Autonomous control of vehicle cargo area doors

Abstract

To provide a vehicle cargo area door control system for a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle cargo area door control system for a vehicle includes at least one cargo area and at least one cargo area door. The control system includes one or more processors, and a memory communicably coupled to the processors for storing a cargo area door control module. In response to the generation or receipt of an instruction to cause the vehicle to start moving, the door control module operates to determine if all vehicle cargo area doors are closed. If at least one cargo area door is not closed, command(s) are generated to close the at least one cargo area door.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to autonomous control of vehicles, and in particular to autonomous control of access to vehicle cargo areas. [Background technology]

[0002] Autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles can be configured to operate autonomously without input from a human operator in many driving situations. Vehicle users may wish to control various aspects of vehicle operation according to personal preferences. In particular, vehicle users may wish to exercise control over the conditions under which vehicle cargo area doors operate autonomously. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In one form of the embodiments described herein, a cargo area door control system for a vehicle includes at least one cargo area and at least one cargo area door configured to be operable to allow physical access to the at least one cargo area. The cargo area door is also operable to prevent physical access to the at least one cargo area. The control system includes one or more processors and a memory for storing a cargo area door control module communicatively coupled to the one or more processors. The door control module includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine whether all vehicle cargo area doors are closed in response to issuing or receiving a command to initiate movement of the vehicle. If the at least one cargo area door is not closed, a command(s) is issued to close the at least one cargo area door.

[0004] In another form of the embodiments described herein, there is provided a computer-implemented method of operating at least one cargo area door of a vehicle. The cargo area door is configured to be operable to allow physical access to an associated cargo area of ​​the vehicle and operable to prevent physical access to the associated cargo area. The method includes determining whether the cargo area door is closed in response to issuing or receiving a command to initiate movement of the vehicle. If the cargo area door is not closed, a command(s) is issued to close the cargo area door. If the cargo area door is closed, it is determined whether the cargo area door is locked. If the cargo area door is unlocked, operation of the vehicle is autonomously controlled to prevent movement of the vehicle. If the cargo area door is locked, operation of the vehicle is autonomously controlled to allow movement of the vehicle.

[0005] In another form of the embodiments described herein, a vehicle includes at least one cargo area and at least one cargo area door. The at least one cargo area door is configured to be operable to allow physical access to the at least one cargo area and operable to prevent physical access to the at least one cargo area. The vehicle also includes at least one communication interface configured to enable communication with at least one remote entity. At least one actuator is operably coupled to the at least one communication interface and configured to operate the at least one cargo area door in response to a command to operate the at least one cargo area door received from the at least one remote entity via the at least one communication interface.

[0006] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate the embodiments described herein and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the embodiments described herein. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a vehicle incorporating a system configured to autonomously control the operation of one or more vehicle cargo area doors, where the system controls physical access to one or more associated vehicle cargo areas that can be used to store / transport cargo. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic rear perspective view of a particular embodiment of a vehicle configured as shown in FIG. 1, illustrating one example of a cargo area in the form of a vehicle trunk and a cargo area door in the form of a trunk lid. [Figure 3A] 3B and 3C, is a flow chart illustrating autonomous implementation of operations for controlling the unlocking and opening of vehicle cargo area doors after transport of passengers and / or cargo to a selected destination. [Figure 3B] 3A and 3C, is a flow chart illustrating autonomous implementation of operations for controlling the unlocking and opening of vehicle cargo area doors after transport of passengers and / or cargo to a selected destination. [Figure 3C] 3A and 3B, is a flow chart illustrating autonomous implementation of operations for controlling the unlocking and opening of vehicle cargo area doors after transport of passengers and / or cargo to a selected destination. [Figure 4A] 4B and 4C, a flow chart illustrating autonomous implementation of operations to help prevent occupants from forgetting or leaving behind cargo in a vehicle cargo area after they exit the vehicle. [Figure 4B] 4A and 4B, in combination with FIG. 4C, is a flow chart illustrating autonomous implementation of operations to help prevent occupants from forgetting or leaving behind cargo in a vehicle cargo area after they exit the vehicle. [Figure 4C] 4A and 4B, a flow chart illustrating autonomous implementation of operations to help prevent occupants from forgetting or leaving behind cargo in a vehicle cargo area after they exit the vehicle. [Diagram 5]11 is a flowchart illustrating autonomous execution of operations to determine whether a cargo area door is currently open or closed and unlocked, and to close and lock any open doors prior to vehicle movement. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic flowchart illustrating autonomous implementation of actuation in an example where a direct command from a remote entity is required to actuate one or more cargo area doors in a desired manner (e.g., close a cargo area door(s), hereafter referred to as "singular or plural"). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] The embodiments described herein relate to a cargo area door control system for a vehicle. The vehicle includes at least one cargo area and at least one cargo area door configured to be operable to allow physical access to the at least one cargo area and operable to prevent physical access to the associated cargo area. The control system includes one or more processors and a memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors and storing a cargo area door control module including instructions for autonomously controlling operation of the cargo area doors. In response to issuing or receiving a command to initiate movement of a stationary vehicle, the control system can determine whether all cargo area doors are closed and / or locked. If any cargo area doors are not closed and / or locked, the control system can issue a command(s) to close and lock the open cargo area doors. If any cargo area doors do not close and / or lock in response to the control system command(s), the control system can control operation of the vehicle to prevent movement of the vehicle until all cargo area doors are closed and locked. When all cargo area doors are closed and / or locked, the control system can control the operation of the vehicle to allow the vehicle to move.

[0009] Under a particular cargo area operation control configuration, one or more cargo area doors can be controlled by explicit commands from a remote entity, such as a person or computer system at a remote facility or remote from the vehicle. For example, command signals to close and / or lock the cargo area doors can be transmitted from the remote entity to the vehicle via a communication interface(s) onboard the vehicle. In one mode of operation, the communication interface(s) can be operably coupled to actuator(s) configured to carry out the commands received at the communication interface(s). In another mode of operation, the command signals are received by the vehicle communication interface(s) and relayed to a cargo area door control module, which then issues a suitable door control command for execution by the actuator. In another mode of operation, the command signals are received by the vehicle communication interface(s) and relayed to a cargo area door control module, which then relays the received command signals to the actuators without further modifying or manipulating the received signals.

[0010] Attorney Docket No. TRI-280-A (entitled "Autonomous Control of Vehicle Cargo Area Doors") is being filed on the same day as this patent application.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a vehicle 11 incorporating a vehicle cargo area door control system configured to autonomously control the operation of one or more vehicle cargo area doors. As used herein, a "vehicle" is any type of motorized transportation. In one or more examples, the vehicle 11 is an automobile. Although configurations are described herein with respect to automobiles, it should be understood that the embodiments are not limited to automobiles. In some examples, the vehicle 11 can be any robotic device or any type of motorized transportation utilizing the functionality discussed herein, including, for example, sensors for sensing aspects of the surrounding environment. The vehicle 11 can take the form of a car, truck, or any other vehicle incorporating one or more vehicle cargo areas usable for storing and transporting cargo.

[0012] The vehicle 11 can be configured for autonomous operation and can operate in a fully or partially autonomous mode. In some examples, the vehicle 11 is configured to selectively switch between an autonomous mode, one or more semi-autonomous operating modes, and / or a manual mode. Such switching can be performed in any suitable manner now known or later developed. "Manual mode" means that all or most of the steering and / or operation of the vehicle is performed according to input received from an occupant (e.g., a driver). In one or more configurations, the vehicle 11 can be a conventional vehicle configured to operate in a manual mode while including the capability to perform one or more of the cargo area door control functions described herein.

[0013] In one or more embodiments, the vehicle 11 is an autonomous vehicle. As used herein, "autonomous vehicle" refers to a vehicle operating in an autonomous mode. "Autonomous mode" refers to steering and / or driving the vehicle 11 along a travel route using one or more computing systems for control of the vehicle 11 with minimal or no input from a driver. In one or more embodiments, the vehicle 11 is highly automated or fully automated. In one embodiment, the vehicle 11 is configured to have one or more semi-autonomous operating modes in which one or more computing systems perform a portion of the steering and / or driving of the vehicle along the travel route, and a vehicle operator (e.g., a human occupant or a remote operator) provides inputs to the vehicle to perform a portion of the steering and / or driving of the vehicle 11 along the travel route.

[0014] In one or more embodiments, the vehicle 11 is a remotely controlled vehicle. As used herein, "remotely controlled vehicle" refers to a vehicle operating in a remote operation mode. "Remote operation mode" refers to steering and / or driving the vehicle 11 along a travel route by an operator located at a location remote from the vehicle, such as a remote facility (such as remote facility 88 shown in FIG. 1). For example, the remote operator can observe and control any or all aspects of the vehicle operation from a remote terminal located at the remote facility or another location. A "remote entity" can be an entity that is external to and separate from the vehicle. Non-exclusive examples of remote entities can include the remote facility 88, a remote human operator, and a remote computer system.

[0015] Vehicle 11 can include various elements. It should be appreciated that in various embodiments, vehicle 11 need not have all of the elements shown in FIG. 1. Vehicle 11 can have any combination of the various elements shown in FIG. 1. Furthermore, vehicle 11 can have elements in addition to those shown in FIG. 1. In some configurations, vehicle 11 can be implemented without one or more of the elements shown in FIG. 1. Although various elements are shown in FIG. 1 as being located within vehicle 11, it should be appreciated that one or more of these elements can be located outside vehicle 11. Furthermore, the illustrated elements can be physically separated by large distances.

[0016] Some possible elements of the vehicle 11 are shown in FIG. 1 and described in conjunction with subsequent figures. Moreover, for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated in the various figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. Moreover, numerous specific details are outlined in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the embodiments described herein may be implemented using various combinations of these elements.

[0017] The vehicle 11 may include one or more processors 110. By "processor" it is meant any component or group of components configured to execute any of the processes and / or process steps described herein or any type of instruction to cause such processes / process steps to be performed. In one or more configurations, the processor(s) 110 may be the main processor of the vehicle 11. For example, the processor(s) 110 may be an electronic control unit (ECU). The processor(s) may also form part of a computing system for the vehicle 11. The processor(s) 110 may execute instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as a data store(s) 115 or another memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors 110. The processor(s) 110 may be operatively connected to other vehicle systems and elements and may be configured to affect partial or fully autonomous control and operation of the vehicle 11 and its components as described herein. The processor(s) 110 may control functions of the vehicle 11 based on input and / or information received from the communication interface 16, the sensor system 28, the vehicle input system 130, and / or other suitable information sources. The processor(s) 110 may include at least one hardware circuit (e.g., an integrated circuit) configured to execute instructions contained in a program code. The processor(s) 110 may be implemented with one or more general purpose and / or one or more special purpose processors. Examples of suitable processors include microprocessors, controllers, microcontrollers, DSP processors, and other circuit structures capable of executing software. In configurations including multiple processors 110, the processors may operate independently of each other, or one or more processors may operate in combination with each other.

[0018] The vehicle 11 may include one or more data stores 115 for storing one or more types of data. The data store(s) 115 may include one or more computer readable memories. A computer readable memory may include any medium that participates in providing data (e.g., instructions) that can be read by a computer. The data store(s) 115 may include volatile and / or non-volatile memory. Examples of suitable data store(s) 115 include RAM (random access memory), flash memory, ROM (read only memory), PROM (programmable read only memory), EPROM (erasable programmable read only memory), EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory), registers, magnetic disks, optical disks, hard drives, or any other suitable storage medium or combination thereof. The data store(s) 115 may be a component of the processor(s) 110, or the data store(s) 115 may be operatively connected to the processor(s) 110 for use by the processor. As used herein, "operably connected" can include direct or indirect connections, including connections without direct physical contact.

[0019] The one or more data stores 115 can include sensor data 119. In this context, "sensor data" means information, including sensor capabilities and other information, regarding sensors equipped by the vehicle 11. As described below, the vehicle 11 can include a sensor system 28. The sensor data 119 can relate to one or more sensors of the sensor system 28. By way of example, in one or more configurations, the sensor data 119 can include information regarding one or more LIDAR sensors 28y of the sensor system 28. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the sensor data 119 can be located in one or more data stores 115 onboard the vehicle 11. Alternatively or in addition, at least a portion of the sensor data 119 can be located in one or more data stores 115 located remotely from the vehicle 11. The data store(s) 115 can store data such as road maps and route information, among other information. Such information can be used by the navigation system 23 in calculating and evaluating various routes to be driven autonomously by the vehicle 11.

[0020] The vehicle 11 may include one or more vehicle systems 40. Various examples of the one or more vehicle systems 40 are shown in FIG. 1. However, the vehicle 11 may include more, fewer, or different vehicle systems. Although certain vehicle systems are defined separately, each or any of the systems or portions thereof may be combined or separated via hardware and / or software within the vehicle 11. The vehicle 11 may include a propulsion system 41, a braking system 42, a steering system 43, a throttle system 44, a transmission system 45, a signal system 46, and / or a navigation system 23. Each of these systems may include one or more now known or later developed equipment, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0021] The vehicle 11 may include an input system 130. An "input system" includes any device, component, system, element or configuration or group thereof that allows for communication of information / data to a machine. The input system 130 may receive input from a human operator (driver, passenger) in the vehicle or from a human operator (e.g., a vehicle scheduler) or a computing system (e.g., located at a remote facility 88) configured to exercise at least partial control of the vehicle 11.

[0022] Vehicle 11 may include output system 135. "Output system" includes any device, component, or configuration, or group thereof, that allows information / data to be presented to a human operator (inside or outside of vehicle 11) or communicated to a human operator or computer system at a remote facility (such as remote facility 88).

[0023] For example, the input / output system 130 / 135 may include a human machine interface (HMI) (not shown) including elements located in the passenger compartment and wired to the vehicle processor(s) and / or other vehicle systems. The HMI may include elements such as a display, a keypad, a microphone and voice recognition and a speaker for communication between the vehicle 11 and a user. The input / output system 130 / 135 may also (or alternatively) include hardware and software elements that enable communication between the vehicle 11 and a user using a mobile phone or other personal communication device 113. The input / output system 130 / 135 may take any form and may incorporate any elements and / or systems for facilitating communication between the vehicle 11 and a user and / or a remote facility 88 that controls one or more operations of the vehicle.

[0024] The vehicle 11 may include one or more actuators 150. The actuator(s) 150 may be any element, combination of elements, or mechanism operable to modify, adjust, and / or alter one or more of the vehicle systems 40 or its components in response to receiving signals or other inputs from the processor(s) 110, the autonomous driving module 160, and / or the cargo area door control module 71 (described in more detail below). Any suitable actuator(s) may be used. For example, the actuator(s) 150 may include, for example, motors, pneumatic actuators, hydraulic pistons, relays, solenoids, and / or piezoelectric actuators. Some examples of specific actuators that may be incorporated into and / or controlled by embodiments of the cargo area door control system are described below. However, additional actuators may be employed in the vehicle for purposes other than those described. Some examples of specific actuators that may be incorporated into and / or controlled by embodiments of the cargo area door control system include cargo area door unlocking mechanism(s) 87, cargo area door opening mechanism(s) 81, cargo area door closing mechanism(s) 83, cargo area door locking mechanism(s) 85, lock disabling mechanism(s) 91 and close disabling mechanism(s) 93, as described in more detail below.

[0025] In one or more particular configurations, one or more of the actuators 150 may be configured to act on elements of the vehicle in response to commands received directly from a remote entity (i.e., a source external to and spaced from the vehicle) via a communications interface (such as communications interface 16) operably coupled to one or more of the actuators. For example, one or more of the cargo area door unlocking mechanisms 87 may be configured to operate to unlock one or more associated cargo area doors in response to a command to unlock the cargo area doors received directly by the cargo area door unlocking mechanism(s) from a remote entity. One or more of the cargo area door opening mechanisms 81 may be configured to operate to open one or more associated cargo area doors in response to a command to open the cargo area doors received directly by the cargo area door opening mechanism(s) from a remote entity. One or more of the cargo area door closing mechanisms 83 may be configured to operate to close one or more associated cargo area doors in response to a command to close the cargo area doors received directly by the cargo area door closing mechanism(s) from a remote entity. One or more of the cargo area door locking mechanisms 85 may be configured to operate to lock one or more associated cargo area doors in response to a command to lock the cargo area door received directly by the cargo area door locking mechanism(s) from a remote entity. In this manner, for example, with an actuator configured to act on a cargo area door associated actuator in response to a command sent directly to the actuator(s) from a remote entity via communications interface 16, the command from the remote entity does not necessarily have to pass through the cargo area door control module 71.

[0026] In one or more configurations, the communication interface(s) through which the cargo area door actuation command(s) are received is separate from the actuator(s). In other configurations, the communication interface through which the cargo area door actuation command(s) are received is incorporated into the actuator(s) itself (e.g., to help minimize time delays and / or minimize the risk of possible signal corruption and / or interception).

[0027] A vehicle cargo area may be any enclosure or volume of space within a vehicle in which cargo (baggage, packages, and / or other items) may be placed for travel and prevent access to the contents therein without permission or authorization. For example, the owner of the cargo, the person responsible for transporting the cargo, or the operator or owner of the vehicle may have authorization to access the cargo when it is loaded into the cargo area. Non-exclusive examples of vehicle cargo areas include the trunk of a vehicle, the rear area of ​​a hatchback of a sports utility vehicle (SUV), and a lockable compartment within the passenger compartment.

[0028] A cargo area door may be any door, panel, or other structure operable and / or securable to allow or prevent physical access to a vehicle cargo area. Non-exclusive examples of cargo area doors include vehicle trunk doors, hatchback doors on sport utility vehicles, tonneau covers attached to pickup trucks, and tailgates on pickup trucks.

[0029] In one or more configurations, each cargo area door may include an associated cargo area door unlocking mechanism, generally designated 87, configured to unlock the cargo area door in response to a command(s) from the cargo area door control module 71. A cargo area door may be considered to be "unlocked" when a locking mechanism configured to lock the door is in a state in which it does not prevent the door from being opened. A locking mechanism may be considered to be "unlocked" when it does not prevent the cargo area door associated with the locking mechanism from being opened. The type and structure of the unlocking mechanism 87 used will depend on factors such as the design of the locking mechanism associated with the cargo area door and other relevant factors. In one or more configurations, the unlocking function may be accomplished by the same mechanism that performs the locking function. In other configurations, the unlocking function may be accomplished by an unlocking mechanism that is different from the locking mechanism or includes different elements than those included in the locking mechanism (although there may be common elements). The cargo area door unlocking mechanism 87 may incorporate any element and / or mechanism(s) suitable for unlocking the associated cargo area door and for enabling operation of the unlocking mechanism 87 by the cargo area door control module 71 as described herein.

[0030] In one or more configurations, each cargo area door may include an associated cargo area door opening mechanism (generally designated 81) configured to open the cargo area door in response to a command from the cargo area door control module 71. A cargo area, or a cargo area door for a cargo area, may be considered to be "open" when the cargo area door is positioned or oriented to allow physical access to the cargo area, thereby allowing cargo to be placed in or removed from the cargo area, or when the cargo area door is not in a position that allows it to be locked by an associated door locking mechanism.

[0031] The type and configuration of the cargo area door opening mechanism 81 used will depend on factors such as the space available for the cargo area door opening mechanism and other relevant factors. In one or more configurations, the cargo area door opening function may be performed by the same mechanism that performs the door closing function. In other configurations, the door opening function may be performed by an opening mechanism that is different from the closing mechanism or that includes different elements than those included in the closing mechanism (although there may be common elements). Any cargo area door opening mechanism 81 may incorporate any element and / or mechanism(s) suitable for opening an associated cargo area door and for enabling actuation of the cargo area door opening mechanism by the vehicle cargo area door control module 71 as described herein.

[0032] In one or more configurations, each cargo area door may include an associated cargo area door closing mechanism, generally designated 83, configured to close the cargo area door in response to commands from the cargo area door control module 71. A cargo area, or a cargo area door for a cargo area, may be considered to be "closed" when the cargo area door is in a position or orientation that allows a locking mechanism associated with the cargo area door to engage and lock the cargo area door.

[0033] The type and configuration of the closing mechanism 83 used can depend on factors such as the space available for the closing mechanism and related factors. In one embodiment, the cargo area door closing mechanism 83 can be in the form of one or more hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders configured to be actuable by computer control command. In another embodiment, the closing mechanism 83 can be a gear train or other motion transmission mechanism operatively coupled to a motor and the associated cargo area door. The cargo area door closing mechanism 83 can incorporate any element and / or mechanism(s) suitable for closing the associated cargo area door and for enabling actuation of the closing mechanism 83 by the vehicle cargo area door control module 71 as described herein.

[0034] In one or more configurations, each cargo area door may include an associated cargo area door locking mechanism, generally designated 85, configured to lock the cargo area door in response to a command from the cargo area door control module 71. A cargo area door may be considered to be "locked" when the locking mechanism configured to lock the door is in a state that prevents the door from being opened. A locking mechanism 85 may be considered to be "locked" when the locking mechanism prevents the cargo area door associated with the mechanism from being opened. The type and structure of the locking mechanism 85 used may depend on factors such as the design of the cargo area door, the location of the door, and other relevant factors. For example, in the case of a vehicle trunk, the cargo area door locking mechanism may be similar to any of a variety of existing automatic trunk locks. Any cargo area door locking mechanism 85 may incorporate any element and / or mechanism(s) suitable for locking the associated cargo area door and for enabling operation of the locking mechanism 85 by the vehicle cargo area door control module 71 as described herein.

[0035] In one or more configurations, a lock disable mechanism, generally designated 91, can be configured to perform a cargo area door lock disable function in response to a command from the cargo area door control module 71. In certain configurations, the lock disable mechanism can be operatively coupled to or incorporated into the door lock mechanism. The lock disable mechanism can operate separately from the unlock mechanism associated with the cargo area door. The lock disable function and lock disable mechanism can be configured to disable the lock mechanism to unlock the cargo area door if the unlock mechanism fails to unlock the door in response to an "unlock" control command from the cargo area door control module 71. This allows the cargo area door to be unlocked for access to cargo even if the unlock mechanism fails to unlock the cargo area door in response to a command. One example of a lock disable mechanism may take the form of an electromagnet that is operable by the cargo area door control module 71 to magnetically retract a latch of the locking mechanism 85 that holds the cargo area door in a locked state. Retraction of the latch unlocks the door, allowing it to be opened.

[0036] A mechanism described herein as being disabled does not necessarily have to be damaged or permanently disabled. As used herein, "disable" means deactivating the normal function performed by the mechanism so that the cargo area door may be operated manually or by a secondary control (e.g., a manual release lever on a trunk door).

[0037] In one or more configurations, the lock disable mechanism 91 may be combined with the unlock mechanism 87 and the lock mechanism 85 into a single mechanism capable of performing all of these functions, or the disable mechanism 91 may be separate from (and operable separately from) the lock and / or unlock mechanisms. Any cargo area door lock disable mechanism 91 may incorporate any element and / or mechanism(s) suitable for disabling the locking function of the associated cargo area door and for facilitating operation of the lock disable mechanism by the cargo area door control module 71 as described herein.

[0038] In one or more configurations, a close disable mechanism, generally designated 93, can be configured to perform a cargo area door close disable function in response to a command from the cargo area door control module 71. In certain configurations, a dedicated close disable mechanism 93 can be operatively coupled to or incorporated into the door closing mechanism 83. The close disable mechanism 93 can be operable separately from the door closing mechanism 83 and / or the door opening mechanism 81 associated with the cargo area door. The close disable function and close disable mechanism 93 can be configured to disable the door closing mechanism 83 such that the cargo area door can be opened if the door opening mechanism 81 fails to open the door in response to an "open" command. This can allow the cargo area door to be opened for access to cargo even if the door opening mechanism fails to open the cargo area door in response to a command.

[0039] In one embodiment of the close disable mechanism 93, in an open / close mechanism that operates a computer system controlled hydraulic cylinder to open and close the cargo area doors, the close disable mechanism 93 may include one or more valves configured to depressurize a portion of the hydraulic system so that the cargo area doors can be freely opened and closed by a user with little resistance. Any cargo area door close disable mechanism may incorporate any element and / or mechanism(s) suitable for disabling the closing mechanism of the associated cargo area door and for facilitating actuation of the close disable mechanism by the cargo area door control module 71 as described herein.

[0040] 2 is a schematic rear perspective view of an example vehicle 11 showing a cargo area in the form of a vehicle trunk 99 and a cargo area door 98 in the form of a trunk lid. The vehicle 11 includes cargo area door opening and closing mechanisms 81 / 83 in the form of one or more hydraulic cylinders operable to perform both door opening and closing functions as previously described. The door opening mechanism 81 may include hydraulic system elements used only to perform the door opening function, and the door closing mechanism 83 may include hydraulic system elements used only to perform the door closing function. Each of the mechanisms 81 and 83 may include elements in common with the other of the mechanisms 81 and 83, or the mechanisms 81 and 83 may all use the same hydraulic system elements.

[0041] The vehicle 11 of Figure 2 includes locking and unlocking mechanisms 85 / 87 as described above that are operable to lock and unlock the cargo area doors when the doors are in a closed position. The door locking mechanism 85 can include elements that are used only to perform the door locking function, and the door unlocking mechanism 87 can include elements that are used only to perform the door unlocking function. Each of the mechanisms 85 and 87 can also include elements in common with the other of the mechanisms 85 and 87, or the mechanisms 85 and 87 can all use the same elements.

[0042] The vehicle 11 may also include a lock disable mechanism 91 as described above that is designed to disable the locking mechanism if the cargo area doors fail to unlock on command. The lock disable mechanism 91 may include elements that are used only to perform the lock disable function. The lock disable mechanism 91 may also include elements in common with one or more of the locking mechanism 85 and the unlocking mechanism 87.

[0043] The vehicle 11 may include one or more modules, at least some of which are described herein. The modules may be implemented as computer readable program code that, when executed by the processor(s) 110, implements one or more of the various control commands and / or processes described herein. One or more of the modules may be components of the processor(s) 110, or one or more of the modules may be executed in and / or distributed among other processing systems to which the processor(s) 110 are operatively connected. The modules may include instructions (e.g., program logic) executable by one or more of the processors 110. Alternatively, or in addition, one or more of the data stores 115 may include such instructions. The modules may be implemented as a combination of one or more processors or one or more vehicle components or systems configured to control operation, and a memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors for storing data and program instructions executable by the one or more processors. Execution of instructions by the one or more processors may control the operation of aspects of the vehicle, including the operation of the cargo area doors as described herein.

[0044] In one or more configurations, one or more of the modules described herein may include artificial or computational intelligence elements, such as neural networks, fuzzy logic, or other machine learning algorithms. Further, in one or more configurations, one or more of the modules may be distributed among multiple modules described herein. In one or more configurations, two or more of the modules described herein may be combined into a single module.

[0045] Although specific modules are described herein, it should be understood that depending on the design of a particular vehicle, additional controllers, systems and / or modules may be included as necessary to perform the functions described herein. It is contemplated that the vehicle embodiments described herein include sufficient systems and / or elements to autonomously execute all of the commands required to perform the various cargo area door control operations described herein.

[0046] 1 , the vehicle 11 may include one or more autonomous driving modules 160. The autonomous driving module(s) 160 may be configured to receive data from the sensor system 28 and / or other types of systems that may capture information about the vehicle 11 and / or the environment external to the vehicle 11. The vehicle 11 may be configured for fully autonomous operation (i.e., driving automatically without a driver or driver input) under the control of the autonomous driving module(s) 160 from a starting location to a given destination.

[0047] The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can determine the position and speed of the vehicle 11. Using information from the sensor system 28 and / or other information, the autonomous driving module(s) 160 can determine the location of obstacles, obstacles or other environmental features, including traffic signs, trees, shrubs, nearby vehicles, pedestrians, etc.

[0048] The autonomous driving module(s) 160 may be configured to receive and / or measure position information regarding obstacles in the external environment of the vehicle 11 for use by the processor(s) 110 and / or one or more of the modules described herein to estimate the position and orientation of the vehicle 11, the position of the vehicle in global coordinates based on signals from multiple satellites, or any other data and / or signals that can be used to measure the current state of the vehicle 11 or to measure the position of the vehicle 11 relative to its environment for use in generating a map or measuring the position of the vehicle 11 relative to the map data.

[0049] The cargo area door control module 71 may be configured to control aspects of cargo area door operation according to preferences preselected by a user and / or computer system and according to preprogrammed default procedures not necessarily defined or selected by a user and / or computer system. In one or more configurations, all of the cargo area door related control functions described herein as being performed by the cargo area control module 71 may be performed by the cargo area door control module 71 acting in combination with other elements of the vehicle 11, if necessary.

[0050] Aspects of cargo area door operation that may be controlled by the cargo area door control module 71 include door opening, door closing, door locking, door unlocking, and disabling the door closing and locking functions. Other cargo area door operations may also be controlled and performed by the cargo area door control module 71. The cargo area door control module 71 may be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or any suitable combination of hardware and software.

[0051] The cargo area door control module 71 may optionally be configured to control operation of one or more of the other vehicle systems to prevent movement of the vehicle when the cargo area doors are open and / or unlocked. This control of vehicle movement may be in response, for example, to information provided by sensors associated with the cargo area doors indicating that one or more cargo area doors are open and / or unlocked, and in response to commands or instructions to begin moving the vehicle with the cargo area door(s) open and / or unlocked.

[0052] In one or more configurations, the cargo area door control module 71 can be configured to provide a cargo area door autonomous command interrupt function that allows a user and / or computer system to interrupt or suspend a previously selected cargo area door control function. Selection of the interrupt by the user and / or computer system can disable autonomous operation of the selected control function (or another autonomous control function) until the selected control function is selected by the user and / or computer system. For example, a user can cancel a previously selected autonomous operation to unlock the cargo area door when an occupant exits the vehicle. As used herein, "occupant" can mean a person currently inside the passenger compartment or a person who was previously inside the passenger compartment but exits the passenger compartment after arriving at the selected destination. The cargo area door control module 71 ceases autonomous control of the cargo area door according to the canceled autonomous control operation until this (or another) control mode is selected by the user or another entity (such as a remote computer system or a remote human operator). As previously mentioned, deactivating or deselecting one control mode cannot affect other active autonomous control modes.

[0053] In one or more configurations, the cargo area door control module 71 can also be configured to issue one or more warning messages indicating that the cargo area doors are open despite a control command being issued to close the cargo area doors. The cargo area door control module 71 can also be configured to issue one or more warning messages indicating that the cargo area doors are closed despite a control command being issued to open the cargo area doors. The cargo area door control module 71 can also be configured to issue one or more warning messages indicating that the cargo area doors are locked despite a control command being issued to unlock the cargo area doors. The cargo area door control module 71 can also be configured to issue one or more warning messages indicating that the cargo area doors are unlocked despite a control command being issued to lock the cargo area doors. Any of the warning messages described herein may be transmitted in any suitable manner (e.g., via the vehicle communication interface 16, the vehicle HMI, the occupant's cellular equipment, remote vehicle operation or the remote facility 88, or using any other suitable method) to any receiving entity (e.g., a user, a computing system, or another receiving entity (such as a human operator of a computing system, a remote facility, etc.)).

[0054] In one or more configurations, one or more of the processor(s) 110 and / or cargo area door control module 71 can be configured to execute instructions to perform diagnostic procedures to determine why a cargo area door control command was not executed. For example, if a cargo area door fails to unlock, open, close and / or lock in response to a cargo area door control module control command, the processor(s) 110 and / or cargo area door control module 71 can perform a diagnostic routine to determine why the command was not executed. The processor(s) 110 and / or cargo area door control module 71 can use any of the vehicle sensors to gather information relevant to performing the diagnostic. The sensors used can be sensors that can be used for other purposes in the vehicle or the sensors can be dedicated sensors to assist in performing the diagnostic.

[0055] A cargo area door control command may not be implemented because the associated control element is physically unable to implement the command or for other reasons (e.g., safety). In one example, a command to open the trunk door cannot be implemented because a heavy object is placed on the trunk lid, preventing the door opening mechanism from opening the door. In another example, a sensor configured to detect objects behind the vehicle is configured to detect the presence of a person near the trunk door, and if detected, the trunk door is prevented from opening because the door may come into contact with the person when opened. Multipurpose and / or dedicated diagnostic sensors 28e, such as cameras, weight sensors, proximity sensors, and any other suitable type of sensor, may be incorporated into the vehicle 11 and used for diagnostics. Sensors used for other purposes in the vehicle may also be used for diagnostics.

[0056] As described herein, the processor(s) 110 and / or cargo area door control module 71 can be configured to enable user, computerized, and / or remote selection of one or more cargo area doors (e.g., trunk passenger compartment storage, etc.) to be autonomously controlled, the control commands or operations to be performed on the doors (e.g., open, close, lock, unlock), and the conditions under which a given control action is performed (e.g., when an occupant exits the vehicle). A computing system for selecting the door(s) and associated cargo area door control mode can be located onboard the vehicle or the computing system can be located away from the vehicle (e.g., on the user's portable / cellular device 113 or at a remote facility such as remote facility 88 (FIG. 1)).

[0057] The vehicle 11 may include a sensor system 28. A "sensor" means any device, component, and / or system that can detect and / or sense something. One or more sensors may be configured to detect and / or sense in real-time. As used herein, "real-time" refers to a level of processing responsiveness that allows a user or computing system to sense quickly enough to perform a particular process or measurement or for a processor to keep up with external processes.

[0058] In configurations in which sensor system 28 includes multiple sensors, the sensors can act independently of one another. Or, two or more of the sensors can act in combination with one another. In such cases, the two or more sensors can form a sensor network. Sensor system 28 and / or one or more sensors can be processively connected to processor(s) 110, data store(s) 115, and other elements of vehicle 11 (including any elements shown in FIG. 1). Sensor system 28 can acquire data of at least a portion of the environment external to vehicle 11 (e.g., nearby vehicles).

[0059] The sensors of the sensor system 28 may be operatively connected to the processor(s) 110 or any other element of the vehicle 11. In a known manner, the vehicle sensors may provide data usable by the vehicle control systems (such as the autonomous driving module 160 and the cargo area door control module 71) in formulating and executing appropriate control commands to the various vehicle systems. For example, data from inertial sensors, wheel speed sensors, road condition sensors, and steering angle sensors may be processed by the autonomous driving module 160 in formulating and executing commands in the steering system 43 for turning the vehicle.

[0060] Sensor system 28 may include any suitable type of sensor. Examples of various types of sensors are described herein, although it should be understood that embodiments are not limited to the particular sensors described.

[0061] The sensor system 28 can include one or more sensors designed to monitor various vehicle operating state parameters and environmental conditions external to the vehicle. For example, the sensor system 28 can include one or more sensors configured to obtain and / or sense driving environment data. "Driving environment data" includes data or information regarding the external environment in which the autonomous vehicle is located or one or more portions thereof. For example, one or more of the sensors 28 can be configured to detect, quantify, and / or sense obstacles and / or information / data regarding such obstacles in at least a portion of the external environment of the vehicle 11. Such obstacles may be stationary and / or moving obstacles. One or more of the sensors 28 can be configured to detect, measure, quantify, and / or sense other things in the external environment of the vehicle 11, whether moving or stationary, such as path markers, signs, signals, traffic signs, lanes, sidewalks, curbs proximate to the vehicle 11, off-road obstacles, other vehicles, traffic volume, road conditions, moving or stationary traffic, animals, bicycles, pedestrians, etc., within a certain distance from the vehicle 11. The sensors 28 can detect and store information regarding external driving conditions, external temperature, rain, snow, light levels, and sun position for driver visibility.

[0062] For example, in one or more configurations, the sensor system 28 may include a RADAR sensor 28z, a proximity sensor 28p, a laser range finder / LIDAR sensor 28y, and other sensors 28m for various purposes. One or more vehicle cameras (generally designated 28x) may include equipment configured to capture multiple images of the interior of the vehicle and / or the environment external to the vehicle 11, and may be used to determine route, lane position, and other vehicle position / location data. The cameras may be still or video cameras. In one or more configurations, the one or more cameras 28x may be high dynamic range (HDR) cameras or infrared (IR) cameras.

[0063] The sensor system 28 may include one or more vehicle sensors configured to detect, measure, and / or sense information about the vehicle 11 itself. In one or more configurations, the vehicle sensor(s) may be configured to detect and / or sense changes in the position and orientation of the vehicle 11 based, for example, on inertial acceleration. In one or more configurations, the vehicle sensor(s) may include one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 28w, a dead reckoning system, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), a global positioning system (GPS), a navigation system 23, and / or other suitable sensors. The vehicle sensor(s) may be configured to detect and / or sense one or more characteristics of the vehicle 11. In one or more configurations, the vehicle sensor(s) may include a speedometer for measuring the current speed of the vehicle 11. In another example, the IMU 28w may incorporate any combination of sensors (e.g., accelerometers and gyroscopes) configured to sense changes in the position and orientation of the vehicle 11 based on inertial acceleration. The IMU 28w can sense parameters such as the vehicle's roll rate, yaw rate, pitch rate, longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration, and vertical acceleration.

[0064] The data collected by the vehicle sensors 28 may be transmitted to any vehicle system or component that requires or utilizes the data for the purposes described herein. The data collected by the vehicle sensors 28 may be stored and / or analyzed within the vehicle and / or transmitted to one or more external devices. For example, the sensor data may be transmitted via a telematics device to one or more remote computing systems, such as the portable device 113 or the remote facility 88 as described herein.

[0065] Sensor system 28 may also include one or more passenger compartment door sensors, generally designated 28a. A passenger compartment may be any compartment or volume of space within a vehicle within which passengers may move during normal operation of the vehicle. A passenger compartment may include the driver's space and one or more passenger spaces in the front, rear, and / or any middle seats. A passenger compartment may include openings through which passengers enter or exit the vehicle as is known. Each passenger compartment opening may have a door associated with it to allow the passenger compartment to be opened and closed in a conventional manner.

[0066] In one or more configurations, the passenger compartment door sensor 28a can be positioned to be operatively associated with each passenger doorway through which a passenger may enter or exit the vehicle 11. The passenger compartment door sensor 28a can be configured to issue a "door open" signal to the cargo area door control module 71 as soon as any of the passenger compartment doors is opened. In a particular configuration, the passenger compartment door sensor 28a can be configured to issue a "door open" signal to the cargo area door control module 71 as soon as any of the passenger compartment doors is opened at least a preset amount (e.g., an amount sufficient to allow a passenger to pass through the door opening and exit the vehicle). This signal can be stopped when the door is closed. In this manner, the "open" or "closed" status of each passenger compartment door can be continuously monitored. Any suitable type of sensor can be used for these purposes, such as, for example, a conventional contact sensor.

[0067] The sensor system 28 may include one or more occupant sensors, generally designated 28b. Each occupant sensor 28b may be configured to emit a signal to the cargo area door control module 71 when an occupant exits the vehicle through a passenger compartment doorway. In one or more configurations, the occupant sensor(s) 28b may also be configured to detect various characteristics of any occupants, such as the number and / or size of occupants in the vehicle, weight, etc. Any suitable type of sensor may be used for this purpose, such as a conventional proximity sensor or a LIDAR sensor. The occupant sensor(s) 28b may also be configured to detect and track the movement of occupants away from the vehicle, including the position of the occupant relative to the vehicle, the distance of the occupant from the vehicle, and various other parameters related to the occupant. Alternatively, additional or other sensors may be configured to detect and track the movement of occupants away from the vehicle, including the position of the occupant relative to the vehicle, the distance of the occupant from the vehicle, and various other parameters related to the occupant.

[0068] Sensor system 28 may include locking mechanism sensors, generally designated 28c. Each locking mechanism sensor 28c may be configured to detect when an associated locking mechanism of an associated cargo area door has been actuated (i.e., entered into either a locked or unlocked state) and the state (locked or unlocked) of the locking mechanism(s). Any suitable type of sensor may be used for these purposes, such as, for example, a conventional contact sensor.

[0069] Sensor system 28 may include a cargo area door sensor (generally designated 28d) configured to detect when the cargo area door is opened or closed and the state (open or closed) of the cargo area door. Any suitable type of sensor may be used for these purposes, such as, for example, a conventional contact sensor.

[0070] A cargo sensor (generally designated 28f) may be configured to detect the presence or absence of cargo in any of the vehicle's cargo areas. For example, sensors such as cameras, proximity sensors, LIDAR sensors, weight sensors and / or other types of sensors may be mounted in the vehicle trunk and configured to detect the presence or absence of cargo in the trunk and various characteristics of the cargo in the trunk (weight, volume, location within the trunk, etc.). Any type of sensor suitable for these purposes may be used.

[0071] Various diagnostic sensors, generally designated 28e, may be incorporated into the vehicle for diagnostics as described herein. Also, existing sensors may be intended for multiple tasks, one or more of which may include aiding in the performance of diagnostic procedures. For example, the field of view of the vehicle camera may include (or be adjusted to include) the top surface of the vehicle trunk door, allowing detection of objects placed on the trunk door that may prevent the trunk door from opening in response to a control command. Any type of sensor suitable for diagnostics may be used.

[0072] The navigation system 23 may include one or more now known or later developed devices, applications, and / or combinations thereof configured to determine the geographic location of the vehicle 11 and / or to determine a route traveled by the vehicle 11 using, for example, a destination input by an occupant as is known. The navigation system 23 may include one or more map applications to determine a route traveled by the vehicle 11. The navigation system 23 may include a global positioning system, a local positioning system, or a geolocation system. The vehicle navigation system 23 may include or be in operative communication with any sensor(s) configured to estimate the geographic location of the vehicle 11.

[0073] The vehicle navigation system 23 may also be configured to be in operative communication with the processor(s) 110, the cargo area door control module 71, and / or the autonomous driving module 160 to provide vehicle navigation information for purposes described herein. In one or more configurations, the vehicle navigation system 23 may be configured to determine when the vehicle 11 has arrived at the selected destination. For example, the navigation system 23 may continually monitor the current GPS or other geographic coordinates of the vehicle 11 as the vehicle travels (in a known manner). These coordinates may be continually compared to the GPS or other geographic coordinates associated with the selected destination to determine whether the two sets of coordinates match. Alternatively, the processor(s) 110 and / or the cargo area door control module 71 may be configured to determine when the vehicle 10 has arrived at the selected destination (together and / or using information received from the navigation system 23).

[0074] The actuation of one or more of the vehicle cargo area doors may be controllable, at least in part, in response to a determination that the vehicle has arrived at a selected destination. The selected destination may be a destination of an occupant of the vehicle or a destination of cargo transported by the vehicle. For example, the selected destination may be a parking lot at a business or hotel. The selected destination may be provided to the navigation system in any of a variety of manners. For example, the selected destination may be entered into the navigation system by an occupant who wishes to travel to the destination. The occupant may be an operator of the vehicle (i.e., a person who may control one or more aspects of the vehicle's operation) or a passenger of the vehicle (i.e., a person who is simply being transported by the vehicle). Alternatively, the selected destination may be entered by a human operator, a computer system, or other entity remote from the vehicle (e.g., an expected occupant or a controller at a remote facility).

[0075] The selected destination may be entered into the navigation system at any time before or after the vehicle begins a movement or series of movements from a stationary state until the vehicle arrives at the selected destination. For example, the selected destination may be entered when the vehicle is stationary, before or after cargo is loaded into the vehicle cargo area. In another example, the selected destination may be provided after all cargo area doors are closed and locked and the vehicle begins to move. The selected destination may also change as the vehicle travels. The current or most recently provided selected destination may be stored in a suitable location buffer in data store(s) 115, navigation system 23, or elsewhere for ongoing comparison with the vehicle's current position.

[0076] The vehicle communication interface 16 can be configured to establish and enable persistent and uninterrupted interaction between the vehicle 11 and external sensors, other vehicles, other computer systems, various external computing and communication systems and networks (such as the communications network 101, satellite systems, cellular / wireless communication systems, etc.), remote entities and facilities outside the vehicle that incorporate one or more of the capabilities described herein and that can be used to perform one or more of the functions described herein.

[0077] The vehicle processor(s) 110 and modules (such as the cargo area door control module 71 and other modules) may operate in a network environment (via the vehicle communication interface 16) supporting connections with one or more remote computers, such as other computing systems, terminals and / or portable devices (e.g., cellular telephones, short-range vehicle communication systems, vehicle telematics devices, vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems, etc.) (not shown), etc. Any other computing systems or devices within the vehicle and any associated terminals or devices in operative communication with the vehicle processor(s) 110 and / or vehicle modules may include devices installed within the vehicle, portable devices that may travel with the vehicle, or devices outside the vehicle that are configured to receive and process vehicle and driving data. Thus, any terminals or devices in communication with the vehicle 11 may each include personal computers (e.g., laptop, desktop or tablet computers), servers (e.g., web servers, database servers, etc.), and other terminals or devices.

[0078] The communication interface 16 includes an interface capable of communicating over a wide area network (WAN), a wireless telecommunications network, and / or any other suitable communication network (e.g., or including, communication network 101). Suitable communication network(s) may include wired and / or wireless communication links. The communication network(s) may include any combination of the above networks and / or other types of networks. The communication network(s) may include one or more routers, switches, access points, wireless access points, and / or the like. In one or more configurations, the communication network(s) may include Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) technologies (including Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) technologies) that enable communication between any nearby vehicles and between the vehicle 11 and any nearby roadside communication nodes and / or infrastructure.

[0079] When used in a WAN network environment, the vehicle processor(s) 110 and / or any vehicle modules may include (or be operatively connected to) a modem or other means for establishing communications over the WAN, such as a network (e.g., the Internet). When used in a wireless telecommunications network, the vehicle processor(s) 110 and / or vehicle modules may include (or be operatively connected to) one or more transceivers, digital signal processors, and additional circuitry and software for communicating with a wireless computing system (not shown) via one or more network devices (e.g., base transceiver stations) of the wireless network. These configurations provide various ways of receiving (and transmitting) a continuous stream of information from various external sources. The communication interface 16 may be incorporated into the vehicle processor(s) 110 and / or vehicle modules, or may be located remotely from the vehicle processor(s) 110 and / or vehicle modules and communicatively coupled to the vehicle processor(s) 110 and / or vehicle modules.

[0080] In one or more configurations, communication interface 16 can be configured to enable and / or facilitate communications between vehicle 11, one or more remote users (e.g., via cellular or other communication modes) and a remote facility (facility 88) and an operator or other entity off-vehicle via communication network 101. Communication interface 16 can be configured to enable remote control of aspects of the vehicle from remote facility 88 and / or by a user. For example, aspects of cargo area door control can be remotely selected by a user or computer system via communication interface 16 and communication network 101.

[0081] The vehicle 11 may be configured such that the various controllers, sensors, and other elements of the system communicate with each other using a controller area network (CAN) bus 33 (FIG. 1) or the like. Through the CAN bus and / or other wired or wireless mechanisms, the processor(s) 110 may send messages to and / or receive messages from various devices in the vehicle, such as modules, actuators, sensors, etc. Alternatively, any of the elements and / or systems described herein may be directly connected to each other without the use of a bus. Also, connections between the elements and / or systems described herein may be through another physical medium (such as a wired connection) or the connections may be wireless connections.

[0082] 1 , the remote facility 88 can be in operative communication with the vehicle 11 via a communication network 101. The remote facility 88 can be configured to perform any of a variety of functions, such as remote control of various aspects of vehicle operation, including selection of cargo area door control responses and conditions as described herein. For example, in one or more configurations, the remote facility 88 can include a computing system (not shown) configured to control the autonomous operation of the vehicle 11 as a "Next Generation Mobility as a Service (MaaS)" vehicle to pick up and transport passengers to selected destination(s).

[0083] The processor(s) 110, the sensor system 28, the navigation system 23, and / or the autonomous driving module(s) 160 can be operatively connected to communicate with the various vehicle systems 40 and / or their individual components. For example, looking at FIG. 1, the processor(s) 110, the sensor system 28, and / or the autonomous driving module(s) 160 can communicate to send and receive information to and from the various vehicle systems 40 to control the movement, speed, steering, pointing, direction, and any other operation of the vehicle 11 required to drive the vehicle autonomously from a starting location to a selected destination. As used herein, "cause" means to directly or indirectly cause, compel, force, command, instruct, or enable an event or action to occur, or at least to be in the act of causing conditions such that such an event or action occurs. The processor(s) 110 and / or the autonomous driving module(s) 160 can control some or all of these vehicle systems 40 and thus can be partially or fully autonomous.

[0084] The processor(s) 110, the sensor system 28, the navigation system 23, and / or the autonomous driving module(s) 160 may be operable to control the steering and / or operation of the vehicle 11 by controlling one or more of the vehicle systems 40 and / or components thereof. For example, when operating in an autonomous mode, the processor(s) 110, the sensor system 28, and / or the autonomous driving module(s) 160 may control the direction and / or speed of the vehicle 11. The processor(s) 110, the sensor system 28, and / or the autonomous driving module(s) 160 may cause the vehicle 11 to accelerate (e.g., by increasing fuel supplied to the engine), decelerate (e.g., by decreasing fuel supply to the engine and / or by applying the brakes), and / or change direction (e.g., by changing the direction of the two front wheels).

[0085] The autonomous driving module(s) 160, independently or in combination with the navigation system 23, can be configured to determine the travel path(s), the current autonomous driving maneuvers of the vehicle 11, future autonomous driving maneuvers, and / or modifications to the current autonomous driving interaction based on data acquired by the sensor system 28 and / or data from other suitable sources. A "driving maneuver" refers to one or more actions that affect the movement of the vehicle. Examples of driving maneuvers include, for example, accelerating, decelerating, braking, turning, moving the vehicle 11 laterally, changing lanes, merging into a lane, and / or reversing. The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can be configured to implement the determined driving maneuvers. The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can directly or indirectly cause the aforementioned autonomous driving maneuvers to be implemented. Autonomous driving module(s) 160 may be configured to perform various vehicle functions and / or to transmit data to, receive data from, interact with, and / or control vehicle 11 or one or more of its systems (e.g., one or more of vehicle systems 40).

[0086] A vehicle cargo area door controls physical access to one or more associated vehicle cargo areas that can be used to store and / or transport cargo. The cargo area door and associated control mechanisms can operate autonomously (i.e., without human actuation or manipulation of the door or associated mechanisms) to unlock, open, close, and / or lock the door in response to various conditions or events, and for other operations as described herein. In one or more configurations, the cargo area door locking mechanism can also be autonomously deactivated or disabled to unlock the door if the door fails to unlock in response to an "unlock" command, as described herein. Additionally, the cargo area door closing mechanism can be deactivated or disabled to allow manual opening of the door if the door fails to open in response to an "open" command.

[0087] The vehicle cargo area door control system may include any of the processors, modules, actuators and / or other elements of the vehicle 11 described herein required to perform any of the autonomous cargo area door control functions described herein. Autonomous operation of the cargo area doors may be performed by issuing one or more control commands to perform one or more of the cargo area door operations described herein (e.g., unlock, open, close, lock, disable door locking mechanism, disable door closing mechanism, diagnostics, etc.). The processor(s) 110, sensor system 28, navigation system 23 and / or cargo area control module 71 may be operatively connected to communicate with a variety of actuators 150 and other elements required to control the vehicle cargo area doors as described herein.

[0088] Any particular autonomous actuation of the cargo area door in response to a given condition or occurrence may be selectable by a user. The user may be a human who selects the cargo area door control actuation to be performed autonomously and the conditions under which the selected control actuation is performed. The user may be a current occupant, such as a vehicle operator or passenger, and may select the vehicle area door control actuation and the conditions using the vehicle's human machine interface (HMI), a cell phone interface connecting the user with the vehicle 11 (or a remote vehicle control facility 88 in operative communication with the vehicle 11 via the vehicle communication interface 16 and communication network 101), or other suitable communication means. The user may alternatively be a prospective occupant located remotely from the vehicle 11 and in operative communication with the vehicle 11 using one of the methods described above. In another configuration, the cargo area door control actuation to be performed autonomously and the conditions under which the selected control actuation is performed may be determined autonomously (e.g., by a vehicle element such as the cargo area door control module 71) or by a remotely located computing system or other entity based on various situational, environmental and / or other factors.

[0089] 3A-4C are flow charts illustrating the operation of one embodiment of a cargo area door control system for controlling various vehicle cargo area doors under various conditions. In the following description, the process flow proceeds from a current block to a next block when the condition(s) of the current block are satisfied or according to the truth or falsity of a condition specified in the current block. Although the steps of the flow charts in the present application are described as applied to a single cargo area and cargo area door, it should be understood that the steps may be performed sequentially or simultaneously with respect to multiple cargo areas and / or cargo area doors of a vehicle.

[0090] In one or more configurations, prior to requiring autonomous actuation of a cargo area door-associated system to operate the cargo area door, a user (e.g., a vehicle operator, a remote facility operator, etc.) or a computer system can select one or more cargo area operation control settings (denoted TS) from a menu of pre-defined settings or values. The selected control setting(s) can define the control command to be issued and the condition under which the command is issued (i.e., the event that triggers issuance of the cargo area control command). Thus, each of the pre-defined cargo area operation control settings can be associated with one or more conditions under which a control command is issued. For example, a cargo area operation control setting can have a first pre-defined value that can be associated with one or more first conditions. A cargo area operation control setting can also have a second pre-defined value that can be associated with one or more second conditions. The sets of conditions associated with different pre-defined cargo area operation control settings can include some conditions that are common to the sets of conditions and / or conditions that differ between the sets of conditions (i.e., that are present in one set of conditions but not in the other set of conditions).

[0091] The settings in the following description are shown for illustrative purposes and any of the other setting variations may be used. In the illustrated example, the settings may be selected by a user, operator, or computer system according to the following:

[0092] TS=1 (the cargo area door control module 71 can unlock any (selected) cargo area door or all cargo area door(s) if it determines that the vehicle is currently at the selected destination).

[0093] TS=2 (the cargo area door control module 71 can unlock and open any (selected) cargo area door or all cargo area door(s) if it is determined that the vehicle is currently at the selected destination).

[0094] TS=3 (An autonomous "unlock" or "unlock and open" control command is not set or is not valid. This cargo area actuation control setting may be actively selected by a user, the cargo area door control module 71, or other authorized entity to deactivate a currently active autonomous "unlock" or "unlock and open" control command (TS=1, 2, 4, 5, or 6). When the above commands are not active, the cargo area doors may be actuated manually or in other conventional manner, or by an operator at a remote facility. However, the realization of the TS=3 condition may still permit one or more autonomous "close and lock" control commands (i.e., TS=7 and / or TS=8 or TS=9).)

[0095] TS=4 (the cargo area door control module 71 can unlock and open the cargo area doors for the cargo area in which cargo is detected if the vehicle is determined to be currently at the selected destination).

[0096] TS=5 (the cargo area door control module 71 can unlock and open the cargo area doors for any cargo area in which cargo is detected if the vehicle is currently at the selected destination and it is determined that the passenger compartment doors have been opened since arriving at the selected destination).

[0097] TS=6 (The cargo area door control module 71 can unlock and open the cargo area doors for the cargo area in which cargo is detected if the vehicle is currently at the selected destination and it is detected that passengers have exited the passenger compartment after arriving at the selected destination).

[0098] TS=7 (The cargo area door control module 71 can close and lock the cargo area doors if they are open for any cargo area in which cargo is detected when an occupant exits the passenger compartment of the vehicle after arriving at the selected destination and when the occupant who exited the passenger compartment moves at least a preset distance from the vehicle). This autonomous control command helps protect cargo left behind after the previous occupant exits the vehicle.

[0099] TS=8 (The cargo area door control module 71 can close and lock the cargo area door if it is open for a cargo area in which cargo is detected when an occupant has left the vehicle's passenger compartment and a preset time has elapsed after the occupant has left the vehicle's passenger compartment.) This autonomous control command helps protect cargo left behind after a previous occupant has left the vehicle.

[0100] TS=9 (A condition in which no autonomous "close and lock" control commands are selected or set. This cargo area operation control setting may be actively selected by a user, computer system or other authorized entity to deactivate any currently active autonomous "close and lock" control commands (such as TS=7 and / or 8). When such commands are not active, the cargo area doors may be operated manually or conventionally). However, the TS=9 condition may activate one or more autonomous "unlock" or "unlock and open" control commands (i.e., TS=1-6).

[0101] TS=10 (Cargo area doors can be actuated (i.e. unlocked, opened, closed and / or locked) in response to a direct command from a remote entity. In the particular example illustrated herein, in response to issuing or receiving a command to cause a vehicle to begin moving, the cargo area door control module 71 can determine whether all of the cargo area doors are closed. If at least one cargo area door is not closed, the cargo area door control module 71 can issue a message to a remote entity (e.g., a remote user, operator or computer system) that at least one cargo area door is not closed. The cargo area door control module 71 can then issue a message to the remote entity (e.g., a remote user, operator or computer system) that at least one cargo area door is not closed. In response to a message, the cargo area door control module 71 may receive a direct command (e.g., from at least one communication interface 16) to close at least one cargo area door. The cargo area door control module 71 may then issue a command(s) to one or more actuators to close any open cargo area doors in response to receiving a command to close the at least one cargo area door. Under this control command option, the same sequence of steps may be repeated to lock the cargo area doors after they have been closed. An additional control command option (e.g., TS=11) may be provided to enable unlocking and opening of the cargo area doors as well in response to a direct command from a remote entity.

[0102] A given vehicle may be configured to enable one of the aforementioned "unlock", "unlock and open" and / or "close and lock" settings, or multiple of the settings. For example, a first vehicle may be configured to enable only the selection and implementation of setting TS=1, and a second, different vehicle may be configured to enable both the selection and implementation of TS=2 and TS=4. If a vehicle is configured to enable the selection and implementation of any of TS=1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, the vehicle may also be configured to enable the selection and implementation of setting TS=3, which deactivates all of settings 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6. Similarly, if a vehicle is configured to enable the selection and implementation of any of settings 7, 8, and 10, the vehicle may also be configured to enable the selection and implementation of setting TS=9, which deactivates all of settings TS=7, 8, and 10.

[0103] The cargo area door control module 71 may also be configured to determine whether a cargo area door is open in response to issuance of a command to the vehicle to move the vehicle without input or selection by a user or a computer system. Thereafter, regardless of whether cargo is present in the cargo area associated with the open cargo area door and in response to a determination that the cargo area door is open, the cargo area door control module 71 may issue one or more control commands to close and lock the open cargo area door. This helps ensure that an open cargo area door is closed before the vehicle is moved in case a user fails to close the door after placing or removing cargo from the cargo area.

[0104] It can be seen that the cargo area door control module 71 can be set to any of the cargo area operation control settings TS=1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 in combination with any of the cargo area operation control settings TS=7, 8, 9 or 10, since the settings TS=1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 relate to unlocking (or unlocking and opening) the cargo area doors from a closed or closed and locked state, whereas the area operation control settings TS=7 to 10 relate to closing and locking the cargo area doors from an open state. Also, the cargo area door control module 71 may be set to either or both of the cargo area operation control settings TS=7 and TS=8, or to neither. Also, the cargo area door control module 71 can be set to any of the control settings TS=1, 2, 4, 5 or 6 (or may be set to none). Furthermore, the selection of the unlock / open control settings TS=1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 can be made by a user, a computer system or a combination of a user and a computer system, whereas the selection of the close / lock control settings TS=7 and / or TS=8, TS=9 or TS=10 can be made by another one of the user, the computer system or a combination of a user and a computer system.

[0105] 3A-3C, taken together, are a flow chart illustrating an autonomous implementation of operations for controlling the unlocking and opening of the vehicle cargo area doors after the vehicle has reached a selected destination. The cargo area doors can be autonomously operated to unlock and / or open the cargo area doors regardless of the presence or absence of cargo in the cargo area.

[0106] 3A, implementation of this aspect of vehicle control begins (at block 516) when the vehicle stops after transporting passengers and cargo. The vehicle processor(s) 110 and / or navigation system 23 can then (at block 519) determine whether the vehicle is currently at the selected destination (e.g., by determining whether the vehicle is currently at the selected destination currently stored in the location buffer prior to the just-completed trip when the vehicle stopped). If the vehicle is not currently at the selected destination, control can loop back to block 519 until the vehicle is currently at the selected destination.

[0107] If the vehicle is currently at the selected destination, the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (at block 526) whether the vehicle 11 is stationary. If the vehicle 11 is not stationary, the cargo area door control module 71 may continue to test this condition until the vehicle is stationary. If it is determined that the vehicle 11 is stationary, control passes to block 528 (FIG. 3B), where the cargo area door control module 71 begins determining which cargo area actuation control settings TS are in effect, and then operates the vehicle according to the in effect cargo area actuation control settings TS.

[0108] In certain embodiments, the cargo area door control module 71 can be configured to automatically implement a control setting TS=2 to unlock and open any selected cargo area door(s) or all cargo area doors when the vehicle is at a selected destination. In another particular embodiment, the cargo area door control module 71 can be configured to automatically implement a control setting TS=2 to unlock and open any selected cargo area door(s) or all cargo area doors as soon as a destination is selected.

[0109] 3B, the cargo area door control module 71 can determine (at block 528) whether the cargo area operation control setting TS is equal to 1. If the cargo area operation control setting TS=1, then the condition for unlocking the cargo area doors (i.e., the vehicle has arrived at the selected destination) is met. Thus, the cargo area door control module 71 can issue a control command to unlock (but not open) the cargo area doors (at block 621 of FIG. 3C). The "unlock doors" command can be sent to an operable locking mechanism that unlocks the cargo area doors as previously described. The cargo area door control module 71 can check (at block 623 of FIG. 3C) to see if the cargo area doors have been unlocked in response to the "unlock doors" command. If the cargo area doors are unlocked, control passes to block 624 where the cargo area door control module 71 can control the operation of the vehicle to prevent the vehicle from moving. Control may proceed to 605 (FIG. 3C) where a message may be issued to inform the occupants that the cargo area door has been unlocked and that the door may be manually opened. After execution of block 605, control may proceed to block 650 (END).

[0110] However, if the cargo area door is not unlocked, returning to block 623, the cargo area door control module 71 may issue a warning message indicating that the cargo area door is not unlocked (at block 625 of FIG. 3C ). The warning message may be sent to an occupant (e.g., via the HMI) and / or may be sent to a remote site (via communications interface 16) or other entity as described above to inform the user(s), remote vehicle control system, and / or other entity that the cargo area door failed to unlock in response to an unlock command.

[0111] After issuing the warning message in block 625, the cargo area door control module 71 can activate (at block 627 of FIG. 3C ) a lock disable mechanism to disable the cargo area door locking mechanism and allow the door to be manually opened. This allows the door to remain closed until an occupant is ready to open it, hiding the cargo as protection against potential theft. The cargo area door control module 71 can begin to perform (at block 629) a diagnostic to determine why the cargo area door unlocking mechanism did not unlock in response to an “unlock” command. In one or more configurations, blocks 625 and 629 can be executed simultaneously. After performing the diagnostic, the cargo area door control module 71 can issue (at block 631) a warning message to the occupant as to why the cargo area door did not unlock (if the reason was determined by the diagnostic).

[0112] If the cargo area actuation control setting is not TS=1, returning to block 528 (FIG. 3B), the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (at block 540) whether the cargo area actuation control setting is TS=2. If the cargo area actuation control setting is TS=2, then the conditions for unlocking and opening the cargo area door(s) (i.e., the vehicle has arrived at the selected destination) have been met. Control may proceed to block 607 (FIG. 3C). The cargo area door control module 71 may then determine (at block 607) whether it is currently raining or snowing on the vehicle (e.g., using sensor data). If it is determined that it is raining or snowing on the vehicle, the cargo area door control module 71 may execute the sequence of commands of blocks 621-631 to unlock (but not open) the cargo area doors, as previously described. This allows the occupant to manually open the doors when ready, thereby protecting the cargo from inclement weather.

[0113] Returning to block 607, if it is not raining or snowing on the vehicle, the cargo area door control module 71 may issue (at block 609) one or more commands to unlock and open the cargo area door. The cargo area door control module 71 may then check (at block 611) to ensure that the cargo area door is in fact open. If the cargo area door is open, control passes to block 612 where the cargo area door control module 71 may control operation of the vehicle to prevent movement of the vehicle. Control passes to block 650 (end). However, if the cargo area door is not open, the cargo area door control module 71 may issue (at block 613) a warning message indicating that the cargo area door is not open, as previously discussed. The cargo area door control module 71 may then (at block 615) activate the lock and / or close disable mechanism(s) to disable the cargo area door lock and / or close mechanism and allow the door to be manually opened.

[0114] The cargo area door control module 71 may then (at block 617) begin to perform diagnostics to determine why the cargo area door unlocking mechanism did not unlock the cargo area door in response to an "unlock" command (if it failed to unlock the door) and / or why the cargo area door opening mechanism did not open the cargo area door in response to an "open" command (if it failed to open the door). In one or more configurations, blocks 613 and 617 may be performed simultaneously. After performing the diagnostics, the cargo area door control module 71 may (at block 619) issue one or more warning messages to the occupants regarding why the cargo area door was not unlocked and / or opened (if the reason was determined by the diagnostics).

[0115] If the cargo area operation control setting is not TS=2, returning to block 540 (FIG. 3B), the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (at block 541) whether the cargo area operation control setting is TS=3. If the cargo area operation control setting is TS=3, the cargo area door control module 71 may deactivate (at block 542) all autonomous “unlock” or “unlock and open” control commands (TS=1, 2, 4, 5 and / or 6). Thus, previously selected or currently active autonomous “unlock” or “unlock and open” control commands (i.e., commands associated with settings TS=1, 2, 4, 5 or 6) will no longer be executed, and the cargo area doors may be operated manually or in other conventional manner until a new “unlock” or “unlock and open” control command setting (i.e., TS=1, 2, 4, 5 or 6) is selected. TS=3 may be the default value for the "unlock" or "unlock and open" control command settings in the event of a system reboot or similar event or if the user or computer system fails to make an alternative selection. After such a system reset, active selection of the autonomous cargo area actuation control setting may be required. After execution of block 542, control may proceed to block 603 (FIG. 3C) for issuing a message to inform an occupant or other entity (e.g., a remote entity) that the door may be manually unlocked. The cargo area door control module 71 may then (at block 605 of FIG. 3C) issue a message to inform an occupant or other entity (e.g., an operator or computer system at a remote facility) that the cargo area door may be manually opened.

[0116] If the cargo area actuation control control setting is not TS=3, returning to block 541 (FIG. 3B), the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (at block 544) whether cargo is detected in any of the vehicle cargo areas. If no cargo is detected in any of the vehicle cargo areas, there is no need to open the cargo area doors at any of the control settings TS=4, 5 or 6. In this case, control may proceed to block 650 (FIG. 3C, “END”). However, if cargo is detected in any of the vehicle cargo areas, the cargo area door control module 71 may issue (at block 546, FIG. 3B) a warning message that cargo is in the cargo area. The warning message may indicate the cargo area(s) in which cargo was detected. Control may then proceed to block 560 (FIG. 3B).

[0117] The cargo area door control module 71 may determine (at block 560) whether the cargo area operational control setting is TS=4. If the cargo area operational control setting is TS=4, then the conditions for unlocking and opening the cargo area door(s) (i.e., the presence of cargo in the cargo area and the arrival of the vehicle at the selected destination) have been met. Control may proceed to block 607, where the cargo area door control module 71 attempts to unlock and open the cargo area door(s) as previously described for the area(s) in which cargo was detected.

[0118] If the cargo area actuation control setting is not TS=4, returning to block 560 (FIG. 3B), the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (at block 562) whether the cargo area actuation control setting is TS=5. If the cargo area actuation control setting is TS=5, the cargo area door control module 71 may wait until the passenger compartment door is detected to be open (to allow passengers to exit) after arrival at the selected destination. If it is determined (at block 564) that the passenger compartment door is open, then the conditions for unlocking and opening the cargo area door(s) under TS=5 have occurred (i.e., the presence of cargo in the cargo area, arrival of the vehicle at the selected destination, and the passenger compartment door being open). Control then passes to block 607 (FIG. 3C) previously discussed, from which control proceeds based on whether snow or rain is currently falling on the vehicle.

[0119] If the cargo area activation control setting is not TS=5, returning to block 562 (FIG. 3B), the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (at block 566) whether the cargo area activation control setting is TS=6. If the cargo area activation control setting is TS=6, the cargo area door control module 71 may wait (at block 568) until it is detected that an occupant has exited the vehicle. If it is determined that an occupant has exited the vehicle, then the conditions have occurred (i.e., the presence of cargo in the cargo area, the arrival of the vehicle at the selected destination, and the detection of an occupant exiting the vehicle) for unlocking and opening the cargo area door(s) based on TS=6. Control then passes to block 607, previously discussed, from which control proceeds based on whether it is currently snowing or raining on the vehicle.

[0120] However, if the cargo area actuation control setting is not TS=1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, the cargo area door control module 71 may assume that no control setting has been selected (or is not active) for automatically opening the cargo area doors upon arrival at the selected destination. The cargo area door control module 71 may then (at block 603 of FIG. 3C) issue a message to inform the occupants that they may manually unlock the doors. The cargo area door control module 71 may then (at block 605 of FIG. 3C) issue a message to inform the occupants that they may manually open the doors.

[0121] Figures 4A-4C, taken together, are a flow chart illustrating autonomous implementation of operations to help prevent an occupant from forgetting or leaving cargo in a vehicle cargo area after the occupant has exited the vehicle. The blocks or steps illustrated in Figures 4A-4C occur after the blocks or steps described with respect to Figures 3A-3C.

[0122] 4A, the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (at block 703) whether the vehicle is currently stopped at the selected destination. If the vehicle is not currently stopped at the selected destination, control proceeds to block 760 (FIG. 4C). If the vehicle is currently stopped at the selected destination, the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (at block 705) whether the cargo area door associated with the cargo area housing the cargo has been unlocked or unlocked and opened since arrival at the selected destination. If the cargo area door associated with the cargo area housing the cargo has not been unlocked or unlocked and opened, control may proceed to block 760 (FIG. 4C).

[0123] However, if a cargo area door associated with the cargo area containing the cargo has been unlocked or unlocked and opened since arrival at the selected destination, the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (at block 707) whether the cargo area operational control setting is TS=7. If the cargo area operational control setting is TS=7, the cargo area door control module 71 may wait (at block 709 of FIG. 4A) until an occupant is detected exiting the vehicle. If it is determined that an occupant has exited the vehicle, the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (at block 711 of FIG. 4A) using appropriate sensors installed in the sensor system 28 whether the occupant who has exited the vehicle has moved at least a preset distance away from the vehicle. If the occupant who has exited the vehicle has not moved at least a preset distance away from the vehicle, control may loop back persistently to block 711 until the occupant who has exited the vehicle has moved at least a preset distance away from the vehicle.

[0124] If the occupant exiting the vehicle has moved at least a preset distance from the vehicle, the vehicle area door control module 71 may determine (at block 719 of FIG. 4B) whether there is cargo in any of the vehicle cargo areas. If there is cargo in any of the vehicle cargo areas, the cargo area door control module 71 may issue (at block 721 of FIG. 4B) an audible and / or visual warning to inform the person exiting the vehicle (and / or the vehicle occupant) that there is cargo in the cargo area. This serves as a reminder to anyone who has exited the vehicle but forgotten to retrieve their cargo from the cargo area. For example, the warning may include flashing the tail lights in a preset manner or sounding the vehicle horn. If no cargo is detected in any of the vehicle cargo areas, returning to block 719, control may proceed to block 733 of FIG. 4C (described below).

[0125] The cargo area door control module 71 can then wait (at block 723 of FIG. 4B) a preset time after initiation of the alert at block 721. This can provide an opportunity for the occupant to remove the cargo from the cargo area. After the preset time has elapsed, the cargo area door control module 11 can determine (at block 725 of FIG. 4B) whether the cargo is still in the cargo area (i.e., the system can determine whether the cargo has been removed from the cargo area after the alert). If cargo is still detected in the cargo area, the cargo area door control module 71 can set (at block 727) a flag indicating that the vehicle should be driven to a safe location to inspect and store the cargo during the period when the vehicle will not be used. For example, the vehicle can autonomously drive to a safe location or a human operator can drive the vehicle (manually or semi-autonomously) to a safe location when an opportunity arises.

[0126] The cargo area door control module 71 may then (at block 729 of FIG. 4B) issue an alert to the previous occupant or to any portable equipment belonging to another entity and / or any other entity on a pre-configured list of entities that should be notified if cargo is left on the vehicle by the occupant exiting the vehicle. The cargo area door control module 71 may then (at block 731 of FIG. 4B) discontinue issuing the audible / visual alert.

[0127] 4C, if no cargo is detected in the cargo area at block 725 of FIG. 4B (and also after block 731 of FIG. 4B), the cargo area door control module 71 can issue one or more commands to close and lock the cargo area doors (at block 733 of FIG. 4C). Automatic closing and locking of the cargo area doors prevents the cargo area doors from accidentally opening while the vehicle is moving. The cargo area door control module 71 can determine whether the vehicle cargo area doors are closed in response to the command to close and lock the cargo area doors (at block 735). If the cargo area doors are not closed, the system can issue (at block 747) the aforementioned warning message indicating that the cargo area doors are not closed so that an occupant and / or other entity can take appropriate action (e.g., refrain from moving the vehicle and / or take action to close the doors). The system can then begin performing diagnostics (at block 749) to determine why the cargo area was not closed. After performing the diagnostics, the system may issue (at block 751) a warning message to the occupants and / or other entities (such as a service provider) as to why the cargo area is not closed (if the diagnostics determine the reason). Blocks 747 and 749 may be executed simultaneously or sequentially as shown. The cargo area door control module 71 may then return to block 735 to determine whether the cargo area door is still open.

[0128] If the cargo area door is closed, returning to block 735 (FIG. 4C), the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (at block 737) whether the cargo area door is locked. If the cargo area door is not locked, the system may issue (at block 741) a warning message to the occupant and / or other entity indicating that the cargo area door is not locked, as previously described, so that the occupant, previous occupant, or other entity may take appropriate action (e.g., refrain from moving the vehicle and / or take action to lock the door). The system may then (at block 743) begin to perform diagnostics to determine why the cargo area door was not locked. Blocks 741 and 743 may be performed simultaneously or sequentially as shown. After performing the diagnostics, the system may issue (at block 745) a warning message to the occupant and / or other entity as to why the cargo area door was not locked (if the reason is determined by the diagnostics). The cargo area control module 71 may then return to block 737 to determine whether the cargo area doors remain unlocked. By returning to blocks 735 and 737, the cargo area door control module 71 determines when the cargo area doors are closed (block 735) and locked (block 737), as previously described. If these conditions are met, control proceeds to block 739.

[0129] If the cargo area doors are closed and locked, returning to block 737 (FIG. 4C), the cargo area door control module 71 can control operation of the vehicle to allow the vehicle to begin moving (at block 739).

[0130] If no cargo is detected within the vehicle cargo area, then returning to block 725 (FIG. 4B), control may pass to (and proceed from) block 733 (FIG. 4C) as previously described.

[0131] If no cargo is detected within the vehicle cargo area, then control returns to block 719 (FIG. 4B) where control may pass to (and proceed from) block 733 (FIG. 4C) as previously described.

[0132] If the cargo area actuation control setting is not TS=7, returning to block 707 (FIG. 4A), the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (at block 713) whether the cargo area actuation control setting is TS=8. If the cargo area actuation control setting is TS=8, the cargo area door control module 71 may wait (at block 715) until an occupant is detected exiting the vehicle. Once it is determined that an occupant has exited the vehicle, the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (at block 717) whether a preset time or wait time has elapsed after the occupant exited the vehicle. After the preset time has elapsed, control may transition to (and proceed from) block 719 (FIG. 4B) as previously described.

[0133] Returning to block 713 (FIG. 4A) if the cargo area operation control setting is not TS=8, the cargo area door control module 71 can determine (at block 702) whether the cargo area post-operability setting is TS=10. If the cargo area operation control setting is TS=10, then, looking back at FIG. 6, the cargo area door control module 71 can wait (at block 910) for a command to initiate vehicle movement. Once this command is issued, the cargo area door control module 71 can determine (at block 912) whether all of the doors are closed. If all of the cargo area doors are not closed, the cargo area door control module 71 can control vehicle operation to prevent vehicle movement (at block 914). At the same time, the cargo area door control module 71 can issue (at block 916) one or more messages to a remote entity (e.g., a human operator at a remote facility) that at least one cargo area door is not closed.

[0134] After issuing the message at block 916, the cargo area door control module 71 may wait (at block 918) to receive a command from a remote entity to close the open cargo area door(s). After receiving a command from the remote entity to close the open cargo area door(s), the cargo area door control module 71 may issue (at block 919) one or more commands to the actuator(s) to close the associated open cargo area door(s). The cargo area door control module 71 may then determine (at block 920) whether all of the area doors are closed. If all of the area doors are not closed, the cargo area door control module 71 may issue (at block 939) one or more warning messages indicating that at least one cargo area door is not closed, as previously described, so that an occupant or other entity may take appropriate action (e.g., take action to close the door(s)). The cargo area door control module 71 may also begin (at block 940) to perform diagnostics to determine why one or more cargo area doors are not closed. After performing the diagnostics, the cargo area door control module 71 may issue (at block 942) a warning message as to why the cargo area door(s) that were open are not closed (if the diagnostics determine the reason(s)). Blocks 939 and 940-942 may be performed simultaneously or sequentially as shown.

[0135] If, at block 912, it is determined that all of the cargo area doors are closed, then returning to block 912, the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (at block 922) whether all of the cargo area doors are locked. If all of the cargo area doors are not locked, the cargo area door control module 71 may control (at block 924) the operation of the vehicles to prevent movement of the vehicles. At the same time, the cargo area door control module 71 may issue (at block 926) one or more messages to a remote entity (e.g., a human operator at a remote facility) that at least one cargo area door is unlocked.

[0136] After issuing the message at block 926, the cargo area door control module 71 may wait (at block 928) to receive a command from the remote entity to lock any unlocked cargo area door(s). After receiving a command from the remote entity to lock any unlocked cargo area door(s), the cargo area door control module 71 may issue (at block 929) one or more commands to the actuator(s) to lock any associated unlocked cargo area door(s). The cargo area door control module 71 may then determine (at block 930) whether all cargo area doors are locked. If all cargo area doors are locked, the cargo area door control module 71 may control (at block 938) the operation of the vehicles to allow the vehicles to move. However, if all of the cargo area doors are not locked, the cargo area door control module 71 may (at block 931) issue one or more warning messages indicating that at least one cargo area door is not locked, as previously described, so that an occupant or other entity may take appropriate action (e.g., take steps to lock the door(s)). The cargo area door control module 71 may also (at block 932) begin to perform diagnostics to determine why one or more cargo area doors are not locked. After performing the diagnostics, the cargo area door control module 71 may issue (at block 934) a warning message as to why the open cargo area door(s) are not locked (if the diagnostics determine the reason(s)). Blocks 931 and 932-934 may be executed simultaneously or sequentially as shown.

[0137] In one or more examples, the cargo area door control module 71 can be configured to issue a separate command to the appropriate actuator to close and / or lock the associated cargo area door if a command or signal received from a remote entity is not suitable for direct transmission to an actuator for execution (e.g., if the command must be reformatted or changed in form in order to be executed by the actuator).

[0138] In one or more alternative configurations, instead of issuing appropriate "close" and / or "lock" commands to the respective actuators in response to a "close" and / or "lock" command received from a remote entity, the cargo area door control module 71 can be configured to communicate a "close" and / or "lock" command received from a remote entity (via communication interface 16) to the respective actuators to close and lock the associated one of the cargo area doors. In this case, the command(s) are simply transmitted through the cargo area door control module 71 to the actuators, e.g., if the actuators are not configured to receive and / or implement commands transmitted directly from the remote entity. In this case, the cargo area door control module 71 can function as a "walk-through" device.

[0139] If the cargo area operation control setting is not YS=10, returning to block 702 (FIG. 4A), the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (at block 714) whether the cargo area operation control setting is TS=9. If the cargo area operation control setting is TS=9, the cargo area door control module 71 may deactivate (at block 716) all autonomous "close and lock" control commands (i.e., TS=7, 8, or 10). Thus, any previously selected or currently active autonomous "close and lock" control commands will no longer be executed, and the cargo area doors may be operated manually or in other conventional manner until a new "close and lock" control command setting (TS=7, 8, or 10) is selected. TS=9 may also be the default value for the "close and lock" control command in the event of a system reboot or similar event, or if the user or computer system fails to make an alternative selection. After such a system reset, active selection of an autonomous cargo area operation control setting may be required. After execution of block 716, control may proceed to block 718 for issuing a message to a crew member or other entity (such as an operator or computer system at a remote facility) to inform them that the cargo area door(s) must be manually closed.

[0140] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an autonomous implementation of operations to determine whether any vehicle cargo area doors are currently open or closed and unlocked, and to close and lock the open doors before moving the vehicle. These actions are performed in response to issuing or receiving a command to initiate movement of a stationary vehicle (e.g., a user pressing the vehicle's accelerator pedal or a command issued remotely (e.g., at the remote facility 88) to operate the accelerator pedal to inject fuel into the engine to move the vehicle). The command to initiate movement of the vehicle may also originate from the autonomous driving module 160. Such a situation in which a vehicle movement is initiated may occur, for example, after arriving at a destination and cargo is removed from the cargo area, but before the vehicle leaves its current location and travels to another destination. Such a situation may also occur, for example, when the vehicle is parked in a parking lot or garage and is about to leave the parking area. In such a case, it is preferable that the cargo area doors are closed and locked before moving. The implementation of operations illustrated in FIG. 5 is for the vehicle cargo area to be closed and locked before moving the vehicle. Additionally, the blocks or steps illustrated in Figure 5 may be performed for any or all of the vehicle cargo area doors. These blocks or steps may be performed for a single cargo area door that is determined to be open or unlocked or for multiple (or all) cargo area doors that are open or unlocked simultaneously. In one or more configurations, the blocks or steps illustrated in Figure 5 may be performed in response to a user selection (e.g., from a menu) of a control option configured to autonomously control operation of the cargo area doors based on the "open" or "closed" status of the doors as described in Figure 5.

[0141] 5, the cargo area door control module 71 can receive (at block 802) a command(s) or instruction(s) that can cause the vehicle to move. The instruction(s) can be relayed to the cargo area door control module 71 as well as other systems or modules within the vehicle. Vehicle modules or systems that can issue commands that cause (or can cause) the vehicle to move can be configured to send copies of such signals to the cargo area door control module 71. Alternatively, commands that can be received by any part of the vehicle and cause the vehicle to move can also be relayed to the cargo area door control module 71. Additionally, the cargo area door control module 71 can be configured to receive commands originating from outside the vehicle via the communications interface 16.

[0142] After receiving a command to allow the vehicle to move, the cargo area door control module 71 may then (at block 804 of FIG. 5) determine whether all of the vehicle cargo area doors are currently closed. A cargo area door may be open if, for example, cargo was recently removed from the associated cargo area after arriving at the current location.

[0143] If one or more of the cargo area doors are not closed, the cargo area door control module 71 issues (at block 806) one or more commands to close the open cargo area doors. The cargo area door control module 71 may then (at block 808) determine whether the vehicle cargo area doors are closed in response to the command to close the cargo area doors. If all of the cargo area doors are not closed, the cargo area door control module 71 may issue (at block 810) one or more warning messages as described above indicating that all of the cargo area doors are not closed so that an occupant or other entity may take appropriate action (e.g., take action to close the door(s)). The cargo area door control module 71 may then (at block 812) begin to perform diagnostics to determine why one or more cargo area doors are not closed. After performing the diagnostics, the cargo area door control module 71 may issue (at block 814) a warning message as to why the open cargo area door(s) are not closed (if the diagnostics determine the reason(s)). Blocks 810 and 812-814 may be executed simultaneously or sequentially as shown.

[0144] Returning to block 804, simultaneously with issuing a command(s) to close any open cargo area door(s) if all of the cargo area doors are not closed, the cargo area door control module 71 can autonomously control operation of the vehicle to prevent movement of the vehicle until the open cargo area door(s) are closed and locked (at block 816). The cargo area door control module 71 can be configured to interact with other vehicle elements or modules to prevent execution of the "move vehicle" command(s). For example, the cargo area door control module 71 can be configured to control operation of the vehicle to inhibit or prevent fuel from being delivered to the engine in response to pressure on the gas pedal or a command issued by the remote facility 88. In one or more configurations, the necessary control can be exercised by the cargo area door control module 71 issuing an inhibiting signal to the control module(s) and / or system(s) that control the vehicle elements (e.g., throttle or propulsion system) tasked with responding to commands to initiate movement of the vehicle. Such an inhibit command acts to prevent responses by other control module(s) and / or system(s) that would normally cause the vehicle to move until the cargo area doors are closed and locked. The cargo area door control module 71 may also (or instead) be configured to actively control operation of the vehicle to prevent movement of the vehicle, for example, by issuing a command to the brake system 42 to apply the brakes or a command to the transmission system 45 to shift the transmission into "park."

[0145] If all of the cargo area doors are closed in response to the "close door(s)" command(s), returning to block 808, the cargo area door control module 71 may issue (at block 818) a command to lock the cargo area doors. The cargo area door control module 71 may then determine (at block 820) whether all of the cargo area doors are locked in response to the "lock doors" command. If the cargo area doors are not locked, the cargo area door control module 71 may issue (at block 822) one or more warning messages indicating that all of the cargo area doors are not locked, as previously described, so that an occupant, a previous occupant, or other entity may take appropriate action (e.g., take action to lock the door(s)). The cargo area door control module 71 may then (at block 824) begin to perform lock diagnostics to determine why the cargo area door(s) are not locked. After performing the diagnostics, the cargo area door control module 71 may issue (at block 826) one or more warning messages as to why the cargo area door(s) are not locked (if the diagnostics determine the reason(s)). Blocks 822 and 824-826 may be executed simultaneously or sequentially as shown.

[0146] If the cargo area doors are determined to be locked, returning to block 820, the cargo area door control module 71 may autonomously control operation of the vehicle to allow the vehicle to move in response to a command(s) that may cause the vehicle to move (at block 830). This may be done, for example, by the cargo area door control module 71 issuing one or more signals to other modules and / or elements of the vehicle that rescind, interrupt or override a “stop vehicle movement” command previously issued by the cargo area door control module 71.

[0147] If the cargo area doors are determined to be closed, returning to block 804, the cargo area door control module 71 may determine (block 828) whether the cargo area doors are locked. If the cargo area doors are not locked, control may proceed to blocks 816 and 818 (previously described) where commands may be issued to lock the cargo area doors (block 818) and to prevent vehicle movement (block 816) in response to the "move vehicle" command(s). Control proceeds from block 818 as previously described.

[0148] If the cargo area door is locked, returning to block 828, the cargo area door control module 71 can autonomously control the operation of the vehicle to allow the vehicle to move in response to any command(s) that can cause the vehicle to move (at block 830).

[0149] In one or more configurations, a manual override feature (not shown) may be provided to allow a user to override a command that prevents vehicle movement in response to detection of an open or unlocked cargo area door. This feature may allow operation of the vehicle in an emergency, for example.

[0150] Although autonomous operation of the cargo area doors is described herein as responsive to the occurrence of any of a number of user-selectable conditions, the vehicle's computer and other systems may be configured to enable operation of the cargo area doors in response to user-selectable conditions other than those described herein.

[0151] Detailed embodiments are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples. Therefore, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not limiting, but should be construed as merely a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to adopt the forms shown herein in various ways in almost any appropriate detailed structure. Furthermore, the terms used in this specification are not limiting, but are intended to explain possible implementations in an understandable manner. Although various embodiments are shown in Figures 1 to 4C, the embodiments are not limited to the structures or applications shown in the figures.

[0152] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments. In this regard, each block in the flowcharts or block diagrams represents a module, segment, or portion of code that includes one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should be understood that in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order depicted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functionality involved.

[0153] The systems, components and / or processes described above can be realized in hardware or a combination of hardware and software, centralized in one processing system or distributed such that various elements are distributed across several interconnected processing systems. Any kind of processing system or other device is suitable for performing the methods described herein. A typical combination of hardware and software is, for example, a processing system and a computer usable program code that controls the processing system to perform the methods described herein when loaded and executed. The systems, components and / or processes can be embedded in a computer readable storage device, such as a computer program product or other data program storage device, that is machine readable and tangibly embodies a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform the methods and processes described herein. Elements of this can also be embedded in an application product that includes all features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein and that can perform these methods when loaded into a processing system.

[0154] Furthermore, the configurations described herein may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable media on which computer readable program code is embodied, e.g., stored. Any combination of one or more computer readable media may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. "Computer readable storage medium" refers to a non-transitory storage medium. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of computer readable storage media may include a portable computer diskette, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a read only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read only (EPROM or flash memory), a portable compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. In this document, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus or device.

[0155] Generally, a module as used herein includes a routine, program, object, component, data structure, etc. that performs a particular task or implements a particular data type. In a further aspect, a memory generally stores the described modules. The memory associated with a module may be a buffer or cache embedded within a processor, a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, or other suitable electronic storage medium. In a further aspect, the modules contemplated by this disclosure are implemented as a hardware component of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on a chip (SoC), as a programmable logic array (PLA), or as another suitable hardware component into which a defined configuration set (e.g., instructions) for performing the disclosed functions is embedded.

[0156] The program code embodied in the computer readable medium can be transmitted using any suitable medium, including, but not limited to, wireless, wired, fiber optic, cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination thereof. The computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the inventive arrangement can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java™, Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the C programming language or similar. The program code can be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter situation, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), or can be connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).

[0157] As used herein, the singular is defined as one or more. As used herein, "plurality" is defined as two or more. As used herein, "another" is defined as at least a second or more. As used herein, "including" and / or "having" are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). As used herein, "and at least one of" means and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the listed items. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" includes only A, only B, only C, or any combination thereof (e.g., AB, AC, BC, or ABC).

[0158] The embodiments described herein may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes of the embodiments, and reference should accordingly be made to the following claims, rather than the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. 1. A vehicle cargo area door control system for a vehicle including at least one cargo area and at least one cargo area door configured to be operable to allow physical access to the at least one cargo area and operable to prevent physical access to the at least one cargo area, the control system comprising: one or more processors; a memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, and which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to: determining whether all vehicle cargo area doors are closed in response to issuing or receiving a command to initiate movement of said vehicle; issuing a command(s) to close the at least one cargo area door if the at least one cargo area door is not closed; a memory storing a cargo area door control module including instructions; A vehicle cargo area door control system comprising:

2. 2. The vehicle cargo area door control system of claim 1, wherein the cargo area door control module further comprises instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to autonomously control operation of the vehicle to prevent movement of the vehicle if at least one cargo area door is not closed.

3. The cargo area door control module, when executed by the one or more processors, further comprises: determining whether all cargo area doors are closed after issuing the command(s) to close the at least one cargo area door; in response to determining that all of the cargo area doors are not closed after issuance of the command(s) to close the at least one cargo area door; initiating performance of a diagnostic to determine why the at least one cargo area door is not closed; if the diagnosis determines a reason why the at least one cargo area is not closed, issuing a warning message as to why the at least one cargo area is not closed.

10. The vehicle cargo area door control system of claim 1 including instructions.

4. 4. The vehicle area door control system of claim 3, wherein the cargo area door control module further includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to issue a warning alert indicating that the at least one cargo area door is not closed in response to a determination that all of the cargo area doors are not closed after issuance of the command(s) to close the at least one cargo area door.

5. The cargo area door control module, when executed by the one or more processors, further comprises: determining whether all of the cargo area doors are locked; issuing a command(s) to lock the at least one cargo area door if the at least one cargo area door is unlocked; 10. The vehicle cargo area door control system of claim 1 including instructions.

6. 6. The vehicle cargo area door control system of claim 5, wherein the cargo area door control module further comprises instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to autonomously control operation of the vehicle to prevent movement of the vehicle if at least one cargo area door is not locked.

7. The cargo area door control module, when executed by the one or more processors, further comprises: determining whether all of the cargo area doors are locked after issuing the command(s) to lock the at least one cargo area door; in response to determining that all of the cargo area doors are unlocked after issuance of the command(s) to lock the at least one cargo area door; initiating performance of a diagnostic to determine why the at least one cargo area door is unlocked; if the diagnostics determine a reason why the at least one cargo area door is unlocked, issuing a warning alert as to why the at least one cargo area door is unlocked; 6. The vehicle cargo area door control system of claim 5, comprising instructions.

8. 8. The vehicle cargo area door control system of claim 7, wherein the cargo area door control module further comprises instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to issue a warning message indicating that the at least one cargo area door is not locked in response to the determination that the at least one cargo area door is not locked after issuance of the command(s) to lock the at least one cargo area door.

9. 8. The vehicle cargo area door control system of claim 7, wherein the cargo area door control module further includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to autonomously control operation of the vehicle to allow the vehicle to move in response to the determination that the at least one cargo area door is locked after issuance of the command(s) to lock the at least one cargo area door.

10. 1. A computer-implemented method of operating at least one cargo area door of a vehicle, the at least one cargo area door being configured to be operable to allow physical access to an associated cargo area of ​​the vehicle and to prevent physical access to the associated cargo area, the method comprising: determining whether the at least one cargo area door is closed in response to issuing or receiving a command to initiate movement of the vehicle; if the at least one cargo area door is not closed, issuing a command(s) to close the at least one cargo area door; if the at least one cargo area door is closed, determining whether the at least one cargo area door is locked; autonomously controlling operation of the vehicle to prevent movement of the vehicle if the at least one cargo area door is unlocked; if the at least one cargo area door is locked, autonomously controlling operation of the vehicle to allow the vehicle to be moved; 4. A computer-implemented method comprising:

11. 11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising autonomously controlling operation of the vehicle to prevent movement of the vehicle if the at least one cargo area door is not closed.

12. Furthermore, determining whether the at least one cargo area door is closed after issuing the command(s) to close the at least one cargo area door; in response to determining that the at least one cargo area door is not closed after issuance of the command(s) to close the at least one cargo area door; initiating performance of a diagnostic to determine why the at least one cargo area door is not closed; if the reason why the at least one cargo area is not closed is determined by the diagnosis, issuing a warning message as to why the at least one cargo area is not closed; 11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, comprising:

13. 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising the step of issuing a warning message indicating that the at least one cargo area door is not closed in response to a determination that the at least one cargo area door is not closed after issuance of the command(s) to close the at least one cargo area door.

14. 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising issuing a command(s) to lock the at least one cargo area door in response to a determination that the at least one cargo area door is closed after issuing the command(s) to close the at least one cargo area door.

15. Furthermore, determining whether the at least one cargo area door is locked after issuing the command(s) to lock the at least one cargo area door; in response to determining that the at least one cargo area door is locked after issuance of the command(s) to lock the at least one cargo area door, autonomously controlling operation of the vehicle to allow the vehicle to move; in response to determining that the at least one cargo area door is not locked after issuance of the command(s) to lock the at least one cargo area door; initiating performance of a diagnostic to determine why the at least one cargo area door is unlocked; if the diagnosis determines a reason why the at least one cargo area is not locked, issuing a warning message as to why the at least one cargo area is not locked; 15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, comprising:

16. 16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising the step of issuing a warning message indicating that the at least one cargo area door is not closed in response to the determination that the at least one cargo area door is not locked after issuance of the command(s) to lock the at least one cargo area door.

17. 1. A vehicle including at least one cargo area and at least one cargo area door configured to be operable to allow physical access to the at least one cargo area and operable to prevent physical access to the at least one cargo area, the vehicle comprising: at least one communication interface configured to enable communication with at least one remote entity; at least one actuator operatively coupled to the at least one communication interface and configured to operate the at least one cargo area door in response to a command to operate the at least one cargo area door received from the at least one remote entity via the at least one communication interface; A vehicle equipped with:

18. Furthermore, one or more processors; a processor that is communicatively coupled to the one or more processors and that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to: determining whether all vehicle area doors are closed in response to issuing or receiving a command to initiate movement of said vehicle; if the at least one cargo area door is not closed, issuing a message to the at least one remote entity that the at least one cargo area door is not closed; receiving, via the at least one communication interface and in response to the message to the at least one remote entity that at least one cargo area door is not closed, a command to close the at least one cargo area door; in response to receiving the command to close the at least one cargo area door, issuing a command(s) to the at least one actuator to close the at least one cargo area door; a memory storing a cargo area door control module including instructions; 20. The vehicle of claim 17, comprising:

19. Furthermore, one or more processors; a processor that is communicatively coupled to the one or more processors and that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to: determining whether all cargo area doors are closed in response to issuing or receiving a command to initiate movement of said vehicle; if the at least one cargo area door is not closed, issuing a message to the at least one remote entity that the at least one cargo area door is not closed; receiving, via the at least one communication interface and in response to the message to the at least one remote entity that at least one cargo area door is not closed, a command to close the at least one cargo area door; in response to receiving the command to close the at least one cargo area door, transmitting the command to close the at least one cargo area door to the at least one actuator. a memory storing a cargo area door control module including instructions; 20. The vehicle of claim 17, comprising:

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