Information Processing Method and Information Processing System

Abstract

This information processing method includes processes for: acquiring a remote control point, which is a point at which remote control of a mobile body capable of autonomous movement and remote control for movement is performed (S11); specifying a plurality of mobile bodies that pass through the remote control point in the same time band on the basis of the position of at least one mobile body (S12); determining a first mobile body to be remotely controlled from among the specified plurality of mobile bodies, and a second mobile body that follows the first mobile body (S13); making a proposal to an operator to remotely control the first mobile body in the remote control point (S14); and instructing the second mobile body to follow the first mobile body while the first mobile body is being remotely controlled (S15).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing method and an information processing system.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus for remotely controlling a vehicle capable of autonomous driving without a driver by an operator located at a remote location. Thereby, when such a vehicle cannot travel based on its own judgment, the operator located at a remote location can remotely control the vehicle to make it travel.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, a situation may occur where remote control is required for a plurality of movable bodies capable of autonomous movement at the same location in the same time zone. In this case, since the operator has to remotely control each of the plurality of movable bodies, the burden on the operator is large.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an information processing method and the like that can reduce the burden on an operator who remotely controls a plurality of movable bodies capable of autonomous movement at the same location in the same time zone.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The information processing method according to the present disclosure is an information processing method executed by a computer, which acquires a remote control point that is a point where remote control of a moving body capable of autonomous movement and remote control for movement is performed, and based on the positions of at least one moving body, identifies a plurality of moving bodies passing through the remote control point in the same time zone, determines a first moving body to be remotely controlled from among the identified plurality of moving bodies, and a second moving body that follows the first moving body, presents to an operator to remotely control the first moving body at the remote control point, and instructs the second moving body to follow the first moving body while the first moving body is being remotely controlled.

[0007] Note that these general or specific aspects may be implemented in a system, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or may be implemented in any combination of a system, method, integrated circuit, computer program, and recording medium.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the information processing method and the like according to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the burden on an operator who remotely controls a plurality of moving bodies capable of autonomous movement at the same point in the same time zone.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] An information processing method according to an aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method executed by a computer, and obtains a remote control point which is a point where remote control of a moving body capable of autonomous movement and remote control for movement is performed, and based on the positions of at least one moving body, identifies a plurality of moving bodies passing through the remote control point in the same time zone, determines a first moving body to be remotely controlled from among the identified plurality of moving bodies, and a second moving body that follows the first moving body, presents to an operator to remotely control the first moving body at the remote control point, and instructs the second moving body to follow the first moving body while the first moving body is being remotely controlled.

[0011] According to this, since the second moving body moves following the first moving body that is remotely controlled, the operator can move a plurality of moving bodies passing through the remote control point at the remote control point together by simply remotely controlling the presented first moving body. Therefore, the burden on the operator of remotely controlling a plurality of moving bodies capable of autonomous movement at the same point in the same time zone can be reduced.

[0012] Also, in the identification of the plurality of moving bodies, a movement plan of the at least one moving body may be obtained, and the plurality of moving bodies may be identified based on the positions and movement plans of the at least one moving body.

[0013] For example, when the remote control point is known in advance, it is possible to determine whether the moving object passes through the remote control point from the position and movement plan of the moving object. When the moving object passes through the remote control point, it is possible to identify the time zone when it passes through the remote control point. Therefore, it is possible to identify a plurality of moving objects predicted to pass through the remote control point in the same time zone.

[0014] In addition, in the determination of the first moving object and the second moving object, the positions and movement plans of the plurality of moving objects are acquired, and based on the positions and movement plans of the plurality of moving objects, the moving object that reaches the remote control point earliest among the plurality of moving objects is determined as the first moving object, and the other moving objects may be determined as the second moving object.

[0015] The moving object that is estimated to reach the remote control point earliest among the plurality of moving objects is likely to be located in front of other moving objects that are estimated to reach the remote control point later than the moving object at the remote control point. For this reason, by determining the moving object that is estimated to reach the remote control point earliest among the plurality of moving objects as the first moving object and the other moving objects as the second moving object, it is possible to smoothly switch to a mode in which the first moving object is remotely controlled by the operator while the second moving object follows the first moving object. In other words, it is not necessary to change the order of the first moving object and the second moving object in the traveling direction.

[0016] In addition, in the determination of the first moving object and the second moving object, the suitability of the moving object regarding remote control or following of the plurality of moving objects is acquired, and based on the suitability, a moving object suitable for remote control is determined as the first moving object from the plurality of moving objects, and the other moving objects are determined as the second moving object, or a moving object suitable for following is determined as the second moving object from the plurality of moving objects, and the other moving objects are determined as the first moving object, or a moving object not suitable for remote control is determined as the second moving object from the plurality of moving objects, and the other moving objects are determined as the first moving object, or a moving object not suitable for following is determined as the first moving object from the plurality of moving objects, and the other moving objects are determined as the second moving object.

[0017] Thus, a moving body suitable for remote control or a moving body not suitable for following may be determined as the first moving body, or a moving body suitable for following or a moving body not suitable for remote control may be determined as the second moving body. Thereby, the efficiency of remote control can be improved or a decrease in efficiency can be suppressed.

[0018] Furthermore, based on the positions and movement plans of the first moving body and the second moving body, it is determined whether the second moving body follows the first moving body at the start time of remote control. When the second moving body does not follow the first moving body, the movement of at least one of the first moving body and the second moving body may be instructed so that the second moving body follows the first moving body.

[0019] For example, depending on the current positions and movement plans of the determined first moving body and second moving body, the second moving body may not follow the first moving body at the start time of remote control. Therefore, when it is determined that the second moving body does not follow the first moving body at the start time of remote control, by instructing the movement of at least one of the first moving body and the second moving body so that the second moving body follows the first moving body, the second moving body can be made to follow the first moving body at the start time of remote control. Therefore, at the start time of remote control, it is possible to smoothly switch to a mode in which the first moving body is remotely controlled by the operator while the second moving body follows the first moving body. Also, the number of second moving bodies that cannot follow the first moving body can be reduced, and the number of times of remote control can be reduced.

[0020] Also, in the instruction of the movement, at least one constraint among the movement time, stop time, movement speed, and movement range is obtained, and the movement of at least one of the first moving body and the second moving body may be instructed in accordance with the at least one constraint.

[0021] For example, depending on the moving body, there may be constraints on the movable travel time and stoppable stop time according to the travel plan of the moving body, etc., constraints on the maximum speed or minimum speed of the moving body, or constraints on the travel range in which the moving body can move. Therefore, by giving a travel instruction in accordance with these constraints, it is possible to give a travel instruction while observing these constraints.

[0022] Further, the remote control point is a point where the moving body that requires remote control is located. In identifying the plurality of moving bodies, the plurality of moving bodies may be identified based on the position of the moving body that requires remote control and the positions of the moving bodies around the moving body as the position of at least one of the moving bodies.

[0023] For example, when the remote control point is not known in advance, the position of the moving body that requires remote control can be the remote control point. In this case, from the position of the moving body that requires remote control and the positions of the moving bodies around the moving body, the moving body that requires remote control and the moving bodies around the moving body can be identified as a plurality of moving bodies predicted to pass through the remote control point in the same time zone.

[0024] Further, in determining the second moving body, the moving body that requires remote control at the remote control point may be determined as the second moving body.

[0025] In this way, by determining the moving body presumed to require remote control at the remote control point as the second moving body, such a moving body can be made to follow the first moving body and indirectly remotely controlled. Also, for moving bodies not presumed to require remote control, the burden on the operator can be reduced by continuing autonomous movement.

[0026] Further, in determining the second moving body, based on the control characteristics of whether autonomous movement and remote control are possible, the history of remote control, the presence or absence of a request for manual control by the crew of the moving body, or the management attribute of whether it is a moving body to be managed, the moving body presumed to require remote control at the remote control point may be determined as the second moving body.

[0027] In this way, it is possible to infer whether or not the moving object requests remote control at the remote control point based on the control characteristics of whether autonomous movement and remote control are possible, the history of remote control, the presence or absence of a request for manual control by the crew of the moving object, or the management attribute of whether or not it is a moving object to be managed.

[0028] Also, in the determination of the second moving object, the second moving object may be determined based on the suitability of the moving object regarding following, the skill or experience of the operator for remote control involving following of the moving object, or at least one constraint among the moving time, stop time, moving speed, and moving range.

[0029] In this way, it is possible to determine a moving object suitable for following or a moving object satisfying at least one constraint among the moving time, stop time, moving speed, and moving range as the second moving object. Alternatively, the second moving object can be determined when the skill or experience of the operator for remote control involving following of the moving object is sufficient.

[0030] Also, in the above presentation, further, when the load on the operator for remote control is equal to or greater than the threshold or the remaining capacity is less than the threshold, or when the factor for remote control is not an abnormality in the moving object that affects movement, it may be determined to execute remote control of the first moving object involving following of the second moving object.

[0031] For example, in the remote control of the first moving body with the second moving body following, since the operator may be cautious about remote control because the second moving body is following, the moving speeds of the plurality of moving bodies are generally slow and inefficient. On the other hand, when the load on the operator for remote control is less than the threshold or the remaining capacity is more than the threshold, since the operator has a margin, remote control can be performed for each of the plurality of moving bodies without executing the remote control of the first moving body with the second moving body following, and the plurality of moving bodies can be efficiently moved. Also, when the factor of remote control is an abnormality in the moving body that affects movement, if the remote control of the first moving body with the second moving body following is performed, there may be a problem with safety. Therefore, by executing the remote control of the first moving body with the second moving body following when the factor of remote control is not an abnormality in the moving body that affects movement, safety can be ensured.

[0032] Also, in the above presentation, further, after the instruction to follow the second moving body, the operator may be permitted to remotely control the first moving body.

[0033] According to this, it is possible to suppress the start of the remote control of the first moving body before the preparation for the second moving body to follow the first moving body is completed.

[0034] Also, in the above presentation, further, during the remote control of the first moving body with the second moving body following, sensing data of a sensor in the second moving body may be acquired from the second moving body and the sensing data may be presented to the operator.

[0035] According to this, the operator can perform the remote control of the first moving body with the second moving body following while checking the sensing data of the second moving body following the first moving body (in other words, while checking the situation around the second moving body). Therefore, the safety of the second moving body that follows the remotely controlled first moving body and is not directly remotely controlled can be ensured.

[0036] Further, in the above presentation, during the remote control of the first moving body accompanied by the following of the second moving body, an operation interface for controlling a sensor in the second moving body is provided to the operator, and in the instruction to follow the second moving body, the control of the sensor may be instructed based on an operation in the operation interface.

[0037] According to this, the operator can control the sensor in the second moving body and perform remote control of the first moving body accompanied by the following of the second moving body while checking the situation of a desired area among the surroundings of the second moving body. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the safety of the second moving body that follows the remotely controlled first moving body and is not directly remotely controlled.

[0038] Further, in the above presentation, when the moving characteristics of the moving bodies are different between the first moving body and the second moving body, during the remote control of the first moving body accompanied by the following of the second moving body, the remote control of the first moving body by the operator and the moving trajectory of the second moving body estimated based on at least the moving characteristics of the second moving body may be presented to the operator.

[0039] For example, when the moving characteristics of the moving bodies are different between the first moving body and the second moving body, the moving trajectory of the second moving body following the first moving body may be different from the moving trajectory of the remotely controlled first moving body. In particular, when the size of the second moving body is larger than the size of the first moving body, even if the first moving body moves so as not to collide with an obstacle or the like when the first moving body is remotely controlled, the second moving body following the first moving body may collide with an obstacle or the like. Therefore, by presenting the estimated moving trajectory of the second moving body to the operator, the operator can remotely control the first moving body in consideration of the moving trajectory of the second moving body, and the safety of the second moving body can be ensured.

[0040] Further, in the instruction to follow the second moving body, the second moving body may be instructed to continue following the first moving body until the remote control of the first moving body accompanied by the following of the second moving body ends.

[0041] For example, if the following of the first moving body by the second moving body is released while the first moving body is being remotely controlled by an operator, there may be a problem with safety. This is because the situation where the first moving body is being remotely controlled by an operator is a situation where it is difficult for the first moving body to move autonomously, and the second moving body that follows the first moving body is also in a situation where it is difficult to move autonomously like the first moving body. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the release of the following of the second moving body to the first moving body before the remote control of the first moving body ends, and the safety of the second moving body can be ensured.

[0042] Also, in the above presentation, further, during the remote control of the first moving body accompanied by the following of the second moving body, based on the remote control point, the position of the first moving body, and the position of the second moving body, the relationship between the end point of the remote control and the position of the second moving body may be presented to the operator.

[0043] According to this, the operator can end the remote control of the first moving body after confirming that the second moving body has passed the end point of the remote control. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the release of the following of the second moving body to the first moving body before the second moving body passes the end point of the remote control, and the safety of the second moving body can be ensured.

[0044] An information processing system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires a remote control point, which is a point where remote control of a moving body capable of autonomous movement and remote control for movement is performed; a specifying unit that specifies a plurality of moving bodies passing through the remote control point in the same time zone based on the positions of at least one moving body; a determining unit that determines a first moving body to be remotely controlled and a second moving body that follows the first moving body from among the plurality of specified moving bodies; a presenting unit that presents to the operator to remotely control the first moving body at the remote control point; and an instructing unit that instructs the second moving body to follow the first moving body while the first moving body is being remotely controlled.

[0045] According to this, it is possible to provide an information processing system that can reduce the burden on an operator who remotely controls a plurality of mobile bodies capable of autonomous movement at the same point in the same time zone.

[0046] Hereinafter, embodiments will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0047] Note that all of the embodiments described below show comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of the components, steps, order of steps, etc. shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0048] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, an information processing method and an information processing system according to an embodiment will be described.

[0049] FIG. 1 is an image diagram showing an overall system including a remote control system 10, a remote operation system 20, and a mobile body 50 according to an embodiment.

[0050] The mobile body 50 is a mobile body capable of autonomous movement and remote operation for movement. Hereinafter, the mobile body 50 will be described as an autonomous driving vehicle, but the mobile body 50 may be an unmanned aerial vehicle or the like. For example, a plurality of mobile bodies 50 are traveling on a road or the like, and the plurality of mobile bodies 50 communicate with each other by vehicle-to-vehicle communication and also communicate with the remote control system 10 and the remote operation system 20 by wireless communication. For example, the mobile body 50 is provided with sensors such as a camera or LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), and can transmit sensing data to the remote control system 10 and the remote operation system 20. Also, for example, the mobile body 50 has a function of switching an operation mode (such as an autonomous automatic mode and a remote operation mode) in response to an instruction from the remote control system 10. Further, the mobile body 50 may have a function of requesting remote operation from the remote control system 10 when an event (details will be described later) occurs.

[0051] The remote control system 10 is a system that monitors the mobile body 50 in order to remotely control the mobile body 50 and gives instructions for remotely controlling the mobile body 50 to the remote control system 20. The remote control system 10 is an example of an information processing system. Details of the remote control system 10 will be described later.

[0052] The remote control system 20 is a system for remotely controlling the mobile body 50, and the operator remotely controls the mobile body 50 via the remote control system 20. For example, the remote control system 20 includes a control unit (such as a steering wheel) for remotely controlling the mobile body 50 and a display unit that displays an image around the mobile body 50 or a sensing result such as LiDAR based on the sensing data of the sensors of the mobile body 50. The operator can remotely control the mobile body 50 by operating the control unit while looking at the display unit.

[0053] Note that the remote control system 10 and the remote control system 20 may be provided in the same facility, or the remote control system 10 and the remote control system 20 may be integrated (for example, the remote control system 20 may be included in the remote control system 10).

[0054] Next, the configuration of the remote control system 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0055] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the remote control system 10 according to the embodiment.

[0056] The remote control system 10 includes an acquisition unit 11, a specification unit 12, a determination unit 13, a presentation unit 14, an instruction unit 15, and a storage unit 16.

[0057] For example, the remote control system 10 is a computer including a processor and a memory. The memory includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and can store programs executed by the processor. The acquisition unit 11, the identification unit 12, the determination unit 13, the presentation unit 14, and the instruction unit 15 are realized by a processor or the like that executes a program stored in the memory. The memory storing the program may be the storage unit 16 or a memory separate from the storage unit 16.

[0058] For example, the components constituting the remote control system 10 may be realized by a server. Further, the components constituting the remote control system 10 may be distributed and arranged in a plurality of servers. Also, for example, at least a part of the components constituting the remote control system 10 may be realized by a device mounted on the moving body 50 (for example, the first moving body described later).

[0059] The acquisition unit 11 acquires a remote control point, which is a point where remote control of a moving body capable of autonomous movement and remote control for movement is performed.

[0060] The identification unit 12 identifies a plurality of moving bodies 50 that pass through the remote control point in the same time zone based on the positions of at least one moving body 50.

[0061] The determination unit 13 determines a first moving body to be remotely controlled and a second moving body that follows the first moving body from among the plurality of identified moving bodies 50.

[0062] The presentation unit 14 presents to the operator to remotely control the first moving body at the remote control point.

[0063] The instruction unit 15 instructs the second moving body to follow the first moving body while the first moving body is being remotely controlled.

[0064] For example, in the remote control system 10, position information indicating the position of each moving object 50 that is the management target of the remote control system 10, movement plan information indicating the departure place, destination, movement route, etc., constraint information indicating constraints such as movement time, stop time, movement speed, and movement range, operation characteristic information indicating operation characteristics such as whether autonomous movement and remote control are possible, followable moving object information indicating the suitability regarding following of a followable moving object or a moving object to be followed, remotely controllable moving object information indicating the suitability regarding remote control of a remotely controllable moving object, moving object information indicating vehicle type, vehicle size, number of sensors installed, type of sensors, sensor installation position, etc., history information indicating the history regarding remote control, and remote control point information indicating pre-known remote control points, etc. are managed, and these information are stored in the storage unit 16. Note that these information may be stored in an external system, and the remote control system 10 may acquire these information from the external system.

[0065] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of followable moving object information.

[0066] For example, the followable moving object information may be information indicating the moving object 50 that can be followed for each moving object 50. As shown in FIG. 3, vehicle A can follow vehicles B and C, vehicle B can follow vehicles A and E, vehicle Z can follow vehicles B and X, etc. The moving object 50 that can be followed for each moving object 50 may be managed. Also, for example, the followable moving object information may be information indicating the moving object 50 to be followed for each moving object 50. Vehicle A is followed by vehicles B and C, vehicle B is followed by vehicles A and E, vehicle Z is followed by vehicles B and X, etc. The moving object 50 to be followed for each moving object 50 may be managed.

[0067] Details of each functional component of the remote control system 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0068] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the information processing method according to the embodiment. The information processing method is a method executed by a computer (remote control system 10). Therefore, FIG. 4 is also a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the remote control system 10 according to the embodiment. That is, the following description is also an explanation of the operation of the remote control system 10 and an explanation of the information processing method.

[0069] First, the acquisition unit 11 acquires the remote control point (step S11). The acquisition unit 11 may acquire the remote control point that is known in advance from the storage unit 16, or may acquire the point where the mobile body 50 is located when an event occurs in the mobile body 50 and a remote control is requested as the remote control point (that is, a remote control point that is not known in advance).

[0070] The remote control point is a point where remote control of the mobile body 50 is required. In other words, it is a point where a predetermined event occurs at which the mobile body 50 requires remote control. The predetermined event is an event such that the mobile body 50 gets stuck or becomes unable to continue autonomous movement based on its own judgment.

[0071] The remote control point that is known in advance is, for example, a point where remote control has occurred in the past and remote control has occurred repeatedly thereafter. Specifically, the remote control point that is known in advance is a point at a confluence point on a road with heavy traffic, a point around a place where people are doing traffic control during road construction, a point around a crosswalk with a lot of pedestrians, or a point around a place where there are chronically parked vehicles on the road, etc. For example, the remote control point that is known in advance may be stored in the storage unit 16 or the like according to the judgment of the administrator of the remote control system 10 or the like.

[0072] On the other hand, the remote control point that is not known in advance is, for example, a point where remote control has never occurred in the past and remote control occurs for the first time at the request of the mobile body 50. Specifically, the remote control point that is not known in advance is a point where there is a sudden parked vehicle on the road and remote control occurs temporarily.

[0073] Hereinafter, a case of obtaining a known remote control point in advance is described as Use Case 1, and a case of obtaining, as a remote control point, a point where the moving body 50 that requests remote control is located is described as Use Case 2.

[0074] Next, the specifying unit 12 specifies a plurality of moving bodies 50 that pass through the remote control point in the same time zone based on the positions of at least one moving body 50 (step S12).

[0075] In Use Case 1, the specifying unit 12 obtains the movement plans of at least one moving body 50 (for example, all moving bodies 50, a plurality of moving bodies 50 within a specific area, or one specified moving body 50. Hereinafter, also collectively referred to as the operating moving body 50), and based on the positions and movement plans of at least one operating moving body 50, specifies a plurality of moving bodies 50 that are predicted to pass through the remote control point in the same time zone. For example, when the remote control point is known in advance, it is possible to specify whether the moving body 50 passes through the remote control point from the position and movement plan of the moving body 50, and when the moving body 50 passes through the remote control point, it is possible to specify the time zone in which it passes through the remote control point. Therefore, a plurality of moving bodies 50 that are predicted to pass through the remote control point in the same time zone can be specified.

[0076] In Use Case 2, the specifying unit 12 specifies, as the positions of at least one operating mobile body 50, a plurality of mobile bodies 50 predicted to pass through the remote control point in the same time zone based on the position of the mobile body 50 that requests remote control and the positions of the mobile bodies 50 around the mobile body 50 that requests remote control. For example, when the remote control point is not known in advance, the position of the mobile body 50 that requests remote control can be the remote control point. In this case, from the position of the mobile body 50 that requests remote control and the positions of the mobile bodies 50 around the mobile body 50 that requests remote control, the mobile body 50 that requests remote control and the mobile bodies 50 around the mobile body 50 that requests remote control can be specified as a plurality of mobile bodies 50 predicted to pass through the remote control point in the same time zone. For example, the mobile bodies 50 around the mobile body 50 that requests remote control may be mobile bodies 50 within the imaging range of a sensor mounted on the mobile body 50 that requests remote control, or may be mobile bodies 50 at positions within a predetermined range from the position of the mobile body 50 that requests remote control.

[0077] Also, in Use Cases 1 and 2, the specifying unit 12 may have the following functions.

[0078] For example, when traffic congestion occurs near the remote control point, a large number of mobile bodies 50 are predicted to pass through the remote control point in the same time zone. In such a case, depending on the suitability of the mobile bodies for remote control or following of each mobile body 50, the skill or experience of the operator for remote control involving following of the mobile body 50, or the load or remaining capacity of the operator for remote control, the specifying unit 12 may generate a plurality of sets of a plurality of mobile bodies 50 passing through the remote control point in the same time zone. This is because as the number of second mobile bodies to follow a first mobile body increases, it becomes difficult to remotely control the first mobile body involving following of the second mobile body.

[0079] Next, the determining unit 13 determines a first mobile body to be remotely controlled and a second mobile body that follows the first mobile body from among the plurality of specified mobile bodies 50 (step S13).

[0080] For example, in Use Case 1, the determination unit 13 acquires the positions and movement plans of the plurality of identified moving bodies 50, and based on the positions and movement plans of the plurality of moving bodies 50, determines the moving body that reaches the remote control point earliest among the plurality of moving bodies 50 as the first moving body, and determines the other moving bodies as the second moving bodies. The moving body 50 that is presumed to reach the remote control point earliest among the plurality of moving bodies 50 is likely to be located in front of the other moving bodies 50 that are presumed to reach the remote control point later than the moving body 50 at the remote control point. Therefore, by determining the moving body 50 that is presumed to reach the remote control point earliest among the plurality of moving bodies 50 as the first moving body and the other moving bodies 50 as the second moving bodies, it is possible to smoothly switch to a mode in which the first moving body is remotely controlled by the operator while the second moving body follows the first moving body. In other words, it is not necessary to change the order of the first moving body and the second moving body in the traveling direction.

[0081] Also, for example, in Use Case 1, the determination unit 13 may acquire the suitability of the moving bodies for remote control or following of the plurality of identified moving bodies 50. The determination unit 13 may determine, based on the suitability for remote control, the moving body 50 suitable for remote control from among the plurality of moving bodies 50 as the first moving body, and determine the other moving bodies 50 as the second moving bodies. Further, the determination unit 13 may determine, based on the suitability for following, the moving body 50 suitable for following from among the plurality of moving bodies 50 as the second moving body, and determine the other moving bodies 50 as the first moving body. Also, the determination unit 13 may determine, based on the suitability for remote control, the moving body 50 not suitable for remote control from among the plurality of moving bodies 50 as the second moving body, and determine the other moving bodies 50 as the first moving body. Further, the determination unit 13 may determine, based on the suitability for following, the moving body 50 not suitable for following from among the plurality of moving bodies 50 as the first moving body, and determine the other moving bodies 50 as the second moving body. In this way, the moving body 50 suitable for remote control or the moving body 50 not suitable for following may be determined as the first moving body, or the moving body 50 suitable for following or the moving body 50 not suitable for remote control may be determined as the second moving body. Thereby, the efficiency of remote control can be improved, or a decrease in efficiency can be suppressed.

[0082] For example, the suitability of a mobile body regarding the remote control or following of a plurality of mobile bodies 50 may be determined relatively among the plurality of mobile bodies 50.

[0083] For example, a mobile body 50 suitable for remote control may be a mobile body having high performance of mounted sensors (e.g., a wide sensing range, etc.) or a large number of mounted sensors. Basically, this is because the remote control is performed based on the sensing information of the first mobile body. Also, for example, a mobile body 50 suitable for remote control may be a mobile body with which an operator is familiar with remote control. Also, for example, a mobile body 50 suitable for remote control may be a mobile body having a larger size than other mobile bodies 50. This is because the subsequent second mobile body simply moves following the same route as the first mobile body, and the operator can operate without being conscious of the route of the second mobile body. In other words, when the size of the first mobile body is smaller than the size of the second mobile body, the second mobile body cannot follow the same route as the first mobile body, and some device may be separately required for each of the first mobile body and the second mobile body. Also, a mobile body 50 not suitable for remote control may be a mobile body in which a sensor has failed or dirt has adhered to the sensor. Note that, by combining these elements, it may be comprehensively determined whether a mobile body 50 is suitable for remote control.

[0084] Further, a plurality of specified moving bodies 50 may be presented to the operator, and the operator may be allowed to select a first moving body and a second moving body from among the plurality of moving bodies 50. Further, information regarding the remote control of the plurality of specified moving bodies 50 may be presented. The information regarding remote control is, for example, (1) the distance from the remote control point to the moving body 50 or the scheduled arrival time at the remote control point, (2) the suitability of the moving body regarding remote control or following, (3) the control characteristics of whether autonomous movement and remote control are possible, the history of remote control, whether there is a request for manual control by the crew of the moving body, or the management attribute of whether the moving body 50 is a moving body to be managed by the remote control system 10, and the like. Further, selection conditions for the first moving body and the second moving body by the operator may be registered in advance, and a moving body 50 that meets the selection conditions may be automatically determined as the first moving body or the second moving body.

[0085] For example, in Use Case 2, the determination unit 13 may determine the moving body 50 that requests remote control as the first moving body, and determine the moving body 50 around the moving body 50 that requests remote control (for example, the moving body 50 following the moving body 50 that requests remote control) as the second moving body. Thereby, it is possible to smoothly switch to a mode in which the operator remotely controls the moving body 50 that requests remote control while causing the moving body 50 around the moving body 50 that requests remote control to follow the moving body 50 that requests remote control.

[0086] Further, in Use Cases 1 and 2, the determination unit 13 may have the following functions.

[0087] For example, the determination unit 13 may determine the moving body 50 that requests (presumably requests) remote control at the remote control point as the second moving body. In this way, by determining the moving body 50 that is presumably requesting remote control at the remote control point as the second moving body, such a moving body 50 can be made to follow the first moving body and indirectly remotely controlled. In other words, since the moving body 50 that is not presumed to request remote control at the remote control point is unlikely to require remote control at the remote control point, it may not be determined as the second moving body that follows the first moving body. That is, for the moving body 50 for which remote control is not presumed to be requested, the burden on the operator can be reduced by continuing autonomous movement.

[0088] For example, the determination unit 13 may determine the moving body 50 that is presumably requesting remote control at the remote control point as the second moving body based on the control characteristics of whether autonomous movement and remote control are possible, the history of remote control, the presence or absence of a request for manual control by the occupants of the moving body, or the management attribute of whether the moving body 50 is a moving body to be managed by the remote control system 10.

[0089] For example, the determination unit 13 may determine at least the moving body 50 that is capable of both autonomous movement and remote control as the second moving body. In other words, the determination unit 13 may presume that the moving body 50 that is not capable of both autonomous movement and remote control is a moving body 50 that is unlikely to request remote control at the remote control point, and may not determine such a moving body 50 as the second moving body. The moving body 50 that is not capable of both autonomous movement and remote control is, for example, a moving body that does not have both the functions of autonomous movement and remote control, or a moving body in which these functions are not functioning effectively due to a failure or the like.

[0090] Further, for example, the determination unit 13 may determine the moving body 50 having at least a history of being remotely controlled as the second moving body that can be remotely controlled at the remote control point. In other words, the determination unit 13 may not determine the moving body 50 having no history of being remotely controlled as the second moving body, assuming that the moving body 50 has a low possibility of requesting remote control at the remote control point. For example, the history of being remotely controlled is a history of having been remotely controlled and traveled at the remote control point targeted this time, or having traveled following the first moving body. Further, for example, the history of being remotely controlled is a history of another moving body 50 of the same type or a similar type having been remotely controlled and traveled at the remote control point targeted this time, or having traveled following the first moving body. Note that the history of being remotely controlled may be a history at another remote control point similar to the environment of the remote control point targeted this time (for example, one that can be determined on a map such as a merging point) instead of the remote control point targeted this time.

[0091] Further, for example, the determination unit 13 may determine the moving body 50 having no request for manual operation by at least the occupant of the moving body 50 as the second moving body that can be remotely controlled at the remote control point. In other words, the determination unit 13 may not determine the moving body 50 having a request for manual operation by the occupant of the moving body 50 as the second moving body, assuming that the moving body 50 has a low possibility of requesting remote control at the remote control point. For example, when the driving mode of each moving body 50 is managed in the remote control system 10, the moving body 50 that can switch between the automatic driving mode and the manual driving mode and is traveling in the automatic driving mode may be regarded as a moving body that requests remote control, and the moving body 50 that is traveling in the manual driving mode may be regarded as a moving body that does not request remote control.

[0092] Further, for example, the determination unit 13 may determine the mobile body 50 as the second mobile body by presuming that the mobile body 50 to be managed by the remote control system 10 at least can request remote control at the remote control point. In other words, since the mobile body 50 that is not originally the object to be managed by the remote control system 10 is a mobile body that does not request remote control from the remote control system 10, the determination unit 13 may not determine the mobile body 50 as the second mobile body.

[0093] Also, the width of the scheduled arrival time or the remaining distance used in the process of specifying the plurality of mobile bodies 50 by the specifying unit 12 may be a value set by the operator. Further, the width of the scheduled arrival time or the remaining distance may vary according to the distance from the remote control point to the mobile body 50. For example, when the distance from the remote control point to the mobile body 50 is 10 km, the width of the scheduled arrival time is 45 seconds, and when the distance from the remote control point to the mobile body 50 is 1 km, the width of the scheduled arrival time is 15 seconds, etc., the width of the scheduled arrival time varies. Also, the remaining distance may vary in the same manner as the width of the scheduled arrival time. Further, the value of the above variation may be set by the operator.

[0094] Also, at least one of the first mobile body or the second mobile body selected from the plurality of specified mobile bodies 50 based on the above selection conditions may be presented to the operator. Further, the operator may be asked whether or not to approve at least one of the presented first mobile body or the second mobile body, and if approved, the first mobile body and the second mobile body may be determined.

[0095] In addition, the identification of a plurality of moving bodies by the specific unit 12 may be performed by a machine learning model. For example, relationship data indicating the remote control point and the relationship between the remote control point and the operation moving body 50 is used as training data, and a plurality of moving bodies 50 identified by the operator are used as correct answer data to train the machine learning model. The relationship data is, for example, the distance from the remote control point to the moving body 50 or the scheduled arrival time at the remote control point. Further, in addition to the relationship data, data such as the operator, the position of the moving body 50 (or the type of the region to which the position belongs), the vehicle type of the moving body 50, and the time zone may be used as training data for training the machine learning model.

[0096] In addition, the determination of the first moving body and the second moving body by the determination unit 13 may be performed by a machine learning model. For example, information regarding the remote control of a plurality of moving bodies 50 identified by the specific unit 12 is used as training data, and the first moving body and the second moving body selected by the operator are used as correct answer data to train the machine learning model. The information regarding the remote control is, for example, (1) the distance from the remote control point to the moving body 50 or the scheduled arrival time at the remote control point, (2) the suitability of the moving body for remote control or following, (3) the driving characteristics of whether autonomous movement and remote control are possible, the history of remote control, the presence or absence of a request for manual operation by the occupant of the moving body, or the management attribute of whether the moving body 50 is a moving body to be managed by the remote control system 10. Further, in addition to the relationship data, data such as the operator, the position of the moving body 50 (or the type of the region to which the position belongs), the vehicle type of the moving body 50, and the time zone may be used as training data for training the machine learning model.

[0097] Note that instead of the above machine learning model, the identification of a plurality of moving bodies by the specific unit 12 and the determination of the first moving body and the second moving body by the determination unit 13 may be performed based on a statistical method using past history.

[0098] In this way, it is possible to infer whether or not the moving body 50 requests remote control at the remote control point based on the driving characteristics of whether autonomous movement and remote control are possible, the history of remote control, the presence or absence of a request for manual operation by the occupant of the moving body, or the management attribute of whether the moving body 50 is a moving body to be managed.

[0099] For example, the determination unit 13 may determine the second moving body based on the suitability of the moving body regarding following, the skill or experience of the operator for remote control involving following of the moving body 50, or at least one constraint among the moving time, stop time, moving speed, and moving range.

[0100] For example, the determination unit 13 may determine the moving body 50 whose suitability regarding following satisfies a predetermined condition as the second moving body. Specifically, the determination unit 13 may determine as the second moving body a moving body 50 having a function to follow another moving body 50, a moving body 50 sized to be able to follow another moving body 50 (for example, a moving body 50 smaller than the first moving body), or a moving body 50 having a sensor whose position or sensing range enables it to follow another moving body 50. For example, the predetermined condition may vary according to the current position of the moving body 50. This is because the required suitability of the moving body differs depending on the place where infrastructure cooperation is possible or the road width, etc.

[0101] Also, for example, when the skill or experience of the operator for remote control involving following of the moving body 50 is insufficient, the determination unit 13 may not perform the determination of the second moving body. That is, it may not be necessary to have the operator remotely control the first moving body involving following of the second moving body. Remote control of the moving body 50 involving following of another moving body 50 is more difficult than remote control of the moving body 50 not involving following of another moving body 50, and there is a risk of a safety problem when the skill or experience of the operator for remote control involving following of the moving body 50 is insufficient. Note that the determination unit 13 may inquire of the operator whether the skill or experience of the operator for remote control involving following of the moving body 50 is sufficient.

[0102] Further, for example, the determination unit 13 may determine a moving body 50 that satisfies at least one constraint among the moving time, stop time, moving speed, and moving range as the second moving body. For example, the determination unit 13 may not necessarily determine a moving body 50 that is providing a service (for example, a passenger vehicle carrying passengers) as the second moving body. The moving body 50 that is providing a service may be restricted in any of the moving time, stop time, moving speed, and moving range, for example. If such a moving body 50 is determined as the second moving body, it may not satisfy the constraints. Note that even if it is a moving body 50 that is providing a service, when at least one constraint among the moving time, stop time, moving speed, and moving range is satisfied and the service quality can be maintained, it may be determined as the second moving body. Similarly, the determination unit 13 may determine a moving body 50 that satisfies at least one constraint among the moving time, stop time, moving speed, and moving range as the first moving body.

[0103] In this way, it is possible to determine a moving body 50 that is suitable for following or a moving body 50 that satisfies at least one constraint among the moving time, stop time, moving speed, and moving range as the second moving body. Alternatively, the second moving body can be determined when the operator's skill or experience for remote control involving following of the moving body 50 is sufficient. In other words, when the operator's skill or experience for remote control involving following of the moving body 50 is sufficient, it may not be necessary to determine the second moving body.

[0104] Next, the presentation unit 14 presents to the operator to remotely control the first moving body at the remote control location (step S14). In use cases 1 and 2, the presentation unit 14 may have the following functions.

[0105] For example, when the load on the remote control system 10 (e.g., an operator) for remote operation is equal to or greater than a threshold value or the remaining capacity is less than the threshold value, or when the factor for remote operation is not an abnormality in the moving body 50 that affects movement, it may be determined to execute remote operation of the first moving body with the following of the second moving body, and the operator may be prompted to remotely operate the first moving body at the remote operation point. For example, the load on the remote control system 10 is the number or ratio of operators or remote operation devices required for remote operation, and the remaining capacity of the remote control system 10 is the number or ratio of operators or remote operation devices that can immediately respond to remote operation. For example, in the remote operation of the first moving body with the following of the second moving body, since it may involve the following of the second moving body and the operator often performs remote operation carefully, the moving speeds of the plurality of moving bodies 50 will generally become slow and inefficient. On the contrary, when the load on the operator for remote operation is less than the threshold value or the remaining capacity is equal to or greater than the threshold value, since the operator has a margin, remote operation can be performed for each of the plurality of moving bodies 50 without executing the remote operation of the first moving body with the following of the second moving body, and the plurality of moving bodies 50 can be efficiently moved. Further, when the factor for remote operation is an abnormality (e.g., sensor failure, dirt adhesion to the sensor, etc.) in the moving body 50 that affects movement, since the moving bodies 50 other than the moving body 50 in which the abnormality has occurred do not require remote operation, the remote operation of the first moving body with the following of the second moving body becomes unnecessary.

[0106] For example, after instructing the second moving body to follow, the presentation unit 14 may permit the operator to remotely control the first moving body. For example, until the preparation for the second moving body to follow is completed (for example, the movement to the following position is completed), it may not be possible to start the remote control of the first moving body, and when the preparation for the second moving body to follow is completed, the presentation unit 14 may present to the operator that remote control is permitted. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the remote control of the first moving body from being started before the preparation for the second moving body to follow the first moving body is completed. For example, whether the preparation for the second moving body to follow is completed may be determined according to whether vehicle-to-vehicle communication is established, whether the adjustment of the position and orientation of the second moving body with respect to the first moving body is completed, or whether the adjustment of the position of the sensor of the first moving body or the second moving body for the follow-up operation of the remote control is completed, and the like. Further, for example, before starting the remote control, after allowing the operator to confirm the positions of the sensors of the first moving body and the second moving body, the remote control may be permitted.

[0107] For example, during the remote control of the first moving body accompanied by the follow-up of the second moving body, the presentation unit 14 may acquire the sensing data (or its processed data) of the sensor in the second moving body from the second moving body and present the sensing data to the operator. Thereby, the operator can perform the remote control of the first moving body accompanied by the follow-up of the second moving body while confirming the sensing data of the second moving body following the first moving body (in other words, while confirming the situation around the second moving body). Therefore, it is possible to ensure the safety of the second moving body that follows the first moving body to be remotely controlled and is not directly remotely controlled.

[0108] For example, during the remote control of the first moving body accompanied by the following of the second moving body, the presentation unit 14 may provide the operator with an operation interface for controlling the sensor in the second moving body. Thereby, the operator can control the sensor in the second moving body and perform the remote control of the first moving body accompanied by the following of the second moving body while checking the situation of a desired area among the surroundings of the second moving body. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the safety of the second moving body that follows the remotely controlled first moving body and is not directly remotely controlled. For example, the control signal for controlling the sensor in the second moving body may be directly transmitted from the remote control system 20 to the second moving body, or may be transmitted from the remote control system 20 to the second moving body via the first moving body. Note that when the sensor of the second moving body for following the first moving body is controlled by the operator, there is a possibility that it may become difficult for the second moving body to follow the first moving body. Therefore, only sensors other than the said sensor of the second moving body may be controlled by the operator. Alternatively, the sensor of the second moving body may be controlled by the operator after the range in which following is possible (for example, the moving range and the direction range of the sensor of the second moving body, etc.) is restricted. Also, when the remote control of the first moving body accompanied by the following of the second moving body ends (that is, when the second moving body switches from the following mode to the automatic driving mode), the position and orientation of the sensor may be automatically returned to the state in the automatic driving mode before the following mode.

[0109] For example, when the moving characteristics of the moving bodies are different between the first moving body and the second moving body, during the remote control of the first moving body accompanied by the following of the second moving body, the remote control of the first moving body by the operator and the moving trajectory of the second moving body estimated based on at least the moving characteristics of the second moving body may be presented to the operator. For example, when the moving characteristics of the moving bodies are different between the first moving body and the second moving body, the moving trajectory of the second moving body following the first moving body may be different from the moving trajectory of the first moving body being remotely controlled. In particular, when the size of the second moving body is larger than the size of the first moving body, even if the first moving body moves so as not to collide with an obstacle or the like when remotely controlling the first moving body, the second moving body following the first moving body may collide with an obstacle or the like. Therefore, the estimated moving trajectory of the second moving body is presented to the operator. For example, a guide for the moving route is presented in accordance with the one having the larger vehicle body size (for example, the length of the vehicle) among the first moving body and the second moving body. Thereby, the operator can remotely control the first moving body considering the moving trajectory of the second moving body, and the safety of the second moving body can be ensured.

[0110] For example, during the remote control of the first moving body accompanied by the following of the second moving body, the presentation unit 14 may present to the operator the relationship between the end point of the remote control and the position of the second moving body based on the remote control point, the position of the first moving body, and the position of the second moving body. Thereby, the operator can end the remote control of the first moving body after confirming that the second moving body has passed the end point of the remote control. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the release of the following of the second moving body to the first moving body before the second moving body passes the end point of the remote control, and the safety of the second moving body can be ensured.

[0111] For example, when the presentation unit 14 has a history of remotely operating the moving body 50 at a remote operation point in the past, it may acquire the end point of the remote operation based on the history and present to the operator to continue the remote operation of the first moving body until the second moving body passes through the end point. For example, when the second moving body passes through the end point, the operator may be presented with that fact. Also, for example, until the second moving body passes through the end point, the running mode of the first moving body may not be permitted to be changed from the remote operation mode to the autonomous running mode. Further, the presentation unit 14 may present a point where switching from the remote operation mode to the automatic movement mode is permitted. Note that when there is no history, the point at which the mode is switched from the remote operation mode to the automatic movement mode may be set by the operator.

[0112] Then, the instruction unit 15 instructs the second moving body to follow the first moving body while the first moving body is being remotely operated (step S15). For example, when an instruction to switch from the autonomous running mode to the following running mode is issued from the remote control system 10 to the second moving body, the second moving body starts the following running mode, and at the timing when the operator issues an instruction to switch the first moving body from the remote operation mode to the autonomous running mode, the second moving body is switched from the following running mode to the autonomous running mode. Thereby, since the second moving body follows and moves with the first moving body being remotely operated, the operator can remotely operate a plurality of moving bodies 50 passing through the remote operation point at the same time zone and move them together at the remote operation point. Therefore, the burden on the operator of remotely operating a plurality of moving bodies 50 capable of autonomous movement at the same point in the same time zone can be reduced.

[0113] For example, in Use Case 1, the instruction unit 15 determines whether the second moving body follows the first moving body at the start time of remote control based on the positions and movement plans of the first moving body and the second moving body. If the second moving body does not follow the first moving body, the instruction unit 15 may instruct the movement of at least one of the first moving body and the second moving body so that the second moving body follows the first moving body. For example, depending on the current positions and current movement plans of the determined first moving body and second moving body, the second moving body may not follow the first moving body at the start time of remote control. Therefore, when it is determined that the second moving body does not follow the first moving body at the start time of remote control, the instruction unit 15 instructs the movement of at least one of the first moving body and the second moving body so that the second moving body follows the first moving body, thereby enabling the second moving body to follow the first moving body at the start time of remote control. Accordingly, at the start time of remote control, it is possible to smoothly switch to a mode in which the first moving body is remotely controlled by the operator while the second moving body follows the first moving body.

[0114] At this time, the instruction unit 15 may acquire at least one constraint among the movement time, stop time, movement speed, and movement range, and instruct the movement of at least one of the first moving body and the second moving body according to the at least one constraint. For example, depending on the moving body 50, there may be constraints regarding the movable movement time and stoppable stop time according to the movement plan of the moving body 50, constraints regarding the maximum speed or minimum speed of the moving body 50, or constraints regarding the movable movement range of the moving body 50. Therefore, by giving the movement instruction according to these constraints, it is possible to give the movement instruction while observing these constraints.

[0115] Also, in Use Cases 1 and 2, the instruction unit 15 may have the following functions.

[0116] For example, when the operation interface for controlling the sensor in the second moving body is provided to the operator during the remote control of the first moving body with the follow-up of the second moving body by the presentation unit 14, the instruction unit 15 may instruct the control of the sensor based on the operation in the operation interface. Thereby, the operator can control the sensor in the second moving body and perform the remote control of the first moving body with the follow-up of the second moving body while checking the situation of a desired area among the surroundings of the second moving body. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the safety of the second moving body that follows the first moving body being remotely controlled and is not directly remotely controlled.

[0117] For example, the instruction unit 15 may instruct the second moving body to continue following the first moving body until the remote control of the first moving body with the follow-up of the second moving body ends. For example, there may be a risk of a safety problem if the follow-up of the first moving body by the second moving body is released while the first moving body is being remotely controlled by the operator. This is because the situation where the first moving body is being remotely controlled by the operator is a situation where it is difficult for the first moving body to move autonomously, and the second moving body following the first moving body is also in a situation where it is difficult to move autonomously like the first moving body. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the release of the follow-up of the second moving body to the first moving body before the remote control of the first moving body ends, and it is possible to ensure the safety of the second moving body.

[0118] For example, when the first moving body passes the end point of remote control, the instruction unit 15 may instruct the first moving body to switch from the remote control mode to the automatic movement mode, and when the second moving body passes the above end point, the instruction unit 15 may instruct the second moving body to switch from the follow-up mode to the automatic movement mode. For each of the first moving body and the second moving body, when passing the above end point, it automatically switches to the automatic movement mode, which can save the trouble of the operator switching the remote control mode to the automatic movement mode by the operator and can reduce the burden on the operator. In the case of a situation where only the first moving body passes the end point and the second moving body has not passed the end point, the operator may be made to monitor the second moving body until the second moving body passes the end point.

[0119] For example, when the second moving body moves along the same moving route as the first moving body even after passing the end point of the remote control, the instruction unit 15 may instruct the second moving body to continuously follow the first moving body while the second moving body moves along the same moving route as the first moving body.

[0120] For example, during the remote control of the first moving body with the follow-up of the second moving body, if a new moving body 50 that can further follow is detected in the first moving body or the second moving body that follows the first moving body, the instruction unit 15 may instruct the new moving body 50 to perform a follow-up running. In this case, until the preparation for following the new moving body 50 is completed, the operator may be asked to interrupt the remote control of the first moving body once and make the first moving body wait. Alternatively, the operator may be asked whether to add the new moving body 50 as the second moving body.

[0121] Next, a specific example of the operation of the remote control system 10 in use case 1, which is a case of acquiring a known remote control point in advance, will be described.

[0122] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the remote control system 10 in use case 1.

[0123] First, the acquisition unit 11 acquires vehicle position information, operation information, and remote control point information (step S21). For example, the acquisition unit 11 acquires a known remote control point, acquires the positions of a plurality of vehicles existing around the remote control point among the plurality of moving bodies 50 (hereinafter also referred to as vehicles) managed by the remote control system 10, and acquires the operation information (travel route and arrival time for each travel location, etc.) of the plurality of vehicles.

[0124] Next, the specifying unit 12 specifies a plurality of vehicles scheduled to pass through the remote control point (step S22), and calculates the scheduled arrival time at the remote control point for each of the specified vehicles (step S23). For example, the specifying unit 12 can specify a plurality of vehicles scheduled to pass through the remote control point from the vehicle position information, the operation information, and the remote control point information, and calculate the scheduled arrival time for each of the specified vehicles. For example, the specifying unit 12 may specify a plurality of vehicles scheduled to pass through the remote control point from among a plurality of vehicles traveling in the same direction.

[0125] Next, the specifying unit 12 determines whether or not there are a plurality of vehicles arriving at the remote control point in the same time zone (step S24). For example, the specifying unit 12 can compare the scheduled arrival times of a plurality of vehicles scheduled to pass through the remote control point to determine whether or not there are a plurality of vehicles with the same scheduled arrival time, thereby determining whether or not there are a plurality of vehicles arriving at the remote control point in the same time zone. The range of the scheduled arrival times considered to be the same (that is, the allowable deviation with respect to the scheduled arrival time) may be made larger as the time from the current time to the scheduled arrival time is larger. This is because the difference between the actual arrival time and the scheduled arrival time can be larger as the time from the current time to the scheduled arrival time is larger.

[0126] Note that the specifying unit 12 can compare the remaining distances from the current positions of a plurality of vehicles scheduled to pass through the remote control point to the remote control point to determine whether or not there are a plurality of vehicles with the same remaining distance, thereby determining whether or not there are a plurality of vehicles arriving at the remote control point in the same time zone. The range of the remaining distances considered to be the same (that is, the allowable deviation with respect to the remaining distance) may be made larger as the remaining distance is larger.

[0127] Further, the specific unit 12 compares the driving routes and current positions from the current positions of the plurality of vehicles scheduled to pass through the remote control point to the remote control point, and determines whether there are a plurality of vehicles with the same driving route and the same current position, thereby determining whether there are a plurality of vehicles arriving at the remote control point in the same time zone. In this case, this determination can be made without calculating the scheduled arrival time or the remaining distance. When comparing the scheduled arrival times or comparing the remaining distances, there is an advantage that vehicles arriving at the remote control point in the same time zone can be selected from among a plurality of vehicles with different current positions or driving routes.

[0128] If there are not a plurality of vehicles arriving at the remote control point in the same time zone (No in step S24), the process ends. In this case, remote control of the first moving body accompanied by following of the second moving body (hereinafter also referred to as remote control with following) is not performed.

[0129] If there are a plurality of vehicles arriving at the remote control point in the same time zone (Yes in step S24), the specific unit 12 determines a plurality of vehicles arriving at the remote control point in the same time zone as a group for remote control with following (step S25). Note that the specific unit 12 does not have to include in the group for remote control with following a vehicle (for example, a vehicle providing a service) for which arrival at the destination is delayed by a predetermined time or more due to remote control with following and thereby causes a problem. This is because when remote control with following is performed, there is a risk that the vehicle may stop or decelerate and the arrival at the destination may be delayed, and in the case of a passenger vehicle carrying passengers, for example, the quality of the service may deteriorate.

[0130] Next, the determination unit 13 determines the vehicle with the earliest scheduled arrival time in the determined group as the vehicle to be remotely controlled (step S26). The vehicle to be remotely controlled is an example of the first moving body. Note that the determination unit 13 may determine, as the vehicle to be remotely controlled, the vehicle with the closest current position to the remote control point in the determined group. Alternatively, the determination unit 13 may determine the vehicle to be remotely controlled based on followable moving body information as shown in FIG. 3.

[0131] Next, the determination unit 13 determines a vehicle other than the remotely controlled vehicle among the determined groups as a following vehicle (step S27). The following vehicle is an example of the second moving body. For example, when the determination unit 13 determines the vehicle with the earliest scheduled arrival time as the remotely controlled vehicle, it determines a vehicle other than the vehicle with the earliest scheduled arrival time as the following vehicle, and when it determines the vehicle with the closest current position to the remote control point as the remotely controlled vehicle, it determines a vehicle other than the vehicle with the closest current position to the remote control point as the following vehicle. Alternatively, the determination unit 13 may determine a vehicle other than the remotely controlled vehicle determined based on the followable moving body information as the following vehicle.

[0132] When there are three or more vehicles arriving at the remote control point in the same time zone, there will be two or more following vehicles. For example, the determination unit 13 may determine the order of following among the two or more following vehicles.

[0133] When the determination unit 13 determines the remotely controlled vehicle and the following vehicle based on the followable moving body information, in other words, when determining the remotely controlled vehicle and the following vehicle without considering the scheduled arrival time or position, the current position of the remotely controlled vehicle may be located behind the current position of the following vehicle. Alternatively, even when the determination unit 13 determines the vehicle with the earliest scheduled arrival time or the vehicle with the closest current position to the remote control point as the remotely controlled vehicle and determines the other vehicles as the following vehicles, it is not always the case that the current position of the remotely controlled vehicle is located in front of the current position of the following vehicle.

[0134] Therefore, the instruction unit 15 determines whether the following vehicle is a vehicle following the remotely controlled vehicle (step S28). For example, it may be determined whether the following vehicle exists within a predetermined distance behind the remotely controlled vehicle, thereby determining whether the following vehicle is a vehicle following the remotely controlled vehicle. Whether the following vehicle exists within a predetermined distance behind the remotely controlled vehicle may be determined based on the sensing data of a sensor included in the remotely controlled vehicle or the following vehicle, or may be determined based on GPS (Global Positioning System) data.

[0135] When the following vehicle is not a vehicle following the remotely controlled vehicle (No in step S28), the instruction unit 15 performs driving control of at least one of the remotely controlled vehicle and the following vehicle so that the following vehicle becomes a vehicle following the remotely controlled vehicle (step S29). For example, driving control for reducing or stopping the speed of the following vehicle, or driving control for increasing the speed of the remotely controlled vehicle is performed. Alternatively, both driving control for reducing or stopping the speed of the following vehicle and driving control for increasing the speed of the remotely controlled vehicle may be performed. The driving control for stopping may be performed, for example, when there is an area where roadside parking is possible. Also, even when the following vehicle is located behind the remotely controlled vehicle, the distance between the remotely controlled vehicle and the following vehicle may be large. In this case, driving control for reducing or stopping the speed of the remotely controlled vehicle, or driving control for increasing the speed of the following vehicle is performed. Also, even when the following vehicle is located behind the remotely controlled vehicle, there may be another vehicle between the remotely controlled vehicle and the following vehicle. In this case, driving control for reducing or stopping the speed of the remotely controlled vehicle, or driving control for increasing the speed of the following vehicle to overtake the other vehicle is performed. The overtaking driving control may be performed, for example, when there is an area where overtaking is possible (e.g., an overtaking lane, etc.).

[0136] For example, when performing driving control such as deceleration or stop on a vehicle to be remotely controlled, there is a risk that the quality of services such as passenger transportation may deteriorate. Therefore, in order to suppress the deterioration of service quality, for the vehicle to be remotely controlled, control other than driving control such as deceleration or stop may be performed. For example, the driving route to the destination may be changed, and a driving route that allows for arriving at the destination earlier may be selected.

[0137] Note that the determination unit 13 may change the assignment of the determined vehicle to be remotely controlled and the following vehicle according to the positions, arrival scheduled times, remaining distances, etc. of the vehicles that sequentially change while the determined vehicle to be remotely controlled and the following vehicle are traveling to the remote control point. For example, when the following vehicle is predicted to be positioned in front of the vehicle to be remotely controlled while the already determined vehicle to be remotely controlled and the following vehicle are traveling to the remote control point, the determination unit 13 may re-determine the already determined following vehicle as the vehicle to be remotely controlled and re-determine the already determined vehicle to be remotely controlled as the following vehicle.

[0138] Also, when a vehicle (for example, a vehicle with a large difference between the current arrival scheduled time and the initial arrival scheduled time) that is predicted not to arrive at the remote control point at the same time zone occurs while the determined vehicle to be remotely controlled and the following vehicle are traveling to the remote control point, the determination unit 13 may remove the vehicle from the group of remotely controlled vehicles with followers. For example, when the vehicle is the vehicle to be remotely controlled, the remotely controlled vehicle with followers may be cancelled. Alternatively, a plurality of vehicles that arrive at the remote control point at the same time zone may be newly determined as a new group.

[0139] When the following vehicle is the vehicle to be remotely controlled by the following vehicle (Yes in step S28), or when the driving control of at least one of the vehicle to be remotely controlled and the following vehicle is performed in step S29 and the following vehicle becomes the vehicle following the vehicle to be remotely controlled, the presentation unit 14 presents the operator with remote control with following (step S30), and the instruction unit 15 instructs the following vehicle to follow and travel behind the vehicle to be remotely controlled (step S31). As a result, since the following vehicle follows and travels behind the vehicle to be remotely controlled, the operator only needs to remotely control the presented vehicle to be remotely controlled, and can cause the vehicle to be remotely controlled and the following vehicle passing through the remote control point in the same time zone to travel together at the remote control point. Therefore, the burden on the operator of remotely controlling a plurality of vehicles capable of autonomous driving at the same point in the same time zone can be reduced.

[0140] Note that, before the remote control with following is presented to the operator, the following vehicle may be instructed to follow and travel behind the vehicle to be remotely controlled. This will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

[0141] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the timing of starting the following travel. In FIG. 6, vehicle 50a is the vehicle to be remotely controlled, and vehicle 50b is the following vehicle. Also, route R1 is the travel route of vehicle 50a, and route R2 is the travel route of vehicle 50b.

[0142] For example, assume that when vehicle 50a travels in area A1, vehicle 50b is determined to be the vehicle following vehicle 50a. For example, at this timing, vehicle 50b can also be switched from the automatic driving mode to the following travel mode. However, when the subsequent travel routes of vehicle 50a and vehicle 50b are different like routes R1 and R2, the following travel mode of vehicle 50b will be cancelled once in area A2 and returned to the automatic driving mode, which is inefficient. Therefore, when the instruction unit 15 determines that vehicle 50b is the vehicle following vehicle 50a and that vehicle 50b and 50a are traveling in area A3 where the routes to the remote control point are the same, the instruction unit 15 may instruct vehicle 50b to follow and travel behind vehicle 50a.

[0143] In this way, when the instruction unit 15 determines that the following vehicle is a subsequent vehicle of the remotely controlled vehicle and that the areas where the following vehicle and the remotely controlled vehicle are traveling have the same route to the remote control point, the instruction unit 15 may instruct the following vehicle to follow and travel behind the remotely controlled vehicle. Note that the following vehicle may be providing a service and may stop during the journey for passengers to board or alight. In this case as well, the following mode of the following vehicle will be temporarily cancelled and the vehicle will return to the automatic driving mode. Therefore, when the instruction unit 15 further determines that the following vehicle will not stop for passengers to board or alight during the journey to the remote control point, the instruction unit 15 may instruct the following vehicle to follow and travel behind the remotely controlled vehicle.

[0144] Next, a specific example of the operation of the remote control system 10 in use case 2, which is a case of acquiring the location where the moving body 50 that requests remote control is located as the remote control point, will be described.

[0145] FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the overall system in use case 2. In FIG. 7, the moving body 50 that requests remote control is designated as vehicle 50a, and the moving bodies 50 (specifically, the subsequent vehicle of vehicle 50a) around vehicle 50a are designated as vehicle 50b. Vehicle 50a is an example of the vehicle determined as the first moving body, and vehicle 50b is an example of the vehicle determined as the second moving body.

[0146] For example, assume that a predetermined event has occurred in vehicle 50a. The predetermined event is, for example, an event that causes vehicle 50a to request remote control, such as vehicle 50a getting stuck or vehicle 50a being unable to continue automatic driving based on its own judgment. Specifically, when a person is directing traffic during construction, when merging onto a road with heavy traffic, when passing through a crosswalk with a lot of pedestrians, or when moving across the center lane, etc., these are examples of predetermined events.

[0147] Vehicle 50a requests remote control from the remote control system 10 because a predetermined event has occurred (step S41).

[0148] When the remote control system 10 receives a request for remote control, it determines whether there is a following vehicle behind the vehicle 50a that requested the remote control (step S42).

[0149] When the remote control system 10 determines that there is a following vehicle (for example, vehicle 50b) behind vehicle 50a, it determines whether vehicle 50b is a vehicle that requires remote control (step S43).

[0150] When the remote control system 10 determines that vehicle 50b is a vehicle that requires remote control, it presents the following-vehicle remote control of vehicle 50a accompanied by vehicle 50b to the remote control system 20 (that is, the operator) (step S44).

[0151] Also, when the remote control system 10 determines that vehicle 50b is a vehicle that requires remote control, it instructs vehicle 50b to follow vehicle 50a (step S45).

[0152] Then, vehicle 50b switches to the following-driving mode, notifies the remote control system 20 that the preparation for following vehicle 50a has been completed, and the remote control system 20 starts the remote control of vehicle 50a. After that, for example, after vehicle 50b passes the end point of the remote control, the remote control system 20 notifies vehicle 50a and 50b that the remote control is to be terminated, and vehicle 50a and 50b switch to the automatic driving mode.

[0153] Next, a specific example of the operation of the remote control system 10 in Use Case 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 8.

[0154] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the remote control system 10 in Use Case 2.

[0155] First, the remote control system 10 receives a remote control request from the moving body 50 (for example, the vehicle 50a) (step S51). As a result, the acquisition unit 11 acquires a remote control point, which is the location where the vehicle 50a that has requested remote control is located.

[0156] Next, the identification unit 12 determines whether there is a following vehicle behind the vehicle 50a that has requested remote control (step S52). For example, the identification unit 12 may determine the presence or absence of a following vehicle based on the sensing data behind the vehicle 50a. For example, when the distance between the vehicle 50a and the vehicle behind the vehicle 50a is within a predetermined distance (for example, 5 m or the like), the identification unit 12 may determine the vehicle behind as a following vehicle. Even when the distance between the vehicle 50a and the vehicle behind the vehicle 50a is within the predetermined distance, if there is a traffic signal between the vehicle 50a and the vehicle behind the vehicle 50a, the identification unit 12 may not determine the vehicle behind the vehicle 50a as a following vehicle. At this time, the identification unit 12 may consider the state of the traffic signal. When there is a traffic signal between the vehicle 50a and the vehicle behind the vehicle 50a, if the traffic signal shows green, the identification unit 12 may determine the vehicle behind the vehicle 50a as a following vehicle, and if the traffic signal shows red, the identification unit 12 may not determine the vehicle behind the vehicle 50a as a following vehicle. When the distance between the vehicle 50a and the vehicle behind the vehicle 50a is greater than the predetermined distance, the vehicle 50a may wait until the distance becomes within the predetermined distance. The waiting time is not particularly limited, but since there is a risk of interfering with other traffic, the waiting time may be set short. Alternatively, if it is determined that it will interfere with other traffic, the vehicle 50a may not wait. Also, if there is a risk that the quality of the service will deteriorate by waiting, the vehicle 50a may not wait.

[0157] When there is a following vehicle (e.g., vehicle 50b) behind vehicle 50a, the specifying unit 12 specifies vehicles 50a and 50b as a plurality of moving objects 50 passing through a remote control point in the same time zone. In other words, the specifying unit 12 determines vehicles 50a and 50b as a group for remote control with following. Here, although an example has been described in which whether there is a following vehicle or not is determined based on the sensing data of vehicle 50a, i.e., the group for remote control with following is determined based on the sensing data of vehicle 50a, the position information, operation information, vehicle information, etc. of each vehicle managed by the remote control system 10 when a remote control request from vehicle 50a occurs may be used to determine the group.

[0158] When there is a following vehicle (vehicle 50b) behind vehicle 50a (Yes in step S52), the determining unit 13 determines whether the following vehicle (vehicle 50b) is a vehicle that requires remote control (step S53).

[0159] For example, by determining whether vehicle 50b is an autonomous driving vehicle, it is possible to determine whether vehicle 50b is a vehicle that requires remote control. This is because if autonomous driving vehicle 50a requests remote control, it is considered that autonomous driving vehicle 50b traveling behind vehicle 50a also requires remote control.

[0160] For example, by performing image recognition on an image obtained from a sensor of vehicle 50a, it may be determined whether vehicle 50b is an autonomous driving vehicle. For example, when features peculiar to an autonomous driving vehicle are extracted from the appearance of the vehicle shown in the image, when the license plate shown in the image indicates an autonomous driving vehicle on the premise that information indicating whether it is an autonomous driving vehicle is attached to the license plate, or when no driver is shown in the image, etc., it can be determined that vehicle 50b is an autonomous driving vehicle.

[0161] Further, for example, it may be determined whether the vehicle 50b is an autonomous vehicle based on the position information of the vehicle 50b. For example, when the remote control system 10 grasps the current position information of all the autonomous vehicles under its management, when the current position of the vehicle 50b matches any of the current positions of all the autonomous vehicles managed by the remote control system 10, it can be determined that the vehicle 50b is an autonomous vehicle.

[0162] Further, for example, it may be determined whether the vehicle 50b is an autonomous vehicle by the vehicle 50a inquiring the vehicle 50b about whether it is an autonomous vehicle through vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0163] For example, if the vehicle 50b (or a vehicle of the same vehicle type as the vehicle 50b) has a record of being remotely controlled at the same remote control point in the past, it may be determined that the vehicle 50b is a vehicle that requires remote control.

[0164] For example, when the vehicle 50b is a level 3 autonomous vehicle, the driver of the vehicle 50b may be asked whether to switch to the follow-up driving mode or perform manual driving. When the driver selects to switch to follow-up driving, it may be determined that the vehicle 50b is a vehicle that requires remote control.

[0165] For example, when the remote control system 10 is capable of instructing the vehicle 50b to perform follow-up driving, it may be determined that the vehicle 50b is a vehicle that requires remote control. This is because when the vehicle 50b is managed by a system different from the remote control system 10 that manages the vehicle 50a, the remote control system 10 cannot instruct the vehicle 50b to perform follow-up driving.

[0166] When the vehicle 50b is a vehicle that requires remote control, the determination unit 13 determines the vehicle 50a as the vehicle to be remotely controlled (i.e., the first moving body), and determines the vehicle 50b as the following vehicle (i.e., the second moving body). Note that the vehicle 50a that requests remote control may be determined as the following vehicle, and the vehicle 50b may be determined as the vehicle to be remotely controlled. In this case, at least one of the vehicles 50a and 50b may be travel-controlled so that the vehicle 50a becomes a subsequent vehicle of the vehicle 50b.

[0167] When the vehicle 50b is a vehicle that requires remote control (Yes in step S53), the presentation unit 14 presents the operator with the remote control with following of the vehicle 50a (step S54), and the instruction unit 15 instructs the following vehicle (vehicle 50b) to follow and travel the vehicle 50a that requested the remote control (step S55). As a result, since the vehicle 50b follows and moves with the remotely controlled vehicle 50a, the operator can cause the vehicles 50a and 50b passing through the remote control point in the same time zone to travel together at the remote control point only by remotely controlling the presented vehicle 50a. Therefore, the burden on the operator for remotely controlling a plurality of vehicles capable of autonomous movement at the same point in the same time zone can be reduced.

[0168] On the other hand, when there is no following vehicle for the vehicle 50a (No in step S52), or when the vehicle 50b is not a vehicle that requires remote control (No in step S53), the presentation unit 14 presents the operator with normal remote control (step S56). In this case, the operator will remotely control the vehicle 50a that has no other vehicle following it.

[0169] (Other Embodiments) As described above, the information processing method and the information processing system (remote control system 10) according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure have been described based on the embodiments. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. As long as the gist of the present disclosure is not deviated from, various modifications conceived by those skilled in the art applied to each embodiment, or forms constructed by combining components in different embodiments may also be included within the scope of one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0170] For example, in the above embodiment, an example where follow-up remote control is performed when the moving body 50 moving autonomously requires remote control at a remote control point has been described. However, when the moving body 50 moving autonomously requires manual operation at a remote control point, follow-up remote control may be performed. Thereby, the labor of the crew of the moving body 50 for manual operation at the remote control point can be saved.

[0171] For example, in the above embodiment, an example where the second moving body follows the first moving body has been described. However, towing may be performed instead of following, or a combination of following and towing may be used.

[0172] For example, the second moving body may be set as an object to be remotely monitored by a remote monitoring operator. For example, the second moving body is set as a monitoring target in a remote monitoring system and is monitored by a remote monitoring operator. Further, when a specific condition is satisfied, the second moving body may be set as a remote monitoring target. The specific condition is, for example, that the remote control point is a place with poor visibility, the number or density of obstacles such as people and parked vehicles at the remote control point and its surroundings is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the traffic volume at the remote control point is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the remote control point is a place where follow-up remote control has never been performed in the past, the time zone of follow-up remote control is evening or night, the skill or experience of the remote control operator for follow-up remote control is equal to or less than a threshold value, a plurality of second moving bodies are selected, and so on. The determination of the specific condition may be executed based on sensing information obtained from sensors of the first moving body, the second moving body, or the infrastructure, or information collected from an external device (for example, map information, traffic information, weather information). Note that the remote monitoring operator is an operator different from the remote control operator of the first moving body.

[0173] Also, the monitoring priority of the second moving body may be set higher than that of other monitoring targets. Further, the monitoring priority of the second moving body that satisfies specific conditions may be set high. The specific conditions are, for example, that the remote control point is in a place with poor visibility, the number or density of obstacles such as people and parked vehicles at and around the remote control point is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the traffic volume at the remote control point is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the remote control point is a place where follow-up remote control has never been performed in the past, the time zone of follow-up remote control is in the evening or at night, the skill or experience of the remote control operator in follow-up remote control is equal to or less than a threshold value, a plurality of second moving bodies are selected, and so on.

[0174] Also, the authority to perform an emergency stop operation on the second moving body may be granted to the remote monitoring operator. When the second moving body is emergently stopped by the remote monitoring operator, the remote control of the first moving body may be released, or a proposal to release the remote control may be presented to the remote control operator. Further, the emergency stop of the second moving body may be notified to the remote control operator.

[0175] Also, control may be added to not permit remote control of the first moving body when the second moving body is not being monitored. For example, remote control of the first moving body is not permitted unless the second moving body is set as a remote monitoring target. Alternatively, it may be determined whether the remote monitoring operator is monitoring the second moving body, and remote control of the first moving body is permitted only when it is determined that the operator is monitoring.

[0176] For example, the present disclosure can be realized as a program for causing a processor to execute the steps included in the information processing method. Further, the present disclosure can be realized as a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM on which the program is recorded.

[0177] For example, when the present disclosure is implemented by a program (software), each step is executed by using hardware resources such as a CPU, a memory, and an input / output circuit of a computer to execute the program. That is, each step is executed by the CPU acquiring data from the memory or the input / output circuit or the like and performing calculations, or outputting the calculation result to the memory or the input / output circuit or the like.

[0178] In addition, in the above embodiment, each component included in the information processing system may be configured by dedicated hardware or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory.

[0179] Part or all of the functions of the information processing system according to the above embodiment are typically realized as an LSI which is an integrated circuit. These may be individually formed into one chip, or may be formed into one chip so as to include part or all of them. Further, the integration is not limited to an LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. An FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) which can be programmed after manufacturing the LSI, or a reconfigurable processor which can reconfigure the connection and setting of circuit cells inside the LSI may be used.

[0180] Furthermore, various modifications obtained by making changes within the scope conceivable by those skilled in the art to each embodiment of the present disclosure are also included in the present disclosure without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

Industrial Applicability

[0181] The present disclosure can be applied to an autonomous vehicle capable of autonomous driving and remote control, and the like.

Explanation of Signs

[0182] 10 Remote control system 11 Acquisition unit 12 Specifying unit 13 Determination unit 14 Presentation unit 15 Instruction unit 16 Storage unit 20 Remote control system 50 Moving body 50a, 50b Vehicles A1, A2, A3 Areas R1, R2 Routes

Claims

1. An information processing method executed by a computer, comprising: acquiring a remote control point which is a point where remote control of a moving object capable of autonomous movement and remote control for movement is performed; identifying a plurality of moving objects passing through the remote control point in the same time zone based on the positions of at least one moving object; determining a first moving object to be remotely controlled from among the identified plurality of moving objects, and a second moving object that follows the first moving object; presenting to an operator to remotely control the first moving object at the remote control point; instructing the second moving object to follow the first moving object while the first moving object is being remotely controlled; in the identification of the plurality of moving objects, acquiring a movement plan of the at least one moving object; identifying the plurality of moving objects based on the positions and movement plans of the at least one moving object; in the determination of the first moving object and the second moving object, acquiring the positions and movement plans of the plurality of moving objects; determining, as the first moving object, the moving object among the plurality of moving objects that reaches the remote control point earliest based on the positions and movement plans of the plurality of moving objects, and determining other moving objects as the second moving object An information processing method.

2. Furthermore, judging whether or not the second moving object follows the first moving object at the start time of remote control based on the positions and movement plans of the first moving object and the second moving object; when the second moving object does not follow the first moving object, instructing the movement of at least one of the first moving object and the second moving object so that the second moving object follows the first moving object The information processing method according to Claim 1.

3. In the instruction of the movement, acquiring at least one constraint among a movement time, a stop time, a movement speed, and a movement range; instructing the movement of at least one of the first moving object and the second moving object in accordance with the at least one constraint The information processing method according to Claim 2.

4. The remote control point is a point where the moving object that requests remote control is located, in the identification of the plurality of moving objects, identifying the plurality of moving objects based on the position of the moving object that requests remote control and the positions of the moving objects around the moving object as the positions of the at least one moving object The information processing method according to Claim 1.

5. In the determination of the second moving body, a moving body that requests remote control at the remote control point is determined as the second moving body that indirectly remotely controls by following the first moving body. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. In the determination of the second moving body, based on the driving characteristics of whether autonomous movement and remote control are possible, the history of remote control, the presence or absence of a request for manual operation by the crew of the moving body, or the management attribute of whether it is a moving body to be managed, a moving body that is presumed to request remote control at the remote control point is determined as the second moving body. The information processing method according to claim 5.

7. In the determination of the second moving body, the second moving body is determined based on the suitability of the moving body regarding following, the skill or experience of the operator for remote control involving following of the moving body, or at least one constraint among moving time, stop time, moving speed, and moving range. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. In the presentation, further, when the load on the operator for remote control is equal to or greater than the threshold or the remaining capacity is less than the threshold, or when the factor for remote control is not an abnormality in the moving body that affects movement it is determined to execute remote control of the first moving body accompanied by following of the second moving body. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. In the presentation, further, after an instruction to follow the second moving body, the operator is permitted to remotely control the first moving body. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. In the presentation, further, during remote control of the first moving body accompanied by following of the second moving body, sensing data of sensors in the second moving body is acquired from the second moving body, and the sensing data is presented to the operator. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. In the presentation, further, during remote control of the first moving body accompanied by following of the second moving body, an operation interface for controlling sensors in the second moving body is provided to the operator, and in the instruction to follow the second moving body, further, control of the sensors is instructed based on operations on the operation interface. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. In the above prompt, further, when the movement characteristics of the moving bodies are different between the first moving body and the second moving body, during the remote control of the first moving body accompanied by the following of the second moving body, the remote control of the first moving body by the operator and the movement locus of the second moving body estimated based on at least the movement characteristics of the second moving body are presented to the operator. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. In the instruction to follow the second moving body, the second moving body is instructed to continue following the first moving body until the remote control of the first moving body accompanied by the following of the second moving body ends. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. In the above prompt, further, during the remote control of the first moving body accompanied by the following of the second moving body, based on the remote control point, the position of the first moving body, and the position of the second moving body, the relationship between the end point of the remote control and the position of the second moving body is presented to the operator. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. An information processing method executed by a computer, acquiring a remote control point which is a point where remote control of a moving body capable of autonomous movement and remote control for movement is performed, identifying a plurality of moving bodies passing through the remote control point in the same time zone based on the positions of at least one moving body, determining a first moving body to be remotely controlled from among the identified plurality of moving bodies, and a second moving body that follows the first moving body, presenting to the operator to remotely control the first moving body at the remote control point, instructing the second moving body to follow the first moving body while the first moving body is being remotely controlled, In the identification of the plurality of moving bodies, acquiring the movement plan of the at least one moving body, identifying the plurality of moving bodies based on the positions and movement plans of the at least one moving body, In the determination of the first moving body and the second moving body, acquiring the suitability of the moving bodies regarding remote control or following of the plurality of moving bodies, Based on the suitability, determining a moving body suitable for remote control from among the plurality of moving bodies as the first moving body, and determining other moving bodies as the second moving body, or determining a moving body suitable for following from among the plurality of moving bodies as the second moving body, and determining other moving bodies as the first moving body, or Determine a moving object that is not suitable for remote control from the plurality of moving objects as the second moving object, and determine other moving objects as the first moving object, or Determine a moving object that is not suitable for following from the plurality of moving objects as the first moving object, and determine other moving objects as the second moving object Information processing method.

16. An information processing method executed by a computer, Obtain a remote control point, which is a point where remote control of a moving object capable of autonomous movement and remote control for movement is performed, Based on the position of at least one moving object, identify a plurality of moving objects passing through the remote control point in the same time zone, Determine a first moving object to be remotely controlled and a second moving object that follows the first moving object from among the identified plurality of moving objects, Present to the operator to remotely control the first moving object at the remote control point, While the first moving object is being remotely controlled, instruct the second moving object to follow the first moving object, In the identification of the plurality of moving objects, Obtain the movement plan of the at least one moving object, Identify the plurality of moving objects based on the position and movement plan of the at least one moving object, Furthermore, Based on the positions and movement plans of the first moving object and the second moving object, determine whether the second moving object follows the first moving object at the start time of remote control, If the second moving object does not follow the first moving object, instruct the movement of at least one of the first moving object and the second moving object so that the second moving object follows the first moving object Information processing method.

17. An information processing method executed by a computer, Obtain a remote control point, which is a point where remote control of a moving object capable of autonomous movement and remote control for movement is performed, Based on the position of at least one moving object, identify a plurality of moving objects passing through the remote control point in the same time zone, Determine a first moving object to be remotely controlled and a second moving object that follows the first moving object from among the identified plurality of moving objects, Present to the operator to remotely control the first moving object at the remote control point, While the first moving object is being remotely controlled, instruct the second moving object to follow the first moving object, In the above prompt, further, when the operator's load for remote control is equal to or greater than the threshold value or the remaining capacity is less than the threshold value, or when the factor of remote control is not an abnormality in the moving body that affects movement, it is determined to execute remote control of the first moving body accompanied by following of the second moving body. Information processing method.

18. An information processing method executed by a computer, acquire a remote control point which is a point where remote control of a moving body capable of autonomous movement and remote control for movement is performed, identify a plurality of moving bodies passing through the remote control point in the same time zone based on the positions of at least one moving body, determine a first moving body to be remotely controlled from among the identified plurality of moving bodies and a second moving body that follows the first moving body, prompt the operator to remotely control the first moving body at the remote control point, instruct the second moving body to follow the first moving body while the first moving body is being remotely controlled, in the above prompt, further, during remote control of the first moving body accompanied by following of the second moving body, provide the operator with an operation interface for controlling a sensor in the second moving body, in the instruction to follow the second moving body, further, instruct control of the sensor based on an operation in the operation interface Information processing method.

19. an acquisition unit that acquires a remote control point which is a point where remote control of a moving body capable of autonomous movement and remote control for movement is performed, a specifying unit that specifies a plurality of moving bodies passing through the remote control point in the same time zone based on the positions of at least one moving body, a determination unit that determines a first moving body to be remotely controlled from among the specified plurality of moving bodies and a second moving body that follows the first moving body, a prompting unit that prompts the operator to remotely control the first moving body at the remote control point, and an instructing unit that instructs the second moving body to follow the first moving body while the first moving body is being remotely controlled, The specifying unit, acquires the movement plan of the at least one moving body, specifies the plurality of moving bodies based on the positions and movement plans of the at least one moving body, The determination unit, acquires the positions and movement plans of the plurality of moving bodies, Based on the positions and movement plans of the plurality of moving bodies, determine the moving body among the plurality of moving bodies that reaches the remote control point earliest as the first moving body, and determine the other moving bodies as the second moving bodies. An information processing system.

20. An acquisition unit that acquires a remote control point, which is a point where remote control of a moving body capable of autonomous movement and remote control for movement is performed; A specifying unit that specifies a plurality of moving bodies passing through the remote control point in the same time zone based on the position of at least one moving body; A determining unit that determines a first moving body to be remotely controlled and a second moving body that follows the first moving body from among the plurality of specified moving bodies; A presenting unit that presents to an operator to remotely control the first moving body at the remote control point; An instructing unit that instructs the second moving body to follow the first moving body while the first moving body is being remotely controlled, and comprising: The specifying unit: Acquires the movement plan of the at least one moving body; Specifies the plurality of moving bodies based on the position and movement plan of the at least one moving body; The determining unit: Acquires the suitability of the moving bodies regarding the remote control or following of the plurality of moving bodies; Based on the suitability, Determines a moving body suitable for remote control from the plurality of moving bodies as the first moving body, and determines the other moving bodies as the second moving bodies, or Determines a moving body suitable for following from the plurality of moving bodies as the second moving body, and determines the other moving bodies as the first moving body, or Determines a moving body not suitable for remote control from the plurality of moving bodies as the second moving body, and determines the other moving bodies as the first moving body, or Determines a moving body not suitable for following from the plurality of moving bodies as the first moving body, and determines the other moving bodies as the second moving bodies An information processing system.

21. An acquisition unit that acquires a remote control point, which is a point where remote control of a moving body capable of autonomous movement and remote control for movement is performed; A specifying unit that specifies a plurality of moving bodies passing through the remote control point in the same time zone based on the position of at least one moving body; A determining unit that determines a first moving body to be remotely controlled and a second moving body that follows the first moving body from among the plurality of specified moving bodies; A presenting unit that presents to an operator to remotely control the first moving body at the remote control point; An instruction unit that instructs the second moving body to follow the first moving body while the first moving body is being remotely controlled. The specifying unit acquires the movement plan of the at least one moving body, identifies the plurality of moving bodies based on the positions and movement plans of the at least one moving body, Furthermore, Based on the positions and movement plans of the first moving body and the second moving body, it is determined whether the second moving body follows the first moving body at the start time of remote control. When the second moving body does not follow the first moving body, the movement of at least one of the first moving body and the second moving body is instructed so that the second moving body follows the first moving body. An information processing system.

22. An acquisition unit that acquires a remote control point, which is a point where remote control of a moving body capable of autonomous movement and remote control for movement is performed; A specifying unit that specifies a plurality of moving bodies passing through the remote control point in the same time zone based on the positions of at least one moving body; A determination unit that determines a first moving body to be remotely controlled and a second moving body that follows the first moving body from among the plurality of specified moving bodies; A presentation unit that presents to an operator to remotely control the first moving body at the remote control point; An instruction unit that instructs the second moving body to follow the first moving body while the first moving body is being remotely controlled. The presentation unit further determines to execute remote control of the first moving body accompanied by following of the second moving body when the load on the operator for remote control is equal to or greater than a threshold value or the remaining power is less than the threshold value, or when the factor for remote control is not an abnormality in the moving body that affects movement. An information processing system.

23. An acquisition unit that acquires a remote control point, which is a point where remote control of a moving body capable of autonomous movement and remote control for movement is performed; A specifying unit that specifies a plurality of moving bodies passing through the remote control point in the same time zone based on the positions of at least one moving body; A determination unit that determines a first moving body to be remotely controlled and a second moving body that follows the first moving body from among the plurality of specified moving bodies; A presentation unit that presents to an operator to remotely control the first moving body at the remote control point; An instruction unit that instructs the second moving body to follow the first moving body while the first moving body is being remotely controlled. The prompting unit further provides an operator with an operation interface for controlling a sensor in the second moving body during remote control of the first moving body accompanied by following of the second moving body. The instructing unit further instructs control of the sensor based on an operation in the operation interface. An information processing system.

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