US 11,951,906 B2
Systems and methods for deploying emergency roadside signaling devices
Charles A Price, San Diego, CA (US); Todd B. Skinner, San Diego, CA (US); Juexiao Ning, Tucson, AZ (US); Yishi Liu, Tucson, AZ (US); Qiwei Li, Tucson, AZ (US); Raymond Alan Thomas, Tucson, AZ (US); Alan Camyre, Tucson, AZ (US); Jim Giglio, Tucson, AZ (US); and Robert Patrick Brown, Tucson, AZ (US)
Assigned to TuSimple, Inc., San Diego, CA (US)
Filed by TuSimple, Inc., San Diego, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 22, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/304,538.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/042,979, filed on Jun. 23, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0394674 A1, Dec. 23, 2021
Int. Cl. B60Q 7/00 (2006.01); B60W 60/00 (2020.01); E01F 9/619 (2016.01); E01F 9/627 (2016.01); E01F 9/70 (2016.01); G07C 5/08 (2006.01); G09F 13/16 (2006.01)
CPC B60Q 7/00 (2013.01) [B60W 60/0015 (2020.02); E01F 9/619 (2016.02); E01F 9/629 (2016.02); E01F 9/70 (2016.02); G07C 5/0816 (2013.01); G09F 13/16 (2013.01); B60W 2556/50 (2020.02)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for an autonomous vehicle, comprising:
one or more signaling devices configured to visually notify other vehicles when placed on or near a roadway;
an object placing device configured to place the one or more signaling devices;
a processor; and
a computer-readable memory in communication with the processor and having stored thereon computer-executable instructions to cause the processor to:
determine that the autonomous vehicle has experienced a malfunction, and
provide instructions to the object placing device to place the one or more signaling devices on or near the roadway,
wherein each of the one or more signaling devices comprises a spring loaded tube and a delay mechanism configured to release the spring after the one or more signaling devices has been dropped onto the roadway.