Patent Publication Number: US-2023143783-A1

Title: Safely initiating an autonomous vehicle ride

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation and claims benefit of U.S. Application No. 17/825,924, filed May 26, 2022, entitled, SAFELY INITIATING AN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE RIDE, which is a continuation and claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 17/401,603, filed on Aug. 13, 2021, entitled, SAFELY INITIATING AN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE RIDE, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,396,857, which is a continuation and claims benefit of U.S. Application No. 16/654,492, filed on Oct. 16, 2019, entitled, SAFELY INITIATING AN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE RIDE, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,111,895 issued on Sep. 7, 2021, All of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present technology relates to starting an autonomous vehicle ride and more particularly to starting an autonomous vehicle ride with minimal passenger input. 
     BACKGROUND 
     An autonomous vehicle is a motorized vehicle that can navigate without a human driver. An exemplary autonomous vehicle includes a plurality of sensor systems, such as, but not limited to, a camera sensor system, a lidar sensor system, a radar sensor system, amongst others, wherein the autonomous vehicle operates based upon sensor signals output by the sensor systems. Specifically, the sensor signals are provided to an internal computing system in communication with the plurality of sensor systems, wherein a processor executes instructions based upon the sensor signals to control a mechanical system of the autonomous vehicle, such as a vehicle propulsion system, a braking system, or a steering system. 
     When an autonomous vehicle picks up a passenger, it is challenging for the autonomous vehicle to determine when it is safe for the autonomous vehicle to begin moving and/or driving. Furthermore, without explicit actions or directions from the passenger, the autonomous vehicle finds it challenging to determine when the passenger may be prepared for the autonomous vehicle to begin moving and/or driving. Human drivers may use their judgement and other senses to assess actions of the passenger and/or communicate directly with the passenger to determine when the passenger is ready for the vehicle to begin moving. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above-recited and other advantages and features of the present technology will become apparent by reference to specific implementations illustrated in the appended drawings. A person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that these drawings only show some examples of the present technology and would not limit the scope of the present technology to these examples. Furthermore, the skilled artisan will appreciate the principles of the present technology as described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG.  1    shows an example of an example system for operating an autonomous vehicle in accordance with some aspects of the present technology; 
         FIG.  2    is a flow diagram that illustrates an example process for initiating an autonomous vehicle ride in accordance with some aspects of the present technology; 
         FIG.  3    is flow diagram that illustrates an example process for starting an autonomous vehicle ride in accordance with some aspects of the present technology; and 
         FIG.  4    shows an example of a system for implementing certain aspects of the present technology. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Various examples of the present technology are discussed in detail below. While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the present technology. For purposes of interpretation, it is to be understood that the usage of “and” may be used in place of “and/or.” In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing one or more aspects. Further, it is to be understood that functionality that is described as being carried out by certain system components may be performed by more or fewer components than shown. 
     In general, a vehicle used for ridesharing will come into contact with many different passengers, many of which will have different behaviors, preferences, and belongings. In vehicles with human drivers, the human driver can use his or her judgement to determine when the passenger has completed all safety requirements for the vehicle to begin moving or driving (e.g. fastening their seatbelt, closing doors, etc.). Furthermore, the human driver can use his or her judgment or communicate directly with the passenger to determine when the passenger is ready for the vehicle to begin moving or driving (e.g. the driver asks the passenger if they’re ready to go). For an autonomous vehicle having no human driver, it is challenging to make these determinations. Thus, this disclosed technology address the need in the art for an autonomous vehicle that safely initiate an autonomous vehicle ride or movement. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates environment  100  that includes an autonomous vehicle  102  in communication with a remote computing system  150 . 
     The autonomous vehicle  102  can navigate about roadways without a human driver based upon sensor signals output by sensor systems  104 - 106  of the autonomous vehicle  102 . The autonomous vehicle  102  includes a plurality of sensor systems  104 - 106  (a first sensor system  104  through an Nth sensor system  106 ). The sensor systems  104 - 106  are of different types and are arranged about the autonomous vehicle  102 . For example, the first sensor system  104  may be a camera sensor system, and the Nth sensor system  106  may be a lidar sensor system. Other exemplary sensor systems include radar sensor systems, global positioning system (GPS) sensor systems, inertial measurement units (IMU), infrared sensor systems, laser sensor systems, sonar sensor systems, and the like. 
     The autonomous vehicle  102  further includes several mechanical systems that are used to effectuate appropriate motion of the autonomous vehicle  102 . For instance, the mechanical systems can include but are not limited to, a vehicle propulsion system  130 , a braking system  132 , and a steering system  134 . The vehicle propulsion system  130  may include an electric motor, an internal combustion engine, or both. The braking system  132  can include an engine brake, brake pads, actuators, and/or any other suitable componentry that is configured to assist in decelerating the autonomous vehicle  102 . The steering system  134  includes suitable componentry that is configured to control the direction of movement of the autonomous vehicle  102  during navigation. 
     The autonomous vehicle  102  further includes a safety system  136  that can include various lights and signal indicators, parking brake, airbags, etc. The autonomous vehicle  102  further includes a cabin system  138  that can include cabin temperature control systems, in-cabin entertainment systems, etc. 
     The autonomous vehicle  102  additionally comprises an internal computing system  110  that is in communication with the sensor systems  104 - 106  and the systems  130 ,  132 ,  134 ,  136 , and  138 . The internal computing system includes at least one processor and at least one memory having computer-executable instructions that are executed by the processor. The computer-executable instructions can make up one or more services responsible for controlling the autonomous vehicle  102 , communicating with remote computing system  150 , receiving inputs from passengers or human co-pilots, logging metrics regarding data collected by sensor systems  104 - 106  and human co-pilots, etc. 
     The internal computing system  110  can include a control service  112  that is configured to control the operation of the vehicle propulsion system  106 , the braking system  108 , the steering system  110 , the safety system  136 , and the cabin system  138 . The control service  112  receives sensor signals from the sensor systems  104 - 106  as well communicates with other services of the internal computing system  110  to effectuate operation of the autonomous vehicle  102 . In some embodiments, control service  112  may carry out operations in concert one or more other systems of autonomous vehicle  102 . 
     The internal computing system  110  can also include a constraint service  114  to facilitate safe propulsion of the autonomous vehicle  102 . The constraint service  116  includes instructions for activating a constraint based on a rule-based restriction upon operation of the autonomous vehicle  102 . For example, the constraint may be a restriction upon navigation that is activated in accordance with protocols configured to avoid occupying the same space as other objects, abide by traffic laws, circumvent avoidance areas, etc. In some embodiments, the constraint service can be part of the control service  112 . 
     The internal computing system  110  can also include a communication service  116 . The communication service can include both software and hardware elements for transmitting and receiving signals from/to the remote computing system  150 . The communication service  116  is configured to transmit information wirelessly over a network, for example, through an antenna array that provides personal cellular (long-term evolution (LTE), 3G, 5G, etc.) communication. 
     In some embodiments, one or more services of the internal computing system  110  are configured to send and receive communications to remote computing system  150  for such reasons as reporting data for training and evaluating machine learning algorithms, requesting assistance from remoting computing system or a human operator via remote computing system  150 , software service updates, ridesharing pickup and drop off instructions etc. 
     The internal computing system  110  can also include a latency service  118 . The latency service  118  can utilize timestamps on communications to and from the remote computing system  150  to determine if a communication has been received from the remote computing system  150  in time to be useful. For example, when a service of the internal computing system  110  requests feedback from remote computing system  150  on a time-sensitive process, the latency service  118  can determine if a response was timely received from remote computing system  150  as information can quickly become too stale to be actionable. When the latency service  118  determines that a response has not been received within a threshold, the latency service  118  can enable other systems of autonomous vehicle  102  or a passenger to make necessary decisions or to provide the needed feedback. 
     The internal computing system  110  can also include a user interface service  120  that can communicate with cabin system  138  in order to provide information or receive information to a human co-pilot or human passenger. In some embodiments, a human co-pilot or human passenger may be required to evaluate and override a constraint from constraint service  114 , or the human co-pilot or human passenger may wish to provide an instruction to the autonomous vehicle  102  regarding destinations, requested routes, or other requested operations. 
     As described above, the remote computing system  150  is configured to send/receive a signal from the autonomous vehicle  102  regarding reporting data for training and evaluating machine learning algorithms, requesting assistance from remote computing system  150  or a human operator via the remote computing system  150 , software service updates, rideshare pickup and drop off instructions, etc. 
     The remote computing system  150  includes an analysis service  152  that is configured to receive data from autonomous vehicle  102  and analyze the data to train or evaluate machine learning algorithms for operating the autonomous vehicle  102 . The analysis service  152  can also perform analysis pertaining to data associated with one or more errors or constraints reported by autonomous vehicle  102 . 
     The remote computing system  150  can also include a user interface service  154  configured to present metrics, video, pictures, sounds reported from the autonomous vehicle  102  to an operator of remote computing system  150 . User interface service  154  can further receive input instructions from an operator that can be sent to the autonomous vehicle  102 . 
     The remote computing system  150  can also include an instruction service  156  for sending instructions regarding the operation of the autonomous vehicle  102 . For example, in response to an output of the analysis service  152  or user interface service  154 , instructions service  156  can prepare instructions to one or more services of the autonomous vehicle  102  or a co-pilot or passenger of the autonomous vehicle  102 . 
     The remote computing system  150  can also include a rideshare service  158  configured to interact with ridesharing application  170  operating on (potential) passenger computing devices. The rideshare service  158  can receive requests to be picked up or dropped off from passenger ridesharing app  170  and can dispatch autonomous vehicle  102  for the trip. The rideshare service  158  can also act as an intermediary between the ridesharing app  170  and the autonomous vehicle wherein a passenger might provide instructions to the autonomous vehicle to  102  go around an obstacle, change routes, honk the horn, etc. 
     As described herein, one aspect of the present technology is the gathering and use of data available from various sources to improve quality and experience. The present disclosure contemplates that in some instances, this gathered data may include personal information. The present disclosure contemplates that the entities involved with such personal information respect and value privacy policies and practices. 
       FIG.  2    is a flow diagram that illustrates a process  200  for initiating an autonomous vehicle ride. 
     The process  200  begins at step  202 , when the autonomous vehicle  102  arrives at a designated location. 
     At step  204 , the autonomous vehicle  102  determines whether the autonomous vehicle  102  is waiting for the passenger. 
     If the autonomous vehicle  102  determines that the passenger requested the autonomous vehicle  102  through the ridesharing application  170 , then the process proceeds to step  206 . At step  206 , the autonomous vehicle  102  determines an identity of a passenger attempting to enter the autonomous vehicle  102 . In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may use the sensor systems  104 - 106  to detect various physical traits of the passenger, including but not limited to, height, hair color, weight, approach speed towards the autonomous vehicle  102 , etc. For example, prior to the passenger entering the autonomous vehicle  102 , the autonomous vehicle  102  may use cameras of the sensor systems  104 - 106  to detect the height of the passenger as the passenger approaches the autonomous vehicle  102 . As another example, after the passenger enters the autonomous vehicle  102 , the autonomous vehicle  102  may use seat sensors of the sensor systems  104 - 106  to determine the weight of the passenger in the seat. In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may request and/or receive information from the passenger that may further identify the passenger. For example, the autonomous vehicle  102  may request the passenger to input the last four digits of their phone number. In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may request or prompt the passenger for an authentication code. The authentication code may have been sent to the autonomous vehicle  102  and the ridesharing application  170  of the passenger through the remote computing system  150 . For example, the autonomous vehicle  102  may have a keypad disposed on an exterior of the autonomous vehicle  102  to receive the authentication code before the passenger enters the autonomous vehicle  102 . Similarly, the autonomous vehicle  102  may use the user interface  120  to receive the authentication code after the passenger has entered the autonomous vehicle  102 . The autonomous vehicle  102  may then authenticate the authentication code to determine whether the authentication code sent to the autonomous vehicle  102  and the authentication code sent to the ridesharing application  170  result in a match (i.e. if the passenger is the intended passenger). 
     At step  208 , the autonomous vehicle  102  then determines whether the identity of the passenger attempting to enter the autonomous vehicle  102  matches the identity of the passenger who requested the autonomous vehicle  102  through the ridesharing application  170 . In other words, the autonomous vehicle  102  determines whether the passenger is the intended passenger. In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may match the physical traits detected above to detected physical traits of the passenger during previous ridesharing journeys. In some embodiments, upon receipt of matching information (e.g. authentication code, last four digits of phone number, etc.), the autonomous vehicle  102  may determine that the passenger attempting to enter the autonomous vehicle is indeed the passenger who requested the autonomous vehicle  102 . 
     If the autonomous vehicle  102  determines that the passenger attempting to enter the autonomous vehicle  102  is the passenger who requested the autonomous vehicle  102 , then the process continues to step  210 . At step  210 , the autonomous vehicle  102  generates information and/or a greeting for the passenger. It is further contemplated that the autonomous vehicle  102  may also customize and/or personalize the information and/or greeting so that the passenger is aware of who the autonomous vehicle  102  believes is boarding the autonomous vehicle  102  and consequently verify the information themselves. In other words, the autonomous vehicle  102  may output personalized information for the passenger. In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may also output an intended destination so that the passenger may also verify the intended destination. For example, the autonomous vehicle  102  may say “Welcome aboard, John. We will head to the Golden Gate Bridge soon.” 
     If, on the other hand, the autonomous vehicle  102  determines that the passenger attempting to enter the autonomous vehicle  102  is not the passenger who requested the autonomous vehicle  102 , then the process moves to step  212 . At step  212 , the autonomous vehicle  102  remains stopped and outputs information notifying the passenger about a mismatch between the passenger attempting to enter the autonomous vehicle  102  and the passenger who requested the autonomous vehicle  102 . In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may prompt the passenger to re-enter information. For example, in embodiments that requested the last four digits of the passenger’s phone number, the autonomous vehicle  102  may again prompt the passenger to enter the last four digits of the passenger’s phone number. In some embodiments, if the passenger attempting to enter the autonomous vehicle  102  inputs mismatched information beyond a threshold number of instances, the autonomous vehicle  102  may enter a timeout state, in which the autonomous vehicle  102  locks down and/or remains locked down so that no passenger may access the autonomous vehicle  102 . 
     Referring back to step  204 , if the autonomous vehicle  102  determines that the passenger did not use the ridesharing application  170  to request the autonomous vehicle (e.g. requested at a stand or hailed the autonomous vehicle), then the process  200  proceeds to step  210 . At step  210 , as discussed above, the autonomous vehicle  102  generates a greeting for the passenger. In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may determine the identity of the passenger (e.g. like in the discussion for step 206) and accordingly personalize the greeting as discussed above. 
     At step  214 , the autonomous vehicle  102  determines a status of a system. The system may be one or more systems. For example, the autonomous vehicle  102  may determine whether the seatbelts are fastened and/or whether doors to the autonomous vehicle  102  are properly closed. In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may utilize the sensor systems  104 - 106  to selectively check the systems. For example, the autonomous vehicle  102  may utilize seat weight sensors and/or cameras to determine which seats are occupied and accordingly only determine whether the seatbelts for occupied seats are fastened, instead of all seatbelts for all seats. 
     At step  216 , the autonomous vehicle  102  determines whether the autonomous vehicle  102  is ready to start, begin moving, and/or initiate motion. More specifically, the autonomous vehicle  102  determines whether the autonomous vehicle  102  is ready to initiate motion based upon the status of the system. For example, the autonomous vehicle  102  may determine that the autonomous vehicle  102  is ready to start because the seatbelts to occupied seats are fastened and all doors to the autonomous vehicle  102  are closed. 
     If the autonomous vehicle  102  determines that the autonomous vehicle  102  is ready to start and/or begin moving, then the process  200  continues to an autonomous vehicle start sub-process  300 . 
     If the autonomous vehicle  102  determines that the autonomous vehicle  102  is not ready to start and/or begin moving, then the process  200  moves to step  218 . In step  218 , the autonomous vehicle  102  prompts the passenger to enact an action. For example, the autonomous vehicle  102  may output information to prompt the passenger to fasten their seatbelt. In some embodiments, the action may be providing confirmation to the autonomous vehicle  102  that the passenger is ready for the autonomous vehicle  102  to initiate motion. In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may prompt the passenger to enact multiple actions. For example, the autonomous vehicle  102  may prompt the passenger to fasten their seatbelt and close the doors. In other words, the autonomous vehicle  102  may determine the statuses of multiple systems and prompt the user to enact all necessary actions at once. In some embodiments, the prompt may take a form of a message to the passenger stating that the action is a pre-requisite for the autonomous vehicle  102  to initiate motion. In other words, the autonomous vehicle  102  may output a message stating that the passenger needs to enact the action prior to the autonomous vehicle  102  initiates motion. 
     At step  220 , the autonomous vehicle  102  determines whether the passenger has enacted the action. More specifically, the autonomous vehicle  102  may use the sensor systems  104 - 106  to determine whether the passenger has enacted the action. For example, the autonomous vehicle  102  may have requested that the passenger stored their baggage underneath the seat. The autonomous vehicle  102  may then use a camera to detect whether the passenger has placed the baggage underneath the seat. As another example, the autonomous vehicle  102  may request the passenger to fasten their seatbelt and accordingly determine, using seatbelt sensors, whether the passenger has fastened their seatbelt. 
     In either scenario, (i.e.. if the autonomous vehicle  102  determines that the passenger has not enacted the requested action and if the autonomous vehicle  102  determines that the passenger has enacted the requested action), the process  200  returns to step  214 , where the autonomous vehicle determines the status of the system. For example, the autonomous vehicle  102  may determine that the status of seatbelts is unfastened (i.e. step  216 ) and accordingly prompt the passenger to fasten the seatbelts (i.e. step  218 ). The autonomous vehicle  102  may then determine whether the passenger has fastened the seatbelts (i.e. step  220 ). Then the autonomous vehicle  102  may check the statuses of other systems, such as whether the doors are closed (i.e. step  214 ). 
       FIG.  3    is flow diagram that illustrates the autonomous vehicle start sub-process  300  for starting an autonomous vehicle drive or movement. 
     The sub-process starts at step  302 , when the autonomous vehicle  102  determines whether the autonomous vehicle  102  has determined the identity of the passenger. 
     If the autonomous vehicle  102  determines that the autonomous vehicle has determined the identity of the passenger, then the autonomous vehicle start sub-process  300  continues to step  304 . At step  304 , the autonomous vehicle  102  determines a behavior of the passenger. More specifically, the behavior of the passenger is indicative of a readiness of the passenger for the autonomous vehicle  102  to begin moving. In other words, the behavior is typically conducted when the passenger is ready and/or prepared for the autonomous vehicle  102  to begin moving. In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may determine this behavior from records of past trips taken by the passenger. The records of past trips may have data showing similar the passenger conducting similar behavior prior to requesting the autonomous vehicle  102  to begin moving. For example, the autonomous vehicle  102  may determine that the passenger typically places a beverage in a cupholder when the passenger is ready and/or prepared for the autonomous vehicle  102  to begin moving. In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may determine this behavior as a general behavior of a large number of passengers. For example, many passengers may look up and forward after fastening their seatbelt when they are prepared for the autonomous vehicle  102  to begin moving. In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may determine more than one behavior that is typically indicative of the readiness of the passenger for the autonomous vehicle  102  to begin moving. Thus, the autonomous vehicle  102  may determine which of the behaviors is most strongly correlated to the passenger being ready for the autonomous vehicle  102  to begin moving. In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may use multiple behaviors to determine and further confirm the passenger being ready for the autonomous vehicle  102  to begin moving. 
     At step  306 , the autonomous vehicle  102  begins detecting for the behavior of the passenger. The autonomous vehicle  102  may utilize the sensor systems  104 - 106  to detect the behavior of the passenger. For example, the autonomous vehicle  102  may use a cabin camera to observe and detect when the passenger fastens their seatbelt and looks up and forward. 
     At step  308 , the autonomous vehicle  102  determines whether it has detected the behavior of the passenger. 
     If the autonomous vehicle  102  determines that it has detected the behavior of the passenger, then the autonomous vehicle start sub-process  300  continues to step  310 . At step  310 , the autonomous vehicle  102  prompts the passenger to request the autonomous vehicle  102  to begin moving or ask the passenger whether the passenger is ready for the autonomous vehicle  102  to begin moving. For example, the autonomous vehicle  102  may prompt the passenger to press the physical Start Ride button or to say “Start the ride.” As another example, the autonomous vehicle  102  may ask “Are you ready to start the ride?” for which the autonomous vehicle  102  may wait to receive a response. Afterwards, the autonomous vehicle start sub-process  300  continues to step  312 , where the autonomous vehicle  102  determines whether it has received the request. 
     Referring back to step  308 , if the autonomous vehicle  102  determines that it has not detected the behavior of the passenger, then the autonomous vehicle start sub-process  300  continues directly to step  312 . At step  312 , the autonomous vehicle  102  determines whether it has received a request to begin moving. For example, the passenger may explicitly say “Start the ride” or press a physical Start Ride button. 
     If the autonomous vehicle  102  has determined that it has not received a request to begin moving, then the autonomous vehicle start sub-process  300  continues to returns to step  306 . 
     If the autonomous vehicle  102  has determined that it has received a request to begin moving, the autonomous vehicle start sub-process  300  also continues to step  314 . At step  314 , the autonomous vehicle  102  controls the autonomous vehicle  102  to initiate motion. In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may also notify the passenger that the autonomous vehicle  102  will begin moving. 
     Referring back to Step  302 , if the autonomous vehicle determines that it has not determined the identity of the passenger, then the autonomous vehicle start sub-process  300  continues to step  316 . At step  316 , the autonomous vehicle waits until it receives a request for the autonomous vehicle to begin moving. Like the request in step  308 , the request may be the passenger explicitly saying “Start the ride” or pressing a physical Start Ride button. In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may observe and detect for general behavioral indicators that a person is settled in and ready to have the autonomous vehicle  102  initiate motion. After the autonomous vehicle  102  detects the general behavioral indicators, the autonomous vehicle  102  may ask or prompt the passenger if they are ready for the autonomous vehicle  102  to initiate motion. 
     At step  318 , the autonomous vehicle  102  determines whether it has received the request to begin moving. 
     If the autonomous vehicle  102  determines that it has not received the request to begin moving, the autonomous vehicle start sub-process  300  returns to step  316 , where it waits until it receives a request for the autonomous vehicle  102  to begin moving. 
     If the autonomous vehicle  102  determines that it has received the request to begin moving, the autonomous vehicle start sub-process  300  continues to step  314 , as defined above. 
     The order or sequence of the above process and sub-process is merely for explanatory purposes. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand and appreciate that many of the steps may be interchangeable and/or implemented in different points in time. For example, steps  308  and  310  may occur concurrently or in reverse order to yield a similar result. 
     It is further contemplated that the process  200  and the autonomous vehicle start sub-process  300  may be utilized multiple times for multiple passengers. For example, after the autonomous vehicle  102  picks up a passenger and embarks on a first journey, a second passenger may request the autonomous vehicle  102  to join a second journey similar to the first journey. Thus, the autonomous vehicle  102  may also pick up the second passenger during the first journey. In these situations, the autonomous vehicle  102  may display a notification through the user interface  120  to notify the passenger that the autonomous vehicle will pick up a second passenger. The autonomous vehicle  102  may then stop to pick up the second passenger. Then, the autonomous vehicle  102  may conduct process  200  and sub-process  300  to output information to the second passenger about a second action that the second passenger needs to enact. Again, the autonomous vehicle  102  may then detect using the sensor systems  104 - 106  the second action that the second passenger needs to enact. After detecting the occurrence of the second action performed by the second passenger, the autonomous vehicle  102  may then control the autonomous vehicle  102  to begin moving. 
     In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may determine a projected amount of time the autonomous vehicle  102  is permitted to remain stationary. If the autonomous vehicle  102  determines that the projected amount of time the autonomous vehicle  102  is permitted to remain stationary is a short amount of time, then the autonomous vehicle  102  may initiate a rushed start so that the autonomous vehicle  102  does not exceed the projected amount of time the autonomous vehicle  102  is permitted to remain stationary. More specifically, the rushed start may detect the occurrence of the action(s) that the passenger needs to enact, but may be waiting for active or implied consent from the user. In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may determine that, based on a profile of the user, the user has agreed to allow the autonomous vehicle  102  to begin moving as soon as all safety actions have been enacted. In other embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may transmit an acoustic signal (e.g. “when you are ready to go, say ‘ready”’) to the user requesting permission to begin moving, and may receive an indication that the user is ready via an in-car display or a microphone. In some embodiments, the autonomous vehicle  102  may also output additional information after the autonomous vehicle  102  begins moving. For example, the autonomous vehicle  102  may state “Sorry for the rushed start, there is a strict time limit for remaining stationary in this area. We are now on our way to the Golden Gate Bridge.” 
       FIG.  4    shows an example of computing system  400 , which can be for example any computing device making up internal computing system  110 , remote computing system  150 , (potential) passenger device executing rideshare app  170 , or any component thereof in which the components of the system are in communication with each other using connection  405 . Connection  405  can be a physical connection via a bus, or a direct connection into processor  410 , such as in a chipset architecture. Connection  405  can also be a virtual connection, networked connection, or logical connection. 
     In some embodiments, computing system  400  is a distributed system in which the functions described in this disclosure can be distributed within a datacenter, multiple data centers, a peer network, etc. In some embodiments, one or more of the described system components represents many such components each performing some or all of the function for which the component is described. In some embodiments, the components can be physical or virtual devices. 
     Example system  400  includes at least one processing unit (CPU or processor)  410  and connection  405  that couples various system components including system memory  415 , such as read-only memory (ROM)  420  and random access memory (RAM)  425  to processor  410 . Computing system  400  can include a cache of high-speed memory  412  connected directly with, in close proximity to, or integrated as part of processor  410 . 
     Processor  410  can include any general purpose processor and a hardware service or software service, such as services  432 ,  434 , and  436  stored in storage device  430 , configured to control processor  410  as well as a special-purpose processor where software instructions are incorporated into the actual processor design. Processor  410  may essentially be a completely self-contained computing system, containing multiple cores or processors, a bus, memory controller, cache, etc. A multi-core processor may be symmetric or asymmetric. 
     To enable user interaction, computing system  400  includes an input device  445 , which can represent any number of input mechanisms, such as a microphone for speech, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphical input, keyboard, mouse, motion input, speech, etc. Computing system  400  can also include output device  435 , which can be one or more of a number of output mechanisms known to those of skill in the art. In some instances, multimodal systems can enable a user to provide multiple types of input/output to communicate with computing system  400 . Computing system  400  can include communications interface  440 , which can generally govern and manage the user input and system output. There is no restriction on operating on any particular hardware arrangement, and therefore the basic features here may easily be substituted for improved hardware or firmware arrangements as they are developed. 
     Storage device  430  can be a non-volatile memory device and can be a hard disk or other types of computer readable media which can store data that are accessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, solid state memory devices, digital versatile disks, cartridges, random access memories (RAMs), read-only memory (ROM), and/or some combination of these devices. 
     The storage device  430  can include software services, servers, services, etc., that when the code that defines such software is executed by the processor  410 , it causes the system to perform a function. In some embodiments, a hardware service that performs a particular function can include the software component stored in a computer-readable medium in connection with the necessary hardware components, such as processor  410 , connection  405 , output device  435 , etc., to carry out the function. 
     For clarity of explanation, in some instances, the present technology may be presented as including individual functional blocks including functional blocks comprising devices, device components, steps or routines in a method embodied in software, or combinations of hardware and software. 
     Any of the steps, operations, functions, or processes described herein may be performed or implemented by a combination of hardware and software services or services, alone or in combination with other devices. In some embodiments, a service can be software that resides in memory of a client device and/or one or more servers of a content management system and perform one or more functions when a processor executes the software associated with the service. In some embodiments, a service is a program or a collection of programs that carry out a specific function. In some embodiments, a service can be considered a server. The memory can be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. 
     In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage devices, mediums, and memories can include a cable or wireless signal containing a bit stream and the like. However, when mentioned, non-transitory computer-readable storage media expressly exclude media such as energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and signals per se. 
     Methods according to the above-described examples can be implemented using computer-executable instructions that are stored or otherwise available from computer-readable media. Such instructions can comprise, for example, instructions and data which cause or otherwise configure a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing device to perform a certain function or group of functions. Portions of computer resources used can be accessible over a network. The executable computer instructions may be, for example, binaries, intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, or source code. Examples of computer-readable media that may be used to store instructions, information used, and/or information created during methods according to described examples include magnetic or optical disks, solid-state memory devices, flash memory, USB devices provided with non-volatile memory, networked storage devices, and so on. 
     Devices implementing methods according to these disclosures can comprise hardware, firmware and/or software, and can take any of a variety of form factors. Typical examples of such form factors include servers, laptops, smartphones, small form factor personal computers, personal digital assistants, and so on. The functionality described herein also can be embodied in peripherals or add-in cards. Such functionality can also be implemented on a circuit board among different chips or different processes executing in a single device, by way of further example. 
     The instructions, media for conveying such instructions, computing resources for executing them, and other structures for supporting such computing resources are means for providing the functions described in these disclosures. 
     Although a variety of examples and other information was used to explain aspects within the scope of the appended claims, no limitation of the claims should be implied based on particular features or arrangements in such examples, as one of ordinary skill would be able to use these examples to derive a wide variety of implementations. Further and although some subject matter may have been described in language specific to examples of structural features and/or method steps, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to these described features or acts. For example, such functionality can be distributed differently or performed in components other than those identified herein. Rather, the described features and steps are disclosed as examples of components of systems and methods within the scope of the appended claims.