Manual-teleoperated alternate operation of a transport vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for relieving a driver in a transport vehicle (1) of the task of manually driving the vehicle, said system comprising a stationary control station (3) and a computing unit (5) that is designed to check, along a planned route of the transport vehicle (1), a radio network usable for teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle (1) for sufficient data performance and reliability by means of previously stored data about the radio network and to determine sections of the planned route with sufficient radio network data performance and reliability as potential zones for teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle (1), and, if necessary, to initiate teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle (1) by a vehicle driver in the stationary control station (3) while the transport vehicle (1) is still in motion, by handing over driving of the vehicle to the vehicle driver in the stationary control station (3) for such a zone.

Description

[0001] MANUALLY TELEOPERATED CHANGE OPERATION OF A TRANSPORT VEHICLE

[0002] The invention relates to a system for relieving a driver in a transport vehicle from manual vehicle control.

[0003] Compliance with driving and rest times is particularly important and often prescribed in the transport of goods by road. For example, drivers in Germany are obliged not to drive for longer than 9 or 10 hours within a 24-hour period. Even without legal regulations, rest breaks during which the driver can recover are necessary for the safe transport of goods or the safe driving of motor vehicles. This also applies to the transport of passengers, for example on buses. Rest breaks for drivers are irreplaceable for road safety and the health of the drivers. Transport companies and drivers alike face the following challenges: Unforeseen traffic conditions (e.g. delays due to accidents, increased traffic volume, etc.) can make it difficult to plan rest periods, meaning drivers are unable to comply with them.Stopping areas, such as motorway rest areas, may be unsuitable for rest periods or already overcrowded, forcing drivers to park their vehicles in dangerous situations (e.g., on the hard shoulder) to comply with rest periods. Rest periods during which goods cannot be moved represent a loss for transport companies, sometimes necessitating the costly replacement of drivers at rest areas. Even outside of rest periods, prolonged driving on monotonous routes can lead to inattention (also known as "highway hypnosis").

[0004] It may therefore be considered to continue the journey of the transport vehicle in between by means of teleoperated operation.

[0005] Typical conventional motor vehicles such as passenger cars are designed to be driven by a person inside the vehicle. With increasing levels of automation, the role of this person changes from that of a driver to that of active vehicle control, increasingly to the sole task of monitoring the driving maneuvers and control interventions performed independently by the vehicle. At the forefront of this development are fully automated vehicles, which can autonomously perform not only individual maneuvers but also drive an entire planned route. While a human driver in a non-automated vehicle is the vehicle's sole decision-making body, they also assume at least some of the role of actuators, with their movements mechanically specifying control variables (at most with direct assistance).However, with the increasing degree of vehicle automation, actuators must be provided, for example electrical or hydraulic actuators, which are all controlled by control electronics so that a vehicle computer can transmit corresponding commands to the actuators, which then implement them mechanically. This circumstance allows an interface on a digital control unit or directly on the vehicle's actuators to be controlled from an external control center for vehicle guidance. This opens up the possibility of teleoperation of the automated vehicle, in which a human driver of the vehicle does not have to sit in the vehicle itself, but can sit outside the vehicle at a stationary workstation and issue commands to this vehicle interface, which are then transmitted to the vehicle for execution via data transmission, especially wirelessly.In addition, relevant vehicle information (e.g., a video stream with images from the driver's seat) can be transmitted to the remotely controlling driver. If the teleoperation takes place in an environment with other road users, the human driver can initiate necessary vehicle movements (through lateral / longitudinal control) to avoid traffic obstructions and dangerous situations while reaching a destination by detecting the vehicle's local surroundings and the other road users within them.

[0006] In this context, DE 10 2021 123 234 A1 relates to a teleoperator workstation for a teleoperated motor vehicle, wherein the motor vehicle has a front camera, a rear camera, a left side camera, which is optionally directed towards a rear left side of the motor vehicle, and a right side camera, which is optionally directed towards a rear right side of the motor vehicle, and wherein the motor vehicle is designed to send images recorded by the front camera, the rear camera, and the left and right side cameras to the teleoperator workstation, wherein the teleoperator workstation is designed to change a display of the images received from the motor vehicle depending on an orientation of a head of a teleoperator and / or depending on a viewing direction of the teleoperator.

[0007] However, when taking over the vehicle by teleoperated operation between two specific handover zones, for example to enable the driver to observe rest periods in the vehicle on site, one problem is that a reliable communication connection between the vehicle and the control station must be guaranteed at all times during teleoperated operation of the vehicle.

[0008] The object of the invention is to relieve a driver of a transport vehicle from manual vehicle control, for example so that he can observe rest periods or recover on monotonous routes.

[0009] The invention is based on the features of the independent claims. Advantageous developments and refinements are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0010] A first aspect of the invention relates to a system for relieving a driver in a transport vehicle of manual vehicle control, comprising a stationary control station and a computing unit which is designed to check a radio network usable for teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle along a planned route of the transport vehicle for sufficient data performance and reliability by means of previously stored data via the radio network and to determine sections of the planned route with sufficient data performance and reliability of the radio network as potential zones for teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle, and if necessary to initiate teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle by a driver in the stationary control station while the transport vehicle is still in motion by handing over vehicle control to the driver in the stationary control station for such a zone.

[0011] A transport vehicle is, for example, a truck, a bus, or a commercial vehicle.

[0012] The transport vehicle is advantageously equipped with appropriate sensor systems, particularly cameras, to transmit data about the transport vehicle's surroundings to the stationary control station in as real time as possible, enabling the driver to remotely operate the transport vehicle from the stationary control station. The stationary control station, in turn, records the command inputs, particularly to the steering wheel, accelerator pedal, etc., and transmits them to the transport vehicle in as real time as possible for the control commands to be executed.

[0013] To ensure safe, remote operation of the vehicle, a continuous radio connection with sufficiently high data performance and reliability is required. Data performance encompasses, in particular, bandwidth and indicates the amount of data that can be transmitted per unit of time. A certain degree of continuity in the data stream is also relevant, so that not only are individual, relatively large packets transmitted step by step with a relatively large time interval (which would potentially also result in an averagely high data stream), but also, due to the time-critical nature of the required control commands on the transport vehicle and the video data typically transmitted by the transport vehicle, are transmitted to the stationary control station with the smallest possible time delay. Modern mobile communications standards such as 5G and 6G typically allow this.The concept of data transmission reliability also comes into play in this context – network outages lasting a few seconds cannot be tolerated.

[0014] The computing unit can therefore not only check the nominal performance of the infrastructure and nominal network coverage of the transport vehicle's route, but also the current status of the possible radio connection, so that overloads caused by an excessive number of clients in the radio system, local interference and the like can be taken into account.

[0015] The pre-stored data on the data performance and reliability of the radio network are georeferenced, particularly in digital maps, and are thus available at any time. The planned route of the transport vehicle can be plotted on these digital maps and compared with the data from the radio network.

[0016] On the one hand, it is in principle possible that the prevailing radio quality is sufficient along the entire planned route of the transport vehicle, in which case the entire route is a potential zone for remote operation of the transport vehicle. In this case, the system's route planning can freely initiate a switch from the on-site driver in the transport vehicle to the driver in the stationary control station. For example, routes for rest break coverage can be equipped with slotted cables or similar stationary devices to enable mobile network coverage, thus achieving complete stationary coverage of the potential zone.

[0017] However, particularly on remote routes, after severe weather, avalanches, or system-internal disruptions, it is also possible that the radio quality in terms of bandwidth and / or reliability is insufficient. In this case, only those areas of the transport vehicle's planned route for which predefined radio network coverage conditions are met are selected as potential zones for teleoperated operations. Therefore, not every potential zone for teleoperated operations needs to be utilized; it merely represents an option. The need for the actual execution of teleoperated operations can be reported, for example, directly to the processing unit by the transport vehicle driver.

[0018] The length of the appropriate route for teleoperated operation is determined by the specific application of the system. If the system is to be used to cover drivers' rest breaks, the distances covered must be appropriate to the expected maximum vehicle speed.

[0019] As soon as the driver of the transport vehicle enters the potential teleoperated operation zone and the teleoperated operation is actually to be implemented, the driver of the transport vehicle is preferably informed of the readiness to take over from the driver in the stationary control station. Transitional assistance can be provided, for example, local path planning on the specified route is transmitted to the driver of the transport vehicle and synchronously to the driver in the stationary control station, so that both are focused on the same goal and execute the same inputs on their respective controls as far as possible. Once the driver in the stationary control station has taken over control of the vehicle, the driver in the transport vehicle can, for example, retreat to a rest area provided with the vehicle.The reverse change, namely from the driver in the stationary control station to the vehicle being driven by the driver of the transport vehicle, takes place in the same way.

[0020] The system advantageously enables compliance with rest periods and the taking over of tasks, for example on monotonous routes, through teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle, i.e., by remote control from a person outside the transport vehicle to a person in the control station. The transport vehicle, which is teleoperated for at least certain sections of a route, advantageously does not have to be brought to a standstill for this purpose. A manual driver of the transport vehicle can also remain in the transport vehicle during teleoperation and, for example, take over the transport vehicle in a difficult situation. It is also conceivable for the manual driver of the transport vehicle to leave the transport vehicle during the journey under teleoperation.For this purpose, a suitable vehicle approaches the transport vehicle in such a way that it can be safely exited during the journey and transferred to a suitable additional vehicle – particularly in the case of a commercial vehicle as the transport vehicle. According to an advantageous embodiment, the computing unit is designed to check the radio network usable for the teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle along the planned route of the transport vehicle for sufficient data performance and reliability, depending on the current local status of the radio network.

[0021] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the computing unit is designed to determine an alternative route for the transport vehicle if no, only an unsuitable, or non-planning potential zone for teleoperated operation can be determined for the originally planned route.

[0022] According to a further advantageous embodiment, initiating the teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle comprises a notification thereof both for the driver of the transport vehicle and for the vehicle operator in the stationary control station, as well as a check of a bidirectional data transmission between the transport vehicle and the stationary control station.

[0023] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the computing unit is designed to output information about a predetermined local path to the driver in the transport vehicle and to output information about the same predetermined local path at the stationary control station to the vehicle driver in the stationary control station.

[0024] The specified local path guidance serves in particular to unify the local maneuvering of the driver in the transport vehicle and that of the vehicle operator in the stationary control station towards a common target in order to avoid contradictions in the input in the control elements precisely during the transition from manual vehicle guidance to teleoperated vehicle guidance.

[0025] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the computing unit is designed to output the same information to the driver in the transport vehicle and to the vehicle driver in the stationary control station.

[0026] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the computing unit is designed to issue an offer to the driver of the transport vehicle for takeover by teleoperated operation during the journey of the transport vehicle if the computing unit has determined a potential zone ahead for the teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle.

[0027] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the computing unit is designed to determine the potential zone for teleoperated operation before the transport vehicle starts its journey and to integrate it into the route planning of the transport vehicle.

[0028] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the system further comprises a relay module on another vehicle, which is designed to receive the control commands of the stationary control station and to transmit them to the transport vehicle.

[0029] According to this embodiment, it is possible for one or more other vehicles along the route of the transport vehicle to communicate with each other (V2X) for rest break coverage, thus forwarding the required data for teleoperation from a vehicle in an area of ​​low stationary coverage to a vehicle in an area of ​​higher stationary coverage. This can effectively expand the potential zone for teleoperation.

[0030] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the system further comprises a control unit of a further vehicle, wherein the control unit is designed to carry out driverless automatic following behind the transport vehicle when the transport vehicle is in teleoperated mode.

[0031] Further advantages, features, and details will become apparent from the following description, which – where appropriate with reference to the drawings – describes at least one embodiment in detail. Identical, similar, and / or functionally equivalent parts are provided with the same reference numerals.

[0032] They show:

[0033] Fig. 1: A stationary control station of a system for relieving a driver in a transport vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0034] Fig. 2: A first application situation of the system for relieving a driver in a transport vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0035] Fig. 3: A second application situation of the system for relieving a driver in a transport vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0036] Fig. 4: A third application situation of the system for relieving a driver in a transport vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0037] The representations in the figures are schematic and not to scale.

[0038] Fig. 1 shows a stationary control station 3 with three screens to relieve the workload of a driver in a transport vehicle 1. The middle of the screens is used to transmit the image from a front camera of the real teleoperated transport vehicle 1, while the left and right screens each transmit the images from a left and right side camera of the transport vehicle. Due to its special arrangement, the front part of the transport vehicle 1 can still be seen in the image field of the front camera. In the stationary control station 3, a driver sits as in the real transport vehicle 1, but the control station 3 is stationary and wirelessly sends the commands, which are picked up from the steering wheel, accelerator pedal, etc. at the control station 3, to the transport vehicle 1. In the same way, video images from the above-mentioned cameras of the transport vehicle 1 are continuously transmitted wirelessly and in almost real time to the screens of the stationary control station 3.The control station 3 is also connected to a computing unit 5, which supports a handover to a vehicle driver in the control station 3, as described in the following examples. The computing unit 5 can be located at the relevant control station 3, or it can be located any distance away from it and be connected to the control station 3, for example, via the Internet.The task of the computing unit 5 is to check a radio network that can be used for teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle 1 along a planned route of the transport vehicle 1 by means of previously stored data about the radio network and by means of information about a current local state of the radio network for sufficient data performance and reliability and to determine sections of the planned route with sufficient data performance and reliability of the radio network as potential zones for teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle 1, and if necessary to initiate teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle 1 by a driver in the stationary control station 3 while the transport vehicle 1 is still in motion by handing over vehicle control to the driver in the stationary control station 3 for such a zone.For this purpose, a notification is issued to both the driver of the transport vehicle 1 and the vehicle driver in the stationary control station 3 that the handover of the transport vehicle 1 to the vehicle driver in the stationary control station 3 is possible.

[0039] During the handover, both the driver in the stationary control station 3 and the driver of the transport vehicle 1, who is still driving manually, are provided with a respective target speed and a target trajectory, which both should control and aim for as far as possible. This occurs particularly only on straight road sections while the transport vehicle 1 is traveling at a constant speed. Alternatively, cruise control can be used, for example, to ensure that neither the driver of the transport vehicle 1 nor the driver in the control station 3 has to perform cruise control. The simplest form of cruise control is maintaining an actual speed at the time the cruise control is initiated. Further variants can be implemented, and simplifications and extensions can be utilized with the aid of additional vehicles:

[0040] Fig. 2 shows the simplest case in which the stationary control station 3, where the computing unit 5 is also located, can establish a sufficient radio connection to the transport vehicle 1 via a regular radio network. The transport vehicle 1 is traveling on a planned route from a starting point to a destination. Within the two double bars, the computing unit 5 has determined a zone for possible teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle 1. This determination was made based on a radio network analysis, by means of which the computing unit 5 recognized the radio network in this zone as having sufficiently strong signals, being reliable and having a sufficiently high bandwidth. If the teleoperated transport vehicle 1 moves in this zone, new radio masts of the radio network are continuously responsible for transmitting data bidirectionally between the transport vehicle 1 and the control station 3.

[0041] Fig. 3 shows one possibility for effectively increasing the range of the radio network and data transmission functionality described in Fig. 2. If there are other vehicles in the zone or near the zone, at least one of which has a relay module 7, data can be transmitted from the control station 3 to a radio mast, from the radio mast in turn to the other vehicle, to which they can then be forwarded via the relay modules 7 either to other vehicles with a relay module 7 or directly to the transport vehicle 1, so that in any case the transport vehicle 1 receives data from the control station 3, wherein the reverse data transmission path from the transport vehicle 1 to the control station 3 is possible in a similar way using one or more relay modules 7.

[0042] Fig. 4 shows a further increase in the efficiency of the system, whereby in this embodiment, only a single transport vehicle 1 needs to be controlled from a single control station 3, while additional vehicles with corresponding control units 9 can line up behind the teleoperated transport vehicle 1 in an automatic follow-up mode. All drivers of these additional vehicles with such a control unit 9 can therefore also take rest breaks during the teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle 1. A relay module 7 as described in Fig. 3 can also be used for vehicles with such a control unit 9 to effectively extend the range of the radio network.

[0043] Although the invention has been illustrated and explained in detail by preferred embodiments, the invention is not limited by the disclosed examples, and other variations may be derived therefrom by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. It is therefore clear that a multitude of variations exist. It is also clear that exemplary embodiments are truly only examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope, possible applications, or configuration of the invention in any way.Rather, the preceding description and the description of the figures enable the person skilled in the art to implement the exemplary embodiments in concrete terms, whereby the person skilled in the art, with knowledge of the disclosed inventive concept, can make various changes, for example with regard to the function or the arrangement of individual elements mentioned in an exemplary embodiment, without departing from the scope of protection defined by the claims and their legal equivalents, such as further explanations in the description.

[0044] List of reference symbols

[0045] 1 transport vehicle

[0046] 3 stationary control station

[0047] 5 Computing unit

[0048] 7 Relay module 9 Control unit

Claims

Patent claims 1. System for relieving a driver in a transport vehicle (1) of manual vehicle control, comprising a stationary control station (3) and a computing unit (5) which is designed to check a radio network usable for teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle (1) along a planned route of the transport vehicle (1) for sufficient data performance and reliability by means of previously stored data about the radio network and to determine sections of the planned route with sufficient data performance and reliability of the radio network as potential zones for teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle (1), and if necessary to initiate teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle (1) by a driver in the stationary control station (3) while the transport vehicle (1) is still in motion by handing over vehicle control to the driver in the stationary control station (3) for such a zone.

2. System according to claim 1, wherein the computing unit (5) is designed to check the radio network usable for the teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle (1) along the planned route of the transport vehicle (1) for sufficient data performance and reliability depending on a respective current local state of the radio network.

3. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the computing unit (5) is designed to determine an alternative route for the transport vehicle (1) if no, only an unsuitable, or not planning-correcting potential zone for a teleoperated operation can be determined for the originally planned route.

4. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein initiating the teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle (1) comprises a notification thereof both for the driver of the transport vehicle (1) and for the vehicle operator in the stationary control station (3), as well as a check of a bidirectional data transmission between the transport vehicle (1) and the stationary control station (3).

5. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the computing unit (5) is designed to provide the driver in the transport vehicle (1) To output information about a given local path and to output information about the same given local path at the stationary control station (3) to the vehicle driver in the stationary control station (3).

6. System according to claim 5, wherein the computing unit (5) is designed to output the same information to the driver in the transport vehicle (1) and to the vehicle driver in the stationary control station (3).

7. System according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the computing unit (5) is designed to issue an offer to the driver of the transport vehicle (1) for takeover by teleoperated operation during the journey of the transport vehicle (1) if the computing unit (5) has determined a potential zone ahead for the teleoperated operation of the transport vehicle (1).

8. System according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the computing unit (5) is designed to determine the potential zone for teleoperated operation before the transport vehicle (1) starts its journey and to integrate it into the route planning of the transport vehicle (1).

9. System according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a relay module (7) on a further vehicle, which is designed to receive the control commands of the stationary control station (3) and to transmit them to the transport vehicle (1).

10. System according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a control unit (9) of a further vehicle, wherein the control unit (9) is designed to carry out driverless automatic following behind the transport vehicle (1) when the transport vehicle (1) is in teleoperated mode.

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