Eye on IP

Vol. No. 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Patent Hot Topic: Google Awarded Patent for a Self-Driving Car

Creating a lot of buzz, Google has been awarded a U.S. patent for a self-driving car. The intellectual property rights afforded by the patent relate to a method to switch a vehicle from a human-controlled mode into the state where the vehicle is able to drive itself.

Google applied for the patent — Transitioning a Mixed-mode Vehicle to Autonomous Mode — in May, but it was not publicly available until earlier this month. The patent application explains how the car would know when to take control, where it is located, and which direction to drive in.

More specifically, the patent application describes two sets of sensors. The first identifies a "landing strip" when the vehicle stops. According to Google, Google the landing strip could be a mark on the ground, a sign on a wall, or lines or arrows showing where the vehicle should be parked. The first sensor then activates the second set of sensors, which receives data informing the vehicle where it is positioned and where it should go.

"The landing strip allows a human driving the vehicle to know acceptable parking places for the vehicle," the patent filing states.

"Additionally, the landing strip may indicate to the vehicle that it is parked in a region where it may transition into autonomous mode."

Although the technology described in Google's patent application may sound like something from a science fiction movie, the company has been actively testing self-driving cars right here in California. The vehicles combine artificial intelligence with the Google's Street View maps as well as video cameras and a range of sensors.

A fleet of Toyota Prius and Audi TT models equipped with the new technology have already driven 160,000 miles with limited human input and more than 1,000 miles without driver involvement.

Source: BBC

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