Method and remote control system for remotely controlling a vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to remote vehicle control via a remote control system (10), the remote control system comprising a remote control center (16) having multiple control stations (18), a vehicle-based control device (14), and an organization device (20). The main control station (18) generates a control data stream for remotely controlling a vehicle (12) and sends the stream to the control device (14), which translates the control commands (24) contained therein into driving actions of the vehicle (12). The control device (14) generates a driving data stream (26) describing the driving actions of the vehicle (12) and sends the stream to the organization device (20), which copies the stream and provides it to the main control station and at least one auxiliary control station (18). Then, at least one auxiliary control station (18) observes driving actions based on driving data stream (26), and / or checks control commands (24) of the main control station (18) in at least one auxiliary control station (18), and if they trigger unwanted driving actions of the vehicle (12), generates a takeover command (30) to take over the remote control of the vehicle (12) and transmits it to the organization device (20).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a method for remotely controlling or operating a vehicle, particularly a motor vehicle. Another aspect of the invention relates to a remote control system having a remote control center external to the vehicle, the remote control center having multiple control stations from which the vehicle can be remotely controlled. Still other aspects of the invention relate to a computing device designed to perform the steps of the method according to the invention, and to a corresponding computer program and a computer-readable storage medium having such a computer program. Background Technology

[0002] Known methods include those in which a vehicle, particularly a motor vehicle, is controlled by a human remote controller, particularly a remote operator, located outside the vehicle. The remote operator is typically located in a fixed remote control center, and therefore in a building containing one or more display devices, particularly screens. On these screens, the remote controller can identify the vehicle to be remotely controlled and / or its surrounding environment, or this is displayed on the screen. In other words, the remote operator is in a control station that can be operated locally, regardless of the vehicle's location.

[0003] This method differs significantly from methods where the driver is located very close to and outside their vehicle, and must also be present, for example, to control the movement of a vehicle they have left using a portable remote control held in one hand. For instance, performing a parking maneuver. However, this method necessarily requires the driver carrying such a portable remote control to be within close proximity to the vehicle and to be able to see the vehicle in order to control the movement; this method is only permissible under these conditions.

[0004] This is not the case for significantly different methods, in which the scenario described above is performed using a central remote controller located far from the vehicle. The remote controllers in the remote control center are positioned such that they have no direct view of the vehicle or its surroundings. Therefore, in this method, it is unnecessary, and may be impossible, for the remote controllers to be located within a predefined proximity range (e.g., a maximum of 5 meters) around the vehicle to be remotely controlled.

[0005] Therefore, in such a method, it is more difficult for the remote controller in the remote control center to safely maneuver the vehicle with appropriate movement.

[0006] In the case of remote-controlled driving or remote-controlled operation of a motor vehicle, the remote operator typically controls the vehicle at least in part based on images of the vehicle's surrounding environment, such as camera images or image data streams transmitted or relayed to them by the vehicle's environmental sensor system or sensor devices (particularly via the vehicle's camera sensors). Typically, in each case, a vehicle is operated remotely by exactly one remote operator through exactly one control station. In other words, in known methods for remotely controlling a vehicle from a control station, there is a 1:1 allocation between the control station and the vehicle. This results in a disadvantage, for example, when training a remote operator, the experienced remote operator and the beginner must share the control station. Although the beginner can observe the training remote operator during remote control, he lacks his own direct control experience, including tactile feedback from the operating elements of the control station. However, if the training remote operator leaves the operation to the beginner, he no longer has the possibility of direct intervention to, for example, prevent the beginner from maneuvering the remote-controlled vehicle to a critical or undesirable position.

[0007] The described 1:1 allocation also has a disadvantage: when the remote operator changes, for example during a shift change, the control station assigned to the vehicle must be transferred. In this case, the previous driving route must be briefly briefed to the taking-over remote operator in a laborious manner, during which time remote control of the vehicle is impossible or only limited. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to improve the remote control operation of vehicles, especially remotely controllable motor vehicles, compared with known methods.

[0009] This objective is achieved through the subject matter of the independent patent claims. Advantageous developments of the invention are described through the dependent patent claims, the following description, and the accompanying drawings.

[0010] This invention is based on the discovery that remote control operation of a vehicle can be improved by a 1:1 allocation from exactly one control station to exactly one vehicle, as described above, by the fact that in addition to the control station or main control station, other or auxiliary control stations can also track the remote control operation in real time and / or even take over it in some cases.

[0011] Therefore, the present invention provides a method for remotely controlling a vehicle by means of a remote control system, wherein the remote control system has a remote control center outside the vehicle, the remote control center having a predetermined number of control stations. The remote control system according to the invention also includes vehicle-side control devices and organizational equipment.

[0012] A remote control center can include, for example, 10, 20, or 50 control stations or more, which can be grouped together, for example, in a control station pool. In this case, each control station can include operating elements for remotely controlling the vehicle. Specifically, the control stations can have identical designs. The control stations can be positioned close to each other in space. However, it is also conceivable and possible for the control stations to be distributed over a larger area. Therefore, the control stations can also be distributed across multiple countries or even continents, enabling international remote operator teams to collaborate.

[0013] According to the present invention, control stations have different current authorizations. In other words, control stations do not necessarily and / or cannot all simultaneously execute the same remote control actions. Instead, according to the present invention, the master control station generates a control data stream for remotely controlling the vehicle and transmits it to the vehicle-side control device. In other words, the master control station thus takes over the remote control of the vehicle. In particular, the control data stream may contain control commands describing driving actions for the remote control of the vehicle. Thus, the control data stream may contain, for example, control commands that, when executed by the vehicle-side control device, cause the vehicle-side control device to actuate one or more actuators of the vehicle to adjust the vehicle's current speed and / or adjust the currently selected steering wheel angle to allow the vehicle to navigate a curve.

[0014] In other words, the vehicle-side control unit therefore receives the control data stream directly from the main control station and translates the control commands contained in the control data stream into remote driving actions for the vehicle.

[0015] The control unit not only executes control commands from the control data stream but also generates a driving data stream describing the remotely controlled driving actions of the vehicle. This may include, for example, sensor data captured by sensors of the vehicle's environmental sensor system during the execution of driving actions. These may particularly include camera sensors that generate image recordings of the vehicle's current surroundings. These recordings may be generated by the control unit as an image data stream describing the driving actions as part of the driving data stream. The control unit then transmits the driving data stream to the main control station and / or organization equipment. The driving data stream may additionally or alternatively include driving parameters, such as the current driving speed and / or information about the currently set steering wheel angle and / or the current driving direction (forward, reverse) and / or the currently engaged gear. The driving data stream may alternatively or additionally include data from an acceleration sensor and / or any other sensors from the vehicle.

[0016] As described, the driving data stream is preferably transmitted from the vehicle-side control unit to the organization device, which may be a data processing device. In this case, the transmission can be carried out via a mobile radio connection with the bandwidth or transmission capacity required for transmission. The driving data stream can also be compressed as needed to enable transmission even with reduced transmission capacity. For transmission, the vehicle-side control unit, organization device, and control station can have known communication interfaces of appropriate design.

[0017] According to the invention, an organizing device receives a driving data stream from a control unit, copies the driving data stream, and then makes it available not only to the main control station but also to at least one additional auxiliary control station among a predetermined number of control stations interconnected in a remote control center. In this case, a true end-to-end connection preferably exists only between the main control station and the control unit on the vehicle side. The auxiliary control station preferably receives a copy of the driving data stream from the organizing device, which may be referred to as a "Remote Operation Data Stream Manager" (TDSM), and takes over the copying and provisioning of the driving data stream. This allows for advantageous savings in data connectivity between the vehicle and the remote control center. Furthermore, the provisioning of the driving data stream for the auxiliary control station is therefore advantageously independent of or not limited by the existing transmission capacity of the data connection, which improves the reliability of the described method.

[0018] At least one auxiliary control station observes remotely controlled driving actions based on the driving data stream or a copy thereof. In other words, the operator of the auxiliary control station experiences which remotely controlled driving actions are performed by the vehicle based on the control data stream transmitted by the master control station. In other words, they can view or follow the remotely controlled driving actions at their control station. Furthermore, by observing or evaluating a copy of the driving data stream, the operator of the auxiliary control station can accurately track which actions occur in the vehicle due to the execution of control commands from the control data stream. The experience of remotely controlled driving actions is indistinguishable to the operator of the auxiliary control station from that of the operator of the master control station. In particular, the steering device simulation in the auxiliary control station can perform the same movements, especially rotation, as the steering device simulation in the master control station. Therefore, the operator of the auxiliary control station can advantageously receive remote control training on the vehicle from the master control station operator in a realistic manner, thus avoiding the aforementioned disadvantages.

[0019] Alternatively or additionally, control commands from the primary control station are examined at at least one auxiliary control station based on the driving data stream. If the control commands trigger undesirable driving actions of the vehicle, a takeover command is generated to override the control commands from the primary control station and transmitted to the organization device to take over remote control of the vehicle. In other words, as an alternative to or supplement to the above observation, at least one of the auxiliary control stations can override the control commands from the primary control station, thereby taking over remote control of the vehicle. Thus, in one application scenario, for example, training a remote operator can be conducted from an auxiliary control station, and the student driver's control commands from the primary control station can be tracked via the driving data stream. If the evaluation of the driving data stream indicates that the control commands from the primary control station have generated undesirable driving actions, such as because they cause the vehicle to deviate from a previously agreed-upon driving route, or because they cause the vehicle's speed to exceed a previously agreed-upon maximum value, the driving instructor can generate a takeover command in the auxiliary control station and then transmit that command to the organization device. The organization device can then disconnect the connection between the primary control station and the vehicle-side control devices and transfer control to the auxiliary control station. Therefore, remote operators at the master control station can be effectively trained in remote vehicle control, while simultaneously and reliably avoiding critical or undesirable driving maneuvers.

[0020] The invention also includes embodiments that provide additional advantages.

[0021] One embodiment provides that the organizational device receives authorization requests from corresponding control stations and, based on the authorization requests, assigns authorization as a primary or secondary control station to the corresponding control station. In other words, all control stations wishing to participate in the method must first obtain the appropriate authorization from the organizational device or request it there. This can be done through automatic requests, which can always be triggered, for example, during operation at a fixed and known shift change time in a remote control center. Alternatively or additionally, new, previously unknown control stations may wish to participate in an ongoing training session. To do this, the control station can issue a corresponding authorization request to the organizational device, which can allow or deny it. For example, authorization can be limited to different vehicle types. For instance, it is possible that while a control station is authorized to remotely control a first type of vehicle, it is not authorized to remotely control another type of vehicle. This can be checked and considered by the organizational device when assigning authorization.

[0022] According to one improvement, the organizing device has a storage unit storing a predetermined number of authorization tokens, wherein the organizing device assigns authorization tokens to control stations in response to authorization requests, thereby allocating corresponding authorization to the control stations. In other words, electronic identification tags, preferably in the form of a sequence of related characters or bits, can be stored in the storage unit and can be assigned by the organizing device to control stations in response to authorization requests. Therefore, the token string can include, for example, authorization to generate and send a control data stream containing one or more control commands related to a predetermined vehicle. Additional token strings can include authorization to generate and send a takeover command to take over remote control of the vehicle. It can be provided that each control station returns its assigned token to the organizing device at the end of the remote control session, for example, for the aforementioned shift change, so that the organizing device can retransmit the token to another control station for further operation. Thus, for example, instantaneous changes can be made between two control stations, wherein the takingover control station has already been able to track remote control operations for a period of time based on a copy of the driving data stream before taking over. In particular, it can be provided that remote control driving actions can be observed purely without the need for separate tokens.

[0023] One improvement provides that the organizing device assigns authorization tokens taking into account the eligibility level of the requesting control station. In other words, a driving instructor token can only be assigned to a control station currently logged in by a remote operator who is qualified to act as a driving instructor. The assignment can also be restricted to individual vehicle categories. In other words, a token can be permanently assigned to a designated vehicle. Thus, for example, it is possible that a remote operator qualified as a student driver in a designated vehicle category requests a takeover token or driving instructor token for a vehicle of that designated vehicle category from the currently logged-in control station. This cannot be granted to the remote operator, even if he / she may be qualified as a driving instructor for another vehicle category. This ensures that only authorized individuals receive broad authorization. It should be noted here that the eligibility level of the control station itself is preferably defined by its current user. Alternatively or additionally, the eligibility level can also be assigned to the corresponding control station itself, regardless of the user currently operating it. Here and below, for simplicity, reference is generally made to the eligibility level of the control station, which in this case can imply two alternatives.

[0024] In this context, an improved approach is provided whereby the organizing device assigns first-ranked authorization tokens to control stations with the same qualification level as the first-ranked entity, and assigns lower-ranked authorization tokens to control stations with the same qualification level as the lower-ranked entity. Holders of first-ranked authorization tokens can be authorized to override the control commands of holders of lower-ranked authorization tokens. Whether a token is first-ranked or lower-ranked can be indicated in its predefined string. Based on the number of tokens assigned, it is also possible to reliably track, for example, in a quality assurance sense, which remote operators participated in which training for which vehicle categories, and, if appropriate, how and / or how often their control commands were overridden, in order to intervene in a corrective manner.

[0025] One improvement provides that the organizing device only receives takeover orders from control stations with a first ranking qualification level, and only forwards the takeover order to the vehicle's control unit if there is evidence of the existence of the first ranking qualification level. Preferably, the organizing device requests evidence of the existence of the first ranking qualification level from the control station taking over. Alternatively, the overriding control station may also transmit evidence of the existence of the first ranking qualification level to the organizing device along with the takeover order.

[0026] One embodiment provides that the organizing device, particularly based on the current authorization of the control station, deregisters the current master control station and subsequently registers a previous auxiliary control station as the new master control station. For example, the current master control station may have a current authorization that defines its applicability only before a specific auxiliary control station registers with the organizing device. In this case, the specific auxiliary control station can directly register as the master control station and take over remote control. Alternatively or additionally, the current authorization of the current master control station may be provided to apply only before a shift change, and when the current master control station's shift expires, the previous auxiliary control station automatically registers as the new master control station. At the end of the current master control station's shift, the organizing device may also automatically maneuver the vehicle to a predetermined parking position from which the previous auxiliary control station can take over the vehicle. Thus, the vehicle is advantageously under continuous control.

[0027] One embodiment provides that a vehicle is to be remotely controlled so that a master control station selects it from a list of available vehicles. In other words, the list may be displayed on a display device at the master control station. An operator at the master control station or a remote operator may select a vehicle, for example, via touch commands on the display device. This selection may then be transmitted as an authorization request for remote control of the vehicle to an organizational device, where the described authorization may be assigned.

[0028] In the event of a communication interruption between at least one of the control station's devices and the organization's equipment, the control station's current authorization is preferably maintained for a predetermined period. In other words, in the event of a connection loss, the control station-token-vehicle assignment should not be cancelled within the predetermined time. This allows for seamless resumption of remote control when the connection is restored.

[0029] Another aspect of the invention relates to a remote control system for remotely controlling a vehicle, the remote control system comprising a remote control center external to the vehicle, a control device on the vehicle side, and an inserted tissue device, the tissue device being designed as a data processing device or a computing device, wherein...

[0030] - The remote control center outside the vehicle includes a predetermined number of control stations with different authorizations, wherein the master control station among the predetermined number of control stations is authorized to generate control data streams for remotely controlling the vehicle and transmit them to the control devices on the vehicle side.

[0031] - The vehicle-side control unit is designed to receive control data streams, translate the control commands contained therein into remotely controlled driving actions, generate driving data streams describing the remotely controlled driving actions, and transmit them to the organization equipment.

[0032] - The organization equipment is designed to receive or retrieve a driving data stream describing remotely controlled driving actions from a vehicle-side control device, copy the driving data stream, and make it available to a main control station and at least one additional auxiliary control station among a predetermined number of control stations.

[0033] In this case, at least one auxiliary control station is authorized

[0034] - Observing remotely controlled driving actions based on driving data streams and / or

[0035] - Based on the driving data stream, check the control commands of the master control station, and if the control command triggers an unwanted driving action of the vehicle, override the control command with a takeover command in order to take over the remote control of the vehicle from the master control station.

[0036] An improved version of the remote control system provides a corresponding control station comprising a passenger cabin simulation with multiple control elements, wherein control data streams can be generated by operating these control elements. The passenger cabin simulation may include, for example, foot pedals that evoke real brake, clutch, and / or accelerator pedals, or simulate real brake, clutch, and / or accelerator pedals. The passenger cabin simulation may also include steering equipment simulation, such as in the form of a steering wheel. As in drive-by-wire or conventional vehicles, the steering wheel may be designed to generate a restoring force during steering movements to return the steering wheel to a neutral starting position.

[0037] In this scenario, an improved solution is provided where the steering wheel moves according to driving actions remotely controlled from the console. Therefore, the steering wheel is preferably rotated across all control stations of the remote control system based on control commands in the control data stream. Takeover commands are preferably generated by gripping the steering wheel at at least one auxiliary control station. In other words, takeover commands can be generated by operating one or more control elements, particularly by operating the steering wheel. This allows for particularly intuitive takeover by an authorized remote operator.

[0038] For applications or situations that may occur in the method according to the invention and are not explicitly described herein, the method may provide outputting error messages and / or requesting user feedback and / or setting default settings and / or a predetermined initial state.

[0039] Another aspect of the invention relates to a computing device designed as an organizational device of a remote control system according to the invention to execute method steps according to the invention. For this purpose, the computing device may have multiple computing units.

[0040] In this disclosure, a computing unit can be understood as, for example, a data processing device including processing circuitry. Therefore, a computing unit can perform computational operations to process data. Computational operations may also include index access to data structures such as lookup tables (LUTs).

[0041] The computing unit may in particular include one or more computers, one or more microcontrollers and / or one or more integrated circuits, such as one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and / or one or more system-on-a-chip (SoCs). The computing unit may also include one or more processors, such as one or more microprocessors, one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), and / or one or more signal processors, particularly one or more digital signal processors (DSPs). The computing unit may also include a physical or virtual cluster of computers or other units within the aforementioned units.

[0042] The computing unit may also include one or more hardware and / or software interfaces and / or one or more memory cells. In this case, the memory cells may be implemented as volatile data memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or static random access memory (SRAM), or as non-volatile data memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or flash EEPROM, ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), or phase-change random access memory (PCRAM).

[0043] According to another aspect of the invention, a computer program comprising instructions is specified. If the instructions are executed by a computing device or at least one computing unit of a computing device, the instructions cause the computing device or at least one computing unit to perform the method according to the invention.

[0044] Instructions may exist, for example, as program code. Program code may be provided, for example, as binary code or assembler and / or as source code of a programming language (e.g., C) and / or as a program script (e.g., Python).

[0045] According to another aspect of the invention, a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program according to the invention is specified.

[0046] A computer program and a computer-readable storage medium are each computer program products containing instructions.

[0047] Further embodiments of the remote control system according to the invention directly follow various configurations of the method according to the invention for remotely controlling a vehicle via the remote control system, and vice versa. Specifically, various features and corresponding explanations and advantages of the various embodiments relating to the method according to the invention can be transferred in a similar manner to corresponding embodiments of other aspects of the invention. In particular, the computing device according to the invention is designed or programmed to perform the method according to the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0048] Other features of the invention will become apparent from the claims, drawings, and description of the drawings. The features and combinations of features mentioned in the foregoing description and those mentioned and / or shown in the following description and description of the drawings may be included in the invention not only in the combinations they respectively indicate, but also in other combinations. In particular, the invention may also include embodiments and combinations of features of all features of the claims that do not have the original wording. Furthermore, the invention may include embodiments and combinations of features that exceed or differ from the combinations of features set forth in the dependent references to the claims.

[0049] In the attached diagram:

[0050] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a remote control system according to one aspect of the present invention is shown;

[0051] Figure 2 A schematic diagram is shown of replicating driving data streams in an organization device that is inserted between a vehicle-side control unit and a remote control center with multiple control stations.

[0052] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrates the method steps for assigning an authorization token to a control station based on an authorization request; and

[0053] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a method for remotely controlling a vehicle by means of a remote control system, according to one aspect of the present invention, is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0054] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a remote control system 10 for remotely controlling vehicle 12 is shown. Vehicle 12 can be, for example, a remote-controlled car, a minibus, or a delivery truck. Vehicle 12 can also be a remote-controlled logistics vehicle, used, for example, in the fully or partially automated operations of a logistics company, such as as a remote-controlled forklift.

[0055] In addition to the control unit 14 of the vehicle 12, the remote control system 10 also includes an external remote control center 16 with a predetermined number of n control stations 18. At the center of the remote control system 10 shown is an organization device 20, which is inserted for communication between the control unit 14 of the vehicle 12 and the remote control center 16.

[0056] Organization device 20 (also known as "Remote Operation Data Stream Manager", abbreviated as TDSM) operates a communication connection 22 with the control unit 14 of vehicle 12, through which control commands 24 can be transmitted from the master control station 18 to the control unit 14. In the opposite direction, driving data stream 26 can be transmitted from the control unit 14 to the organization device 20 via data connection 22, wherein driving data stream 26 describes remotely controlled driving actions of vehicle 12, which are executed by the latter based on the transmitted control commands 24.

[0057] Data connection 22 can be a mobile radio connection and therefore has limited data capacity. To keep the amount of data transmitted through data connection 22 low and to enable information in driving data stream 26 to be simultaneously available to all control stations 18, driving data stream 26 is copied or duplicated in organization device 20, making it available to control stations 18. Figure 1 This is illustrated in the diagram by the sent copy 28. In addition to copying and providing the driving data stream 26, the organization device 20 can also receive control commands 24 from the master control station 18 and forward them to the control unit 14 of the vehicle 12. Therefore, the organization device 20 can be said to bundle and organize the communication between the remote control center 16 and the vehicle 12.

[0058] Reference and combination Figure 1 Specified and described components, Figure 2 A schematic detailed view of the described communication path and the replication of the driving data stream 26 in the organization device 20 is shown.

[0059] In the embodiment shown here, console 18.1 is the main console 18, which generates a control data stream with control commands 24 and transmits it to the control unit 14 of the vehicle 12. The control data stream can be transmitted to the control unit 14 via organization device 20, as shown here. Alternatively, the main control station 18.1 can also operate a separate data connection with the control unit 14, thereby providing redundant and secure connectivity.

[0060] The control unit 14 sends the driving data stream 26 to the organization device 20. In other words, the organization device 20 is the control unit 14's only communication partner. This allows for the easy implementation of a standardized communication interface within the vehicle 12.

[0061] The driving data stream 26 is received, copied, or reproduced in the organization device 20. The copy 28 is available to all control stations 18, that is, to both the primary control station 18.1 and auxiliary control stations 18.2 to 18.n. Therefore, all control stations 18 can observe the driving actions of the vehicle 12 without overloading the data connection 22.

[0062] By generating and sending takeover command 30, one of the auxiliary control stations 18.2 to 18.n (in Figure 2 In the example, control station 18.n can interrupt and take over the control data flow of the main control station 18.1, provided it is authorized to do so. Organization device 20 can determine whether the corresponding authorization exists in the manner described above, for example, by checking whether the auxiliary control station 18.n has the corresponding authorization token.

[0063] Referring to the components shown and described in conjunction with the above figures, Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the steps of a method for assigning an authorization token to a control station 18 based on an authorization request is shown. The method shown here begins at step S3.1, which includes activating the described remote control system 10. In step S3.2, the organization device 20 waits for an authorization request from one of the control stations 18. In step S3.3, the organization device 20 receives such an authorization request from the control station 18. The control station 18 here requests, for example, a token that would authorize the control station 18 to remotely control a very specific vehicle 12 from a list of available vehicles 12. In step S3.4, the organization device 20 checks whether the requested token is available, and preferably also checks whether the requesting control station 18 is authorized to remotely control the specific vehicle 12. If the organization device 20 must refuse one or both of these prerequisites, it refuses the authorization request in step S3.5 and preferably returns to the waiting state of step S3.2. However, if the organization device 20 can confirm that both prerequisites exist, it assigns the requested token to the control station 18 in step S3.6. The decision made by the organization device 20 is stored in step S3.7, so that the allocation of tokens to the control station 18 continues even in the event of a brief interruption of the data connection 22 or other communication connection in the remote control system 10. Step S3.8 checks whether the remote control system 10 is functioning properly. If this is confirmed, the organization device 20 returns to the waiting state of step S3.2. Otherwise, the described method ends in step S3.9.

[0064] Refer to the components specified and described in conjunction with the preceding figures. Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a method for remotely controlling a vehicle 12 via a remote control system 10 according to one aspect of the present invention is shown.

[0065] The remote control system 10 includes a remote control center 16 outside the vehicle, a control device 14 on the vehicle side, and organization equipment 20. The remote control center 16 has a predetermined number of control stations 18 with different authorizations.

[0066] In step S4.1, the master control station 18 among the predetermined number of control stations 18 generates a control data stream for remotely controlling the vehicle 12 and sends it to the vehicle-side control device 14. In step S4.2, the vehicle-side control device 14 receives the control data stream and converts the control commands 24 contained in the control data stream into remotely controlled driving actions for the vehicle 12. In step S4.3, the vehicle-side control device 14 generates a driving data stream 26 describing the remotely controlled driving actions of the vehicle 12 and sends it to the organization device 20. In step S4.4, the organization device 20 receives the driving data stream 26, copies the driving data stream, and makes it available to the master control station and at least one additional auxiliary control station 18 among the predetermined number of control stations 18. In step S4.5, the remotely controlled driving actions are observed by at least one auxiliary control station 18 based on the driving data stream 16. Alternatively or additionally, in step S4.6, the control command 24 of the main control station 18 is checked in at least one auxiliary control station 18 based on the driving data stream 26, and if the control command 24 triggers an unwanted driving action of the vehicle 12, a takeover command 30 is generated in the auxiliary control station 18 to override the control command 24 of the main control station 18 and transmitted to the organization device 20 to take over the remote control of the vehicle 12.

[0067] One aspect of the invention relates to the described organizational device 20. This device can connect an active vehicle 12 to an active remote control cabin or control station 18 and any number of passive control stations 18. For this purpose, the device preferably uses a token system with automatic detection and control recovery in case of connection loss to ensure smooth operation.

[0068] Although conventional computer networks can be used to connect the various components of the remote control operating system or remote control system 10 to each other, the data flow of the equipment is preferably organized in a star topology to connect all compartments and the remotely operated vehicle 12 (see Figure 1 ).

[0069] The device (Remote Operation Data Stream Manager (TDSM)) contains a token for each vehicle 12. Cabin 18 can request a token from any vehicle 12 to take over control of that vehicle 12. If the device still possesses the requested token, it forwards it to cabin 18. Cabin 18 can then take control of vehicle 12. All other cabins 18 can act as passive participants receiving vehicle data or driving data stream 26.

[0070] To minimize data traffic, TDSM supports stream splitting (see [link]). Figure 2Data (e.g., video) from vehicle 12 can be transmitted from vehicle 12 to the device, i.e., to the organization device 20, in the form of a single stream or driving data stream 26. The device then makes the necessary data available to all connected compartments 18 in order to minimize data traffic on mobile data connections.

[0071] In the event of a connection termination with remote-controlled vehicle 12, the device waits a limited time before invalidating the token assigned to compartment 18 due to the connection termination. It can then generate a new, valid token that can be forwarded to another compartment 18. Because the old token is no longer valid, if the first compartment 18, which has already suffered a connection loss, later remedies the connection loss, the first compartment 18 cannot control vehicle 12 in parallel.

[0072] One embodiment of the present invention enables two control stations 18 to control the vehicle 12 simultaneously, with one control station 18 overtaking the other control station or interrupting simultaneous control with force feedback.

[0073] TDSM 20 is a practical tool for training new remote operators. Instead of intervening in the daily operations of the control center or remote control center 16, it allows future remote operators to be trained in a real cabin 18 while observing normal operations. Supervisors can use any cabin 18 to live-stream and monitor the performance of their team members in real time.

[0074] For this purpose, a new remote operator can be located in the remote operation cabin 18 operating in passive mode and can observe an experienced remote operator controlling the vehicle 12 via an active display. Instructors teach trainees, and the work of experienced remote operators is not interrupted. Another application example involves the monitoring of team members. For this purpose, the team leader of the remote operation team can monitor and evaluate the performance of individual team members. The team leader can do this by observing the team-controlled vehicle 12 in passive mode via the remote operation cabin 18.

[0075] Overall, these examples demonstrate how remote control operation of a vehicle can be improved by incorporating multiple control stations.

Claims

1. A method for remotely controlling a vehicle (12) by means of a remote control system (10), the remote control system comprising a remote control center (16) external to the vehicle, a control device (14) on the vehicle side, and an organization device (20), the remote control center having a predetermined number of control stations (18) with different authorizations, wherein - The master control station (18) of the predetermined number of control stations (18) generates a control data stream for remotely controlling the vehicle (12) and sends it to the control device (14) on the vehicle side. The vehicle-side control device (14) receives the control data stream and converts the control commands (24) contained in the control data stream into remotely controlled driving actions of the vehicle (12). - The vehicle-side control device (14) generates a driving data stream (26) describing the remotely controlled driving actions of the vehicle (12) and sends it to the organization device (20). - The organization device (20) receives the driving data stream (26), copies the driving data stream, and makes the driving data stream available to at least one additional auxiliary control station (18) among the main control station and the predetermined number of control stations (18), and wherein - The at least one auxiliary control station (18) observes the remotely controlled driving actions based on the driving data stream (26), and / or wherein - In at least one auxiliary control station (18), the control command (24) of the main control station (18) is checked based on the driving data stream (26), and if the control command (24) triggers an unwanted driving action of the vehicle (12), a takeover command (30) is generated to override the control command (24) of the main control station (18) and sent to the organization device (20) to take over the remote control of the vehicle (12).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the organization device (20) receives an authorization request from the corresponding control station (18) and assigns authorization as a main control station or as an auxiliary control station (18) to the corresponding control station (18) based on the authorization request.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein a predetermined number of authorization tokens are stored in a memory unit of the organization device (20), wherein the organization device (20) assigns the authorization tokens to the control station (18) in response to the authorization request, so as to assign the corresponding authorization to the control station (18).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the organization device (20) assigns the authorization token taking into account the eligibility level of the requested control station (18).

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the organization device (20) assigns a first ranking authorization token to a control station (18) having a first ranking qualification level and assigns a lower ranking authorization token to a control station (18) having a lower ranking qualification level.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the organization device (20) accepts the takeover order (30) only from the control station (18) having the first ranking qualification level, and forwards the takeover order (30) to the control device (14) of the vehicle (12) only when there is a credential for the first ranking qualification level.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the organization device (20) requests a certificate of the existence of the first ranking qualification level from the control station (18) that is taking over.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the control station (18) performing the takeover sends the credentials of the existence of the first ranking qualification level along with the takeover command (30) to the organization device (20).

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the organization device (20) deregisters the current master control station (18) based in particular on the current authorization of the control station (18), and subsequently registers the previous auxiliary control station (18) as the new master control station (18).

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the main control station (18) selects the vehicle (12) to be remotely controlled from a list of available vehicles (12).

11. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in the event of an interruption of communication between at least one of the control stations (18) and the organization device (20), the current authorization of the control station (18) is maintained for a predetermined period of time.

12. A remote control system (10) for remotely controlling a vehicle (12), comprising a remote control center (16) outside the vehicle, a control device (14) on the vehicle side, and an inserted tissue device (20), wherein - The remote control center (16) outside the vehicle includes a predetermined number of control stations (18) with different authorizations, wherein the master control station (18) of the predetermined number of control stations (18) is authorized to generate control data streams for remotely controlling the vehicle (12) and send them to the control device (14) on the vehicle side. - The vehicle-side control device (14) is designed to receive the control data stream and convert the control commands (24) contained therein into remotely controlled driving actions of the vehicle (12), and generate a driving data stream (26) describing the remotely controlled driving actions and send it to the organization device (20). - The organization device (20) is designed to receive a driving data stream (26) describing the remotely controlled driving actions from the vehicle-side control device (14), copy it and make it available to at least one additional auxiliary control station (18) among the main control station (18) and the predetermined number of control stations (18). The at least one auxiliary control station (18) is authorized - Observe the remotely controlled driving actions based on the driving data stream (26), and / or - Based on the driving data stream (26), check the control command (24) of the master control station (18), and if the control command (24) triggers an unwanted driving action of the vehicle (12), overwrite the control command (24) with a takeover command (30) to take over the remote control of the vehicle (12) from the master control station (18).

13. The remote control system (10) according to claim 12, wherein the corresponding control station (18) includes a passenger cabin simulation having a plurality of control elements, wherein the control data stream can be generated by operating the control elements.

14. The remote control system (10) according to claim 13, wherein the passenger cabin simulation includes a steering device simulation with a steering wheel designed to move forward according to a driving action remotely controlled in the control station (18).

15. The remote control system (10) according to any one of claims 13 and 14, wherein the takeover command (30) is capable of being generated by operating one or more control elements, particularly by operating the steering wheel.

16. A computing device designed as an organization device (20) for use in a remote control system (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 11 to perform method steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

17. A computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by a computing device according to claim 16, cause the computing device to perform method steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

18. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program according to claim 17.

Images