Patent attributes
Techniques for a fully- or semi-autonomously operated vehicle (AV) to signal to or notify a third-party located within the vehicle's environment that the vehicle has detected the third-party's presence are provided. The third-party may be a pedestrian or a passenger in another proximate vehicle. Sensors associated with the AV may provide data via which the third-party's presence (and optionally, movement and behavior) is detected, and signaling device(s) on-board the vehicle may transmit audio, visual, and/or electromagnetic signals into the environment to indicate that the vehicle is aware of the third-party's presence. In some situations, a two-way dialog between the signaling device(s) and the third-party may be established to confirm intended behaviors or actions of the vehicle and/or of the third-party. Increased safety and decreased risk of accident or injury may be provided with AVs in a manner that is familiar to third-parties' defensive signaling with drivers of non-autonomous vehicles.
