Patent Publication Number: US-2020279118-A1

Title: Determining and mapping location-based information for a vehicle

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/131,672, filed on Sep. 14, 2018 and entitled “DETERMINING AND MAPPING LOCATION-BASED INFORMATION FOR A VEHICLE”, which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present technology relates to the field of vehicles. More particularly, the present technology relates to systems, apparatus, and methods for determining and mapping information for vehicles. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Vehicles are increasingly being equipped with intelligent features that allow them to monitor their surroundings and make informed decisions on how to react. Such vehicles, whether autonomously, semi-autonomously, or manually driven, may be capable of sensing their environment and navigating with little or no human input as appropriate. The vehicle may include a variety of systems and subsystems for enabling the vehicle to determine its surroundings so that it may safely navigate to target destinations or assist a human driver, if one is present, with doing the same. As one example, the vehicle may have a computing system (e.g., one or more central processing units, graphical processing units, memory, storage, etc.) for controlling various operations of the vehicle, such as driving and navigating. To that end, the computing system may process data from one or more sensors. For example, a vehicle may have optical cameras for recognizing hazards, roads, lane markings, traffic signals, and the like. Data from sensors may be used to, for example, safely drive the vehicle, activate certain safety features (e.g., automatic braking), and generate alerts about potential hazards. 
     SUMMARY 
     Various embodiments of the present technology can include systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media configured to determine contextual information describing at least one physical structure corresponding to a location based at least in part on data captured by one or more sensors of a vehicle. A set of candidate interaction points for the at least one physical structure can be determined based at least in part on the determined contextual information describing the at least one physical structure corresponding to the location. The set of candidate interaction points can be filtered to identify one or more interaction points. An interaction point can be selected from the one or more interaction points to use for stopping the vehicle. 
     In an embodiment, wherein determining contextual information describing the at least one physical structure corresponding to the location comprises: determining a presence of the at least one physical structure at the location based at least in part on the data captured by the one or more sensors of the vehicle; and determining one or more features that describe the at least one physical structure based at least in part on the data captured by the one or more sensors of the vehicle. 
     In an embodiment, the one or more features correspond to at least one of: doorways for entering or exiting the at least one physical structure, windows associated with the at least one physical structure, parking spots within a threshold distance of the at least one physical structure, marked loading and unloading zones within a threshold distance of the at least one physical structure, and parking restrictions for a road on which the at least one physical structure is located. 
     In an embodiment, filtering the set of candidate interaction points to identify one or more interaction points comprises: determining a presence of one or more objects based at least in part on the data captured by the one or more sensors of the vehicle; determining that a first interaction point in the set of candidate interaction points is partially or fully obstructed by the one or more objects; and removing the first interaction point from the set of candidate interaction points. 
     In an embodiment, filtering the set of candidate interaction points to identify one or more interaction points comprises: determining a presence of at least one object in motion based at least in part on the data captured by the one or more sensors of the vehicle; determining that a first interaction point in the set of candidate interaction points is predicted to be obstructed by the at least one object in motion; and removing the first interaction point from the set of candidate interaction points. 
     In an embodiment, filtering the set of candidate interaction points to identify one or more interaction points comprises: determining that a first interaction point in the set of candidate interaction points is located within a threshold distance of a doorway for accessing the at least one physical structure; and prioritizing the first interaction point over other interaction points in the set of candidate interaction points. 
     In an embodiment, the interaction point is used to load one or more passengers from the at least one physical structure, unload one or more passengers at the at least one physical structure, or complete one or more deliveries to the at least one physical structure. 
     In an embodiment, determining the set of candidate interaction points for the at least one physical structure comprises: accessing an interaction points map for the location, wherein the interaction points map identifies a set of predetermined interaction points for the location. 
     In an embodiment, wherein the contextual information describing the at least one physical structure corresponding to the location is determined when the vehicle arrives at the location to load or unload one or more passengers at the at least one physical structure. 
     In an embodiment, wherein one or more features that describe the at least one physical structure are determined based at least in part on LiDAR data collected by the vehicle, images captured by the vehicle, optical character recognition (OCR) data determined from the captured images, motion vectors of objects represented in the captured images, historical map data, or a combination thereof. 
     It should be appreciated that many other features, applications, embodiments, and variations of the disclosed technology will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the following detailed description. Additional and alternative implementations of the structures, systems, non-transitory computer readable media, and methods described herein can be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosed technology. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1A-1C  illustrate various challenges that may be experienced and determined by a vehicle, according to an embodiment of the present technology. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an example location interaction point module, according to an embodiment of the present technology. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an example disambiguation module, according to an embodiment of the present technology. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an example three-dimensional interaction point map, according to an embodiment of the present technology. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an example method, according to an embodiment of the present technology. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an example block diagram of a transportation management environment, according to an embodiment of the present technology. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates an example of a computer system or computing device that can be utilized in various scenarios, according to an embodiment of the present technology. 
     
    
    
     The figures depict various embodiments of the disclosed technology for purposes of illustration only, wherein the figures use like reference numerals to identify like elements. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated in the figures can be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosed technology described herein. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Vehicles are increasingly being equipped with intelligent features that allow them to monitor their surroundings and make informed decisions on how to react. Such vehicles, whether autonomously, semi-autonomously, or manually driven, may be capable of sensing their environment and navigating with little or no human input. The vehicle may include a variety of systems and subsystems for enabling the vehicle to determine its surroundings so that it may safely navigate to target destinations or assist a human driver, if one is present, with doing the same. As one example, the vehicle may have a computing system for controlling various operations of the vehicle, such as driving and navigating. To that end, the computing system may process data from one or more sensors. For example, a vehicle may have optical cameras for recognizing hazards, roads, lane markings, traffic signals, and the like. Data from sensors may be used to, for example, safely drive the vehicle, activate certain safety features (e.g., automatic braking), and generate alerts about potential hazards. 
     Autonomous, semi-autonomous, or manually-driven vehicles may be used by a transportation management system to provide ride services or other types of services. A transportation management system may comprise a fleet of such vehicles. In general, vehicles used to provide transportation services typically load (or pick-up) passengers from one geographic location and unload (or drop-off) the passengers at another geographic location. Today, passengers in manually-driven or semi-autonomous transportation vehicles can typically communicate pick-up and drop-off locations to a human driver. For example, passengers can simply instruct a human driver to drop them off in front of a building or at a rear entrance of a building. However, such instructions typically cannot be provided to an autonomously-driven vehicle. For instance, a passenger may instruct an autonomous vehicle to navigate to a destination address that corresponds to a building. As one possibility, the building could span an entire city block and include multiple doors for ingress and egress. In this example, the autonomous vehicle needs to determine a drop-off location that is both convenient and safe for the passenger to exit. For example, the autonomous vehicle should determine a drop-off location that is near a main entrance to the building and also free from obstacles (e.g., vehicles, debris, pedestrians, etc.) that may create a hazardous situation for the public or the passenger. Conventional approaches pose disadvantages in addressing these and other problems. 
     An improved approach in accordance with the present technology overcomes the foregoing and other disadvantages associated with conventional approaches. The improved approach can allow vehicles to determine interaction points (e.g., pick-up locations, drop-off locations) for various geographic locations (e.g., points of interest, residences, businesses, etc.). In various embodiments, a vehicle can use sensor data to disambiguate between physical structures on or adjacent to roads such as buildings. The vehicle can also determine various features corresponding to those physical structures (e.g., doors, windows, parking spots near entrances, marked loading and unloading zones, parking restrictions, etc.). The disambiguated physical structures can each be identified as a building that corresponds to some location (e.g., point of interest, residence, business, etc.). After disambiguation, the vehicle can determine respective interaction points for each of the identified buildings based on a map, such as a three dimensional map of interaction points. In an embodiment, an interaction point for a given building can be some space (or region) on a road that can be used to safely park or otherwise stop a vehicle for some purpose (e.g., picking passengers up from the building, dropping passengers off at the building, making deliveries to the building, etc.). The vehicle can also evaluate real-time (or near real-time) sensor data to filter the identified interaction points. For example, the vehicle may filter interaction points based on perceived obstacles (e.g., vehicles, debris, pedestrians, etc.) that may create a hazardous situation if used to stop the vehicle. The vehicle can then identify one or more prioritized interaction points to use for the building. In various embodiments, the vehicle can determine a prioritized list of interaction points for various physical structures. More details relating to the present technology are provided below. 
       FIG. 1A  illustrates various challenges that may be experienced by a vehicle, for example, when unloading passengers. For example,  FIG. 1A  illustrates one example environment  100  in which a vehicle  102  is shown navigating a road  104  to drop passengers off at a destination location  106 . When navigating to the location  106 , the vehicle  102  may need to determine interaction points (e.g., pick-up, drop-off locations) on the road  104  that can be used to stop the vehicle  102  and unload the passengers. As shown in  FIG. 1A , identifying interaction points can be challenging since the vehicle  102  needs to find a safe place for passengers to exit while providing convenient access to the location  106 . Further, there may be myriad obstacles present on the road  104  that require consideration when stopping the vehicle  102 . For example, there may be other vehicles  108  and pedestrians  110  on the road  104 . There may also be static (or stationary) objects that prevent the vehicle  102  from parking on the road  104 . For instance, there may be a crosswalk  112  and a fire hydrant  114  that prevent the vehicle  102  from parking on some portion of the road  104 . 
     In general, a vehicle may be equipped with one or more sensors which can be used to capture environmental information, such as information describing a given road and physical structures located on or adjacent to the road. For example, in some instances, a vehicle may be equipped with one or more sensors in a sensor suite including optical cameras, LiDAR, radar, infrared cameras, and ultrasound equipment, to name some examples. Such sensors can be used to collect information that can be used by the vehicle to disambiguate physical structures located on a given road. This information can also be used to determine additional features for disambiguated physical structures including, for example, doors (or entrances) for accessing a physical structure, windows corresponding to a physical structure, parking spots near entrances to the physical structure, marked loading and unloading zones near the physical structures, and any parking restrictions for the road. In various embodiments, disambiguated physical structures and their corresponding features can be used to determine interaction points for physical structures. In some embodiments, interaction points determined for physical structures can be used to generate or update a three-dimensional interaction point map that identifies respective interaction points for physical structures. 
     For example,  FIG. 1B  illustrates an example environment  130  in which a vehicle  132  is navigating a road  134 . The vehicle  132  can be, for example, a vehicle  640  as shown in  FIG. 6 . In  FIG. 1B , the vehicle  132  includes a sensor suite  136  that can be used to sense static (or stationary) objects, dynamic objects, and semi-permanent (or ephemeral) objects that are around (or within some threshold proximity of) the vehicle  132 . In this example, information collected by sensors included in the sensor suite  136  can be used to determine information about the road  134  and physical structures located on the road  134 . For instance, sensors in the sensor suite  136  can be used to disambiguate a first building  138 , a second building  140 , and a third building  142  that exist in a single physical structure  144 . The vehicle  132  can also determine features for disambiguated physical structures. For example, the vehicle  132  can determine a door  146  for accessing the first building  138 , a door  148  for accessing the second building  140 , and a door  150  for accessing the third building  142 . The vehicle  132  can also determine the presence of a fire hydrant  152  in front of the single physical structure  144 , a crosswalk  154  that allows pedestrians to cross the road  134 , pedestrians  156 , other vehicles  158 , and any other objects that are present. In addition to identifying objects, the sensors in the sensor suite  136  can also be used to monitor the identified objects. For example, once an object is identified, the sensors can be used to trace (or track) a path (or trajectory) of the object over time. Information collected by the sensors in the sensor suite  136  can be used to determine other features for physical structures on the road  134 . In some instances, rather than having a sensor suite, a vehicle may be equipped with a computing device that includes a number of integrated sensors. In such instances, sensors in the computing device can collect information that can be used by the vehicle to understand and navigate a given environment. In various embodiments, information collected by the integrated sensors can similarly be used to determine physical structures and corresponding features on a given road. For example, a mobile phone placed inside of the vehicle  132  may include integrated sensors (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS), optical camera, compass, gyroscope(s), accelerometer(s), and inertial measurement unit(s)) which can be used to capture information and determine information describing physical structures. 
     In various embodiments, real-time (or near real-time) sensor data can be used to determine and prioritize interaction points for locations.  FIG. 1C  illustrates example interaction points determined for the first building  138 , the second building  140 , and the third building  142 . For example, in  FIG. 1C , the vehicle  132  has identified a first interaction point  160 , a second interaction point  162 , a third interaction point  164 , and a fourth interaction point  166 . In this example, the vehicle  132  can determine that the second interaction point  162  is about to be occupied by a vehicle  158  and, therefore, is not available. The vehicle  132  can also determine the third interaction point  164  is not available because a group of pedestrians  168  are predicted to be located at the third interaction point  164  by the time the vehicle  132  arrives. Thus, the vehicle  132  can identify the first interaction point  160  and the fourth interaction point  166  as convenient and safe locations for parking the vehicle  132  when picking up and dropping off passengers at the first building  138 , the second building  140 , or the third building  142 . More details relating to the present technology are provided below. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an example system  200  including an example location interaction point module  202 , according to an embodiment of the present technology. As shown in the example of  FIG. 2 , the location interaction point module  202  can include a sensor data module  204 , a disambiguation module  206 , and an interaction point module  208 . In some instances, the example system  200  can include at least one data store  220 . In some embodiments, some or all data stored in the data store  220  can be stored by a transportation management system  660  of  FIG. 6 . In some embodiments, some or all data stored in the data store  220  can be stored by the vehicle  640  of  FIG. 6 . The components (e.g., modules, elements, etc.) shown in this figure and all figures herein are exemplary only, and other implementations may include additional, fewer, integrated, or different components. Some components may not be shown so as not to obscure relevant details. In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality performed by the location interaction point module  202  and its sub-modules may be performed by one or more backend computing systems, such as the transportation management system  660  of  FIG. 6 . In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality performed by the location interaction point module  202  and its sub-modules may be performed by one or more computing systems implemented in a vehicle, such as the vehicle  640  of  FIG. 6 . 
     The location interaction point module  202  can be configured to communicate and operate with the at least one data store  220 , as shown in the example system  200 . The at least one data store  220  can be configured to store and maintain various types of data. For example, the data store  220  can store information describing roads, physical structures located on roads and their related features, and historical data identifying known interaction points for various locations. In some embodiments, some or all data stored in the data store  220  can be stored by the transportation management system  660  of  FIG. 6 . In some embodiments, some or all data stored in the data store  220  can be stored by the vehicle  640  of  FIG. 6 . More details about information that can be stored in the data store  220  are provided below. 
     The sensor data module  204  can be configured to access sensor data corresponding to locations for which interaction points are to be determined. For example, the sensor data may include data captured by one or more sensors including optical cameras, LiDAR, radar, infrared cameras, and ultrasound equipment, to name some examples. The sensor data module  204  can obtain such sensor data, for example, from the data store  220  or directly from sensors associated with a vehicle in real-time (or near real-time). In some instances, the obtained sensor data may have been collected by a driver-operated vehicle included in a fleet of vehicles that offer ridesharing services. For example, in some embodiments, the driver-operated vehicle may include a computing device (e.g., mobile phone) that includes one or more integrated sensors (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS), compass, gyroscope(s), accelerometer(s), and inertial measurement unit(s)) that can be used to capture information describing physical structures on a given road. In some embodiments, the sensor data module  204  can determine contextual information for sensor data such as a respective calendar date, day of week, and time of day during which the sensor data was captured. Such contextual information may be obtained from an internal clock of a sensor or a computing device, one or more external computing systems (e.g., Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers), or GPS data, to name some examples. More details describing the types of sensor data that may be obtained by the sensor data module  204  are provided below in connection with an array of sensors  644  of  FIG. 6 . 
     The disambiguation module  206  can be configured to identify physical structures associated with various locations based on sensor data obtained by the sensor data module  204 . For example, the disambiguation module  206  can disambiguate or distinguish between physical structures such as buildings on a given road. The disambiguation module  206  can also determine various features corresponding to those physical structures (e.g., doors, windows, parking spots, loading and unloading zones, parking restrictions, etc.). These features may be used to further disambiguate physical structures and also to determine and filter (e.g., prioritize, de-prioritize, disqualify) interaction points for locations. In some embodiments, each disambiguated physical structure can each be identified as a building that corresponds to some location (e.g., point of interest, residence, business, etc.). More details regarding the disambiguation module  206  will be provided below with reference to  FIG. 3 . 
     The interaction point module  208  can determine and prioritize interaction points for locations (e.g., physical structure, building, etc.). In various embodiments, the interaction point module  208  can identify potential interaction points, such as parking spaces, for a location based on generally known techniques for automatically identifying interaction points. For example, the interaction point module  208  can analyze sensor data corresponding to a location to identify parking spaces within some threshold distance of the location. These parking spaces can be used to stop or park a vehicle, for example, to load and unload passengers. In some embodiments, the interaction point module  208  can determine and prioritize interaction points for a location based on information describing physical structures and their related features as determined by the disambiguation module  206 . For example, the interaction point module  208  can use the disambiguation information to identify a building associated with the location as well as a main entrance to the building. In this example, the interaction point module  208  can prioritize interaction points that are within a threshold distance of the main entrance of the building over other candidate interaction points. In some embodiments, the interaction point module  208  can determine and prioritize interaction points for locations based on real-time (or near real-time) sensor data captured at those locations. For example, a location may have many potential interaction points that can be used to stop or park a vehicle, for example, to load and unload passengers. However, some of these potential interaction points may not be usable, for example, due to obstructions or other road conditions. For example, a potential interaction point may be de-prioritized or disqualified because the interaction point is being partially or fully obstructed by one or more objects (e.g., pedestrians, vehicles, debris, etc.). The interaction point module  208  can also de-prioritize or disqualify interaction points based on predicted trajectories of objects detected on a road. That is, the interaction point module  208  can de-prioritize or disqualify an interaction point that is likely to be partially or fully obstructed in the near future (e.g., a time prior to a time of anticipated arrival at the interaction point by a vehicle that is to stop) by one or more objects in motion. For example, the interaction point module  208  can de-prioritize or disqualify an interaction point that is predicted to be obstructed by pedestrians walking toward the interaction point. In some embodiments, the interaction point module  208  can de-prioritize or disqualify an interaction point upon detecting objects within a threshold distance of a location. For example, the interaction point module  208  can de-prioritize or disqualify an interaction point that is within a threshold distance of a fire hydrant. In some embodiments, the interaction point module  208  can de-prioritize or disqualify an interaction point based on known or determined parking restrictions for roads. For example, the interaction point module  208  can de-prioritize or disqualify an interaction point that is within a restricted parking zone. In various embodiments, such parking restrictions can be determined based on detected parking signs, curb colors, or third-party map data, to name some examples. In other embodiments, such restricted parking zones can be subject to a time restriction that is inconsistent with the timing of a possible stop by a vehicle. In some embodiments, the interaction point module  208  can determine and prioritize interaction points based on an absence of a physical structure at a given location. For example, the interaction point module  208  can use disambiguation information to determine that no building is associated with a location. In such instances, the interaction point module  208  need not rely on interaction points that are within a threshold distance of a building feature (e.g., a main entrance) and can instead consider interaction points that are within a threshold distance of the location itself. 
     In some embodiments, the interaction point module  208  can determine and prioritize interaction points for locations based in part on a predetermined interaction points map. For example, the interaction points map can be a three-dimensional semantic map that identifies predetermined interaction points for various locations. In some embodiments, some or all of the interaction points identified by the interaction points map may be determined by one or more vehicles implementing the location interaction point module  202  of  FIG. 2 . In some embodiments, some or all of the interaction points identified by the interaction points map may be determined from transportation data collected by a fleet of vehicles that offer ridesharing services. In some embodiments, the interaction point module  208  can determine interaction points for a given location based solely on the interaction points map. For example, rather than determining its own interaction points for a given location, the interaction point module  208  can simply use interaction points identified by the interaction points map when loading and unloading passengers at the location. In some embodiments, the interaction point module  208  can determine interaction points for a given location in conjunction with the interaction points map. For example, the interaction point module  208  can determine its own interaction points for a given location based on real-time (or near real-time) sensor data, as described above. In this example, the interaction point module  208  can determine differences between interaction points for the location as identified by the interaction points map and interaction points determined by the interaction point module  208  based on real-time sensor data. In some embodiments, if no differences are found, the interaction point module  208  can prioritize interaction points identified by the interaction points map based on real-time (or near real-time) sensor data, as described above. In some instances, there may be differences between interaction points identified by the interaction points map and interaction points determined by the interaction point module  208 . For example, one or more interaction points identified by the interaction points map may no longer be available due to ongoing construction. In another example, one or more interaction points identified by the interaction points map may no longer be available due to recently implemented parking restrictions. When differences are identified, the interaction point module  208  can de-prioritize or disqualify interaction points that are no longer usable for stopping or parking a vehicle based on real-time (or near real-time) sensor data, as described above. In various embodiments, information describing best interaction points, available interaction points, or disqualified interaction points for a given location can be shared (or broadcasted) to other vehicles, such as the vehicle  640  of  FIG. 6 , over one or more computer networks. In some embodiments, such information can be shared in real-time (or near real-time) once interaction points are filtered to allow other vehicles to utilize the filtered interaction points, for example, when loading and unloading passengers at the location. 
     In various embodiments, information describing interaction points for locations, as determined by the interaction point module  208 , can be used to generate or update the three-dimensional interaction points map. For example, in some embodiments, the interaction points map can be generated and updated based on interaction points that were determined and prioritized for various locations by a fleet of vehicles implementing the location interaction point module  202  of  FIG. 2 . In some embodiments, the interaction points map can be generated and updated based on interaction points that were determined and prioritized for various locations by a fleet of vehicles that offer ridesharing services. In various embodiments, the interaction points map can be distributed to vehicles over one or more computer networks. In some embodiments, updates to the interaction points map can also be distributed to vehicles over one or more computer networks. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an example disambiguation module  302 , according to an embodiment of the present technology. In some embodiments, the disambiguation module  206  of  FIG. 2  can be implemented with the disambiguation module  302 . The disambiguation module  302  can be configured to disambiguate, distinguish, or identify physical structures on a given road based on various types of data. For example, in various embodiments, the disambiguation module  302  can disambiguate physical structures on a road based on Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) data collected while driving the road, segmentation data determined from images captured while driving the road, optical character recognition (OCR) data determined from the captured images, object trajectory data (e.g., pedestrian traffic patterns) determined from the captured images, known map data, or a combination thereof. As shown in the example of  FIG. 3 , the disambiguation module  302  can include a LiDAR module  304 , an image processing module  306 , an OCR module  308 , an object module  310 , a historical map data module  312 , and a supervisor module  314 . 
     The LiDAR module  304  can be configured to disambiguate physical structures on a road based on LiDAR data collected while driving the road. For example, the LiDAR module  304  can access one or more point clouds generated based on LiDAR data collected while driving the road. A point cloud can include a collection of data points in space that provide a three-dimensional representation of an environment and objects within the environment. In some embodiments, collected LiDAR data can be supplemented with global positioning system (GPS) information that identifies a location from which the LiDAR data was collected. In some embodiments, the LiDAR module  304  can distinguish between physical structures on a road based on their construction building materials. For example, the LiDAR module  304  can analyze LiDAR data to determine that a single physical structure is made up of a first building that is constructed using bricks and a second building that is constructed using cement. In this example, the LiDAR module  304  can measure gross changes in light reflectivity across a linear axis that is perpendicular to a detected ground plane. The LiDAR module  304  can then determine construction building materials of physical structures based on light reflectivity values. For example, the LiDAR module  304  can be configured to associate light reflectivity values with construction building materials such as bricks, cement, stucco, glass, mirrored glass, and glass and metal, to name some examples. In some embodiments, the LiDAR module  304  can distinguish between physical structures based on an average density of foliage as represented in one or more point clouds. For example, a pair of adjacent physical structures may be distinguished based on their average foliage or gaps in foliage. In some embodiments, the LiDAR module  304  can distinguish between physical structures based on representations of the physical structures as geometric shapes in one or more point clouds. For example, a pair of adjacent physical structures having different geometric shapes can be distinguished. In some embodiments, the LiDAR module  304  can distinguish between physical structures based on doors (or entrances) detected in representations of the physical structures in one or more point clouds. For example, different physical structures may have different door types or symmetry (e.g., single doors, dual doors, revolving doors, etc.). In another example, different physical structures may have different door sizes. In yet another example, different physical structures may have doors that are aligned differently along a path. In some embodiments, when distinguishing physical structures based on doors, the LiDAR module  304  can bias door detection at corners and midpoints of the physical structures. In some embodiments, the LiDAR module  304  can distinguish between physical structures based on windows detected in representations of the physical structures in one or more point clouds. For example, different physical structures may have different window types or sizes. In another example, different physical structures may have different window spacing. In some embodiments, the LiDAR module  304  can be implemented as one or more machine learning models that can be trained and refined over time as additional LiDAR data is collected and analyzed. 
     The image processing module  306  can be configured to disambiguate physical structures based on digital images in which the physical structures are represented. For example, in some embodiments, the image processing module  306  can apply generally known image segmentation techniques to partition an image into discrete segments. Each discrete segment can include pixels that share one or more characteristics such as color, intensity, or texture. These discrete segments can be used to visualize meaningful boundaries between physical structures and other objects represented in images. In some embodiments, such boundaries can be used to distinguish between physical structures and other objects represented in image data. In some embodiments, the image processing module  306  can be used in conjunction with the LiDAR module  304  to disambiguate physical structures. For example, segmentation data produced by the image processing module  306  can be overlaid with one or more point clouds determined by the LiDAR module  304  to disambiguate physical structures, for example, by biasing on doors (or entrances) over windows. In some embodiments, the image processing module  306  can be implemented as one or more machine learning models that can be trained and refined over time as additional image data is collected and analyzed. In some embodiments, the image processing module  306  can be configured to disambiguate physical structures based on color temperature consistency. For example, physical structures may have different types of lighting (e.g., brightness, color, etc.) that can be used to distinguish between the physical structures. In some embodiments, a first physical structure can be distinguished from a second physical structure based on an inconsistency or threshold level of difference between an average color temperature of lighting corresponding to the first physical structure and an average color temperature of lighting corresponding to the second physical structure. In some embodiments, the image processing module  306  can be configured to disambiguate physical structures based on threshold changes to a camera auto white balance (AWB) setting when capturing images of the physical structures. 
     The OCR module  308  be configured to disambiguate physical structures on a road based on optical character recognition (OCR) data determined from images captured while driving the road. For example, the OCR module  308  can apply generally known OCR techniques to convert text represented in image data to machine-readable text. In some embodiments, physical structures can be distinguished based on their detected building numbers (or street numbers). For example, the OCR module  308  can apply generally known OCR techniques to identify building numbers associated with physical structures. In this example, physical structures with different building numbers can be distinguished from one another. In another example, physical structures can be distinguished based on suite numbers. In some embodiments, the OCR module  308  can distinguish between physical structures based on typography (e.g., a style; arrangement; appearance of letters, numbers, and symbols) of text recognized on or in association with those physical structures. For example, physical structures that correspond to different businesses may use different typography in signage. In some embodiments, the OCR module  308  can determine doors (or entrances) corresponding to physical structures. For example, the OCR module  308  can determine the presence of a door upon recognizing a street number located above a window. In another example, the OCR module  308  can determine the presence of a door upon recognizing text that typically appears at building entrances such as text indicating forms of payment accepted and hours of operation. In some embodiments, the OCR module  308  can be implemented as one or more machine learning models that can be trained and refined over time as additional image data is collected and analyzed. 
     The object module  310  can be configured to identify or confirm the presence of doors for entering and exiting physical structures. In some embodiments, the object module  310  can apply generally known motion estimation techniques to determine motion vectors for objects (e.g., pedestrians, bicycles, etc.) represented in images of physical structures. In such embodiments, the object module  310  can determine one or more common, or aggregated, motion vectors based on the represented objects. These motion vectors can be used to identify or confirm the presence of one or more doors that can be used to access a given physical structure. For example, motion vectors corresponding to pedestrians, when aggregated, may identify a door to a building that is being used to enter and exit the building. In some embodiments, the object module  310  can be implemented as one or more machine learning models that can be trained and refined over time as additional image data is collected and analyzed. 
     The historical map data module  312  can be configured to confirm or improve information about disambiguated physical structures. For example, in some embodiments, the historical map data module  312  can perform a comparison of disambiguated physical structures and their corresponding features (e.g., doors, windows, parking spots near entrances, marked loading and unloading zones, parking restrictions, etc.) with existing sources of data (e.g., historical map data, third-party data). For example, historical map data may provide additional information (e.g., known doorways, known interaction points, etc.) that can be used to improve or supplement information describing a disambiguated physical structure. In some embodiments, the historical map data module  312  can be implemented as one or more machine learning models that can be trained and refined over time as additional data is collected and analyzed. 
     In various embodiments, the LiDAR module  304 , the image processing module  306 , the OCR module  308 , the object module  310 , and the historical map data module  312  can be used in parallel to disambiguate physical structures and determine corresponding features (e.g., doors, windows, parking spots near entrances, marked loading and unloading zones, parking restrictions, etc.). For example, in some embodiments, the LiDAR module  304 , the image processing module  306 , the OCR module  308 , the object module  310 , and the historical map data module  312  can be implemented as individual machine learning models trained to predict physical structures and corresponding features. In such embodiments, the supervisor module  314  can serve as a machine learning monitor that evaluates predictions made by the individual machine learning models. For example, each of the machine learning models can individually process sensor data corresponding to a given location. In this example, the supervisor module  314  can evaluate predictions made by each of the machine learning models to disambiguate physical structures at the location and determine their corresponding features. In some embodiments, the supervisor module  314  evaluates predictions from the machine learning models using a consensus model (e.g., a distributed consensus model, a blockchain, etc.). In some embodiments, the supervisor module  314  upweights models when those models accurately predict disambiguation information or features corresponding to disambiguated physical structures. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an example three-dimensional interaction point map  400  based on functionality of the location interaction point module  202 , according to an embodiment of the present technology. The map  400  provides for a vehicle  450  detailed semantic information for various locations including, for example, physical structures present at those locations and their corresponding features. For example, in  FIG. 4 , the map  400  identifies a first building  402  and a doorway  404  for entering and exiting the first building  402 . The map  400  also identifies a second building  412  and a doorway  414  for entering and exiting the second building  412 . The map  400  can also identify the first building  402  and the second building  412  as separate physical structures even through the buildings are housed in a single physical structure. In some embodiments, the map  400  can identify interaction points that can be used to stop or park a vehicle to provide passengers with convenient access to a given physical structure. For example, the map  400  identifies a set of interaction points  406  that were determined for the first building  402  and a set of interaction points  416  that were determined for the second building  412 . In various embodiments, the map  400  can be generated and updated based on sensor data collected and processed by vehicles, as described above. Accordingly, the map  400  does not reflect one or more disqualified or removed interaction points because, for example, the interaction points are being or will be partially or fully obstructed by one or more detected objects (e.g., pedestrians, vehicles, debris, etc.). Such obstruction can be determined based on the position of static objects or predicted trajectories of objects in motion. In some embodiments, the map  400  can be distributed among a fleet of vehicles that offer ridesharing services. For example, the map  400  can be distributed for purposes of improving loading and unloading of passengers at the first building  402  or the second building  412 . In some embodiments, updates to the map  400  can be distributed to the fleet of vehicles at each update or at predetermined intervals. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an example method  500 , according to an embodiment of the present technology. At block  502 , determine contextual information describing at least one physical structure corresponding to a location based at least in part on data captured by one or more sensors of a vehicle. At block  504 , a set of candidate interaction points for the at least one physical structure can be determined based at least in part on the determined contextual information describing the at least one physical structure corresponding to the location. At block  506 , the set of candidate interaction points can be filtered to identify one or more interaction points. At block  508 , an interaction point can be selected from the one or more interaction points to use for stopping the vehicle. 
     Many variations to the example method are possible. It should be appreciated that there can be additional, fewer, or alternative steps performed in similar or alternative orders, or in parallel, within the scope of the various embodiments discussed herein unless otherwise stated. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an example block diagram of a transportation management environment for matching ride requestors with vehicles. In particular embodiments, the environment may include various computing entities, such as a user computing device  630  of a user  601  (e.g., a ride provider or requestor), a transportation management system  660 , a vehicle  640 , and one or more third-party systems  670 . The vehicle  640  can be autonomous, semi-autonomous, or manually drivable. The computing entities may be communicatively connected over any suitable network  610 . As an example and not by way of limitation, one or more portions of network  610  may include an ad hoc network, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, a portion of Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellular network, or a combination of any of the above. In particular embodiments, any suitable network arrangement and protocol enabling the computing entities to communicate with each other may be used. Although  FIG. 6  illustrates a single user device  630 , a single transportation management system  660 , a single vehicle  640 , a plurality of third-party systems  670 , and a single network  610 , this disclosure contemplates any suitable number of each of these entities. As an example and not by way of limitation, the network environment may include multiple users  601 , user devices  630 , transportation management systems  660 , vehicles  640 , third-party systems  670 , and networks  610 . In some embodiments, some or all modules of the location interaction point module  202  may be implemented by one or more computing systems of the transportation management system  660 . In some embodiments, some or all modules of the location interaction point module  202  may be implemented by one or more computing systems in the vehicle  640 . 
     The user device  630 , transportation management system  660 , vehicle  640 , and third-party system  670  may be communicatively connected or co-located with each other in whole or in part. These computing entities may communicate via different transmission technologies and network types. For example, the user device  630  and the vehicle  640  may communicate with each other via a cable or short-range wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth, NFC, WI-FI, etc.), and together they may be connected to the Internet via a cellular network that is accessible to either one of the devices (e.g., the user device  630  may be a smartphone with LTE connection). The transportation management system  660  and third-party system  670 , on the other hand, may be connected to the Internet via their respective LAN/WLAN networks and Internet Service Providers (ISP).  FIG. 6  illustrates transmission links  650  that connect user device  630 , vehicle  640 , transportation management system  660 , and third-party system  670  to communication network  610 . This disclosure contemplates any suitable transmission links  650 , including, e.g., wire connections (e.g., USB, Lightning, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS)), wireless connections (e.g., WI-FI, WiMAX, cellular, satellite, NFC, Bluetooth), optical connections (e.g., Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH)), any other wireless communication technologies, and any combination thereof. In particular embodiments, one or more links  650  may connect to one or more networks  610 , which may include in part, e.g., ad-hoc network, the Intranet, extranet, VPN, LAN, WLAN, WAN, WWAN, MAN, PSTN, a cellular network, a satellite network, or any combination thereof. The computing entities need not necessarily use the same type of transmission link  650 . For example, the user device  630  may communicate with the transportation management system via a cellular network and the Internet, but communicate with the vehicle  640  via Bluetooth or a physical wire connection. 
     In particular embodiments, the transportation management system  660  may fulfill ride requests for one or more users  601  by dispatching suitable vehicles. The transportation management system  660  may receive any number of ride requests from any number of ride requestors  601 . In particular embodiments, a ride request from a ride requestor  601  may include an identifier that identifies the ride requestor in the system  660 . The transportation management system  660  may use the identifier to access and store the ride requestor&#39;s  601  information, in accordance with the requestor&#39;s  601  privacy settings. The ride requestor&#39;s  601  information may be stored in one or more data stores (e.g., a relational database system) associated with and accessible to the transportation management system  660 . In particular embodiments, ride requestor information may include profile information about a particular ride requestor  601 . In particular embodiments, the ride requestor  601  may be associated with one or more categories or types, through which the ride requestor  601  may be associated with aggregate information about certain ride requestors of those categories or types. Ride information may include, for example, preferred pick-up and drop-off locations, driving preferences (e.g., safety comfort level, preferred speed, rates of acceleration/deceleration, safety distance from other vehicles when travelling at various speeds, route, etc.), entertainment preferences and settings (e.g., preferred music genre or playlist, audio volume, display brightness, etc.), temperature settings, whether conversation with the driver is welcomed, frequent destinations, historical riding patterns (e.g., time of day of travel, starting and ending locations, etc.), preferred language, age, gender, or any other suitable information. In particular embodiments, the transportation management system  660  may classify a user  601  based on known information about the user  601  (e.g., using machine-learning classifiers), and use the classification to retrieve relevant aggregate information associated with that class. For example, the system  660  may classify a user  601  as a young adult and retrieve relevant aggregate information associated with young adults, such as the type of music generally preferred by young adults. 
     Transportation management system  660  may also store and access ride information. Ride information may include locations related to the ride, traffic data, route options, optimal pick-up or drop-off locations for the ride, or any other suitable information associated with a ride. As an example and not by way of limitation, when the transportation management system  660  receives a request to travel from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Palo Alto, Calif., the system  660  may access or generate any relevant ride information for this particular ride request. The ride information may include, for example, preferred pick-up locations at SFO; alternate pick-up locations in the event that a pick-up location is incompatible with the ride requestor (e.g., the ride requestor may be disabled and cannot access the pick-up location) or the pick-up location is otherwise unavailable due to construction, traffic congestion, changes in pick-up/drop-off rules, or any other reason; one or more routes to navigate from SFO to Palo Alto; preferred off-ramps for a type of user; or any other suitable information associated with the ride. In particular embodiments, portions of the ride information may be based on historical data associated with historical rides facilitated by the system  660 . For example, historical data may include aggregate information generated based on past ride information, which may include any ride information described herein and telemetry data collected by sensors in vehicles and user devices. Historical data may be associated with a particular user (e.g., that particular user&#39;s preferences, common routes, etc.), a category/class of users (e.g., based on demographics), and all users of the system  660 . For example, historical data specific to a single user may include information about past rides that particular user has taken, including the locations at which the user is picked up and dropped off, music the user likes to listen to, traffic information associated with the rides, time of the day the user most often rides, and any other suitable information specific to the user. As another example, historical data associated with a category/class of users may include, e.g., common or popular ride preferences of users in that category/class, such as teenagers preferring pop music, ride requestors who frequently commute to the financial district may prefer to listen to the news, etc. As yet another example, historical data associated with all users may include general usage trends, such as traffic and ride patterns. Using historical data, the system  660  in particular embodiments may predict and provide ride suggestions in response to a ride request. In particular embodiments, the system  660  may use machine-learning, such as neural networks, regression algorithms, instance-based algorithms (e.g., k-Nearest Neighbor), decision-tree algorithms, Bayesian algorithms, clustering algorithms, association-rule-learning algorithms, deep-learning algorithms, dimensionality-reduction algorithms, ensemble algorithms, and any other suitable machine-learning algorithms known to persons of ordinary skill in the art. The machine-learning models may be trained using any suitable training algorithm, including supervised learning based on labeled training data, unsupervised learning based on unlabeled training data, and semi-supervised learning based on a mixture of labeled and unlabeled training data. 
     In particular embodiments, transportation management system  660  may include one or more server computers. Each server may be a unitary server or a distributed server spanning multiple computers or multiple datacenters. The servers may be of various types, such as, for example and without limitation, web server, news server, mail server, message server, advertising server, file server, application server, exchange server, database server, proxy server, another server suitable for performing functions or processes described herein, or any combination thereof. In particular embodiments, each server may include hardware, software, or embedded logic components or a combination of two or more such components for carrying out the appropriate functionalities implemented or supported by the server. In particular embodiments, transportation management system  660  may include one or more data stores. The data stores may be used to store various types of information, such as ride information, ride requestor information, ride provider information, historical information, third-party information, or any other suitable type of information. In particular embodiments, the information stored in the data stores may be organized according to specific data structures. In particular embodiments, each data store may be a relational, columnar, correlation, or any other suitable type of database system. Although this disclosure describes or illustrates particular types of databases, this disclosure contemplates any suitable types of databases. Particular embodiments may provide interfaces that enable a user device  630  (which may belong to a ride requestor or provider), a transportation management system  660 , vehicle system  640 , or a third-party system  670  to process, transform, manage, retrieve, modify, add, or delete the information stored in the data store. 
     In particular embodiments, transportation management system  660  may include an authorization server (or any other suitable component(s)) that allows users  601  to opt-in to or opt-out of having their information and actions logged, recorded, or sensed by transportation management system  660  or shared with other systems (e.g., third-party systems  670 ). In particular embodiments, a user  601  may opt-in or opt-out by setting appropriate privacy settings. A privacy setting of a user may determine what information associated with the user may be logged, how information associated with the user may be logged, when information associated with the user may be logged, who may log information associated with the user, whom information associated with the user may be shared with, and for what purposes information associated with the user may be logged or shared. Authorization servers may be used to enforce one or more privacy settings of the users  601  of transportation management system  660  through blocking, data hashing, anonymization, or other suitable techniques as appropriate. 
     In particular embodiments, third-party system  670  may be a network-addressable computing system that may provide HD maps or host GPS maps, customer reviews, music or content, weather information, or any other suitable type of information. Third-party system  670  may generate, store, receive, and send relevant data, such as, for example, map data, customer review data from a customer review website, weather data, or any other suitable type of data. Third-party system  670  may be accessed by the other computing entities of the network environment either directly or via network  610 . For example, user device  630  may access the third-party system  670  via network  610 , or via transportation management system  660 . In the latter case, if credentials are required to access the third-party system  670 , the user  601  may provide such information to the transportation management system  660 , which may serve as a proxy for accessing content from the third-party system  670 . 
     In particular embodiments, user device  630  may be a mobile computing device such as a smartphone, tablet computer, or laptop computer. User device  630  may include one or more processors (e.g., CPU, GPU), memory, and storage. An operating system and applications may be installed on the user device  630 , such as, e.g., a transportation application associated with the transportation management system  660 , applications associated with third-party systems  670 , and applications associated with the operating system. User device  630  may include functionality for determining its location, direction, or orientation, based on integrated sensors such as GPS, compass, gyroscope, or accelerometer. User device  630  may also include wireless transceivers for wireless communication and may support wireless communication protocols such as Bluetooth, near-field communication (NFC), infrared (IR) communication, WI-FI, and 2G/3G/4G/LTE mobile communication standard. User device  630  may also include one or more cameras, scanners, touchscreens, microphones, speakers, and any other suitable input-output devices. 
     In particular embodiments, the vehicle  640  may be equipped with an array of sensors  644 , a navigation system  646 , and a ride-service computing device  648 . In particular embodiments, a fleet of vehicles  640  may be managed by the transportation management system  660 . The fleet of vehicles  640 , in whole or in part, may be owned by the entity associated with the transportation management system  660 , or they may be owned by a third-party entity relative to the transportation management system  660 . In either case, the transportation management system  660  may control the operations of the vehicles  640 , including, e.g., dispatching select vehicles  640  to fulfill ride requests, instructing the vehicles  640  to perform select operations (e.g., head to a service center or charging/fueling station, pull over, stop immediately, self-diagnose, lock/unlock compartments, change music station, change temperature, and any other suitable operations), and instructing the vehicles  640  to enter select operation modes (e.g., operate normally, drive at a reduced speed, drive under the command of human operators, and any other suitable operational modes). 
     In particular embodiments, the vehicles  640  may receive data from and transmit data to the transportation management system  660  and the third-party system  670 . Examples of received data may include, e.g., instructions, new software or software updates, maps, 3D models, trained or untrained machine-learning models, location information (e.g., location of the ride requestor, the vehicle  640  itself, other vehicles  640 , and target destinations such as service centers), navigation information, traffic information, weather information, entertainment content (e.g., music, video, and news) ride requestor information, ride information, and any other suitable information. Examples of data transmitted from the vehicle  640  may include, e.g., telemetry and sensor data, determinations/decisions based on such data, vehicle condition or state (e.g., battery/fuel level, tire and brake conditions, sensor condition, speed, odometer, etc.), location, navigation data, passenger inputs (e.g., through a user interface in the vehicle  640 , passengers may send/receive data to the transportation management system  660  and third-party system  670 ), and any other suitable data. 
     In particular embodiments, vehicles  640  may also communicate with each other, including those managed and not managed by the transportation management system  660 . For example, one vehicle  640  may communicate with another vehicle data regarding their respective location, condition, status, sensor reading, and any other suitable information. In particular embodiments, vehicle-to-vehicle communication may take place over direct short-range wireless connection (e.g., WI-FI, Bluetooth, NFC) or over a network (e.g., the Internet or via the transportation management system  660  or third-party system  670 ), or both. 
     In particular embodiments, a vehicle  640  may obtain and process sensor/telemetry data. Such data may be captured by any suitable sensors. For example, the vehicle  640  may have a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensor array of multiple LiDAR transceivers that are configured to rotate 360°, emitting pulsed laser light and measuring the reflected light from objects surrounding vehicle  640 . In particular embodiments, LiDAR transmitting signals may be steered by use of a gated light valve, which may be a MEMs device that directs a light beam using the principle of light diffraction. Such a device may not use a gimbaled mirror to steer light beams in 360° around the vehicle. Rather, the gated light valve may direct the light beam into one of several optical fibers, which may be arranged such that the light beam may be directed to many discrete positions around the vehicle. Thus, data may be captured in 360° around the vehicle, but no rotating parts may be necessary. A LiDAR is an effective sensor for measuring distances to targets, and as such may be used to generate a three-dimensional (3D) model of the external environment of the vehicle  640 . As an example and not by way of limitation, the 3D model may represent the external environment including objects such as other cars, curbs, debris, objects, and pedestrians up to a maximum range of the sensor arrangement (e.g., 50, 100, or 200 meters). As another example, the vehicle  640  may have optical cameras pointing in different directions. The cameras may be used for, e.g., recognizing roads, lane markings, street signs, traffic lights, police, other vehicles, and any other visible objects of interest. To enable the vehicle  640  to “see” at night, infrared cameras may be installed. In particular embodiments, the vehicle may be equipped with stereo vision for, e.g., spotting hazards such as pedestrians or tree branches on the road. As another example, the vehicle  640  may have radars for, e.g., detecting other vehicles and hazards afar. Furthermore, the vehicle  640  may have ultrasound equipment for, e.g., parking and obstacle detection. In addition to sensors enabling the vehicle  640  to detect, measure, and understand the external world around it, the vehicle  640  may further be equipped with sensors for detecting and self-diagnosing the vehicle&#39;s own state and condition. For example, the vehicle  640  may have wheel sensors for, e.g., measuring velocity; global positioning system (GPS) for, e.g., determining the vehicle&#39;s current geolocation; and inertial measurement units, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and odometer systems for movement or motion detection. While the description of these sensors provides particular examples of utility, one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the utilities of the sensors are not limited to those examples. Further, while an example of a utility may be described with respect to a particular type of sensor, it should be appreciated that the utility may be achieved using any combination of sensors. For example, the vehicle  640  may build a 3D model of its surrounding based on data from its LiDAR, radar, sonar, and cameras, along with a pre-generated map obtained from the transportation management system  660  or the third-party system  670 . Although sensors  644  appear in a particular location on the vehicle  640  in  FIG. 6 , sensors  644  may be located in any suitable location in or on the vehicle  640 . Example locations for sensors include the front and rear bumpers, the doors, the front windshield, on the side panel, or any other suitable location. 
     In particular embodiments, the vehicle  640  may be equipped with a processing unit (e.g., one or more CPUs and GPUs), memory, and storage. The vehicle  640  may thus be equipped to perform a variety of computational and processing tasks, including processing the sensor data, extracting useful information, and operating accordingly. For example, based on images captured by its cameras and a machine-vision model, the vehicle  640  may identify particular types of objects captured by the images, such as pedestrians, other vehicles, lanes, curbs, and any other objects of interest. 
     In particular embodiments, the vehicle  640  may have a navigation system  646  responsible for safely navigating the vehicle  640 . In particular embodiments, the navigation system  646  may take as input any type of sensor data from, e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) module, inertial measurement unit (IMU), LiDAR sensors, optical cameras, radio frequency (RF) transceivers, or any other suitable telemetry or sensory mechanisms. The navigation system  646  may also utilize, e.g., map data, traffic data, accident reports, weather reports, instructions, target destinations, and any other suitable information to determine navigation routes and particular driving operations (e.g., slowing down, speeding up, stopping, swerving, etc.). In particular embodiments, the navigation system  646  may use its determinations to control the vehicle  640  to operate in prescribed manners and to guide the vehicle  640  to its destinations without colliding into other objects. Although the physical embodiment of the navigation system  646  (e.g., the processing unit) appears in a particular location on the vehicle  640  in  FIG. 6 , navigation system  646  may be located in any suitable location in or on the vehicle  640 . Example locations for navigation system  646  include inside the cabin or passenger compartment of the vehicle  640 , near the engine/battery, near the front seats, rear seats, or in any other suitable location. 
     In particular embodiments, the vehicle  640  may be equipped with a ride-service computing device  648 , which may be a tablet or any other suitable device installed by transportation management system  660  to allow the user to interact with the vehicle  640 , transportation management system  660 , other users  601 , or third-party systems  670 . In particular embodiments, installation of ride-service computing device  648  may be accomplished by placing the ride-service computing device  648  inside the vehicle  640 , and configuring it to communicate with the vehicle  640  via a wired or wireless connection (e.g., via Bluetooth). Although  FIG. 6  illustrates a single ride-service computing device  648  at a particular location in the vehicle  640 , the vehicle  640  may include several ride-service computing devices  648  in several different locations within the vehicle. As an example and not by way of limitation, the vehicle  640  may include four ride-service computing devices  648  located in the following places: one in front of the front-left passenger seat (e.g., driver&#39;s seat in traditional U.S. automobiles), one in front of the front-right passenger seat, one in front of each of the rear-left and rear-right passenger seats. In particular embodiments, ride-service computing device  648  may be detachable from any component of the vehicle  640 . This may allow users to handle ride-service computing device  648  in a manner consistent with other tablet computing devices. As an example and not by way of limitation, a user may move ride-service computing device  648  to any location in the cabin or passenger compartment of the vehicle  640 , may hold ride-service computing device  648 , or handle ride-service computing device  648  in any other suitable manner. Although this disclosure describes providing a particular computing device in a particular manner, this disclosure contemplates providing any suitable computing device in any suitable manner. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates an example computer system  700 . In particular embodiments, one or more computer systems  700  perform one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein. In particular embodiments, one or more computer systems  700  provide the functionalities described or illustrated herein. In particular embodiments, software running on one or more computer systems  700  performs one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein or provides the functionalities described or illustrated herein. Particular embodiments include one or more portions of one or more computer systems  700 . Herein, a reference to a computer system may encompass a computing device, and vice versa, where appropriate. Moreover, a reference to a computer system may encompass one or more computer systems, where appropriate. 
     This disclosure contemplates any suitable number of computer systems  700 . This disclosure contemplates computer system  700  taking any suitable physical form. As example and not by way of limitation, computer system  700  may be an embedded computer system, a system-on-chip (SOC), a single-board computer system (SBC) (such as, for example, a computer-on-module (COM) or system-on-module (SOM)), a desktop computer system, a laptop or notebook computer system, an interactive kiosk, a mainframe, a mesh of computer systems, a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a server, a tablet computer system, an augmented/virtual reality device, or a combination of two or more of these. Where appropriate, computer system  700  may include one or more computer systems  700 ; be unitary or distributed; span multiple locations; span multiple machines; span multiple data centers; or reside in a cloud, which may include one or more cloud components in one or more networks. Where appropriate, one or more computer systems  700  may perform without substantial spatial or temporal limitation one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein. As an example and not by way of limitation, one or more computer systems  700  may perform in real time or in batch mode one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein. One or more computer systems  700  may perform at different times or at different locations one or more steps of one or more methods described or illustrated herein, where appropriate. 
     In particular embodiments, computer system  700  includes a processor  702 , memory  704 , storage  706 , an input/output (I/O) interface  708 , a communication interface  710 , and a bus  712 . Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular computer system having a particular number of particular components in a particular arrangement, this disclosure contemplates any suitable computer system having any suitable number of any suitable components in any suitable arrangement. 
     In particular embodiments, processor  702  includes hardware for executing instructions, such as those making up a computer program. As an example and not by way of limitation, to execute instructions, processor  702  may retrieve (or fetch) the instructions from an internal register, an internal cache, memory  704 , or storage  706 ; decode and execute them; and then write one or more results to an internal register, an internal cache, memory  704 , or storage  706 . In particular embodiments, processor  702  may include one or more internal caches for data, instructions, or addresses. This disclosure contemplates processor  702  including any suitable number of any suitable internal caches, where appropriate. As an example and not by way of limitation, processor  702  may include one or more instruction caches, one or more data caches, and one or more translation lookaside buffers (TLBs). Instructions in the instruction caches may be copies of instructions in memory  704  or storage  706 , and the instruction caches may speed up retrieval of those instructions by processor  702 . Data in the data caches may be copies of data in memory  704  or storage  706  that are to be operated on by computer instructions; the results of previous instructions executed by processor  702  that are accessible to subsequent instructions or for writing to memory  704  or storage  706 ; or any other suitable data. The data caches may speed up read or write operations by processor  702 . The TLBs may speed up virtual-address translation for processor  702 . In particular embodiments, processor  702  may include one or more internal registers for data, instructions, or addresses. This disclosure contemplates processor  702  including any suitable number of any suitable internal registers, where appropriate. Where appropriate, processor  702  may include one or more arithmetic logic units (ALUs), be a multi-core processor, or include one or more processors  702 . Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular processor, this disclosure contemplates any suitable processor. 
     In particular embodiments, memory  704  includes main memory for storing instructions for processor  702  to execute or data for processor  702  to operate on. As an example and not by way of limitation, computer system  700  may load instructions from storage  706  or another source (such as another computer system  700 ) to memory  704 . Processor  702  may then load the instructions from memory  704  to an internal register or internal cache. To execute the instructions, processor  702  may retrieve the instructions from the internal register or internal cache and decode them. During or after execution of the instructions, processor  702  may write one or more results (which may be intermediate or final results) to the internal register or internal cache. Processor  702  may then write one or more of those results to memory  704 . In particular embodiments, processor  702  executes only instructions in one or more internal registers or internal caches or in memory  704  (as opposed to storage  706  or elsewhere) and operates only on data in one or more internal registers or internal caches or in memory  704  (as opposed to storage  706  or elsewhere). One or more memory buses (which may each include an address bus and a data bus) may couple processor  702  to memory  704 . Bus  712  may include one or more memory buses, as described in further detail below. In particular embodiments, one or more memory management units (MMUs) reside between processor  702  and memory  704  and facilitate accesses to memory  704  requested by processor  702 . In particular embodiments, memory  704  includes random access memory (RAM). This RAM may be volatile memory, where appropriate. Where appropriate, this RAM may be dynamic RAM (DRAM) or static RAM (SRAM). Moreover, where appropriate, this RAM may be single-ported or multi-ported RAM. This disclosure contemplates any suitable RAM. Memory  704  may include one or more memories  704 , where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular memory, this disclosure contemplates any suitable memory. 
     In particular embodiments, storage  706  includes mass storage for data or instructions. As an example and not by way of limitation, storage  706  may include a hard disk drive (HDD), a floppy disk drive, flash memory, an optical disc, a magneto-optical disc, magnetic tape, or a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive or a combination of two or more of these. Storage  706  may include removable or non-removable (or fixed) media, where appropriate. Storage  706  may be internal or external to computer system  700 , where appropriate. In particular embodiments, storage  706  is non-volatile, solid-state memory. In particular embodiments, storage  706  includes read-only memory (ROM). Where appropriate, this ROM may be mask-programmed ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), electrically alterable ROM (EAROM), or flash memory or a combination of two or more of these. This disclosure contemplates mass storage  706  taking any suitable physical form. Storage  706  may include one or more storage control units facilitating communication between processor  702  and storage  706 , where appropriate. Where appropriate, storage  706  may include one or more storages  706 . Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular storage, this disclosure contemplates any suitable storage. 
     In particular embodiments, I/O interface  708  includes hardware or software, or both, providing one or more interfaces for communication between computer system  700  and one or more I/O devices. Computer system  700  may include one or more of these I/O devices, where appropriate. One or more of these I/O devices may enable communication between a person and computer system  700 . As an example and not by way of limitation, an I/O device may include a keyboard, keypad, microphone, monitor, mouse, printer, scanner, speaker, still camera, stylus, tablet, touch screen, trackball, video camera, another suitable I/O device or a combination of two or more of these. An I/O device may include one or more sensors. This disclosure contemplates any suitable I/O devices and any suitable I/O interfaces  708  for them. Where appropriate, I/O interface  708  may include one or more device or software drivers enabling processor  702  to drive one or more of these I/O devices. I/O interface  708  may include one or more I/O interfaces  708 , where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular I/O interface, this disclosure contemplates any suitable I/O interface. 
     In particular embodiments, communication interface  710  includes hardware or software, or both providing one or more interfaces for communication (such as, for example, packet-based communication) between computer system  700  and one or more other computer systems  700  or one or more networks. As an example and not by way of limitation, communication interface  710  may include a network interface controller (NIC) or network adapter for communicating with an Ethernet or any other wire-based network or a wireless NIC (WNIC) or wireless adapter for communicating with a wireless network, such as a WI-FI network. This disclosure contemplates any suitable network and any suitable communication interface  710  for it. As an example and not by way of limitation, computer system  700  may communicate with an ad hoc network, a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), or one or more portions of the Internet or a combination of two or more of these. One or more portions of one or more of these networks may be wired or wireless. As an example, computer system  700  may communicate with a wireless PAN (WPAN) (such as, for example, a Bluetooth WPAN), a WI-FI network, a WI-MAX network, a cellular telephone network (such as, for example, a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network), or any other suitable wireless network or a combination of two or more of these. Computer system  700  may include any suitable communication interface  710  for any of these networks, where appropriate. Communication interface  710  may include one or more communication interfaces  710 , where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular communication interface, this disclosure contemplates any suitable communication interface. 
     In particular embodiments, bus  712  includes hardware or software, or both coupling components of computer system  700  to each other. As an example and not by way of limitation, bus  712  may include an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) or any other graphics bus, an Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, a front-side bus (FSB), a HYPERTRANSPORT (HT) interconnect, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, an INFINIBAND interconnect, a low-pin-count (LPC) bus, a memory bus, a Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, a PCI-Express (PCIe) bus, a serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) bus, a Video Electronics Standards Association local (VLB) bus, or another suitable bus or a combination of two or more of these. Bus  712  may include one or more buses  712 , where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates a particular bus, this disclosure contemplates any suitable bus or interconnect. 
     Herein, a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium or media may include one or more semiconductor-based or other types of integrated circuits (ICs) (such, as for example, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application-specific ICs (ASICs)), hard disk drives (HDDs), hybrid hard drives (HHDs), optical discs, optical disc drives (ODDs), magneto-optical discs, magneto-optical drives, floppy diskettes, floppy disk drives (FDDs), magnetic tapes, solid-state drives (SSDs), RAM-drives, SECURE DIGITAL cards or drives, any other suitable computer-readable non-transitory storage media, or any suitable combination of two or more of these, where appropriate. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium may be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile, where appropriate. 
     Herein, “or” is inclusive and not exclusive, unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context. Therefore, herein, “A or B” means “A or B, or both,” unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context. Moreover, “and” is both joint and several, unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context. Therefore, herein, “A and B” means “A and B, jointly or severally,” unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context. 
     Methods described herein may vary in accordance with the present disclosure. Various embodiments of this disclosure may repeat one or more steps of the methods described herein, where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular steps of certain methods as occurring in a particular order, this disclosure contemplates any suitable steps of the methods occurring in any suitable order or in any combination which may include all, some, or none of the steps of the methods. Furthermore, although this disclosure may describe and illustrate particular components, devices, or systems carrying out particular steps of a method, this disclosure contemplates any suitable combination of any suitable components, devices, or systems carrying out any suitable steps of the method. 
     The scope of this disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodiments described or illustrated herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. The scope of this disclosure is not limited to the example embodiments described or illustrated herein. Moreover, although this disclosure describes and illustrates respective embodiments herein as including particular components, modules, elements, feature, functions, operations, or steps, any of these embodiments may include any combination or permutation of any of the components, modules, elements, features, functions, operations, or steps described or illustrated anywhere herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. Furthermore, reference in the appended claims to an apparatus or system or a component of an apparatus or system being adapted to, arranged to, capable of, configured to, enabled to, operable to, or operative to perform a particular function encompasses that apparatus, system, component, whether or not it or that particular function is activated, turned on, or unlocked, as long as that apparatus, system, or component is so adapted, arranged, capable, configured, enabled, operable, or operative. Additionally, although this disclosure describes or illustrates particular embodiments as providing particular advantages, particular embodiments may provide none, some, or all of these advantages.