Patent ID: 9513632
Filing Date: 2016-12-06
CPC Classification: B60W,G05D,G08G

Claim Text:
1. A computer-implemented method for alerting a proximate entity of a current real-time driving mode of a vehicle, the computer-implemented method comprising: determining, by one or more processors, a current real-time driving mode of a vehicle, wherein the current real-time driving mode is from a group consisting of an autonomous mode and a manual mode, wherein the vehicle is in the autonomous mode when being driven and controlled by an on-board computer, and wherein the vehicle is in the manual mode when being driven and controlled by a human driver; generating, by one or more processors, a driving mode indicator that identifies the current real-time driving mode of the vehicle; and broadcasting, by an indicator emitter, the driving mode indicator from the vehicle to a proximate entity, wherein the driving mode indicator indicates the current real-time driving mode of the vehicle, wherein the proximate entity is an autonomous vehicle that is within a predefined distance from the vehicle, wherein the driving mode indicator is an electronic indicator that is transmitted to the on-board computer on the proximate entity, and wherein the electronic indicator causes the on-board computer to adjust a spacing between the proximate entity and the vehicle that broadcast the driving mode indicator according to whether the driving mode indicator indicates that the vehicle that broadcast the driving mode indicator is operating in the manual mode or the autonomous mode.