Patent Description:
In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the disclosure includes a vehicle including a receiver configured to receive a pickup request from a passenger, the pickup request including an approximate location of the passenger, a camera coupled to the receiver, the camera configured to scan for the passenger after arriving at the approximate location of the passenger, a processor coupled to the camera, the processor configured to identify the passenger based on a comparison between passenger attribute information and results of the scan by the camera, and a transmitter coupled to the processor, the transmitter configured to transmit an approximate location of the vehicle and vehicle identification information to the passenger when the passenger has not been identified, where the passenger is picked up by the vehicle when the passenger has been identified and is accessible for pickup.

In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the transmitter is configured to transmit a pickup confirmation in response to the pickup request, and to transmit the approximate location of the vehicle and the vehicle identification information to the passenger when the passenger has been identified but is not accessible for pickup. In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the camera comprises a monocular camera system or a stereo camera system. In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the approximate location of the passenger and the approximate location of the vehicle each comprise one of global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) coordinates, cellular triangulation information, or wireless fidelity (WiFi) information. In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the passenger attribute information is obtained from a memory of the vehicle, the memory coupled to the processor. In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the pickup request and the passenger attribute information are received from an application server associated with an application on an electronic device of the passenger. In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the passenger attribute information contains coarse information comprising at least one of an age, gender, race, and height of the passenger, a photograph of the passenger taken at a time of the pickup request, a current hairstyle, a current hair color, or a clothing description of the passenger at the time of the pickup request. In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the passenger attribute information contains fine information comprising a three dimensional (3D) model based upon at least one of a face, a body, or a gait of the passenger, and wherein the fine information is utilized only when the coarse information failed to identify the passenger. In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the passenger attribute information comprises at least one of an image containing a face of the passenger, a photograph of the passenger taken on the day of the pickup request, a video of the passenger, or a portrait of the passenger. In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the vehicle identification information comprises at least one of a three dimensional (3D) model of the vehicle, a bar code on an exterior of the vehicle, a license plate number of the vehicle, a color pattern on the exterior of the vehicle, or a light-emitting diode (LED) strip on the exterior of the vehicle. In an embodiment, the vehicle identification information is configured to be scanned by a camera of an electronic device of the passenger to identify the vehicle for the passenger. In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the camera and the processor are coupled to a display, the display configured to display images of individuals that may be the passenger who initiated the pickup request to a driver of the vehicle. In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle.

In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the disclosure includes an electronic device of a passenger including a transmitter configured to transmit a pickup request to a vehicle, the pickup request including an approximate location of the passenger, a receiver coupled to the transmitter, the receiver configured to receive an approximate location of the vehicle and vehicle identification information, a camera coupled to the receiver, the camera configured to scan for the vehicle using the vehicle identification information in response to receiving an indication that the passenger has not been identified by the vehicle and the passenger has been identified by the vehicle but is not accessible for pickup, a processor coupled to the camera, the processor configured to identify the vehicle based on results of the scan by the camera, and a display coupled to the processor, the display configured to display the vehicle identified for the passenger.

In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the pickup request is transmitted to the vehicle through an application server associated with an application on the electronic device of the passenger. In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the transmitter is configured to transmit passenger attribute information to the vehicle along with the pickup request. In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the transmitter is configured to transmit passenger attribute information to an application server in communication with the vehicle. In an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention, the approximate location of the vehicle comprises at least one of global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) coordinates, cellular triangulation information, or wireless fidelity (WiFi) information.

In the embodiment, the disclosure includes a method of implementing a pickup service by a vehicle including receiving a pickup request from a passenger, the pickup request including an approximate location of the passenger, scanning, with a camera, for the passenger after arriving at the approximate location of the passenger, picking up the passenger when the passenger has been identified by the camera using coarse passenger attribute information and is accessible for pickup, picking up the passenger when the passenger has been identified by the camera using fine passenger attribute information, the passenger is accessible for pickup, and the coarse passenger attribute information failed to identify the passenger, and transmitting an approximate location of the vehicle and vehicle identification information to the passenger when the passenger has not been identified by the camera using the fine passenger attribute information and when the passenger has been identified but is not accessible for pickup.

In the embodiment, the coarse passenger attribute information comprises at least one of an age, gender, race, and height of the passenger, a photograph of the passenger taken at a time of the pickup request, a current hairstyle, a current hair color, or a clothing description of the passenger at the time of the pickup request, and wherein the fine passenger attribute information comprises a three dimensional (3D) model based upon at least one of a face, a body, and a gait of the passenger.

The disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, including the exemplary designs and implementations illustrated and described herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claim.

Disclosed herein is a passenger pickup service that allows for bi-directional recognition. As will be more fully explained below, the vehicle is able to identify the passenger and the passenger is able to identify the vehicle, even in crowded environments. The passenger pickup service is suitable for use by private vehicles, corporate vehicles, public transportation vehicles, shared vehicles (e.g., a company car), taxi services, and autonomous vehicles (e.g., vehicles without a human driver). In an embodiment, the passenger pickup service is implemented in two stages known as a knowledge base building stage and a recognition stage where the bi-directional recognition is performed.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of a passenger pickup service <NUM> capable of implementing bi-directional recognition. The passenger pickup service <NUM> comprises an electronic device <NUM> of a passenger and a vehicle <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may be, for example, a smart phone, smart watch, tablet, smart glasses, wearable electronics, head-up displays, or other handheld or portable electronic device. In an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> includes a transmitter <NUM>, a receiver <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, a camera <NUM>, and a display <NUM>. In practical applications, the electronic device <NUM> may include other components and features such as, for example, a microphone, a speaker, a keyboard, sensors, a power port, an antenna, a flash, etc., that have not been illustrated or described in detail herein. The electronic device <NUM> may be configured to download and run a variety of different mobile applications.

The vehicle <NUM> may be a car, truck, van, motorcycle, boat, or other apparatus suitable for transporting a passenger. In particular, the vehicle <NUM> may be, for example, a shared car, a taxi from a taxi service, or an autonomous vehicle. In an embodiment, the vehicle <NUM> includes a transmitter <NUM>, a receiver <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, a camera <NUM>, and a display <NUM>. In practical applications, the vehicle <NUM> may include other components and features that have not been illustrated or described in detail herein.

The electronic device <NUM> and the vehicle <NUM> are configured to communicate with each other. By way of example, the electronic device <NUM> and the vehicle <NUM> may exchange data and information through a cellular network, a wireless network, or other type of communication system as collectively represented by antenna <NUM>.

Still referring to <FIG>, the passenger pickup service <NUM> is illustrated in stages. The first stage <NUM> comprises an interactive process to build a knowledge base. The second stage <NUM> comprises a bi-directional recognition for an efficient and accurate pickup service.

In the embodiment of the first stage <NUM>, the passenger sends out a pickup request <NUM> to the vehicle <NUM> using the electronic device <NUM>. In an embodiment, the pickup request <NUM> is transmitted from the electronic device <NUM> to the vehicle <NUM> through the antenna <NUM>. The pickup request <NUM> includes an approximate location of the passenger. The approximate location of the passenger may comprise, for example, global positioning system (GPS) coordinates, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) coordinates, cellular triangulation information, and wireless fidelity (WiFi) information. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other types of technology may also be used to generate the approximate location of the passenger.

Once the pickup request <NUM> has been received, the vehicle <NUM> obtains passenger attribute information <NUM>. The passenger attribute information may be obtained by the vehicle <NUM> in a variety of different ways and from a variety of different places. For example, the vehicle <NUM> may read the passenger attribute information from the memory <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> when the vehicle <NUM> is trusted, as in the case of a private car. In other cases, the vehicle <NUM> may obtain the passenger attribute information from a network account, a third-party cloud server <NUM> (see <FIG>), an application associated with an application on the electronic device <NUM> of the passenger, and so on, when the vehicle <NUM> is a public vehicle (e.g., a taxi) or an autonomous vehicle.

In the embodiment, the passenger attribute information contains "coarse" information. In an embodiment, the coarse passenger attribute information is information that can be observed or is publicly available. Examples of coarse passenger attribute information include an age, gender, race, and height of the passenger, a photograph of the passenger taken at a time of the pickup request, a current hairstyle, a current hair color, and a clothing description of the passenger at the time of the pickup request. In an embodiment, the coarse passenger attribute information does not involve passenger privacy. As such, the coarse passenger attribute information may be stored by the vehicle <NUM> or stored in a passenger's network account.

In the embodiment, the passenger attribute information contains "fine" information. In an embodiment, the fine passenger attribute information involves or implicates passenger privacy. Indeed, the fine passenger attribute information may include information sensitive to the passenger and/or that the passenger would not want to be freely disclosed. Examples of fine passenger attribute information include a three dimensional (3D) model based upon at least one of a face, a body, and a gait of the passenger. In an embodiment, the 3D model is generated by the electronic device <NUM> of the passenger at the request of, and with information provided by, the passenger. The 3D model can also be generated beforehand in other ways by, for example, a 3D camera or a plurality of 2D cameras. As such, in an embodiment the fine passenger attribute information must be authorized by the passenger before being accessed by the vehicle <NUM> or others.

In an embodiment, the vehicle <NUM>, or its driver if there is one, may provide vehicle information <NUM> to the electronic device <NUM> of the passenger after the pickup request has been received. In an embodiment, the vehicle information comprises an approximate location of the vehicle <NUM>. The approximate location of the vehicle <NUM> may be obtained using GPS coordinates, BDS coordinates, cellular triangulation information, and WiFi information. One or both of the approximate location of the passenger and the approximate location of the vehicle <NUM> may be dynamic, updated in real time, and displayed on a map as a reference for the passenger and/or driver of the vehicle <NUM>.

The vehicle information (a. , vehicle identification information) may include, for example, a 3D model of the vehicle <NUM>, a bar code on an exterior of the vehicle <NUM>, a license plate number of the vehicle <NUM>, a color pattern on the exterior of the vehicle <NUM>, a light-emitting diode (LED) strip on the exterior of the vehicle <NUM>, and so on. In an embodiment, the vehicle identification information is configured to be scanned by the camera <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> of the passenger to identify the vehicle <NUM> for the passenger.

Once the vehicle <NUM> has obtained the passenger attribute information <NUM>, the vehicle <NUM> proceeds to the approximate location of the passenger and the second stage <NUM> is entered. In an embodiment, the vehicle <NUM> is at the approximate location of the passenger when the passenger is within a range of the camera <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM>. In an embodiment, the vehicle <NUM> is at the approximate location of the passenger when a current location of the passenger is within a visual distance of the driver of the vehicle <NUM>.

In the second stage <NUM>, the camera <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> is adjusted <NUM> to scan the region outside the vehicle <NUM>. In an embodiment, the camera <NUM> may be adjusted <NUM> upwardly, downwardly, and/or rotated. In an embodiment, the camera <NUM> is able to scan three hundred and sixty degrees (<NUM>°) around the vehicle <NUM>. The camera <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> attempts to detect the passenger <NUM>. In some embodiments, the camera <NUM> may be activated to scan the region on arrival of the approximate location of the passenger. The camera <NUM> may be directed towards the current location (e.g. as indicated in a dynamically updated location message sent from a device with the passenger). In an embodiment, the camera <NUM> is able to detect the face, human body, or other aspect of a pedestrian. In an embodiment, the camera <NUM> collects information that will be later used by the vehicle <NUM> to generate a 3D model of the passenger. In an embodiment, the camera <NUM> comprises a monocular camera system or a stereo camera system.

Still referring to <FIG>, an attempt to detect the passenger using coarse passenger attribute information <NUM> is made. The decision maker <NUM>, which may be the processor <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> and/or the driver of the vehicle <NUM>, determines whether results of the scan have detected more than one passenger candidate <NUM>. If not, the vehicle <NUM> proceeds to the passenger that was identified for pickup <NUM>. If so, the vehicle parks <NUM> at an optimized place (e.g. a secure and currently available parking area) and sends the vehicle identification information to the passenger. Once the vehicle identification information has been received, the passenger uses an application <NUM> on the electronic device <NUM> to automatically identify the vehicle <NUM> using the vehicle identification information. In an embodiment, the application uses the camera <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> to scan for and/or locate the vehicle <NUM> using the vehicle identification information. When the application locates the vehicle <NUM>, the passenger may proceed to the location of the parked vehicle <NUM> for pickup.

If the attempt to detect the passenger using coarse passenger attribute information <NUM> was unsuccessful, an attempt to detect the passenger using fine passenger attribute information <NUM> is made As before, the decision maker <NUM>, which may be the processor <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> and/or the driver of the vehicle <NUM>, determines whether results of the scan have detected more than one passenger candidate <NUM>. If not, the vehicle <NUM> proceeds to the passenger that was identified for pickup <NUM>. If so, the vehicle parks <NUM> at an optimized place and sends the vehicle identification information to the passenger. Once the vehicle identification information has been received, the passenger uses an application <NUM> on the electronic device <NUM> to automatically identify the vehicle <NUM> using the vehicle identification information. In an embodiment, the application uses the camera <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> to scan for and/or locate the vehicle using the vehicle identification information. When the application locates the vehicle <NUM>, the passenger may proceed to the location of the parked vehicle <NUM> for pickup.

<FIG> illustrates another embodiment of the first stage <NUM> of the passenger pickup service <NUM> of <FIG>. As shown, the passenger sends out a pickup request <NUM> to the vehicle <NUM> using the electronic device <NUM>. In an embodiment, the pickup request includes indications of an approximate location of the passenger. In an embodiment, the pickup request includes the passenger attribute information such as an image containing a face of the passenger, a photograph of the passenger taken on the day of the pickup request, a video of the passenger, a portrait of the passenger, and so on. The pickup request may be transmitted from the electronic device <NUM> to the vehicle <NUM> by way of the antenna <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the passenger pickup request may be sent directly from the electronic device <NUM> of the passenger to the vehicle <NUM> without going through, for example, the third-party cloud server <NUM>. The passenger attribute information <NUM> may be readily available to the vehicle <NUM> (e.g., is able to obtain the passenger attribute information from the memory <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM>). As used herein, the third-party cloud server <NUM> may represent an application server, a network server, and so on.

In an embodiment, the application may transmit the passenger attribute information from the electronic device <NUM> to the third-party cloud server <NUM>, which in turn transmits the passenger attribute information to the vehicle <NUM>. The passenger attribute information <NUM> may be available to the vehicle <NUM> (e.g., is able to obtain the passenger attribute information from the memory <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM>). In an embodiment, the passenger device <NUM> may transmit the coarse passenger attribute information to the third-party cloud server <NUM>. In some circumstances, the coarse passenger attribute information is sent simultaneously with or at the same time as the pickup request. In other circumstances, the coarse passenger attribute information may have been provided to the third-party cloud server when the passenger set up their account with the third-party cloud server <NUM> using the application.

In an embodiment, the passenger may also share fine passenger attribute information <NUM> (e.g., the 3D model information) with the vehicle <NUM> at or around the time the pickup request is sent <NUM>. The fine passenger attribute information may help the vehicle <NUM> identify the passenger easily or more quickly. In some embodiments, the vehicle <NUM> may identify the passenger efficiently and accurately leveraging both the coarse information and fine information of the passenger. For example, the vehicle <NUM> may perform identification operations to compare coarse information of the passenger with scan results (e.g. images or 2D frames) of camera <NUM> to narrow or filter unlikely targets (or objects) detected. Subsequently, the vehicle <NUM> can perform more detailed identification operations based on the fine information to identify the passenger from the filtered scanned results. Identification operations based on the coarse information may be performed more efficiently than identification operations based on the fine information. Identification results based on the fine information may be more accurate than identification results based on the fine information. Therefore, the application running on the electronic device <NUM> may strongly recommended sharing this information with the vehicle <NUM>.

If the passenger chooses not to share fine passenger attribute information with the vehicle <NUM>, the third-party cloud server <NUM> may generate or obtain the fine passenger attribute information <NUM> using the coarse passenger attribute information. For example, the third-party cloud server <NUM> may use modeling software to generate 3D model information corresponding to the passenger using the available two-dimensional (2D) passenger information (e.g., face images, portraits, photographs, videos, etc.). In an embodiment, the third-party cloud server <NUM> obtains the 3D model information from a source other than the passenger after providing the source with the 2D model information.

Still referring to <FIG>, in an embodiment the third-party cloud server <NUM> forwards the passenger pickup request <NUM> with the approximate location of the passenger to the vehicle <NUM>. The passenger pickup request <NUM> is confirmed by the vehicle <NUM> or the driver of the vehicle <NUM>. The confirmation may be sent to the third-party cloud server <NUM>, which in turn sends the confirmation to the electronic device <NUM> of the passenger. The vehicle <NUM> then obtains or downloads <NUM> the fine passenger attribute information (e.g., the 3D model) from the third-party cloud server <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the vehicle <NUM> sends/shares <NUM> vehicle attribute information (e.g., a 3D model of the vehicle) to/in the third-party cloud server <NUM>. In an embodiment, instead of transmitting the vehicle attribute information to the third-party cloud server <NUM>, the vehicle <NUM> may authorize the electronic device <NUM> to download the vehicle attribute information from the third-party cloud server <NUM>. This vehicle attribute information may then be sent <NUM> by the third-party cloud server <NUM> to the electronic device <NUM> of the passenger. In an embodiment, the vehicle <NUM> may also directly send the vehicle attribute information to the electronic device <NUM> via a wireless network or an antenna <NUM> without using a third-party cloud server <NUM>.

Once the vehicle <NUM> has received the approximate location of the passenger, the vehicle <NUM> proceeds to that location <NUM>. After arriving at the approximate location of the passenger, the vehicle <NUM> attempts to locate the passenger as explained herein.

<FIG> collectively illustrate another embodiment of the second stage <NUM> of the pickup service <NUM> of <FIG>. As shown, the vehicle <NUM> arrives at the approximate location <NUM> of the passenger. In an embodiment, this may be within the range of the camera <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> or within a visible range of the driver of the vehicle <NUM>.

Once the vehicle <NUM> is at the approximate location of the passenger, the camera <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> is adjusted <NUM> to scan the region outside the vehicle <NUM>. In an embodiment, the camera <NUM> may be part of a monocular camera system or a stereo camera system (e.g., more than one camera is used). Video input <NUM> from the in-vehicle and/or on-board camera <NUM> is obtained. That is, the results of the scan are obtained by the vehicle <NUM>. In an embodiment, the processor <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> performs face, human body, and/or pedestrian detection in the video sequence <NUM> and then generates a 3D reconstruction of the passenger.

The camera <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> attempts to detect and/or recognize the passenger <NUM> using coarse passenger information as described herein. In an embodiment, the vehicle <NUM> determines whether the passenger has been identified by comparing the coarse passenger attribute information to results of the scan by the camera <NUM>. The comparison may yield a single passenger candidate or more than one potential passenger candidate <NUM>. If there is not more than one candidate located based on the comparison, the vehicle <NUM> makes a determination <NUM> whether the passenger is accessible for pickup. If so, the vehicle <NUM> picks up the passenger <NUM>.

In an embodiment, the passenger attribute information is mandatorily deleted from the memory <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> and/or the vehicle attribute information is mandatorily deleted <NUM> from the memory <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> after pickup of the passenger occurs or after the passenger has been delivered to their destination.

If more than one potential passenger candidate <NUM> is revealed, the results of the scan by the camera <NUM> may be compared to the fine passenger attribute information <NUM>. The comparison may yield a single passenger candidate or more than one potential passenger candidate <NUM>. If there is not more than one candidate located based on the comparison, the vehicle <NUM> makes a determination <NUM> whether the passenger is accessible for pickup. If so, the vehicle <NUM> picks up the passenger <NUM>. As before, in an embodiment information may be mandatorily deleted <NUM> in some circumstances.

If more than one potential passenger candidate <NUM> is revealed, a determination <NUM> as to whether the vehicle <NUM> is autonomous is made. If not, in an embodiment photographs of the passenger may be displayed <NUM> for the driver of the vehicle <NUM>. If the driver of the vehicle <NUM> is able to recognize the passenger from the photographs and the passenger is accessible for pickup based on the determination <NUM>, the vehicle <NUM> picks up the passenger <NUM>. As before, in an embodiment information may be mandatorily deleted <NUM> thereafter.

If the determination <NUM> revealed that the vehicle <NUM> was autonomous or if the determination <NUM> revealed that the passenger was not available for pickup (e.g., the road was blocked, the passenger was in a secure area not permitting vehicles, etc.), the vehicle <NUM> may be parked at a convenient or optimized location <NUM>. Once parked, the vehicle <NUM> transmits vehicle attribute information to the electronic device <NUM> of the passenger. The electronic device <NUM> of the passenger uses the vehicle attribute information received to identify the vehicle <NUM>. In an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> uses an application running or launched on the electronic device <NUM>. In an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> uses a 3D model of the vehicle to locate the appropriate vehicle. Once the correct vehicle <NUM> is located, the passenger can make their way to the vehicle <NUM> for pickup. As before, in an embodiment information may be mandatorily deleted <NUM> thereafter.

<FIG> illustrates an embodiment not forming part of the claimed invention of a passenger implementing a portion <NUM> of the passenger pickup service <NUM> of <FIG> to locate a vehicle using an electronic device <NUM>. As shown, the portion <NUM> may be implemented when, for example, the passenger runs the application <NUM> for the pickup service on the electronic device <NUM>. The application <NUM> being run in <FIG> may be the same or similar to the application being run <NUM> in <FIG>. Using the application and the camera <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM>, the passenger scans the area <NUM> along the direction determined by the vehicle location (e.g., the GPS coordinates of the vehicle). The vehicle location may be provided by the vehicle <NUM> to the electronic device <NUM> as described herein.

The camera <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> is configured to scan for the vehicle <NUM> using some type of vehicle identification information. For example, the camera <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may attempt to identify the vehicle <NUM> by searching for a random color pattern displayed by a color LED display <NUM> on the vehicle <NUM>. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the vehicle <NUM> may be uniquely identified in a variety of different ways as described herein. Once the correct vehicle <NUM> is located, the passenger can make their way to the vehicle <NUM> for pickup.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of a passenger pickup device <NUM> according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The passenger pickup device <NUM> is suitable for implementing the disclosed embodiments as described herein. For example, the passenger pickup device <NUM> may be the electronic device <NUM> or a component of the vehicle <NUM>. The passenger pickup device <NUM> comprises ingress ports <NUM> and receiver units (Rx) <NUM> for receiving data; a processor, logic unit, or central processing unit (CPU) <NUM> to process the data; transmitter units (Tx) <NUM> and egress ports <NUM> for transmitting the data; and a memory <NUM> for storing the data. The passenger pickup device <NUM> may also comprise optical-to-electrical (OE) components and electrical-to-optical (EO) components coupled to the ingress ports <NUM>, the receiver units <NUM>, the transmitter units <NUM>, and the egress ports <NUM> for egress or ingress of optical or electrical signals.

The processor <NUM> is implemented by hardware and software. The processor <NUM> may be implemented as one or more CPU chips, cores (e.g., as a multi-core processor), one or more graphics processing units (GPU), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and digital signal processors (DSPs). The processor <NUM> is in communication with the ingress ports <NUM>, receiver units <NUM>, transmitter units <NUM>, egress ports <NUM>, and memory <NUM>. The processor <NUM> comprises a passenger pickup module <NUM>. The passenger pickup module <NUM> implements the disclosed embodiments described above. For instance, the passenger pickup module <NUM> implements, processes, prepares, or provides the various functions of the electronic device <NUM> and/or vehicle <NUM>. The inclusion of the passenger pickup module <NUM> therefore provides a substantial improvement to the functionality of the passenger pickup device <NUM> and effects a transformation of the passenger pickup device <NUM> to a different state. Alternatively, the passenger pickup module <NUM> is implemented as instructions stored in the memory <NUM> and executed by the processor <NUM>.

The memory <NUM> comprises one or more disks, tape drives, and solid-state drives and may be used as an over-flow data storage device, to store programs when such programs are selected for execution, and to store instructions and data that are read during program execution. The memory <NUM> may be volatile and/or non-volatile and may be read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM), and/or static random-access memory (SRAM).

<FIG> illustrates the embodiment of a method <NUM> of implementing the passenger pickup service <NUM> by a vehicle <NUM>. In an embodiment, the method <NUM> may be executed when a passenger desires to be picked up and has initiated a pickup request. In block <NUM>, a pickup request is received from a passenger. In an embodiment, the pickup request includes an approximate location of the passenger.

In block <NUM>, the camera <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> scans for the passenger after arriving at the approximate location of the passenger. In block <NUM>, the passenger is picked up when the passenger has been identified by the camera <NUM> using coarse passenger attribute information and is accessible for pickup. In block <NUM>, the passenger is picked up when the passenger has been identified by the camera <NUM> using fine passenger attribute information, the passenger is accessible for pickup, and the coarse passenger attribute information failed to identify the passenger.

In block <NUM>, an approximate location of the vehicle <NUM> and vehicle identification information are transmitted to the passenger when the passenger has not been identified by the camera <NUM> using the fine passenger attribute information and when the passenger has been identified but is not accessible for pickup.

The passenger pickup system and method disclosed herein achieve a highly successful and efficient connection between a vehicle and a future passenger using identity information of the future passenger and/or the location information of the passenger and vehicle.

A vehicle including receiving means configured to receive a pickup request from a passenger, the pickup request including an approximate location of the passenger, camera means coupled to the receiving means, the camera means configured to scan for the passenger after arriving at the approximate location of the passenger, processing means coupled to the camera means, the processing means configured to determine whether the passenger has been identified by comparing passenger attribute information to results of the scan by the camera means, and transmission means coupled to the processing means, the transmission means configured to transmit an approximate location of the vehicle and vehicle identification information to the passenger when the passenger has not been identified, where the passenger is picked up by the vehicle when the passenger has been identified and is accessible for pickup.

An electronic device of a passenger including a transmission means configured to transmit a pickup request to a vehicle, the pickup request including an approximate location of the passenger, a receiving means coupled to the transmission means, the receiving means configured to receive an approximate location of the vehicle and vehicle identification information when the passenger has not been located by the vehicle and when the passenger has been located by the vehicle but is not accessible for pickup, a camera means coupled to the receiving means, the camera means configured to scan for the vehicle using the vehicle identification information when the passenger has not been identified by the vehicle and when the passenger has been identified by the vehicle but is not accessible for pickup, a processor means coupled to the camera means, the processing means configured to identify the vehicle that received the pickup request for the passenger based on results of the scan by the camera means, and a display means coupled to the processing means, the display means configured to display the vehicle identified for the passenger.

While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods might be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the scope of the attached claim. The present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is not to be limited to the details given herein. For example, the various elements or components may be combined or integrated in another system or certain features may be omitted, or not implemented.

A method of implementing a pickup service by a vehicle including receiving a pickup request from a passenger, the pickup request including an approximate location of the passenger, scanning, with a camera means, for the passenger after arriving at the approximate location of the passenger, picking up the passenger when the passenger has been identified by the camera means using coarse passenger attribute information and is accessible for pickup, picking up the passenger when the passenger has been identified by the camera means using fine passenger attribute information, the passenger is accessible for pickup, and the coarse passenger attribute information failed to identify the passenger, and transmitting an approximate location of the vehicle and vehicle identification information to the passenger when the passenger has not been identified by the camera means using the fine passenger attribute information and when the passenger has been identified but is not accessible for pickup.

Claim 1:
A method of implementing a pickup service by a vehicle, comprising:
receiving a pickup request from a passenger, the pickup request including an approximate location of the passenger;
scanning, with a camera, for the passenger after arriving at the approximate location of the passenger;
picking up the passenger when the passenger has been identified by the camera using coarse passenger attribute information and is accessible for pickup;
picking up the passenger when the passenger has been identified by the camera using fine passenger attribute information, the passenger is accessible for pickup, and the coarse passenger attribute information failed to identify the passenger; and
transmitting an approximate location of the vehicle and vehicle identification information to the passenger when the passenger has not been identified by the camera using the fine passenger attribute information and when the passenger has been identified but is not accessible for pickup;
wherein the coarse passenger attribute information comprises at least one of an age, gender, race, and height of the passenger, a photograph of the passenger taken at a time of the pickup request, a current hairstyle, a current hair color, or a clothing description of the passenger at the time of the pickup request, and wherein the fine passenger attribute information comprises a three dimensional (3D) model based upon at least one of a face, a body, and a gait of the passenger.