Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that relates to a vehicle navigation system which can navigate a vehicle through an environment based on driving commands received from a remote control system based on manual operator interaction with an interface of the remote control system. Remote driving control can be engaged based on determination, via processing vehicle sensor data, of a health emergency associated with one or more occupants of the vehicle, and the remote control system can generate remote driving commands which cause the vehicle to be navigated to a particular location without requiring the occupant associated with the health emergency to manually navigate the vehicle. The remote control system can monitor the occupant via communicated vehicle sensor data and can control remote control devices included in the vehicle to provide external indication that the vehicle is being navigated according to remote driving control.

Apple notes in their patent background that the rise of interest in autonomous navigation of vehicles, including automobiles, has resulted in a desire to develop autonomous navigation systems which can autonomously navigate (i.e., autonomously “drive”) a vehicle through various routes, including one or more roads in a road network, such as contemporary roads, streets, highways, etc. Such autonomous navigation systems can control one or more automotive control elements of the vehicle to implement such autonomous navigation. Such control by the autonomous navigation system in a vehicle can be referred to as autonomous driving control of the vehicle.

Vehicles which include autonomous navigation systems may enable one or more occupants to manually control one or more vehicle control elements of the vehicle, such that one or more occupants of the vehicle can manually navigate (“drive”) the vehicle. Such control by an occupant can be referred to as manual driving control of the vehicle.

An Authorized Vehicle Remote Control

Apple's invention provides a vehicle navigation system which can navigate a vehicle through an environment based on driving commands received from a remote control system based on manual operator interaction with an interface of the remote control system.

Remote driving control can be engaged based on determination, via processing vehicle sensor data, of a health emergency associated with one or more occupants of the vehicle, and the remote control system can generate remote driving commands which cause the vehicle to be navigated to a particular location without requiring the occupant associated with the health emergency to manually navigate the vehicle.

The remote control system can monitor the occupant via communicated vehicle sensor data and can control remote control devices included in the vehicle to provide external indication that the vehicle is being navigated according to remote driving control.

Some embodiments provide an apparatus which includes a vehicle navigation system configured to be installed in a vehicle and navigate the vehicle through an environment in which the vehicle is located based on remote driving commands received from a remote control system.

The vehicle navigation system is configured to: generate a remote control request signal, to the remote control system, based at least in part upon a determination that an occupant of an interior of the vehicle is associated with an emergency health state.

Some embodiments provide an apparatus which includes a remote control system, remotely located from a vehicle, which is configured to selectively engage in remote driving control of the vehicle.

The remote control system is configured to generate a set of remote driving commands which, when executed at a vehicle navigation system of the vehicle, cause the vehicle to be navigated through an environment, based at least in part upon a determination that remote driving control of the vehicle is authorized by one or more of the vehicle or an authorized end user supported by a separate user device.

Apple's patent FIG. 6 below illustrates a control interface of a remote control system. In some embodiments, a control interface included in a remote control system includes a graphical display via which an operator interacting with the interface to remotely control navigation of a vehicle through an environment can view a graphical representation of the vehicle in the environment.

The control interface can include one or more sets of driving control interfaces via which the operator can interact to control navigation of the vehicle through the environment. The graphical representation can be generated based on sensor data generated at one or more sensor devices included in the vehicle and communicated to the remote control system.

Apple's patent FIG. 5 above illustrates an overhead view of a vehicle in motion which stops at a particular roadside location to pick up an individual at the roadside and then navigate the vehicle to a destination location via remote driving control; FIG. 7 illustrates executing remote driving control at a vehicle navigation system (VNS) included in a vehicle; FIG. 8 illustrates executing remote driving control of a VNS included in a vehicle at a remote control system which is external to the vehicle.

Health Emergency

Apple further notes that in some embodiments, one or more sensors generate sensor data regarding one or more particular positions within the vehicle interior, and sensor data generated by the sensors can be used by the VNS to determine whether one or more occupants located in one or more particular positions in the vehicle interior is associated with an emergency health state.

The VNS can continuously monitor the health state parameters associated with occupants of the vehicle interior. In some embodiments, the VNS is configured to monitor health state parameters of human individuals located external to the vehicle within a certain proximity distance of the vehicle, based on processing sensor data generated by one or more sensor devices.

The sensors can generate data which can be processed by the VNS to determine one or more parameters associated with the occupant's health, including occupant pupil dilation, blinking body temperature, heartbeat, perspiration, head position, etc. Such parameters can be referred to as health state parameters of the occupant. The VNS can process the parameters and determine a “health state” of the occupant, including a “drowsy state”, “intoxicated state”, cognitively impaired state”, “emergency health state”, etc., based on comparing one or more of the health state parameters against one or more health state parameter threshold values associated with the one or more particular health states.

A module can monitor a health state of an occupant of the vehicle interior, via sensor data generated by a sensor and can generate a remote control request message based on a determination that the health state of the occupant corresponds to an emergency health state.

In some embodiments, the remote control request signal includes an emergency remote control signal, generated based at least in part upon the deterring that a health state of an occupant of the vehicle corresponds with an emergency health state, which includes a request for a remote control system to remotely control the vehicle so that it is remotely navigated to a medical care location, including an emergency care center, hospital, etc.

To review its full details, review patent application 20230356692.

The U.S. Patent Office published a second Project Titan patent today titled "Customizable Systems" under application #20230356729. Apple's patent abstract states: "A system may have sensors that gather information on users. The users may have portable electronic devices such as wristwatches, cellular telephones, and computers. The sensors may include facial recognition image sensors, fingerprint sensors, voice sensors configured to identify users by voice, and other biometric sensors. Pressure sensors may be used to measure the weight of users to help identify the users and/or to determine their age. Using the sensors, user identities and user positions may be ascertained. The system may have equipment such as adjustable seats, climate control systems, media systems, and other components that can be customized based on the identities and user positions."

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