Method, mobile terminal, vehicle, device and medium for remotely controlling vehicle

Abstract

The present invention provides a method, a mobile terminal, a vehicle, a device and a medium for remotely controlling a vehicle. The method comprises a first step: when it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at a predetermined boarding location for a predetermined object to be picked up, the mobile terminal remotely activates or the vehicle activates an identity information acquisition device associated with the vehicle to obtain identity information; a second step: when it is determined that the identity information matches the predetermined object to be picked up, the mobile terminal remotely unlocks the door of the vehicle. Utilizing the solution of the present invention, the user can remotely control the vehicle to receive the object to be picked up at the predetermined boarding location without being present in person, and intervene in the vehicle control by unlocking the vehicle's door after the vehicle arrives at the predetermined boarding location to allow the object to be picked up to board the vehicle, thereby advantageously avoiding the safety issues that may otherwise be caused by the direct control of the vehicle end to unlock the door due to the user's absence from the vehicle end.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of vehicle technology, and more specifically, to a method for remotely controlling a vehicle with an automatic driving function and a corresponding mobile terminal, vehicle, computer device, and computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] For some working families, since parents need to go to work, there is no one to pick up the children or the elderly for medical treatment. In view of this problem, some solutions have been proposed in the prior art.

[0003] For example, CN107770728A discloses a method for a navigator to pick up and drop off children by remotely operating an electric vehicle. The method obtains navigation reference information in real time during the driving of the electric vehicle and provides it to the navigator so that the navigator can give navigation instructions to remotely control the electric vehicle. This method allows the navigator to pick up and drop off children without being present in person, but there are safety hazards. For example, the method controls the unlocking and closing of the electric vehicle door at the vehicle end, and there is no supervision or control from the navigation terminal in this regard, which may cause safety problems. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a solution for picking up and transporting people based on a vehicle with an automatic driving function, so as to solve at least part of the above problems.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for remotely controlling a vehicle with an automatic driving function is provided, comprising: a first step: when it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at a predetermined boarding location for a predetermined object to be picked up, a mobile terminal remotely activates or the vehicle activates an identity information acquisition device associated with the vehicle to acquire identity information; a second step: when it is determined that the identity information matches the predetermined object to be picked up, the mobile terminal remotely unlocks the door of the vehicle.

[0006] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal comprising: a processor configured with computer executable instructions, the computer executable instructions when executed by the processor causing the mobile terminal to perform the method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

[0007] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a vehicle with an automatic driving function is provided, which includes a controller, and the controller is configured to: enable an identity information acquisition device associated with the vehicle to acquire identity information of a predetermined object to be picked up, wherein the identity information acquisition device is enabled when it is determined that the vehicle arrives at a predetermined boarding location of the predetermined object to be picked up; unlock the vehicle door in response to an unlocking instruction from a remote mobile terminal to unlock the vehicle door, wherein the mobile terminal sends the unlocking instruction in the following case 1), or in each of the following cases 1) and 2): 1) when it is determined that the identity information matches the predetermined object to be picked up, 2) when it is determined that the vehicle arrives at a predetermined alighting location of the predetermined object to be picked up.

[0008] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores computer instructions, which when executed by the processor cause the method according to the first aspect of the present invention to be executed.

[0009] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processor cause the method according to the first aspect of the present invention to be performed.

[0010] According to the solution of the present invention, the mobile terminal or the vehicle end initiates identity verification before the person to be picked up gets on the vehicle, and remotely controls the unlocking of the vehicle door after confirming that the identity verification is successful, which helps to avoid inappropriate unlocking and related problems such as safety issues caused thereby. Therefore, by using the present invention, the user can remotely control the vehicle to receive the person to be picked up at the scheduled boarding location without being present in person, and at the same time intervene in the vehicle control by unlocking the vehicle door after the vehicle arrives at the scheduled boarding location to allow the person to be picked up to get on the vehicle, which advantageously avoids some problems that may be caused by the user's absence from the vehicle end, such as the safety issues caused by the above-mentioned direct control of the vehicle door unlocking by the vehicle end. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention are described, by way of example, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0012] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the interaction between the vehicle side, the cloud side and the remote terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 2 A flowchart of a method for remotely controlling a vehicle with an automatic driving function according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0014] Figure 3A flow chart of a method for remotely controlling a vehicle with an automatic driving function according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] In order to make the above and other features and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings constitute a part of this application and are used to illustrate the present invention together with the embodiments of the present invention. For the purpose of clarity and simplification, detailed specific descriptions of known functions and structures of the devices, devices and / or equipment described herein will be omitted when they may obscure the subject matter of the present invention. It should be understood that the specific embodiments given herein are for the purpose of explaining to those skilled in the art and are only exemplary and non-restrictive.

[0016] The features described herein may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, the embodiments described herein are provided only to illustrate some of the many possible ways of implementing the devices and / or systems described herein, which will be apparent after understanding the disclosure of the present application.

[0017] As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any one of the associated listed items and any combination of any two or more of the associated listed items.

[0018] Although terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used herein to describe various components, parts, portions, or elements, these components, parts, portions, or elements are not limited by these terms. Rather, these terms are only used to distinguish one component, part, portion, or element from another component, part, portion, or element. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the present invention, a first component, part, portion, or element mentioned herein may also be referred to as a second component, part, portion, or element.

[0019] The terms used herein are only used to describe various embodiments and are not used to limit the present disclosure. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include plural forms as well. The terms "include", "comprise" and "have" specify the presence of stated features, operations, components, elements and / or combinations thereof, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, operations, components, elements and / or combinations thereof.

[0020] In the following description, many specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention does not need to be practiced using the specific details. In other cases, well-known steps or operations are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the present invention.

[0021] The overall concept of the present invention is as follows: a personnel pick-up and drop-off solution based on a vehicle with an automatic driving function (also referred to as an "automatic driving vehicle") is proposed, in which the vehicle is remotely controlled by a remote terminal relative to the vehicle side, from at least the door unlocking stage in the process from the vehicle arriving at a predetermined pick-up location to preparing to pick up a predetermined person to be picked up to unlocking the vehicle door to allow the person to be picked up to get on the vehicle, so that the user of the remote terminal can control the vehicle without being present in person, while avoiding some problems that may be caused by the user's absence from the vehicle side.

[0022] In addition, the present invention anticipates remotely controlling the vehicle (including controlling the locking of vehicle doors, starting the vehicle, unlocking the doors after being locked, locking the doors again after being unlocked, etc.) during the entire subsequent process from the time the person to be picked up or dropped off at the predetermined destination, or at one or certain links in the entire subsequent process, so as to better avoid some problems that may be caused by the user's absence from the vehicle; but this is not necessary.

[0023] The remote terminal may be any possible terminal device, in particular a portable terminal device, such as but not limited to a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone.

[0024] In addition to the vehicle side and the remote terminal, the solution of the present invention may also involve an online server associated with the vehicle, that is, the cloud. Figure 1 , schematically showing the vehicle end 101, the cloud end 102 and the remote terminal 103 and the interactions therebetween. The vehicle end 101 can be linked to the remote terminal 103 via the cloud end 102. The communication between the vehicle end 101 and the remote terminal 103, especially the communication involving the control of the vehicle end 101 (such as the control of vehicle components such as unlocking / locking of vehicle doors, the control of starting / driving of the vehicle, etc.), can be carried out via the cloud end 102. As needed, the communication between the vehicle end 101 and the remote terminal 103 that does not involve the control of the vehicle end 101 can be carried out directly between the vehicle end 101 and the remote terminal 103 or via the cloud end 102.

[0025] The autonomous driving vehicle itself is known in the art and will not be described in detail here. Only some features that it may optionally have are listed as examples:

[0026] - The autonomous vehicle may be equipped with sensors, such as cameras, radars, lidars, ultrasonic sensors, etc., to sense objects, obstacles, infrastructure, etc. around the vehicle through sensors;

[0027] - The autonomous vehicle is suitable for vehicle-to-vehicle communication and / or communication with online servers or databases, such as access to highly automated driving (HAD) maps;

[0028] - The autonomous vehicle may have a positioning function, for example, it may determine its own position through one or a combination of the following: Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), HAD map, sensor-sensed data;

[0029] - The autonomous vehicle may have a navigation function, for example, it may be connected to an online server and determine the navigation route with the help of the online server;

[0030] - Autonomous driving vehicles can have path planning functions, such as route and path planning based on sensor sensing and self-positioning results;

[0031] - The autonomous vehicle may have a central controller, through which, for example: control signals may be sent to the powertrain, steering system, transmission system based on the planned path to follow the planned path, and instructions may be received to control other vehicle components or on-board components such as doors, cameras, etc.

[0032] refer to Figure 2 , shows a method 200 for remotely controlling a vehicle with an automatic driving function according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method 200 includes a first step S201 and a second step S202, which can be performed via a remote terminal (e.g., Figure 1 Executed by the remote terminal 103 shown in FIG.

[0033] In the first step S201, when it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at the scheduled pick-up location of the scheduled object to be picked up, the remote terminal remotely enables the identity information acquisition device associated with the vehicle to acquire the identity information. In one embodiment, step S201 includes: in response to receiving a first indication that the vehicle has arrived at the scheduled pick-up location of the scheduled object to be picked up, the remote terminal remotely enables the identity information acquisition device associated with the vehicle to acquire the identity information, which can be achieved by the remote terminal sending an activation instruction to the vehicle, for example, via the cloud, to enable the identity information acquisition device. In one embodiment, the first indication may be location information indicating that the vehicle is currently located at the scheduled pick-up location. The location information of the vehicle may be acquired in various possible ways and then sent to the remote terminal. In one embodiment, the location information may be provided by a vehicle-side GPS device and sent to the remote terminal via the cloud. In an alternative embodiment, in the first step S201

[0034] In the method, when it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at the scheduled boarding location of the scheduled object to be picked up, the vehicle automatically activates (rather than remotely activated by the remote terminal) the identity information acquisition device associated with the vehicle to obtain the identity information.

[0035] The identity information acquisition device may include various possible devices suitable for acquiring identity information or a suitable combination thereof, and may optionally have additional functions, such as an identity information verification function. In one embodiment, the identity information acquisition device may be an external camera of the vehicle, and the identity information acquired by it may be head portrait information. In another embodiment, the identity information acquisition device may be a fingerprint machine, which is suitable for acquiring fingerprint information as identity information and comparing the acquired fingerprint information with the stored fingerprint information to perform a fingerprint verification function, and the fingerprint machine may be set at a suitable position on the outside of the vehicle body. In one embodiment, the identity information acquisition device may include one of the above-mentioned external camera and fingerprint machine and a voice acquisition device, and the voice acquisition device is suitable for acquiring voice information as identity information, and may be set at a suitable position on the outside of the vehicle body.

[0036] In the second step S202, when it is determined that the acquired identity information matches the predetermined object to be picked up, the remote terminal remotely unlocks the door of the vehicle. In one embodiment, step S202 includes: in response to receiving a second indication that the acquired identity information matches the predetermined object to be picked up, the remote terminal unlocks the door of the vehicle, which can be achieved by the remote terminal sending an unlocking instruction to unlock the door to the vehicle. In one embodiment, the acquired identity information matches the predetermined object to be picked up means: the acquired identity information matches the identity information of the predetermined object to be picked up itself. In another embodiment, the predetermined object to be picked up has a designated escort object; in this case, the acquired identity information matches the predetermined object to be picked up means: the acquired identity information includes identity information that matches the identity information of the predetermined object to be picked up itself and / or includes identity information that matches the identity information of the escort object of the predetermined object to be picked up. Here, the escort object refers to the object responsible for escorting the predetermined object to be picked up to the predetermined boarding location. For example, if the predetermined object to be picked up is a student, the designated escort object can be the student's teacher such as a class teacher.

[0037] Depending on the situation, the judgment of whether the acquired identity information matches the scheduled object to be picked up can be performed by an identity information acquisition device on the vehicle side, in the cloud, or at a remote terminal, depending on, for example, but not limited to, the type and function of the identity information acquisition device, the characteristics of the acquired identity information, etc.; the present invention is not limited to this.

[0038] In an embodiment in which the identity information acquisition device is an external camera of the vehicle, the second indication may be a user input indicating that the head portrait information matches the predetermined object to be picked up. For example, after the external camera acquires the head portrait information of the object to be picked up, such as a facial photo, it sends it to the remote terminal directly or via the cloud. In response to receiving the facial photo, the remote terminal displays it on a display screen to present it to the user of the remote terminal so that the user can determine whether the facial photo is the facial photo of the predetermined object to be picked up. After identifying that the facial photo is the facial photo of the predetermined object to be picked up, the user may provide the user input as the second indication to the remote terminal, for example, by clicking an operation button indicating a match. Alternatively, after identifying that the facial photo is not the facial photo of the predetermined object to be picked up, the user may input a user input indicating a mismatch to the remote terminal, in response to which the remote terminal will not unlock the vehicle door.

[0039] In an embodiment in which the identity information acquisition device is a fingerprint machine, the second indication may be an indication from the fingerprint machine indicating that the acquired fingerprint information matches the predetermined object to be picked up. For example, after acquiring the fingerprint of the object to be picked up, the fingerprint machine compares the acquired fingerprint with the pre-stored fingerprint of the object to be picked up. If the comparison result shows that the acquired fingerprint matches the pre-stored fingerprint of the object to be picked up, the second indication indicating the match may be sent directly or via the cloud to the remote terminal. If the comparison result shows that the acquired fingerprint does not match the pre-stored fingerprint of the object to be picked up, information indicating the mismatch may be sent directly or via the cloud to the remote terminal, or no information may be sent to the remote terminal.

[0040] In the case where there are multiple identity information acquisition devices, various possible settings for identity authentication can be made according to the situation. For example, the identity information acquired by each identity information acquisition device can be used equally and independently for identity information verification. When the identity information acquired by any identity information acquisition device matches the object to be picked up, the identity authentication is considered successful, and the remote terminal can control the door unlocking. For another example, one of the identity information acquisition devices (such as an external camera or fingerprint machine) can be used as the main identity information acquisition device, and the other identity information acquisition devices (such as voice acquisition devices) can be used as secondary identity information acquisition devices. Only when the identity information acquired by the main identity information acquisition device matches the object to be picked up and the identity information acquired by any secondary identity information acquisition device matches the object to be picked up, the identity authentication is considered successful, and the remote terminal can control the door unlocking.

[0041] Depending on circumstances, the method for remotely controlling a vehicle with an autonomous driving function according to the present invention may optionally include one or more additional steps.

[0042] In one embodiment, the method of the present invention further includes a third step, in which, when it is determined that the predetermined object to be picked up has entered the vehicle, the remote terminal remotely locks the door of the vehicle. In one embodiment, the third step includes: in response to receiving a third indication that the predetermined object to be picked up has entered the vehicle, the remote terminal remotely locks the door of the vehicle, which can be achieved by the remote terminal, for example, sending a locking instruction to lock the door to the vehicle via the cloud. It can be determined in various possible ways that the predetermined object to be picked up has entered the vehicle. In one embodiment, the third indication can be a user input indicating that the predetermined object to be picked up has entered the vehicle, and the user input can be based on the image information obtained by the in-vehicle condition acquisition device associated with the vehicle, such as the built-in camera of the vehicle. For example, the built-in camera sends the acquired image information directly or via the cloud to the remote terminal. In response to receiving the image information, the remote terminal displays it on a display screen to present it to the user of the remote terminal so that the user can determine whether the image information includes the image of the predetermined object to be picked up. The user can provide the user input as the third indication to the remote terminal when recognizing that the image information includes the image of the predetermined object to be picked up, for example, by clicking an operation button indicating that the vehicle has been boarded. Alternatively, after recognizing that the image information does not include the image of the scheduled object to be picked up, the user may input a user input to the remote terminal indicating that the person has not yet boarded the vehicle, in response to which the remote terminal will not lock the vehicle doors. In an alternative embodiment, in the third step, when it is determined that the scheduled object to be picked up has entered the vehicle, the vehicle automatically (rather than remotely) locks the vehicle doors.

[0043] In one embodiment, the method of the present invention further includes a fourth step, in which the remote terminal remotely starts the vehicle to travel from the predetermined pickup location to the predetermined drop-off location of the predetermined object to be picked up. This can be achieved by the remote terminal sending a start instruction to start the vehicle to the vehicle, for example, via the cloud. In one embodiment, the remote terminal remotely starts the vehicle only when it is determined that the vehicle is in a startable state. For example, the fourth step may include: in response to receiving a fourth indication that the vehicle is in a startable state, the remote terminal remotely starts the vehicle to travel from the predetermined pickup location to the predetermined drop-off location. It can be determined in various possible ways that the vehicle is in a startable state. In one embodiment, the fourth indication may be information indicating that the predetermined object to be picked up in the vehicle has fastened its seat belt. For example, the information may be sensed by a sensor in the vehicle for detecting whether the seat belt is buckled and provided to the remote terminal. In another embodiment, the fourth indication may be a user input that the in-vehicle status information indicates that the vehicle is in a startable state. The in-vehicle status information may be obtained in various possible ways. In one embodiment, the in-vehicle status information may be image information obtained by a built-in camera of the vehicle, and the user input that the in-vehicle status information indicates that the vehicle is in a startable state may be based on this image information. For example, the built-in camera sends the acquired image information to the remote terminal directly or via the cloud. In response to receiving the image information, the remote terminal displays it on a display screen to present it to the user of the remote terminal so that the user can judge whether the scheduled object to be picked up is seated on the vehicle seat and fastened his seat belt based on the image information. The user can provide the user input to the remote terminal if a positive judgment result is obtained, for example, by clicking an operation button on the remote terminal to confirm that the vehicle is in a startable state. Alternatively, the user can input a user input indicating that the vehicle is not yet in a startable state to the remote terminal if a negative judgment result is obtained; in response to this, the remote terminal will not start the vehicle-in this case, the remote terminal can optionally remind the object to be picked up to take a seat and fasten his seat belt via a related device (e.g., a speaker) on the vehicle side, for example, by remotely activating the speaker. In an alternative embodiment, in the fourth step, the vehicle automatically starts (rather than the remote terminal remotely starting the vehicle) to travel from the scheduled pick-up location to the scheduled drop-off location of the scheduled object to be picked up.

[0044] In one embodiment, the vehicle can be driven from a predetermined pickup location to a predetermined drop-off location according to a planned path in an autonomous driving mode. As an example and not limitation, the predetermined pickup location and the predetermined drop-off location can be the starting point and the end point of the commuting path of the person to be picked up (such as school to home, hospital to home, etc.).

[0045] In one embodiment, the method of the present invention further includes a fifth step, in which, when it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at the scheduled drop-off location, the remote terminal remotely unlocks the vehicle's doors. In one embodiment, the fifth step includes: in response to receiving a fifth indication that the vehicle has arrived at the scheduled drop-off location, the remote terminal remotely unlocks the vehicle's doors. In one embodiment, the fifth indication may be location information indicating that the vehicle is currently located at the scheduled drop-off location. The vehicle's location information may be acquired in various possible ways and then sent to the remote terminal. In one embodiment, the location information may be provided by a vehicle-side GPS device and sent to the remote terminal via the cloud. In a preferred embodiment, when it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at the scheduled drop-off location, the remote terminal determines whether the scheduled object to be picked up is in a state of being ready to get off and / or whether the vehicle is in an unlockable state, and remotely unlocks the vehicle's doors only when the determination result is positive.

[0046] It can be determined in various possible ways whether the scheduled object to be picked up is in a state of preparing to get off. In one embodiment, in response to receiving a user input indicating that the scheduled object to be picked up is in a state of preparing to get off, the remote terminal determines that the scheduled object to be picked up is in a state of preparing to get off. In one embodiment, the in-vehicle condition information can be image information acquired by a built-in camera of the vehicle, and the user input indicating that the scheduled object to be picked up is in a state of preparing to get off can be based on this image information. For example, the built-in camera sends the acquired image information directly or via the cloud to the remote terminal. In response to receiving the image information, the remote terminal displays it on a display screen to present it to the user of the remote terminal so that the user can determine whether the image information includes an image of the scheduled object to be picked up in a state of preparing to get off. The user can provide the user input to the remote terminal in the case of a positive judgment result (for example, the scheduled object to be picked up has unfastened its seat belt, is packing personal belongings, etc.), for example, by clicking an operation button on the remote terminal to confirm that the scheduled object to be picked up is in a state of preparing to get off. Alternatively, the user may, when a negative judgment result is obtained (for example, the scheduled person to be picked up is in a sleeping state), input user input to the remote terminal indicating that the scheduled person to be picked up is not yet ready to get off the vehicle - in this case, the remote terminal may optionally attempt to wake up the person to be picked up and remind the person to get ready to get off the vehicle via relevant equipment on the vehicle side (for example, a speaker), for example by remotely activating the speaker.

[0047] It can be determined in various possible ways that the vehicle is in an unlockable state. In one embodiment, in response to receiving a user input indicating that the vehicle is in an unlockable state, the remote terminal determines that the vehicle is in an unlockable state. The vehicle exterior condition information can be obtained in various possible ways. In one embodiment, the vehicle exterior condition information can be image information obtained by an external vehicle condition acquisition device associated with the vehicle, such as an external camera of the vehicle, and the user input indicating that the vehicle is in an unlockable state can be based on this image information. For example, the external camera sends the acquired image information directly or via the cloud to the remote terminal. In response to receiving the image information, the remote terminal displays it on a display screen to present it to the user of the remote terminal so that the user can determine whether the vehicle is in an unlockable state. The user can provide the user input to the remote terminal when a positive judgment result is obtained (for example, the vehicle surroundings are suitable for opening the door), for example, by clicking an operation button on the remote terminal to confirm that the vehicle is in an unlockable state. Alternatively, the user may input user input to the remote terminal indicating that the vehicle is not yet in an unlockable state when a negative judgment result is obtained (for example, the vehicle's surrounding environment is not suitable for opening the door) - in this case, the remote terminal may optionally inform the person to be picked up of this situation via relevant equipment on the vehicle side (for example, a speaker), and explain that the door will be unlocked after the vehicle is in an unlockable state, for example by remotely activating the speaker.

[0048] In an alternative embodiment, in the fifth step, when it is determined that the vehicle arrives at the predetermined drop-off location, the vehicle automatically (rather than remotely by the remote terminal) unlocks the vehicle doors.

[0049] In one embodiment, the method of the present invention further includes a sixth step, in which, when it is determined that the object to be picked up has left the vehicle, the remote terminal remotely locks the door of the vehicle. In one embodiment, the sixth step includes: in response to receiving a sixth indication that the predetermined object to be picked up has left the vehicle, the remote terminal remotely locks the door of the vehicle. It can be determined in various possible ways that the object to be picked up has left the vehicle. In one embodiment, the sixth indication can be information indicating that a sensor for detecting the opening / closing of the door of the vehicle detects that the door is opened and then closed. Alternatively or additionally, the sixth indication can be based on in-vehicle status information, for example, image information from a built-in camera of the vehicle that does not contain an image of the predetermined object to be picked up, or user input indicating that the in-vehicle status information indicates that the object to be picked up has gotten off the vehicle. For example, the built-in camera sends the acquired image information directly or via the cloud to the remote terminal. In response to receiving the image information, the remote terminal displays it on a display screen to present it to the user of the remote terminal so that the user can determine whether the image information includes the image of the predetermined object to be picked up. The user can provide the user input to the remote terminal if a negative judgment result is obtained, for example, by clicking an operation button on the remote terminal to confirm that the object has gotten off the vehicle. Alternatively, the user may input a user input indicating that the user has not yet gotten off the vehicle to the remote terminal when a positive judgment result is obtained; in response to this, the remote terminal will not lock the vehicle doors. In one embodiment, the following setting is performed: once a predetermined period of time (e.g., 5 minutes) has passed after the fifth step is executed to unlock the vehicle doors, the remote terminal assumes that the person to be picked up has left the vehicle, that is, it is determined that the person to be picked up has left the vehicle, especially when no information can be received from the vehicle end (e.g., when the sensor for detecting the opening / closing of the vehicle door and / or the built-in camera fails). In an alternative embodiment, in the sixth step, when it is determined that the predetermined person to be picked up has left the vehicle, the vehicle automatically (rather than remotely by the remote terminal) locks the vehicle doors.

[0050] In one embodiment, in the fourth step, the remote terminal remotely starts the vehicle including: the remote terminal causes the vehicle to travel from the predetermined boarding location to the predetermined disembarkation location according to the planned path in the automatic driving mode. In one embodiment, the method of the present invention further includes, through the remote terminal: displaying the planned path to the user of the remote terminal and presenting a reminder requiring the user to operate the planned path within a predetermined time; in response to receiving a user input indicating the user's operation on the displayed planned path, sending a notification to the cloud that the user has operated the planned path. The predetermined time can be appropriately determined according to the situation, and can be, for example but not limited to, 5 minutes, or a longer or shorter time. The user can operate the displayed planned path in various possible ways. For example, the user's operation on the displayed planned path can be the user's touch on the displayed planned path. In the case of this embodiment, it can be set that once the user fails to operate the planned path within the predetermined time as required, the cloud causes the vehicle to enter an upgraded state, and causes the remote terminal to present a warning message to its user to inform that if the user still does not operate the planned path within a certain period of time, the vehicle will be pulled over. The warning message can be in the form of, for example but not limited to, visual information or auditory information. In the case of vehicles with an automatic driving maturity of L2 or L3, such a setting is particularly advantageous.

[0051] The planned path on which the vehicle travels can be a path that the vehicle plans itself after receiving an instruction to start the vehicle from a mobile terminal, such as in the case of vehicles with an autonomous driving maturity of L4 and above; or a predetermined path, such as in the case of vehicles with an autonomous driving maturity of L2 or L3. In this regard, as is known in the art, SAEJ3016 (TM) divides automobile driving automation into levels L0 (no driving automation) to L5 (full driving automation). For vehicles with an autonomous driving maturity of L2 or L3, the vehicle and the remote user need to jointly supervise the journey during autonomous driving; for vehicles with an autonomous driving maturity of L4 and above, remote user supervision is not required during autonomous driving, and the vehicle can independently plan the path.

[0052] It is conceivable that the predetermined path includes driving characteristics associated therewith, and the driving characteristics may include, for example but not limited to: vehicle speed, acceleration, obstacle characteristics, surrounding environment characteristics, etc. The predetermined path and the driving characteristics associated therewith (if any) may be obtained in advance and stored for retrieval in various possible ways. Depending on the situation, the predetermined path and the driving characteristics associated therewith (if any) may be stored on the vehicle side, in the cloud, or in a remote terminal. In one embodiment, the predetermined path is obtained by driving training in which the vehicle is driven from a predetermined boarding location to a predetermined drop-off location in a non-automatic driving mode, and the driving characteristics associated with the predetermined path are obtained based on the driving characteristics of the vehicle during the driving training. For example, for a vehicle with an automatic driving maturity level > L2, during the driving training, a map drawn by the vehicle sensor when the user drives the vehicle or a navigation route of a high-precision map on the vehicle may be stored as a predetermined path. In one embodiment, the remote terminal remotely starts the vehicle in the fourth step including: the remote terminal causes the vehicle to drive from the predetermined boarding location to the predetermined drop-off location in the automatic driving mode according to the predetermined path with the driving characteristics associated with the predetermined path.

[0053] In one embodiment, the method according to the present invention further includes: receiving, through a remote terminal, driving-related information, in-vehicle status information and / or environmental information of the vehicle; and / or, remotely controlling the vehicle during the driving of the vehicle from a predetermined boarding location to a predetermined disembarkation location, for example, based on the received driving-related information, in-vehicle status information and / or environmental information of the vehicle. The driving-related information, in-vehicle status information and / or environmental information can be obtained by the vehicle and sent to the remote terminal via the cloud, so that the remote terminal can present it to the user, so that the user can monitor the driving of the vehicle, or optionally intervene by remotely controlling the vehicle when necessary - including, for example, but not limited to: stopping the vehicle, starting the vehicle, controlling the vehicle speed such as the maximum speed, etc.

[0054] In one embodiment, the method according to the present invention further includes: in response to receiving a request to unlock the vehicle door, the remote terminal remotely unlocks the vehicle door, or the remote terminal remotely unlocks the vehicle door only when it is determined that the vehicle is in an unlockable state. The request can be made by the scheduled object to be picked up in the vehicle, for example, when the vehicle arrives at the scheduled drop-off location or when the vehicle is traveling from the scheduled pick-up location to the scheduled drop-off location.

[0055] There may be a situation where the vehicle door cannot be remotely unlocked through the remote terminal when the remote signal is unstable. Advantageously, it can be envisioned that the method according to the present invention includes the following steps: at the vehicle end, for example, by the vehicle controller such as the vehicle controller or the door controller, the request for unlocking the vehicle door made by the person to be picked up in the vehicle is counted, and when the request for unlocking the vehicle door reaches a predetermined number of times, the vehicle door is unlocked. The predetermined number of times can be appropriately set according to the situation, and can be, for example but not limited to, 3 times. For example, when the person to be picked up in the vehicle unfastens the seat belt and tries to open the door, the vehicle end may not receive the remote terminal's instruction to open the door due to unstable signals, and the door cannot be opened. At this time, the person to be picked up in the vehicle will continue to try to open the door; in this case, according to this step, the number of times the person to be picked up in the vehicle attempts to open the door is counted, and when the counted number reaches a predetermined number of times, the vehicle end controller automatically unlocks the door. In this way, the control right to open the door is transferred from the remote terminal to the vehicle end, thereby preventing the occupant from being locked in the vehicle due to unstable remote signals. Depending on the situation, the person in the car can try to open the door by pressing or touching the unlock button on the display screen inside the vehicle, or pulling the unlock handle on the door.

[0056] It is contemplated that methods according to the present invention may include other optional steps.

[0057] For example, after locking the vehicle doors, the vehicle can be parked at a nearby parking lot or returned to a designated location through a remote terminal as needed, and then the entire vehicle can be powered off. The vehicle's return route may not be the path that the vehicle previously took from the scheduled pickup location to the scheduled drop-off location.

[0058] For example, as required, after the object to be picked up is sent to the scheduled drop-off location, the object to be picked up can be sent back to the previous scheduled pick-up location. This can be done by the remote terminal in the manner described above, except that the previous scheduled drop-off location is now used as the scheduled pick-up location, and the previous scheduled pick-up location is now used as the scheduled drop-off location.

[0059] The control instructions from the remote terminal, such as the above-mentioned activation instructions, unlocking instructions, locking instructions, start instructions, etc., can be received by the vehicle controller. Depending on the situation, the vehicle-side controller suitable for receiving the control instructions from the remote terminal and responding accordingly can be the vehicle controller, central controller, door controller for door control, etc. of the vehicle, and the present invention is not limited to this.

[0060] The above-mentioned vehicle-associated devices such as the in-vehicle condition acquisition device, the out-vehicle condition acquisition device, the speaker, etc. can be enabled by the remote terminal in various necessary situations. For example, they can be enabled all or part of the time during the entire process of remotely controlling the vehicle by the remote terminal. The present invention is not limited to this.

[0061] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method for remotely controlling a vehicle with an automatic driving function according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The method includes steps S301-S310, which can be executed by a mobile terminal of a vehicle user. The method can be performed through a cloud (e.g., Figure 1 The cloud 102 shown in the figure links the vehicle with the mobile terminal.

[0062] In step S301 , a vehicle at a predetermined pick-up location is remotely woken up.

[0063] At step S302, identity authentication is performed, including remotely activating the vehicle's external camera to obtain head portrait information and determining whether the obtained head portrait information matches the object to be picked up. If the determination result of step S302 is positive, that is, the identity authentication is successful, the method proceeds to step S303; otherwise, the method ends.

[0064] In step S303, the doors of the vehicle are remotely controlled to be unlocked so that the person to be picked up can open the door and get on the vehicle.

[0065] In step S304, after the person to be picked up enters the vehicle, the vehicle doors are locked by remote control.

[0066] At step S305, it is determined whether the person to be picked up as a passenger has sat down and fastened his seat belt. If the determination result is positive, the method proceeds to step S306; otherwise, step S305 is continued.

[0067] At step S306 , the vehicle is remotely started to start driving to a predetermined destination.

[0068] At step S307 , while the vehicle is traveling toward a predetermined destination, the traveling of the vehicle is remotely monitored and the vehicle is remotely controlled when necessary.

[0069] At step S308, after the vehicle arrives at the predetermined destination, it is determined whether the passenger is ready to get off the vehicle, that is, the door lock opening verification is performed. If the determination result of step S308 is positive, that is, the door lock opening verification is successful, the method proceeds to step S309; ​​otherwise, step S308 is continued.

[0070] In step S309, the vehicle doors are remotely controlled to unlock so that the passengers can open the doors and leave the vehicle, and the vehicle doors are remotely controlled to lock after the passengers leave the vehicle.

[0071] Then, at step S310, the vehicle is remotely controlled to stop at a designated location or return to a previously scheduled pick-up location.

[0072] After executing step S310, the method ends.

[0073] In this way, through the mobile terminal, the user can remotely control the vehicle to pick up the person to be picked up.

[0074] The solution of the present invention can be applied to various types of vehicles with autonomous driving functions (including traditional vehicles, new energy vehicles, hybrid vehicles, etc.), especially vehicles with autonomous driving maturity of L3 and above.

[0075] The present invention also provides a vehicle with an automatic driving function, the vehicle comprising a controller. In one embodiment, the controller is configured to be suitable for: enabling an identity information acquisition device associated with the vehicle to acquire identity information, wherein the identity information acquisition device is enabled when it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at a predetermined boarding location of a predetermined object to be picked up; unlocking the vehicle door in response to an unlocking instruction from a remote mobile terminal to unlock the vehicle door, wherein the mobile terminal sends the unlocking instruction in the following 1) case, or in each of the following 1) and 2) cases: 1) when it is determined that the identity information matches the predetermined object to be picked up, 2) when it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at a predetermined drop-off location of the predetermined object to be picked up. As for enabling the identity information acquisition device, there are two possible situations: the controller enables the identity information acquisition device in response to an enabling instruction from the mobile terminal to enable the identity information acquisition device - in this case, the enabling instruction can be sent by the mobile terminal when it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at a predetermined boarding location of a predetermined object to be picked up; the controller enables the identity information acquisition device by itself - in this case, when it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at a predetermined boarding location of a predetermined object to be picked up, the identity information acquisition device is directly enabled by the vehicle end.

[0076] In one embodiment, a computer device is provided, which includes a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores computer instructions executable by the processor, and the computer instructions instruct the processor to execute the various steps of the method of the present invention when executed by the processor. The above-mentioned mobile terminal may include the computer device. The computer device may be a server, a vehicle-mounted terminal, or any other electronic device with necessary computing and / or processing capabilities in a broad sense. In one embodiment, the computer device may include a processor, a memory, a network interface, a communication interface, etc. connected through a system bus. The processor of the computer device can be used to provide necessary computing, processing and / or control capabilities. The memory of the computer device may include a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. An operating system, a computer program, etc. may be stored in or on the non-volatile storage medium. The internal memory may provide an environment for the operation of the operating system and the computer program in the non-volatile storage medium. The network interface and the communication interface of the computer device can be used to connect and communicate with external devices through a network. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the various steps of the method of the present invention are executed.

[0077] The present invention may be implemented as a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which causes the steps of the method of the present invention to be executed when executed by a processor. The above-mentioned mobile terminal may include the computer-readable storage medium and the processor. In one embodiment, the computer program is distributed on a plurality of computer devices or processors coupled to a network so that the computer program is stored, accessed and executed in a distributed manner by one or more computer devices or processors. A single method step / operation, or two or more method steps / operations, may be performed by a single computer device or processor or by two or more computer devices or processors. One or more method steps / operations may be performed by one or more computer devices or processors, and one or more other method steps / operations may be performed by one or more other computer devices or processors. One or more computer devices or processors may perform a single method step / operation, or perform two or more method steps / operations.

[0078] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that all or part of the operations of the method of the present invention may be performed by instructing related hardware such as a computer device or a processor through a computer program, which may be stored in a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program may be executed to cause the operations of the method of the present invention to be performed. Depending on the circumstances, any reference to memory, storage, database or other media herein may include non-volatile and / or volatile memory. Examples of non-volatile memory include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, magnetic tape, floppy disk, magneto-optical data storage device, optical data storage device, hard disk, solid state disk, etc. Examples of volatile memory include random access memory (RAM), external cache memory, etc. The various technical features described above may be combined arbitrarily.

[0079] The various technical features described above can be combined arbitrarily. Although all possible combinations of these technical features are not described, any combination of these technical features should be considered to be covered by this specification as long as there is no contradiction in such combination.

[0080] Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with the embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above description and the accompanying drawings are only exemplary and non-restrictive, and the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for remotely controlling a vehicle with an autonomous driving function, comprising: Step 1: When it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at a predetermined pick-up location for a predetermined object to be picked up, the mobile terminal remotely activates or the vehicle activates an identity information acquisition device associated with the vehicle to acquire identity information; Step 2: When it is determined that the identity information matches the predetermined object to be picked up, the mobile terminal remotely unlocks the door of the vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The identity information acquisition device is an external camera of the vehicle or a fingerprint machine arranged on the outside of the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: Step 3: When it is determined that the scheduled object to be picked up has entered the vehicle, the mobile terminal remotely locks the door of the vehicle or the vehicle locks the door.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: Step 4: The mobile terminal remotely starts the vehicle or the vehicle automatically starts to travel from the scheduled boarding location to the scheduled alighting location of the scheduled object to be picked up.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: Step 5: When it is determined that the vehicle arrives at the predetermined drop-off location, the mobile terminal remotely unlocks the vehicle door or the vehicle unlocks the vehicle door.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: Step 6: When it is determined that the scheduled object to be picked up has left the vehicle, the mobile terminal remotely locks the door of the vehicle or the vehicle locks the door.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The mobile terminal remotely starts the vehicle, including: the mobile terminal causes the vehicle to drive from the predetermined boarding location to the predetermined alighting location according to the planned path in the automatic driving mode, The method further includes: by the mobile terminal, Displaying the planned path to a user of the mobile terminal and presenting a reminder requiring the user to operate the planned path within a predetermined time; In response to receiving user input indicating the user's operation on the displayed planned path, a notification that the user has operated the planned path is sent to the cloud.

8. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The identity information includes the identity information of the scheduled object to be picked up and / or the identity information of the scheduled escort object of the scheduled object to be picked up.

9. A mobile terminal, comprising: A processor configured with computer executable instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the mobile terminal to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-8.

10. A vehicle with an automatic driving function, comprising a controller, the controller being configured to: The identity information acquisition device associated with the vehicle is activated to acquire the identity information of the object to be picked up, wherein: When it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at the scheduled boarding location of the scheduled object to be picked up, the identity information acquisition device is activated; The vehicle doors are unlocked in response to an unlocking instruction from a remote mobile terminal to unlock the vehicle doors, wherein the mobile terminal sends the unlocking instruction in the following case 1), or in each of the following cases 1) and 2): 1) when it is determined that the identity information matches the predetermined object to be picked up, 2) when it is determined that the vehicle arrives at a predetermined drop-off location for the predetermined object to be picked up.

11. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein: The controller is further configured to: The vehicle doors are locked in response to a locking instruction from the mobile terminal to lock the vehicle doors, or the vehicle doors are locked automatically, wherein the mobile terminal remotely sends the locking instruction, or the controller automatically locks the vehicle doors in the following case 1), or in each of the following cases 1) and 2): 1) when it is determined that the predetermined person to be picked up has entered the vehicle, 2) when it is determined that the person to be picked up in the vehicle has left the vehicle.

12. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein: The controller is further configured to: The vehicle is started in response to a start instruction from the mobile terminal to start the vehicle, or the vehicle is started automatically to travel from the scheduled boarding location to the scheduled alighting location of the scheduled person to be picked up, wherein when it is determined that the vehicle is in a startable state, the mobile terminal sends the start instruction, or the controller starts the vehicle automatically.

13. A computer device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are executed by the processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is executed.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processor cause the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 to be performed.

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