Method for operating an automated vehicle by a control center and automated vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of operating an automated vehicle (1) by a control center (2), and to an automated vehicle (1) configured to allow operation by the control center (2) by the method. The method comprises, as a first step (S1), receiving a request message comprising a request for driving assistance and information about a traffic scenario of the automated vehicle (1). As a second step (S2) of the method, the control center (2) determines at least one command for a maneuver of the automated vehicle (1) based on the traffic scenario and further determines validity information for the at least one command, wherein the at least one command and / or the validity information are determined based on a channel quality. The last step (S3) of the method comprises submitting the at least one command and the validity information to the automated vehicle (1).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for operating an automated vehicle from a control center, and to an automated vehicle configured to allow operation by the control center using the method.

[0002] Existing technologies define an automated vehicle, also known as an AV, autonomous vehicle, self-driving car, driverless car, robot car, or robotic car, which is a vehicle capable of sensing its environment and moving safely with little or no human input.

[0003] Automated vehicles incorporate various sensors to perceive their surroundings, such as radar, lidar, sonar, GPS, odometers, and inertial measurement units. Advanced control systems interpret the information from the sensors to identify appropriate navigation paths, obstacles, and relevant landmarks.

[0004] Furthermore, automotive applications and mobile communications are becoming increasingly popular, particularly due to growing interest in autonomous driving, which requires significantly more data compared to traditional driving. This data volume is provided partly by the vehicle itself (i.e., by its sensors) and partly via the air interface. The air interface enables, for example, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, the latter including communication with roadside units (RSUs).

[0005] Autonomous driving applications greatly benefit from V2X communication. In remotely operated driving scenarios, ToD and V2X allow the control center (CC) to remotely support the automated vehicle. Different types of support exist. One distinction lies between direct control, indirect control, and remote support. In direct control, the automated vehicle is entirely operated by the control center, which provides direct steering, acceleration, and braking commands, for example. In indirect control or remote support, more responsibility shifts to the automated vehicle. This means the automated vehicle is supported by the CC, but is primarily responsible for its decision-making.

[0006] As is known from existing technology, in the case of indirect control or remote support, remotely operated ToD driving, operations are used to address situations where the automated vehicle cannot handle automatically and safely, enabling the automated vehicle to resolve traffic / road conditions. These ToD operations involve the automated vehicle receiving support from a control center in the form of instructions or high-level commands, upon which the automated vehicle then makes independent decisions. Examples of these instructions could be traffic light recognition, object identification, permission to use different lanes or pedestrian crossings, crossing railway tracks, or perception problems caused by adverse weather conditions.

[0007] For example, US 9,465,388 B1 discloses a method and apparatus for enabling an automated vehicle to request assistance from a remote operator when the vehicle's confidence in its operation is low. This document discloses that during operation of an autonomous vehicle, the vehicle identifies a situation where the confidence in the operation drops below a predetermined threshold. The vehicle then sends an assistance request to a remote operator. However, this document does not consider the possibility of problems occurring when communication between the automated vehicle and the control center fails.

[0008] If communication between the control center and the automated vehicle becomes unreliable, more responsibility shifts to the remotely controlled automated vehicle. For example, document DE 10 2019 204943 A1 describes a method for setting the AV's operating mode based on the AV's PQoS and environment. In cases where the predicted Quality of Service (PQoS) of communication indicates low quality, the command center will not use direct control but will instead support the automated vehicle through indirect control or simple support comments. This means the AV receives support from the control center (CC) in the form of instructions or high-level commands. For example, document US 2020 / 183416A1 describes communication between the control center and the AV using a 5G network. Document EP 3 634 017 A1 further describes a method based on PQoS to determine which support comments are possible for the AV. In document US 2020 / 371516 A1, the AV will be controlled by an operator. For this purpose, among other things, the optimal operator is also selected based specifically on channel quality.

[0009] However, due to unreliable communication, support comments may be delayed in reaching the automated vehicle. Therefore, document EP 3772 226 A1 proposes a method in which possible delays are already included during the calculation of AV control information in the control center, allowing these delays to be compensated by the AV. However, even this control information may no longer be valid by the time it is received by the AV. Executing such invalid commands would seriously jeopardize the safety of passengers in the automated vehicle.

[0010] Therefore, the purpose of this disclosure is to overcome or reduce at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a method for a control center to safely operate automated vehicles (including in cases of unreliable communication).

[0011] The first aspect of the invention relates to a method for operating an automated vehicle from a control center, preferably operating the automated vehicle when communication between the control center and the automated vehicle is unreliable.

[0012] As a first step, the method includes receiving a request message from the automated vehicle. The request message preferably includes a request for driving assistance and information about the traffic scenario for the automated vehicle. The information about the traffic scenario preferably includes data obtained from the automated vehicle via sensors and describing the traffic scenario in which the automated vehicle requires assistance. The data is preferably obtained via at least one onboard sensor of the automated vehicle. Particularly preferred is that the data is obtained via at least one sensor configured to acquire environmental data. Such a sensor may be a radar, lidar, sonar, GPS, odometer, inertial, and / or camera sensor. Further preferred is that the data is obtained via at least one sensor configured to acquire vehicle data. Additionally, it is also preferred that the request message includes suggestions for maneuvers that can be performed by the automated vehicle in the traffic scenario. These suggestions are preferably determined by the automated vehicle.

[0013] In another step of the method, the control center determines at least one command for manipulating the automated vehicle based on a traffic scenario. Manipulation according to this disclosure is preferably a movement or series of movements that the automated vehicle can perform in a traffic scenario. Commands according to this disclosure are preferably control signals that cause the automated vehicle to perform specific maneuvers. Preferably, at least one command is determined based on channel quality. Channel quality preferably involves at least one parameter that measures the quality of service of communication between the control center and the automated vehicle. Furthermore, in this step of the method, the control center determines validity information for at least one command. Validity information relates to the timeframe of the feasibility of at least one command. Preferably, the control center determines validity information for each of the at least one command. Validity information is preferably determined based on channel quality. More preferably, at least one command is further determined based on suggestions received from the vehicle.

[0014] The method according to this disclosure also includes the step of submitting at least one command and validity information to the automated vehicle.

[0015] Advantageously, the method according to the invention ensures that the channel quality between the control center and the automated vehicle is not neglected during operation of the automated vehicle by the control center. This advantageously guarantees that invalid commands will not be sent to the automated vehicle even under unreliable communication conditions. Furthermore, particularly advantageously, commands that would become invalid during delayed transmission to the automated vehicle will not be sent. This significantly improves the safety of automated vehicle operation.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the method disclosed herein, the validity information specifies a time length and / or a time point. Preferably, the validity information specifies the time length during which at least one command must be executed; in other words, the time length during which the operation of at least one command must begin. More preferably, the validity information specifies a time point before which at least one command must be executed; in other words, the time point before which the operation of at least one command must begin.

[0017] In another preferred embodiment of the method disclosed herein, channel quality relates to the latency of transmitting a request message (hereinafter referred to as uplink latency) or the latency of transmitting at least one command (hereinafter referred to as downlink latency). Preferably, channel quality relates to both uplink latency and downlink latency. A control center is preferably configured to determine the channel quality. Preferably, the control center is configured to calculate the uplink latency based on a timestamp. The timestamp is preferably included in the request message and indicates the time when the request message was sent. The downlink latency is preferably predicted by the control center. More preferably, the downlink latency is predicted by the control center based on the uplink latency.

[0018] In another preferred embodiment of the method disclosed herein, channel quality relates to bit error rate (BER), signal-to-interference-to-noise ratio (SNR), or predicted quality of service (PQOS). In such an embodiment, the control center preferably determines at least one command that can be fully transmitted to the automated vehicle within a predetermined time. In other words, if communication between the control center and the automated vehicle becomes unreliable, for example, if the predicted quality of service (PQoS) of the communication indicates low quality, the command center will not use commands for complex or extended manipulations, but will instead support short commands for simple manipulations or short commands that trigger predefined manipulation routines in the automated vehicle. In other words, by considering channel quality when determining commands, the amount of responsibility assigned to the automated vehicle can be adaptively adjusted.

[0019] In another preferred embodiment, channel quality is related to a specific region and / or time. After determining this, the control center is preferably configured to link the channel quality to the specific region and / or time. More preferably, the control center is configured to store the channel quality with the linked region and / or time. Preferably, the control center is configured to determine the channel quality based on the region and / or time, particularly preferably based on the stored region and / or time. Therefore, the control center can store channel quality information related to a specific region and / or time, and such information can be used for subsequent driving assistance.

[0020] According to another preferred embodiment of this disclosure, communication between the control center and the automated vehicle is conducted via a mobile communication network. Preferably, the communication is carried out in a 3G, 4G, or 5G network with its side link on the PHY layer (PC5 side link), or based on WLAN communication conforming to the IEEE 802.11p standard.

[0021] In another preferred embodiment of this disclosure, channel quality information is received from at least one server of the mobile communication network. The channel quality information is preferably a data structure containing data related to at least one parameter for measuring the service quality of the mobile communication network. More preferably, the channel quality information is related to a specific area and / or time. Preferably, the channel quality information is received by a control center or an automated vehicle. More preferably, the control center and the automated vehicle are configured to determine channel quality, such as downlink and / or uplink latency, based on the channel quality information.

[0022] According to another preferred embodiment of this disclosure, channel quality information is received periodically or as a single notification from at least one server. Preferably, the channel quality information is received as a single notification based on a request sent to at least one server. More preferably, the channel quality information is received periodically or as a notification under specified conditions, wherein the reception is based on a subscription to at least one server. The specified conditions preferably occur if a change in at least one parameter exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0023] According to another preferred embodiment of the method of this disclosure, the validity information of each command is determined as the difference between the time window of the command's operation and the duration of the operation. According to this disclosure, the time window preferably relates to the time span in which the operation must be completed. The time window is preferably based on a traffic scenario and sets time boundary conditions regarding the operation performance, for example, to meet safety requirements. In other words, the time window relates to the time span in which the automated vehicle in the traffic scenario must fully perform the operation, preferably to meet predefined safety standards. According to this disclosure, the duration of the operation is preferably the amount of time taken for the operation to be fully performed by the automated vehicle. Therefore, the duration refers to the length of time the operation takes.

[0024] In another preferred embodiment, the validity information for each command is determined as the difference between the time window of the command's operation and the sum of the operation's duration and the latency. The latency is preferably either uplink latency or downlink latency. More preferably, the latency is a combination of uplink and downlink latency. Particularly preferably, the validity information also includes an indication of whether the uplink latency, downlink latency, or both are included in the determination of the validity information.

[0025] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the method of this disclosure, the step of determining at least one command includes determining a set of commands based on a traffic scenario and determining the duration of the operation for each command in the set. Furthermore, determining at least one command includes determining a time window for each operation based on the traffic scenario. The control center preferably further determines the time window for each operation based on traffic information. The traffic information preferably includes information about rail vehicles, traffic lights, road congestion, pollution or damage, construction sites, and / or obstacles. As another step, determining at least one command includes selecting at least one command from the set of commands whose validity information exceeds a predetermined threshold. The validity information for each command is preferably determined by the control center based on the time window and the duration of the command's operation. Alternatively, it is preferred that the validity information for each command is determined based on the time window of the command's operation, the duration of the operation, and the waiting time. The predetermined threshold is preferably less than 5 seconds, more preferably less than 3 seconds, and particularly preferably less than 1 second.

[0026] According to another preferred embodiment of the method of this disclosure, the step of determining at least one command includes determining a set of commands based on a traffic scenario and determining the number of bits for each command in the set of commands. As another step, determining at least one command includes determining channel quality related to bit error rate, signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, or predicted quality of service, and selecting at least one command from the set of commands based on the determined number of bits and the determined channel quality. Based on this determination, it should be ensured that commands are reliably transmitted to the automated vehicle in a readable form, and the necessity of retransmission should be minimized. Therefore, the determined command is less likely to be executed within a shorter time span, thus improving safety.

[0027] In another embodiment, selecting at least one command further includes selecting one of at least one commands that provides the highest safety margin. Preferably, the safety margin is based on validity information. Exemplarily, when validity information specifies the time for which a command is feasible, the command with the longest feasible time provides the highest safety margin. More preferably, the safety margin is also based on fuel economy, low acceleration, and / or low damage risk associated with the command, for example, taking into account additional weighting factors alongside the validity information.

[0028] On the other hand, this disclosure relates to a control center for operating an automated vehicle, the control center including a communication unit configured to communicate with the automated vehicle, and a control unit configured to execute all the steps of the methods described above in the control center.

[0029] Another aspect of this disclosure relates to an automated vehicle, particularly an automated bus having an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, or a hybrid powertrain, comprising: at least one first sensor configured to acquire environmental data; at least one second sensor configured to acquire vehicle data; a communication module configured to communicate with a control center; and a controller.

[0030] According to this disclosure, at least one first sensor is configured to detect sensor signals related to the vehicle environment. Preferably, the at least one first sensor is a radar, lidar, sonar, GPS, odometer, inertial, and / or camera sensor. At least one second sensor is preferably configured to detect sensor signals related to the vehicle itself, such as fuel level, battery level, number of occupants, and / or vehicle speed. The communication module is configured to receive and transmit information directly or indirectly via vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-all (V2X) communication, or, particularly preferably, via vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication.

[0031] The controller is preferably configured to determine a traffic scenario based on data received by at least one first sensor and at least one second sensor. The controller is also preferably configured to provide partially or fully automated longitudinal and / or lateral guidance to the automated vehicle based on the traffic scenario and / or based on at least one command.

[0032] Particularly preferred is that the controller is configured to detect situations requiring assistance from the control center based on traffic scenarios. The controller is preferably configured to, if it detects a situation requiring assistance, send a request message via the communication module to the control center including a request for driving assistance and information about the traffic scenario. More preferably, the controller is configured to receive at least one command and validity information of the at least one command from the control center via the communication module. Furthermore, the controller is preferably configured to determine the feasibility of at least one command based on the validity information, select one of the at least one commands based on feasibility, and execute the selected command. Particularly preferred is that the validity information is determined based on channel quality, particularly the channel quality of the communication channel between the vehicle and the control center. More preferably, the validity information includes information related to such channel quality.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment of the automated vehicle, the controller is further configured to determine the feasible time from the validity information. Preferably, the validity information includes an indication of whether uplink latency, downlink latency, or both are included in the determination of the validity information. More preferably, the controller is configured to detect from the indication whether one or both latency times are included in the determination of the validity information. If both latency times are included, the controller is preferably configured to determine the feasible time as the time included in the validity information. The controller in this preferred embodiment is also configured to select the command with the longest feasible time from at least one command. More preferably, the controller is configured to discard any command whose feasible time is below a predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold is preferably below 5 seconds, more preferably below 3 seconds, and particularly preferably below 1 second.

[0034] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the automated vehicle, the controller is also configured to determine the latency of communication with the control center. Preferably, the automated vehicle is configured to calculate the downlink latency based on a timestamp. The timestamp is preferably included in the received command and indicates the time when the command was sent. More preferably, the uplink latency is estimated by the automated vehicle based on the downlink latency. Particularly preferred is that the uplink and / or downlink latency is determined by the automated vehicle based on channel quality information received from at least one server of the mobile communication network. Advantageously, the vehicle thus takes channel quality into account during assisted driving operations.

[0035] In this particularly preferred embodiment, the controller is further configured to determine the feasible time based on validity information and the determined latency. Preferably, the validity information includes an indication of uplink latency, downlink latency, or both included in the determination of the validity information. More preferably, the controller is configured to detect from the indication whether latency is excluded from the determination of the validity information. If latency is excluded, the controller is preferably configured to determine the feasible time as the difference between the time included in the validity information and the excluding latency. The controller in this particularly preferred embodiment is also configured to select the command with the longest feasible time from at least one command. More preferably, the controller is configured to discard any command with a feasible time lower than a predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold is preferably lower than 5 seconds, more preferably lower than 3 seconds, and particularly preferably lower than 1 second.

[0036] According to another preferred embodiment of the automated vehicle, the controller is further configured to send a new request message to the control center if the feasibility of each of at least one command is insufficient. In other words, if each of at least one command is discarded because its feasibility time is below a predetermined threshold, the controller is configured to send a new request message to the control center. Particularly preferred is that the controller sends a new request message instead of selecting one of the at least one commands and executing that command. In other words, if it is found that each of at least one command is insufficient, the controller restarts the method.

[0037] The different embodiments of the invention described herein can be advantageously combined, unless the contrary is indicated herein.

[0038] Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the following figures.

[0039] Figure 1 A method for operating an automated vehicle from a control center according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 2 An automated vehicle, control center, and mobile communication network according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention are illustrated; Figure 3 Exemplary use cases of a method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, featuring a control center and automated vehicles, are illustrated; and Figure 4 Another exemplary use case of a method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, having a control center and an automated vehicle in a mobile communication network, is shown.

[0040] Some parts of the following detailed description are presented based on data processing procedures, steps, or other symbolic representations of operations on data bits that can be performed on computer memory. Therefore, the computer performs such logical steps, which in turn require physical operations on physical quantities.

[0041] Typically, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals that can be stored, transmitted, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated within a computer system. For general reasons, these signals are referred to as bits, blocks, messages, values, elements, symbols, characters, items, numbers, etc.

[0042] Furthermore, all these and similar terms are associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to those quantities. For example, terms such as “processing” or “creating” or “transmitting” or “executing” or “determining” or “detecting” or “obtaining” or “selecting” or “calculating” or “generating” refer to the actions and processes of a computer system whose operations are represented as data of physical (electronic) quantities within computer registers and memory and converted into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within memory or registers or other such information storage devices.

[0043] As used herein, the term "example" means to serve as a non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. As used herein, the terms "for example" and "such" introduce a list of one or more non-limiting examples, instances, or illustrations.

[0044] As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Furthermore, the use of "may" in describing embodiments of the invention means "one or more embodiments of the invention." Additionally, in the following description of embodiments of the invention, singular terms may include plural forms unless the presented context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0045] It should be understood that although the terms "first" and "second" are used to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be named a second element without departing from the scope of the invention, and similarly, a second element may be named a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and expressions such as "at least one of..." modify the entire list of elements when placed before it.

[0046] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. The effects and features of exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Like reference numerals denote like elements, and redundant descriptions are omitted. However, the invention can be embodied in various different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments shown herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example only to fully convey aspects and features of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0047] Figure 1 A method for operating an automated vehicle from a control center according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. In the first step S1 of the method, the control center receives a request message from the automated vehicle. The request message includes a request for driving assistance and information about the traffic scenario for the automated vehicle.

[0048] In the second step S2 of the method, the control center determines at least one command based on the traffic scenario received in the first step S1, where each of the one or more commands is used to automate the maneuvering of the vehicle. Furthermore, in the second step S2, the control center determines validity information for each command. This determination of at least one command and / or validity information is based on channel quality.

[0049] In the third step S3 of the method, the control center submits at least one command and validity information determined in the second step S2 to the automated vehicle.

[0050] Figure 2 An automated vehicle 1 (particularly an automated bus with an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, or a hybrid power engine), a control center 2, and a mobile communication network 3 are shown according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] The automated vehicle 1 includes multiple first sensors, specifically a first sensor 11, a second sensor 12, and a third sensor 13. The first sensors 11, 12, and 13 are arranged to detect environmental data of the vehicle 1 and include, for example, cameras for detecting images of the road and / or road boundaries in front of the automated vehicle 1, and distance sensors (e.g., ultrasonic sensors) for detecting the distance to objects around the automated vehicle 1 (e.g., road boundaries, such as walls or guardrails). The first sensors 11, 12, and 13 transmit the environmental data they detect to the controller 40 of the automated vehicle 1.

[0052] The automated vehicle 1 also includes multiple second sensors, specifically a fourth sensor 21, a fifth sensor 22, and a sixth sensor 23. The second sensors 21, 22, and 23 are used to determine vehicle data related to the automated vehicle 1 itself, particularly the current position and motion information of the automated vehicle 1. Therefore, the second sensors are, for example, speed sensors, acceleration sensors, tilt sensors, etc. The second sensors 21, 22, and 23 transmit the status data they detect to the controller 40 of the automated vehicle 1.

[0053] The controller 40 is configured to determine a traffic scenario based on data received by the first sensors 11, 12, and 13 and by the second sensors 21, 22, and 23. The controller is also preferably configured to provide partially or fully automated longitudinal and lateral guidance to the automated vehicle 1 based on the traffic scenario.

[0054] Furthermore, the controller 40 according to the invention is configured to execute the method according to the invention, as explained in detail below. For this purpose, the controller 40 has an internal memory 41 and a CPU 42, which communicate with each other, for example, via a suitable data bus. In addition, the controller 40 is communicatively connected to at least the first sensors 11, 12, 13, the second sensors 51, 52, 53, and the communication module 30, for example via one or more corresponding CAN connections, one or more corresponding SPI connections, or other suitable data connections.

[0055] The communication module 30 includes a memory 31 and one or more transceivers or transceivers 32. The transceiver 32 is a radio, WLAN, GPS, or Bluetooth transceiver, etc., particularly configured for communication in a communication network. The transceiver 32 communicates with the internal memory 31 of the communication module 30, for example, via a suitable data bus. The communication module 30 also communicates with the control unit 40, particularly transmitting data received from it and / or receiving data to be transmitted from it. Furthermore, the communication module 30 is adapted to communicate with the communication unit 50 of the control center 2 via V2I communication, preferably via the communication network 3. Additionally, the communication module 30 can also be arranged to communicate with one or more servers of the communication network 3.

[0056] The communication network 3 is preferably a network based on 3GPP standards, such as LTE, LTE-A (4G), or 5G communication networks. The communication network can also be configured for operation or according to the following standards: High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Evolved-UTRAN (e-UTRAN), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GSM Evolution Enhanced Data Rate (EDGE), and GSM / EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN). Alternatively or supplementarily, the communication network may also be designed according to one of the following standards: Microwave Access Global Interoperability (WIMAX) network IEEE 802.16, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) IEEE 802.11. Also preferably, the communication network uses one of the following coding schemes: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), or Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA), etc.

[0057] The communication unit 50 of the control center 2 includes a memory 51 and one or more transceivers or transceivers 52. The transceiver 52 is a radio, WLAN, GPS, or Bluetooth transceiver, etc., particularly configured for communication in a communication network. The transceiver 52 communicates with the internal memory 51 of the communication unit 50, for example, via a suitable data bus. The communication unit 50 also communicates with the control unit 60 of the control center 2, for example, via one or more corresponding CAN connections, one or more corresponding SPI connections, or other suitable data connections, particularly transmitting data received from it and / or receiving data to be transmitted from it.

[0058] The control unit 60 according to the invention is configured to perform the method according to the invention, as explained in detail below. For this purpose, the controller 60 has an internal memory 61 and a CPU 62, which communicate with each other, for example, via a suitable data bus.

[0059] Figure 3 An exemplary use case of a method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, having a control center 2 and an automated vehicle 1, is illustrated. Specifically, in this exemplary case, a significant change in the communication quality between the control center 2 and the automated vehicle 1 is detected, which is why the control center 2 switches from direct control to remote support of the automated vehicle 1. This means that the automated vehicle 1 is supported by the control center 2, but is primarily responsible for its decision-making.

[0060] In the first step 101, the automated vehicle 1 determines the traffic scenario based on data received by the first sensors 11, 12, and 13 and the second sensors 21, 22, and 23. In the second step 102, the automated vehicle 1 determines a deadlock situation based on the traffic scenario (specifically, situations requiring assistance from the control center 2). In this exemplary scenario, the automated vehicle 1 is standing in front of an unrestricted railway crossing. Since it cannot independently determine whether crossing the railway crossing is safe, it requests assistance from the control center 2 by sending a request message M1, which includes a request for driving assistance and information about the traffic scenario.

[0061] Upon receiving request message M1, in the third step 103, control center 2 determines a set of commands based on the traffic scenario. Each command is associated with a control signal, causing the automated vehicle 1 to perform a specific maneuver. In this exemplary case, each command maneuver has the objective of moving the automated vehicle 1 to the other side of a railway crossing. An example of the maneuver would be to move the vehicle at a certain speed until it crosses the railway crossing. In the third step, control center 2 further determines the duration of the maneuver for each command in the set of commands, which is the time required for the automated vehicle 1 to complete the maneuver.

[0062] In step 104, control center 2 determines a time window for each maneuver based on the traffic scenario and traffic information. In this exemplary case, control center 2 requests information about rail traffic and determines based on this that the train will cross the railway crossing within 20 seconds. Therefore, the time window (specifically, the time span during which the maneuver can be performed completely safely) is 20 seconds for each maneuver.

[0063] In step 105, control center 2 determines validity information based on the duration and time window of each operation. In this case, the validity information for each command is determined as the difference between the time window of the command's operation and the duration of the operation. For the exemplary operation in which a vehicle crosses a railway crossing at a speed of 10 km / h and requires 12 seconds to do so, the validity information is therefore calculated as 8 seconds by subtracting 12 seconds from 20 seconds. In this case, neither the waiting time L1 of the request message M1 (i.e., the uplink waiting time L1) nor the waiting time L2 of the message M2 that the command is sent to automated vehicle 1 (i.e., the downlink waiting time L2) is considered. Therefore, the validity information for the exemplary operation includes the determined time span of 8 seconds and an indication that waiting time is not included in the determination of the validity information.

[0064] Furthermore, in step 106, control center 2 selects at least one command whose validity information exceeds a predetermined threshold. In this example, the predetermined threshold is selected as 5 seconds. Therefore, the exemplary manipulation command is selected by control center 2 because the validity information of 8 seconds exceeds the predetermined threshold of 5 seconds.

[0065] In the second message M2, the exemplary manipulation command, along with other selected commands and validity information for each command, is sent from the control center 2 to the automated vehicle 1.

[0066] After receiving the second message M2, the automated vehicle 1 determines the uplink latency L1 and downlink latency L2 in step 107, because it has already derived these conclusions, which were not yet included in the determination, from the received validity information. In this exemplary case, the automated vehicle 1 first calculates the downlink latency L2 based on the timestamp of the second message M2, which indicates when the second message M2 was sent. Then, the automated vehicle 1 estimates the uplink latency L1 based on the downlink latency L2. In this exemplary case, the automated vehicle 1 determines both the downlink latency L2 and the uplink latency L1 to be 1 second.

[0067] In step 108, the automated vehicle 1 determines the feasibility time of each command as the difference between the time included in the relevant validity information and the unincluded waiting time. Therefore, based on 8 seconds of validity information minus 1 second of uplink waiting time and 1 second of downlink waiting time, the feasibility time of the exemplary manipulation command is determined to be 6 seconds. Then, the automated vehicle 1 selects the command with the longest feasibility time from one or more commands sent by the control center 2. In this exemplary case, the command for the exemplary manipulation is selected.

[0068] The automated vehicle 1 is configured to discard any command whose feasibility time is less than a predetermined threshold, which may be the same as or different from the predetermined threshold used by the control center 2. In this exemplary case, the predetermined threshold is selected as 3 seconds. Since the feasibility time of the selected command exceeds this predetermined threshold (6 seconds > 3 seconds), the method follows... Figure 3 The path marked as y is executed by the automated vehicle 1 in step nine. Step nine 109 includes executing the selected command.

[0069] In another example where the downlink latency due to communication failure is 5 seconds, the feasibility time for the selected command is calculated as 8 seconds minus 1 second minus 5 seconds, resulting in 2 seconds. The feasibility time is now below a predetermined threshold, which is why this method follows... Figure 3 The reason for starting over from the beginning for the path marked as n.

[0070] Figure 4 Another exemplary use case of a method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, having a control center 2 in a mobile communication network 3 and an automated vehicle 1, is shown. The beginning portion of the method up to the fourth step 104 is related to the above-described method. Figure 3 The same as described above.

[0071] In this other exemplary scenario, after determining a time window for each operation in step 104, control center 2 requests channel quality information from mobile communication network 3 by sending a third message M3 to at least one server of mobile communication network 3. Control center 2 then receives a fourth message M4 containing the requested channel quality information from at least one server. Control center 2 now determines the uplink latency L1 and downlink latency L2 for communication between control center 2 and automated vehicle 1 based on the channel quality information. For example, control center 2 determines the uplink latency L1 to be 1 second and the downlink latency L2 to be 1 second.

[0072] In another step 115, control center 2 then determines the validity information for each command as the difference between the time window of the command's operation and the sum of the operation's duration and waiting time. For the exemplary operation in which a vehicle crosses a railway crossing at a speed of 10 km / h and requires 12 seconds to do so, the validity information is therefore calculated as 6 seconds (20 seconds - 12 seconds - 1 second - 1 second). In this case, both the uplink waiting time L1 and the downlink waiting time L2 are considered when determining the validity information. Therefore, the validity information for the exemplary operation includes the determined 6-second time span and an indication that both waiting times have been included in the determination of the validity information.

[0073] As mentioned above Figure 3 In step 106, control center 2 selects at least one command whose validity information exceeds a predetermined threshold (exemplarily selected as 5s). Therefore, in this other exemplary case, the exemplary maneuvering command is still selected and then sent to automated vehicle 1 along with the second message M2.

[0074] Upon receiving the second message M2, the automated vehicle 1 concludes from the received validity information that the waiting times L1 and L2 have been included in the determination. Therefore, the automated vehicle 1 directly executes another step 118, in which the feasibility time of each command is determined as the time included in the relevant validity information. In this case, the feasibility time of the exemplary operation corresponds to 6 seconds. Then, the automated vehicle 1 selects the command with the longest feasibility time from one or more commands sent by the control center 2. In this other exemplary case, the command for the exemplary operation is selected.

[0075] The automated vehicle 1 is configured to discard any command whose feasibility time is less than a predetermined threshold (exemplarily selected as 3 seconds). Since the feasibility time of the selected command exceeds this predetermined threshold (6 seconds > 3 seconds), the method follows... Figure 4 The path marked as y is executed by the automated vehicle 1 in step nine. Step nine 109 includes executing the selected command.

[0076] In another example, the validity information for the selected command involves 2 seconds. The timeframe for feasibility is now determined to be below a predetermined threshold, which is why the method follows... Figure 4 The reason for starting over from the beginning for the path marked as n.

[0077] List of reference numerals 1: Automated vehicles 2: Control Center 3: Network 11: The first sensor 12: The second sensor 13: The third sensor 20: The fourth sensor 21: The fifth sensor 22: The sixth sensor 30: Communication Module 31: Memory 32: Transceiver 40: Controller 41: Memory 42: CPU 50: Communication Unit 51: Memory 52: Transceiver 60: Control Unit 61: Memory 62: CPU 101: First Step 102: Second Step 103: Third Step 104: Fourth Step 105: Fifth Step 106: Sixth Step 107: Seventh Step 108: Eighth Step 109: The Ninth Step 116: Additional steps 118: Additional steps y: Yes n: No L1: Uplink latency L2: Downlink latency M1: Request message M2: A message containing at least one command and validity information. M3: Third Message M4: Fourth Message S1: First Step S2: Second step S3: The third step.

Claims

1. A method for a control center (2) to operate an automated vehicle (1), the method comprising the following steps: (S1) Receive a request message (M1) which includes a request for driving assistance and information about the traffic scenario of the automated vehicle (1); (S2) Based on the traffic scenario, determine at least one command for operating the automated vehicle (1), and determine the validity information of the at least one command. The at least one command and / or the validity information are determined based on channel quality, and The validity information refers to the time during which the at least one command is feasible and specifies the length of time during which the at least one command must be executed and / or the time point before which the at least one command must be executed; as well as (S3) Submit (M2) the at least one command and the validity information to the automated vehicle (1).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel quality relates to the waiting time (L1) for the transmission of the request message and / or the waiting time (L2) for the transmission of the at least one command.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel quality relates to at least one of bit error rate (BER), signal-to-interference-to-noise ratio (SINR), and predicted quality of service (PQOS).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel quality is related to a specific region and / or time.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication between the control center (2) and the automated vehicle (1) is performed via a mobile communication network (3).

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein channel quality information is received periodically from at least one server of the mobile communication network (3) or as a single notification.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the validity information of each command is determined as the difference between the time window of the command's operation and the duration of the operation, wherein the time window is based on the traffic scenario.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the validity information of each command is determined as the difference between the time window of the command's operation and the sum of the operation's duration and waiting time (L1, L2), wherein the time window is based on the traffic scenario.

9. The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein the step of determining at least one command comprises the following steps: (103) Determine a set of commands based on the traffic scenario, and determine the duration of the operation of each command in the set of commands; (104) Determine the time window for each maneuver based on the traffic scenario; and (106, 116) Select at least one command whose validity information exceeds a predetermined threshold.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein selecting at least one command further comprises selecting one of at least one commands that provides the highest security margin.

11. An automated vehicle (1), comprising: At least one first sensor (11, 12, 13) is configured to acquire environmental data; At least one second sensor (21, 22, 23) is configured to acquire vehicle data; a communication module (30) is configured to communicate with the control center (2); And the controller (40) is configured to: (101) Determine the traffic scenario based on data received by at least one first sensor and at least one second sensor; The request message (M1) is sent to the control center (2) via the communication module (30). The request message (M1) includes a request for driving assistance and information about the traffic scenario. The communication module (30) receives at least one command and at least one command validity information from the control center (2), wherein the validity information relates to the time of feasibility of at least one command and specifies the length of time during which the at least one command must be executed and / or the time point before which the at least one command must be executed; (118) Determine the feasibility of at least one command based on the validity information; (109) Select at least one of the commands based on the aforementioned feasibility; as well as Execute the selected command.

12. The automated vehicle (1) of claim 11, wherein the controller (40) is further configured to determine the time of feasibility from the validity information, and select the command with the longest time of feasibility and / or discard any command with a time of feasibility below a predetermined threshold.

13. The automated vehicle (1) according to claim 12, wherein the controller (40) is further configured to determine (107) the waiting time (L1, L2) for communication with the control center (2), and to determine (108) the time of feasibility based on the validity information and the determined waiting time (L1, L2).

14. The automated vehicle (1) according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the controller (40) is further configured to send a new request message (M1) to the control center (2) if the feasibility of each of the at least one commands is insufficient.

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