A vehicle seating system includes a vehicle seat, piezoelectric sensors individually positioned at respective locations within the seat corresponding to anatomical locations of a person sitting in the seat, and a controller. The sensors to generate electrical signals in response to mechanical stress applied on the sensors from biologically motivated force inputs of the person. The controller to detect from the electrical signals generated by the sensors biometric information of the person corresponding to the biologically motivated force inputs of the person.

A vehicle control system includes a seat (41) on which an occupant of a vehicle sits, a first protruding mechanism (45) configured to move a pushing member (45A) provided inside the seat to adjust a protruding position and a displacement of the seat, a second protruding mechanism (46) configured to inject a gas or liquid into a bag-like member (46B) provided inside the seat to adjust the protruding position and the displacement of the seat, and a seat control unit configured to control the first protruding mechanism to cause at least a part of a contact portion between the occupant and the seat to protrude in a case that the vehicle performs a first driving mode having a degree of automated driving less than a predetermined reference and to control the second protruding mechanism to cause at least a part of the contact portion between the occupant and the seat to protrude in a case that the vehicle performs a second driving mode having a degree of automated driving equal to or higher than the predetermined reference.

An automated ridesharing dispatch system includes a communications interface configured to receive ride requests, each ride request including a starting point and a desired destination, and to receive from a mobile communications device associated with a ridesharing vehicle, a current location of the ridesharing vehicle. The system also includes at least one processor configured to send the ridesharing vehicle to pick up the plurality of users, determine based on a known passenger capacity of the ridesharing vehicle, a capacity status of the ridesharing vehicle. If the capacity status is below a capacity threshold, the processor directs the ridesharing vehicle along a first route, and if the capacity threshold is met, directs the ridesharing vehicle along a second route.

An automated ridesharing dispatch system includes a communications interface configured to receive ride requests from a plurality of users and to receive from a plurality of communication devices associated with a plurality of ridesharing vehicles, indications of current locations of the plurality of ridesharing vehicles. The system also includes a memory configured to store a plurality of rules including a rule to select a fastest route for guiding a ridesharing vehicle, and a rule for reducing backtracking, even in instances where backtracking would result in shorter travel time. The system also includes at least one processor configured to assign the plurality of users to a common ridesharing vehicle, use the stored plurality of rules to determine a route for the ridesharing vehicle other than the fastest route, and in order to reduce backtracking, direct the ridesharing vehicle along the determined route other than the fastest route.

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing a fleet of ridesharing vehicles. In one implementation, the system may include a communications interface and at least one processor configured to: identify a first ridesharing vehicle and a second ridesharing vehicle currently without passengers; receive a first request from a first user; receive a second request from a second user; assign the first and second users to the first vehicle; generate a route for picking up and dropping off the first and second users; receive a third request from a third user; calculate a first arrival time of the first vehicle and a second arrival time of the second vehicle at the third pick-up location; when both the first arrival time and the second arrival time are below a predetermined threshold, assign the third user to the first vehicle; and generate an updated route to pick-up the third user.

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing a fleet of ridesharing vehicles. In one implementation, the system may include a communications interface configured to receive a ride request from a user and receive, from a plurality of communication devices associated with a plurality of vehicles-for-hire, indications of current locations of the vehicles-for-hire. The system may further include at least one processor configured to: receive real time traffic data including information about at least one of street blockages and atypical congestion; identify an area of traffic obstruction in a vicinity of the user's starting point; select a vehicle-for-hire to pick up the user; identify a pick-up location, remote from the user's starting point, peripheral to the area of obstruction; send to the user information about the pick-up location; and send to the selected vehicle-for-hire driving directions to the pick-up location that substantially avoid the area of obstruction.

An automated ridesharing dispatch system includes a communications interface configured to electronically receive ride requests from a plurality of users and a memory configured to store a capacity threshold for each of a plurality of ridesharing vehicles. The system also includes at least one processor configured to process the ride requests received from the communications interface and to assign to a single ridesharing vehicle the plurality of users for pick up at a plurality of differing pick-up locations and for delivery to a plurality of differing drop-off locations, determine a route for the ridesharing vehicle, receive from at least one sensor within the ridesharing vehicle, information indicative of a current number of passengers in the ridesharing vehicle, and determine whether to assign additional users to the ridesharing vehicle based on the received information from the sensor and the capacity threshold associated with the ridesharing vehicle.

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing a fleet of ridesharing vehicles. In one implementation, the system may include a communications interface configured to receive requests for shared rides from a plurality of users; a memory configured to store indications of passenger-capacity for specific ridesharing vehicles in the fleet; and at least one processor configured to receive information from the communications interface and access the memory The at least one processor may be further configured to assign, to ridesharing vehicles already transporting users, additional users for simultaneous transportation in the ridesharing vehicles; track a current utilized capacity of each specific ridesharing vehicle; and implement a threshold block that prevents assignment of additional users to a ridesharing vehicle when the ridesharing vehicle's current utilized capacity is above a threshold being less than the ridesharing vehicle's passenger-capacity.

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing a fleet of ridesharing vehicles. In one implementation, the system may include a communications interface configured to receive ride requests and location information and at least one processor configured to assign a first ridesharing vehicle to pick-up a first group of users; determine pick-up locations for the first group; send data to guide each user to a respective pick-up location; predict when a first user will arrive at a first pick-up location; prior to the first user arriving, cancel the assignment of the first ridesharing vehicle to the first user while maintaining the assignment to others of the first group; predict when a second ridesharing vehicle may pass the first pick-up location; and re-assign the first user to the second ridesharing vehicle when the predicted passing time is after the predicted arrival time.

An automated ridesharing dispatch system includes a memory configured to store historical data associated with past demand for ridesharing vehicles in a geographical area and a communications interface. The system also includes at least one processor configured to access the memory and to use the historical data to predict imminent demand of ridesharing requests including predicting general zones in the geographical area associated with imminent demand, select a holding zone for prepositioning empty ridesharing vehicles in order to expedite satisfaction of the predicted imminent demand, and send, via the communications interface, to a mobile communications device in a specific ridesharing vehicle, instructions directing the specific ridesharing vehicle to the holding zone.