Remote Control Support Device

Abstract

To improve a utility of a technique that remotely supports control of an automatic driving vehicle.SOLUTION: A remote control support device according to the present disclosure comprises a control unit configured to: acquire a plurality of driving plans, each of which is a different driving plan for an automatic driving vehicle; acquire historical information on a remote supporting request generated in the past from the automatic driving vehicle; predict a generation of the remote supporting request in each of the plurality of different driving plans based on the historical information; and change at least one of the two or more driving plans in the case that a generation of a predetermined remote supporting request is predicted in two or more driving plans within the same time frame.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a remote control assistance device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known technologies for remotely assisting the control of autonomous vehicles. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle remote instruction system in which monitoring time for multiple autonomous vehicles is assigned to one remote commander, and when the number of overlapping monitoring times exceeds the number of remote commanders, the system changes the driving plan of at least one vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-26696 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a demand for further improvements in the usefulness of technologies for remotely assisting the control of autonomous vehicles. For example, when changing the driving plan of an autonomous vehicle in response to remote control assistance, there is a demand for changes to the driving plan that take priority into account, such as determining which autonomous vehicle's driving plan should be changed first to enable efficient remote control assistance.

[0005] The purpose of the present disclosure, made in consideration of the above circumstances, is to improve the usefulness of technology for remotely assisting the control of autonomously driving vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A remote control assistance device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a remote control assistance device for an autonomous vehicle, and includes a control unit configured to acquire a plurality of driving plans, each of which is a driving plan for a different autonomous vehicle, acquire historical information of remote assistance requests that have occurred in the past from the autonomous vehicle, predict the occurrence of a remote assistance request for each of the plurality of driving plans based on the historical information, and change at least one of the two or more driving plans when a predetermined remote assistance request is predicted to occur for two or more driving plans within the same time frame. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the usefulness of technology for remotely assisting the control of autonomous vehicles is improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a remote control assistance system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart showing a first operation of the remote control support system. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a server. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a second operation of the remote control support system. [Figure 5] 1 is a time chart showing a travel plan for a plurality of vehicles. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0010] (Outline of the embodiment) An overview of a remote control support system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the remote control support system 1. The remote control support system 1 includes three vehicles 10 (vehicles 10A, 10B, and 10C), a server 20, and a terminal device 30. In the following description, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between the vehicles 10A, 10B, and 10C, they will be collectively referred to simply as "vehicles 10."

[0011] The vehicle 10 is an autonomous vehicle that can travel at least partially autonomously. The vehicle 10 may have a control device such as an ADS (Autonomous Driving System), an ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), or an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The autonomous driving level of the vehicle 10 may be equivalent to, for example, level 3 or level 4 in the classification system of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). However, the autonomous driving level of the vehicle 10 is not limited to these.

[0012] In this embodiment, the vehicle 10 is configured to travel autonomously according to a travel plan, receiving remote control assistance from an operator in a remote location as needed. The vehicle 10 may be, for example, a bus that travels between passenger pick-up and drop-off locations along a travel route described in a travel plan without a driver or conductor. However, the vehicle 10 is not limited to a bus and may be any vehicle, such as a passenger car, motorcycle, or truck.

[0013] The server 20 is configured with one or more computers. In this embodiment, the server 20 may be configured with one computer, or may be configured with multiple computers that can communicate with each other, such as a cloud computing system. In the following description, the server 20 is also referred to as a remote control assistance device.

[0014] The terminal device 30 is, for example, a personal computer, but is not limited to this and may be any computer such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc. In this embodiment, the terminal device 30 is used by an operator who provides remote control assistance for the vehicle 10.

[0015] 1 shows three vehicles 10, one server 20, and one terminal device 30. However, the remote control assistance system 1 may include any number of vehicles 10, servers 20, and terminal devices 30. The vehicles 10, the server 20, and the terminal devices 30 are communicatively connected to a network 40 including, for example, the Internet and a mobile communication network.

[0016] First, an overview of the remote control assistance system 1, which is the premise of the present invention, will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing a first operation of the remote control assistance system 1. The remote control assistance system 1 is used, for example, to remotely assist an operator in part of the control of the vehicle 10, which is an autonomous driving vehicle, that is, it is a system used to assist in the remote control of the vehicle 10. The control of the vehicle 10 may include control related to the driving of the vehicle 10, such as acceleration, deceleration, or steering of the vehicle 10. The control of the vehicle 10 may also include control related to things other than the driving of the vehicle 10, such as opening and closing doors, checking whether occupants are seated, or making announcements inside the vehicle.

[0017] Specifically, in the remote control assistance system 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 10 controls the vehicle 10 according to a driving plan of the vehicle 10 and drives by autonomous driving (step S101). When remote assistance from an operator becomes necessary, the vehicle 10 transmits a remote assistance request to the server 20 (step S102). The remote assistance request is, for example, a request for approval for the vehicle 10 to turn right (or left) across an oncoming lane. The conditions, timing, etc. for transmitting the remote assistance request may be determined by a control device of the vehicle 10 according to the driving plan of the vehicle 10. The remote assistance request from the vehicle 10 is transmitted via the server 20 to the terminal device 30 of the operator in charge of remote assistance for the vehicle 10. Thereafter, the terminal device 30 displays the received remote assistance request, and upon receiving an operation by the operator, transmits the received operation by the operator to the server 20 (step S103). For example, when the operator receives a request for approval of a right turn from the vehicle 10, the operator may check the image from an exterior camera installed on the vehicle 10 and perform an operation to approve the right turn of the vehicle 10. The operation by the operator is transmitted via the server 20 to the vehicle 10 that sent the remote assistance request. The vehicle 10 controls the vehicle 10 based on the received operation by the operator and continues traveling by autonomous driving (step S104). In the remote control assistance system 1, these processes are repeated, thereby enabling the vehicle 10 to travel by autonomous driving with remote assistance from the operator.

[0018] The remote assistance in the control of the vehicle 10 includes remotely operating functions of the vehicle 10, sending control commands to the vehicle 10, sending information used to control the vehicle 10, or approving the execution of control by the vehicle 10. In this embodiment, the remote assistance in the control of the vehicle 10 is performed manually by an operator of the remote control assistance system 1 via, for example, the terminal device 30. However, part of the remote assistance in the control of the vehicle 10 may be performed automatically by the server 20, which is a remote control assistance device.

[0019] To improve the usefulness of the remote control assistance system 1, the server 20, which is a remote control assistance device, manages driving plans for multiple vehicles 10. Specifically, the server 20 acquires multiple driving plans, each of which is a driving plan for a different vehicle 10. The server 20 acquires historical information about remote assistance requests from the vehicle 10 that have occurred in the past, and predicts the occurrence of a remote assistance request for each of the multiple driving plans based on the historical information. When a predetermined remote assistance request is predicted to occur for two or more driving plans within the same time frame, the server 20 changes at least one of the two or more driving plans. The predetermined remote assistance request is, for example, a remote assistance request that requests an operation by an operator, but is not limited to this.

[0020] As described above, according to this embodiment, when there is a possibility that remote support requests from multiple vehicles 10 may occur at the same time, the driving plans of the multiple vehicles 10 can be changed so that the timing of the requests does not overlap, based on the history information of past remote support requests. This distributes the occurrence of remote support requests, thereby preventing delays in the operator's response to the remote support requests from the vehicles 10.

[0021] In this embodiment, the "travel plan" of vehicle 10 is a travel schedule of vehicle 10. The travel plan of vehicle 10 includes information such as a departure point, intermediate points, destination, a travel route that is the route that vehicle 10 will travel, traffic rules, a travel time zone, a scheduled departure time from the departure point, a scheduled arrival time at intermediate points, and a scheduled arrival time at the destination. However, the travel plan of vehicle 10 may include information other than the above-mentioned information.

[0022] In this embodiment, the "remote assistance request" can be classified into a plurality of categories depending on the content of the process to be remotely supported. For example, the remote assistance request may include three categories: a driving assistance request, a passenger assistance request, and a traffic management assistance request.

[0023] A driving assistance request is a request for remote assistance regarding the driving safety of the vehicle 10. A driving assistance request is an assistance request that occurs in conjunction with driving the vehicle 10, and requests an operator in a remote location to operate and assist as the driver of the vehicle 10. The driving assistance request includes, for example, remote control (acceleration, deceleration, or steering) of the vehicle 10, setting of upper and lower speed limits for the vehicle speed, approval to make a right turn (or left turn) across an oncoming lane, etc.

[0024] An occupant assistance request is a remote assistance request related to the safety of occupants of the vehicle 10. An occupant assistance request is an assistance request that occurs when occupants get on or off the vehicle 10, and requests an operator in a remote location to operate and assist as a conductor of the vehicle 10. An occupant assistance request includes safety confirmation when opening and closing doors, confirmation of occupant safety, announcements inside the vehicle, etc.

[0025] The operation management support is a request for remote support regarding the continuity of the vehicle 10's operations. The crew support request is a request for an operator in a remote location to operate and support the vehicle 10 as an operation manager. The operation management support includes managing the vehicle 10's driving plan, arranging a replacement vehicle in the event of a breakdown or running out of fuel, and determining whether to continue or stop driving due to weather. However, the remote support request may include categories other than the three mentioned above.

[0026] (Server configuration) Next, each component of the server 20, which is a remote control assistance device, will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the server 20.

[0027] 3, the server 20 includes a communication unit 21, an output unit 22, an input unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a control unit 25. The communication unit 21, the output unit 22, the input unit 23, the storage unit 24, and the control unit 25 are connected to each other via wire or wirelessly so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0028] The communication unit 21 includes a communication module for connecting to the network 40. The communication module is a communication module compatible with mobile communication standards such as 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation). The communication module may be a communication module compatible with standards such as wired LAN (Local Area Network) or wireless LAN. The communication module may be a communication module compatible with short-range wireless communication standards such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or infrared communication. In this embodiment, the server 20 is connected to the network 40 via the communication unit 21. This allows the server 20 to communicate with the vehicle 10, the terminal device 30, etc.

[0029] The output unit 22 includes one or more output devices. The output devices included in the output unit 22 are, for example, a display, a speaker, a lamp, etc. The output unit 22 outputs an image, sound, light, etc.

[0030] The input unit 23 includes one input device. The input device included in the input unit 23 is, for example, a touch panel, a camera, a microphone, etc. The input unit 23 accepts input operations from the user.

[0031] The storage unit 24 is, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, or the like. The storage unit 24 may function, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 24 stores any information used in the operation of the server 20. For example, the storage unit 24 stores a system program, an application program, embedded software, or the like. The information stored in the storage unit 24 may be updatable with information obtained from the network 40 via the communication unit 21, for example.

[0032] The control unit 25 includes one or more processors. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The control unit 25 is not limited to a processor and may include one or more dedicated circuits. The dedicated circuits may be, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 25 controls each component to realize the functions of the server 20, including the functions of the components such as the communication unit 21, the output unit 22, the input unit 23, and the memory unit 24 described above.

[0033] (Operation of remote control support system) 4 and 5, the operation of the remote control support system 1 in managing driving plans for multiple vehicles 10 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the remote control support system 1. FIG. 5 is a time chart showing driving plans for multiple vehicles 10A, 10B, and 10C, with the horizontal axis representing time. The flowchart shown in FIG. 4 illustrates the operations of the vehicles 10, server 20, and terminal device 30 included in the remote control support system 1. Therefore, the explanation of this operation corresponds to a control method for the remote control support system 1, as well as to control methods for each of the vehicles 10, server 20, and terminal device 30 included in the remote control support system 1.

[0034] In this description of the operation, it is assumed that one operator operates the terminal device 30 to provide remote control assistance for three vehicles 10A, 10B, and 10C. However, in the remote control assistance system 1, the number of vehicles 10 that one operator provides remote assistance for may be other than three. Alternatively, multiple operators may form a team to provide remote control assistance for multiple vehicles 10.

[0035] In this operation example, three vehicles 10A, 10B, and 10C travel according to their respective travel plans. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, vehicle 10A travels according to a travel plan in which it departs from point A at time T1, passes through point B at time T2, and arrives at point C at time T3. Vehicle 10B travels according to a travel plan in which it departs from point D at time T4 and arrives at point E at time T5. Vehicle 10C travels according to a travel plan in which it departs from point F at time T6 and arrives at point G at time T7. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, multiple time slots TW1 to TW7 are provided along the time axis, and the remote control assistance system 1 manages travel plans for multiple vehicles 10 in association with the time slots TW. The length of one time slot TW is, for example, 15 to 30 minutes, but is not limited to this.

[0036] 4, in step S201, control unit 25 of server 20 acquires a plurality of driving plans, each of which is a driving plan for a different vehicle 10.

[0037] Any method can be used to acquire the driving plans for the multiple vehicles 10. For example, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may receive driving plans for the multiple vehicles 10 from another computer via the communication unit 21. Alternatively, for example, the control unit 25 may generate driving plans for the multiple vehicles 10 based on information received via the communication unit 21 from the multiple vehicles 10, the terminal device 30, or another computer. Alternatively, the control unit 25 may store driving plans for the multiple vehicles 10 in advance in the storage unit 24. The driving plans for the vehicles 10 may be, for example, a time-prioritized driving plan that shortens the driving time of the vehicles 10 from the departure point to the destination, or a distance-prioritized driving plan that shortens the driving distance of the vehicles 10 from the departure point to the destination, but are not limited to these.

[0038] In the example shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 25 of the server 20 acquires a driving plan for the vehicle 10A, a driving plan for the vehicle 10B, and a driving plan for the vehicle 10C.

[0039] Referring again to FIG. 4, in step S202, the control unit 25 of the server 20 acquires history information of remote assistance requests from the vehicle 10 that have occurred in the past.

[0040] The remote assistance request history information is information generated in response to the reception of a remote assistance request from the vehicle 10 and the operator's response to the received request. In this embodiment, the history information includes, for example, vehicle information, driving route, occurrence time (date, time frame, weekday / weekend / holiday), occurrence location (location information, driving direction), content of the remote assistance request, classification of the remote assistance request (driving assistance request, occupant assistance request, operation management assistance request), whether the occurrence of the remote assistance request was predicted, whether the operator responded, and the response time. However, the history information may include information other than the above-mentioned information. The history information may also include information generated in response to the reception of a remote assistance request from a vehicle 10 other than the vehicles 10A, 10B, and 10C that are targets of remote control assistance by the operator.

[0041] Any method can be used to acquire the history information of the remote assistance request. For example, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may receive the history information from another computer via the communication unit 21. Alternatively, for example, the control unit 25 may generate history information by associating a remote assistance request received from the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 21 with information acquired and generated in processing the request. Alternatively, the control unit 25 may store the history information in the storage unit 24 in advance.

[0042] In step S203, the control unit 25 of the server 20 predicts the occurrence of a remote assistance request for each of the multiple driving plans based on the history information of the remote assistance request.

[0043] Any method can be used to predict the occurrence of a remote support request in a driving plan. For example, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may use a prediction algorithm to identify conditions for generating a remote support request based on historical information of past remote support requests, and extract a remote support request for which the driving plan of the vehicle 10 satisfies the conditions. The conditions for generating the remote support request may be, for example, the location and time at which the remote support request occurs. For example, the control unit 25 may map a driving route included in the driving plan of the vehicle 10 on a map that plots locations at which a remote support request may occur based on historical information, and determine whether a location at which a remote support request may occur exists on the driving route. If a location at which a remote support request may occur exists on the driving route, the control unit 25 may predict that the remote support request will occur in the driving plan of the vehicle 10. The control unit 25 may store information about the location, time, content, category, etc. of the predicted remote support request as predicted information for the remote support request in the storage unit 24, in association with the driving route.

[0044] The prediction algorithm may be constructed using a statistical method such as machine learning or deep learning. For example, the prediction algorithm may be tuned using a statistical method based on a prediction of a remote support request and whether or not a remote support request actually occurs. This allows for the accumulation of historical information to improve the accuracy of predicting the occurrence of a remote support request. However, the prediction algorithm may also be expressed by a predetermined relational expression that does not rely on a statistical method.

[0045] In step S203, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may calculate the probability of a remote support request occurring as part of predicting the occurrence of a remote support request. For example, for a remote support request that may occur in the future, the control unit 25 may calculate the probability of the remote support request occurring in the future based on historical information, predictions of similar remote support requests in the past, and results of whether or not those similar past remote support requests actually occurred. The control unit 25 may store the calculated probability of the remote support request in the storage unit 24, including the prediction information of the remote support request.

[0046] Furthermore, in step S203, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may calculate an estimated response time for a remote support request as part of predicting the occurrence of a remote support request. For example, the control unit 25 may calculate an estimated response time for a remote support request that may occur in the future from the response time for similar remote support requests in the past, based on historical information. The control unit 25 may store the calculated estimated response time for the remote support request in the storage unit 24, including the remote support request prediction information.

[0047] In step S204, the control unit 25 of the server 20 determines whether or not a predetermined remote assistance request is predicted in two or more driving plans within the same time frame.

[0048] For example, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may determine whether predetermined remote assistance requests are predicted to occur in two or more driving plans within the same time frame by mapping multiple driving plans on a time chart such as that shown in Fig. 5. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the control unit 25 predicts that predetermined remote assistance requests R1 to R7 will occur at points A to G included in three driving plans, respectively. In this case, since the predetermined remote assistance request R2 in the driving plan of vehicle 10A and the predetermined remote assistance request R4 in the driving plan of vehicle 10B are predicted to occur within time frame TW2, the control unit 25 determines that predetermined remote assistance requests are predicted to occur in two or more driving plans within the same time frame.

[0049] In this embodiment, the predetermined remote support request refers to a remote support request with a high level of importance. For example, the predetermined remote support request is a remote support request that requires an operator to perform an operation. This allows a time frame in which the operator may be burdened to be identified in advance and preventive measures to be taken.

[0050] For example, the predetermined remote assistance request may be any of the three categories of remote assistance requests described above (driving assistance request, crew assistance request, and operation management assistance request). More preferably, the predetermined remote assistance request may be a driving assistance request or a crew assistance request. As described above, a driving assistance request is an assistance request that occurs in conjunction with driving the vehicle 10 and requests an operator in a remote location to operate and assist as a driver of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, a crew assistance request is an assistance request that occurs in conjunction with passengers getting on and off the vehicle 10 and requests an operator in a remote location to operate and assist as a conductor of the vehicle 10. As such, since delays and / or errors in the operator's response to driving assistance requests and crew assistance requests are likely to lead to an accident of the vehicle 10 and the number of remote assistance requests that an operator can simultaneously respond to is limited, it is particularly useful to identify in advance a time frame in which overlapping requests may occur. However, a specific remote assistance request may include remote assistance requests other than the examples described above.

[0051] 4, in step S204, if the occurrence of a predetermined remote assistance request is not predicted in two or more driving plans within the same time frame (step S204-No), the control unit 25 of the server 20 does not perform the process of step S205 and executes the processes from step S206 onwards. At this time, the control unit 25 may not change the driving plans of the vehicles 10A, 10B, and 10C, and may regard the driving plans as changed by the process of step S205 in the subsequent processes.

[0052] On the other hand, in step S204, if the control unit 25 of the server 20 predicts that a specified remote assistance request will occur in two or more driving plans within the same time frame (step S204-Yes), it proceeds to step S205 and changes at least one of the driving plans of the two or more vehicles 10.

[0053] Any method can be used to change the driving plan. For example, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may change the driving plan of at least one of the two or more vehicles 10 so as to avoid traveling to the location where the remote assistance request is expected to occur during a time frame that includes the time of the remote assistance request predicted in step S203. If the vehicle 10 to be changed is already traveling according to the driving plan, the control unit 25 may acquire location information of the vehicle 10 from the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 21. In such a case, when changing the driving plan, the control unit 25 may use the location information of the vehicle 10 instead of the starting point in the driving plan. The control unit 25 may store the changed driving plan in the storage unit 24. In this way, by changing the driving plan of the vehicle 10 so that the timings of the occurrence of predetermined remote assistance requests do not overlap, the load on the operator can be distributed, thereby preventing delays in responding to remote assistance requests from the vehicles 10. Furthermore, by distributing the load on the operator, the number of vehicles 10 for which one operator can provide remote assistance can be increased.

[0054] 5, the control unit 25 of the server 20 modifies at least one of the driving plans of vehicle 10A and vehicle 10B, which include remote support requests R2 and R4 that are predicted to occur within the same time frame TW2. For example, the control unit 25 may modify the driving plan of vehicle 10A so as to lower the upper limit of the driving speed of vehicle 10A from point A to point B, thereby delaying the arrival time at point B from time T2 to time T2'. In this way, by delaying the issuance of remote support request R2, the control unit 25 can prevent two remote support requests R2 and R4 from occurring within the same time frame TW2.

[0055] In step S205, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may use any method to select at least one driving plan to be changed from among the driving plans of two or more vehicles 10. For example, when two or more remote support requests are predicted to occur within the same time frame, the control unit 25 may select a driving plan that includes a remote support request that is predicted later as the driving plan to be changed. In other words, when a remote support request is predicted to occur in the driving plan of a first vehicle 10, the control unit 25 may change the driving plan of the first vehicle 10 if a remote support request is already predicted to occur in the driving plan of a second vehicle 10 in the time frame that includes the time when the remote support request occurs.

[0056] For example, when a driving assistance request and an occupant assistance request are predicted to occur within the same time frame, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may prioritize changing the driving plan in which the occupant assistance request is predicted to occur. As described above, an occupant assistance request is an assistance request that occurs when an occupant gets on or off the vehicle 10, and the occurrence time of the occupant assistance request can be changed relatively easily by changing the driving plan compared to a driving assistance request. For example, if the vehicle 10 is a bus, the occurrence time of the occupant assistance request can be adjusted by extending or shortening the stopping time at the boarding or disembarking position before the time when the occupant assistance request is predicted to occur. Furthermore, since an occupant assistance request often occurs while the vehicle 10 is stopped or traveling at a low speed due to occupants getting on or off the vehicle 10, changing the driving plan has a lower risk of leading to an accident compared to a driving assistance request. In this way, by prioritizing changing the driving plan in which the occupant assistance request is predicted to occur, the accuracy of avoiding overlapping remote assistance requests can be improved without compromising the safety of the driving plan by changing the driving plan.

[0057] For example, when a predetermined remote assistance request is predicted to occur in two or more driving plans within the same time frame, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may prioritize and change the driving plan in which the remote assistance request is predicted to occur with a high probability. Some remote assistance requests are patterned based on conditions such as specific intersections, driving directions, or time periods, and are likely to occur if the conditions are met. Such remote assistance requests have few uncertainties, so there is a high probability that the occurrence time can be changed as expected by changing the driving plan of the vehicle 10. For example, if the remote assistance request is a request for approval to make a right turn (or left turn) across oncoming traffic at a specific intersection, the control unit 25 can send a command to the vehicle 10 to adjust the vehicle speed before arriving at the intersection, thereby adjusting the time of arrival at the specific intersection. In this way, by prioritizing and changing the driving plan in which the remote assistance request is predicted to occur with a high probability, it is possible to improve the probability that duplicate remote assistance requests can be avoided by changing the driving plan.

[0058] For example, when a predetermined remote assistance request is predicted to occur in two or more driving plans within the same time frame, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may prioritize modifying the driving plan predicted to generate a remote assistance request with a long expected response time. Even if multiple remote assistance requests occur simultaneously within the same time frame, the operator's processing is less likely to be delayed if the expected response times are short. For example, if a remote assistance request is a request for safety confirmation when opening and closing a door, the operator can process the remote assistance request in a relatively short time. On the other hand, if the remote assistance request is a request for determining whether to continue driving due to heavy rain, the operator must make a decision taking into account future weather forecasts, etc., which may take a relatively long time. By prioritizing modification of a driving plan predicted to generate a remote assistance request with a long expected response time, overlapping remote assistance requests within a single time frame are less likely to occur. Furthermore, even if some overlapping remote assistance requests cannot be resolved as a result of modifying a driving plan, and multiple remote assistance requests remain within a single time frame, overlapping remote assistance requests are less likely to occur if the expected response times for those requests are short. As a result, the operator's response to a remote assistance request from the vehicle 10 is less likely to be delayed.

[0059] In step S206, the control unit 25 of the server 20 outputs the changed driving plan.

[0060] Any method can be used to output the changed driving plan. For example, the control unit 25 of the server 20 may output the driving plan itself via the output unit 22 such as a display, or may transmit the driving plan to the vehicle 10 or the terminal device 30 via the communication unit 21. In this way, the changed driving plan can be used in the vehicle 10 or the terminal device 30 to control the vehicle 10 in autonomous driving or the like, or to display the driving route on a display.

[0061] The operations from step S201 to step S206 described above may be performed before the vehicle 10 travels according to the travel plan, or may be performed while the vehicle 10 travels according to the travel plan. The operations described above may also be performed repeatedly before or while the vehicle 10 travels. This allows the latest position information or road conditions of the vehicle 10 to be used, and can improve the accuracy of avoiding duplicate remote assistance requests due to changes in the travel plan.

[0062] As described above, the server 20, which is a remote control assistance device according to this embodiment, acquires multiple driving plans, each of which is a driving plan for a different vehicle 10. The server 20 acquires historical information about remote assistance requests that have occurred in the past from the vehicle 10, and predicts the occurrence of a remote assistance request for each of the multiple driving plans based on the historical information. When the server 20 predicts the occurrence of a specific remote assistance request for two or more driving plans within the same time frame, the server 20 changes at least one of the two or more driving plans.

[0063] According to this configuration, when there is a possibility that remote assistance requests from multiple vehicles 10 may occur at the same time, based on the history information of past remote assistance requests, it is possible to change the driving plans of the multiple vehicles 10 so that the timing of the requests does not overlap. Therefore, it is possible to distribute the occurrence of remote assistance requests and prevent delays in the operator's response to remote assistance requests from the vehicles 10, thereby improving the usefulness of the technology for remotely assisting the control of an autonomous vehicle.

[0064] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components or steps can be combined or divided into one.

[0065] For example, an embodiment is possible in which a general-purpose computer functions as the server 20 according to the above-described embodiment. Specifically, a program describing the processing content for realizing each function of the server 20 according to the above-described embodiment is stored in the memory of the general-purpose computer, and the program is read and executed by a processor. Therefore, the present disclosure can also be realized as a program executable by a processor or a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the program. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include a magnetic recording device, an optical disk, a magneto-optical recording medium, and a semiconductor memory. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1: Remote control assistance system, 10 (10A, 10B, 10C): Vehicle, 11: Communication unit, 12: Positioning unit, 13: Detection unit, 14: Output unit, 15: Input unit, 16: Memory unit, 17: Control unit, 20: Server, 21: Communication unit, 22: Output unit, 23: Input unit, 24: Memory unit, 25: Control unit, 30: Terminal device, 40: Network, A to G: Location, T1 to T7 (T2'): Time, R1 to R7: Remote assistance request, TW1 to TW7: Time frame

Claims

1. A remote control assistance device for an autonomous driving vehicle, Obtain multiple driving plans, each of which is a driving plan for a different autonomous vehicle, Obtaining historical information on past remote assistance requests from autonomous vehicles, predicting an occurrence of a remote assistance request for each of the plurality of driving plans based on the history information; a control unit configured to change at least one of the two or more driving plans when a predetermined remote assistance request is predicted to occur in the two or more driving plans within the same time frame; The remote control assistance device classifies the remote assistance requests into a plurality of categories according to the content of the remote assistance requests in order to prioritize the remote assistance requests.

2. The remote control assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined remote assistance request is a remote assistance request requiring an operation by an operator.

3. A remote control assistance device for an autonomous driving vehicle, Obtain multiple driving plans, each of which is a driving plan for a different autonomous vehicle, Obtaining historical information on past remote assistance requests from autonomous vehicles, predicting an occurrence of a remote assistance request for each of the plurality of driving plans based on the history information; a control unit configured to change at least one of the two or more driving plans when a predetermined remote assistance request is predicted to occur in the two or more driving plans within the same time frame; the predetermined remote assistance request includes a driving assistance request related to the driving safety of the autonomously driven vehicle and an occupant assistance request related to the safety of an occupant of the autonomously driven vehicle; A remote control assistance device wherein, when it is predicted that the driving assistance request and the occupant assistance request will occur within the same time frame, the control unit is configured to prioritize changing the driving plan in which the occupant assistance request is predicted to occur.

4. A remote control assistance device for an autonomous driving vehicle, Obtain multiple driving plans, each of which is a driving plan for a different autonomous vehicle, Obtaining historical information on past remote assistance requests from autonomous vehicles, predicting an occurrence of a remote assistance request for each of the plurality of driving plans based on the history information; a control unit configured to change at least one of the two or more driving plans when a predetermined remote assistance request is predicted to occur in the two or more driving plans within the same time frame; predicting the occurrence of the remote assistance request includes calculating a probability of the occurrence of the remote assistance request; A remote control assistance device in which, when a specified remote assistance request is predicted to occur in two or more driving plans within the same time frame, the control unit is configured to prioritize and change the driving plan in which a remote assistance request is predicted to occur with a high probability of occurrence.

5. A remote control assistance device for an autonomous driving vehicle, Obtain multiple driving plans, each of which is a driving plan for a different autonomous vehicle, Obtaining historical information on past remote assistance requests from autonomous vehicles, predicting an occurrence of a remote assistance request for each of the plurality of driving plans based on the history information; a control unit configured to change at least one of the two or more driving plans when a predetermined remote assistance request is predicted to occur in the two or more driving plans within the same time frame; predicting the occurrence of the remote assistance request includes calculating an estimated response time for the remote assistance request; A remote control assistance device in which, when a specified remote assistance request is predicted to occur in two or more driving plans within the same time frame, the control unit is configured to prioritize and change the driving plan in which a remote assistance request with a long expected response time is predicted to occur.

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