the autonomous driving of the vehicle based on the state of the occupant, the control system is configured to autonomously stop the vehicle. 
     
     
         121 . The vehicle of  claim 119 , wherein, to alter the autonomous driving of the vehicle based on the state of the occupant, the control system is configured to autonomously reroute the vehicle. 
     
     
         122 . The vehicle of  claim 118 , wherein, to alter the screen, the control system is configured to make the screen usable by the occupant for the driving-unrelated act of the occupant during the autonomous driving of the vehicle after the screen was unusable by the occupant for the driving-unrelated act of the occupant during traveling of the vehicle. 
     
     
         123 . The vehicle of  claim 118 , wherein the control system is configured to alter the screen by moving the screen. 
     
     
         124 . The vehicle of  claim 123 , wherein the control system is configured to move the screen between a first position in which the screen is unusable for the driving-unrelated act of the occupant and a second position in which the screen is usable for the driving-unrelated act of the occupant during the autonomous driving of the vehicle. 
     
     
         125 . The vehicle of  claim 124 , wherein the screen is stowed in the first position and is deployed in the second position. 
     
     
         126 . The vehicle of  claim 124 , wherein: in the first position, the screen does not extend over the occupant while the occupant is sitting in the driver's seat; and, in the second position, the screen extends over the occupant while the occupant is sitting in the driver's seat. 
     
     
         127 . The vehicle of  claim 118 , wherein: the user interface comprises a dashboard; and the screen is part of the dashboard. 
     
     
         128 . The vehicle of  claim 118 , wherein: the cabin comprises a passenger seat adjacent to the driver's seat; and at least part of the screen is disposed between the driver's seat and the passenger seat. 
     
     
         129 . The vehicle of  claim 118 , wherein the control system is configured to alter a computer element of the user interface to allow the occupant to use the screen and the computer element for the driving-unrelated act of the occupant during the autonomous driving of the vehicle. 
     
     
         130 . The vehicle of  claim 129 , wherein the control system is configured to alter the screen and the computer element by moving the screen and the computer element. 
     
     
         131 . The vehicle of  claim 118 , wherein the control system is configured to determine the state of the occupant based on at least one of a position of the occupant, a movement of the occupant, and a face of the occupant. 
     
     
         132 . The vehicle of  claim 118 , wherein the control system is configured to issue a warning to the occupant based on the state of the occupant during the autonomous driving of the vehicle. 
     
     
         133 . The vehicle of  claim 118 , wherein the control system is configured to monitor the occupant based on information received from at least one of a camera, a motion sensor, and a vital sign sensor. 
     
     
         134 . The vehicle of  claim 118 , wherein the control system is configured to change between a plurality of modes of operation, which includes an autonomous mode of operation implementing the autonomous driving of the vehicle, based on a speed of traffic where the vehicle is located. 
     
     
         135 . The vehicle of  claim 118 , wherein the driving-unrelated act of the occupant is working with the screen. 
     
     
         136 . A vehicle comprising: a cabin including a driver's seat for an occupant of the vehicle and a user interface for interacting with the occupant; and a control system configured to autonomously drive the vehicle, monitor the occupant to determine a state of the occupant, alter a screen of the user interface to allow the occupant to use the screen for a driving-unrelated act of the occupant during autonomous driving of the vehicle, issue a warning to the occupant based on the state of the occupant during the autonomous driving of the vehicle, and alter the autonomous driving of the vehicle based on the state of the occupant. 
     
     
         137 . A vehicle comprising: a cabin including a driver's seat for an occupant of the vehicle and a user interface for interacting with the occupant; and a control system configured to autonomously drive the vehicle, monitor the occupant to determine a state of the occupant, alter a screen of the user interface such that the screen becomes usable by the occupant for a driving-unrelated act of the occupant during autonomous driving of the vehicle after the screen was unusable by the occupant for the driving-unrelated act of the occupant during traveling of the vehicle, and alter the autonomous driving of the vehicle based on the state of the occupant.