Google Wins Driverless-Car Patent

In May, Google applied for a U.S. patent for "Transitioning a mixed-mode vehicle to autonomous mode." In its application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Google said its process covers "methods and devices for transitioning a mixed-mode autonomous vehicle from a human driven mode to an autonomously driven mode."

The USPTO granted the patent this week.

Google announced the driverless-car project in October 2010. At the time, it said the technology was being tested on a fleet of Toyota Priuses and an Audi TT.

In May, Google said it was lobbying Nevada to support legalization of driverless cars. The state passed such legislation in June.

Google has been testing a variety of technologies that would help enable autonomous driving, including radar, video cameras and lasers.

In its patent application, the company described a process in which a specially equipped car would identify a "landing strip" where the driver would stop the vehicle and hand over control to an onboard computer that would receive directions and driving instructions by QR code or wireless link.