Information processing method and information processing device

Abstract

To provide an information processing method which can improve performance of autonomous mobile.SOLUTION: An information processing method acquires a first processing result by executing first preprocessing as preprocessing of travel control processing in autonomous driving of an autonomous mobile object on the basis of sensing data acquired by the autonomous mobile object, outputs the sensing data to an external device, acquires a second processing result obtained by executing second preprocessing as preprocessing advanced more than the first preprocessing on the basis of the sensing data from the external device, restricts travel of the autonomous mobile object when there is communication delay between the autonomous mobile object and the external device or when there is processing delay in the second preprocessing, and performs travel control of the autonomous mobile object on the basis of the first processing result or a third processing result when there is no communication delay between the autonomous mobile object and the external device or when there is no processing delay in the second preprocessing, in which the third processing result is the second processing result or obtained by correcting the first processing result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing method and an information processing device relating to the autonomous movement of an autonomous moving body. [Background technology]

[0002] For the autonomous driving systems of autonomous vehicles, it is desirable to implement hardware or software redundancy to improve safety. For example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 propose methods for improving safety in autonomous vehicles by redundancy of systems for power supply, detection functions, control functions, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2018 / 154860 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 3881197 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there are limitations on the computers that can be installed in autonomous vehicles such as self-driving cars due to factors such as cost, power consumption, and space, and the performance of the autonomous mobility system installed in the autonomous vehicle may be low. For this reason, the methods disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 may improve the safety of autonomous mobility by multiplexing the hardware or software installed in the autonomous vehicle, but may result in insufficient performance of the autonomous mobility.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an information processing method and the like that can improve the performance of autonomous movement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing method according to the present disclosure is an information processing method executed by an information processing device mounted on an autonomous mobile body, the information processing method including: executing a first pre-processing, which is a pre-processing of a driving control process in autonomous driving of the autonomous mobile body, based on sensing data acquired by the autonomous mobile body to obtain a first processing result; outputting the sensing data to an external device; and executing a second pre-processing, which is a pre-processing more advanced than the first pre-processing, based on the sensing data to obtain a second processing result from the external device, wherein the second pre-processing is executed by the external device that is connected to the autonomous mobile body via a network and has a processing capability higher than that of the information processing device; and restricting the driving of the autonomous mobile body if there is a communication delay between the autonomous mobile body and the external device or if there is a processing delay in the second pre-processing; and performing driving control of the autonomous mobile body based on the first processing result or a third processing result if there is no communication delay between the autonomous mobile body and the external device or if there is no processing delay in the second pre-processing; the third processing result is the second processing result or a processing result obtained by correcting the first processing result.

[0007] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to an information processing method and the like according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the performance of autonomous movement can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an autonomous vehicle and a remote autonomous driving server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of an information processing method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3]FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing another example of the information processing method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of an autonomously driven vehicle, a remote autonomous driving server, and a remote processing management server according to a variation of the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of an information processing method according to a variation of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of an autonomous vehicle and a remote autonomous driving server according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the autonomously driven vehicle according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of an autonomously driven vehicle, a remote autonomous driving server, and a remote processing management server according to a variation of the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of an automatically driven vehicle according to a variation of the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an information processing method according to a modified example common to all the embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An information processing method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an information processing method executed by a computer, which acquires from the autonomous mobile body a first processing result, which is the result of a first pre-processing, which is a pre-processing of a driving control process in the autonomous movement processing of the autonomous mobile body, and sensing data acquired by the autonomous mobile body, performs a second pre-processing, which is a pre-processing more advanced than the first pre-processing, based on the sensing data to acquire a second processing result, determines a difference between the first processing result and the second processing result, and outputs a change instruction to the autonomous mobile body to change the first processing result to a third processing result based on the determined difference, and the third processing result is obtained based on at least one of the first processing result or the second processing result.

[0011] In addition to the first pre-processing executed in an autonomous vehicle, such as a self-driving car, which is limited in the computer that can be installed due to factors such as cost, power consumption, and space, a second pre-processing, which is more advanced than the first pre-processing, is executed on a server, etc., which is less restricted in terms of cost, power consumption, and space, and a difference is determined between a first processing result, which is the result of the first pre-processing, and a second processing result, which is the result of the second pre-processing. Then, in accordance with the difference, a change instruction is output to the autonomous vehicle to change the first processing result, which is the result of the first pre-processing, which is pre-processing of the autonomous vehicle's cruise control process, to a third processing result based on the second processing result, which is the result of the more advanced second pre-processing. Alternatively, in accordance with the difference, a change instruction is output to the autonomous vehicle to change the first processing result to a third processing result obtained by correcting or restricting the first processing result. As a result, the third processing result, which is more advanced than the first processing result, is used in the autonomous vehicle's cruise control process, thereby improving the performance of the autonomous vehicle.

[0012] Furthermore, the first pre-processing may be performed using a first resource, and the second pre-processing may be performed using a second resource, the first resource and the second resource being different resources.

[0013] In this way, the second pre-processing, which is more advanced than the first pre-processing, may be executed using second resources different from the first resources used to execute the first pre-processing. Therefore, the second pre-processing can be executed with higher accuracy, higher speed, or lower delay than the first pre-processing.

[0014] Furthermore, the first pre-processing may be performed using a first algorithm, and the second pre-processing may be performed using a second algorithm, the first algorithm and the second algorithm being different algorithms.

[0015] In this way, the second pre-processing, which is more advanced than the first pre-processing, may be performed using a second algorithm that is different from the first algorithm used to perform the first pre-processing, thereby enabling the second pre-processing to be more accurate, faster, have less delay, or be more multifunctional than the first pre-processing.

[0016] The first pre-processing and the second pre-processing may include a recognition process for recognizing an environment in which the autonomous moving body is located.

[0017] In this way, each pre-processing may include a recognition process, and the results of the recognition process may be used in the travel control process of the autonomous moving body, thereby improving the safety or comfort of the autonomous moving body.

[0018] The first pre-processing and the second pre-processing may include a process of determining whether the autonomous moving body is traveling.

[0019] In this way, each pre-processing may include a travel determination process for the autonomous mobile body, and the result of the travel determination process for the autonomous mobile body may be used in the travel control process for the autonomous mobile body, thereby improving the safety or comfort of the autonomous mobile body.

[0020] The third processing result may be the second processing result.

[0021] According to this, the second processing result, which is the result of the second pre-processing that is more advanced than the first pre-processing, is used in the travel control processing of the autonomous moving body, and therefore the performance of the autonomous movement can be improved.

[0022] The third processing result may be obtained by correcting the first processing result based on the difference.

[0023] According to this, the third processing result obtained by correcting the first processing result based on the difference between the second processing result, which is the result of the second pre-processing that is more advanced than the first pre-processing, and the first processing result, is used for driving control of the autonomous moving body, thereby improving the performance of the autonomous movement.

[0024] Furthermore, when a request to execute the second pre-processing is received from the autonomous moving body, the second pre-processing may be executed to obtain a second processing result, and the change instruction may be output to the autonomous moving body in response to the request.

[0025] This allows the second pre-processing to be executed at a timing when the autonomous moving body requests execution of the advanced second pre-processing, for example.

[0026] The request may also include information specifying a specific process of the second pre-processing, and the specific process may be executed to obtain the second processing result.

[0027] This allows a specific process desired by a designated autonomous moving body, for example, to be selectively executed from among the second pre-processing processes.

[0028] Furthermore, when the request is received, it may be determined whether or not to execute the second pre-processing, and if it is determined not to execute the second pre-processing, the request may be rejected or ignored. For example, the determination of whether or not to execute the second pre-processing may be made based on at least one of the resources of the autonomous moving body, the moving state of the autonomous moving body, the external environment of the autonomous moving body, the time, and a response time to the request.

[0029] When a request is received, depending on the situation, even if the second pre-processing is performed, the performance of the autonomous movement may not be improved. For example, depending on the resources of the autonomous moving body, the moving state of the autonomous moving body, the external environment of the autonomous moving body, the time, or the response time to the request, even if the second pre-processing is performed and the travel control process of the autonomous moving body is performed using the third processing result, the performance of the autonomous movement may not be improved. In such cases, the request can be rejected or ignored.

[0030] An information processing system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an information processing system capable of communicating with an autonomous moving body, which acquires from the autonomous moving body a first processing result that is the result of a first pre-processing that is a pre-processing of a driving control process for the autonomous movement of the autonomous moving body, and sensing data acquired by the autonomous moving body, performs a second pre-processing that is a pre-processing more advanced than the first pre-processing based on the sensing data to acquire a second processing result, determines a difference between the first processing result and the second processing result, and outputs a change instruction to the autonomous moving body to change the first processing result to a third processing result based on the determined difference, and the third processing result is obtained based on at least one of the first processing result or the second processing result.

[0031] This makes it possible to provide an information processing system that can improve the performance of autonomous movement.

[0032] An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an information processing device mounted on an autonomous moving body, which performs first pre-processing, which is pre-processing of driving control processing in autonomous driving of the autonomous moving body, to obtain a first processing result, outputs sensing data obtained by the autonomous moving body to an external device, obtains a second processing result from the external device by performing second pre-processing, which is pre-processing more advanced than the first pre-processing, based on the sensing data, determines a difference between the first processing result and the second processing result, changes the first processing result to a third processing result based on the determined difference, and obtains the third processing result based on at least one of the first processing result or the second processing result.

[0033] For example, in addition to a first pre-processing performed in an autonomous moving body such as an autonomous vehicle, which is limited by the computer that can be installed in terms of cost, power consumption, space, etc., a second pre-processing, which is more advanced than the first pre-processing, is performed on an external device such as a server, which is less restricted by cost, power consumption, space, etc., and a second processing result, which is the result of the second pre-processing, is transmitted to the autonomous moving body. The difference between the first processing result, which is the result of the first pre-processing, and the second processing result, which is the result of the second pre-processing, is determined in the autonomous moving body. Then, based on the difference, the first processing result, which is the result of the first pre-processing, which is pre-processing of the autonomous moving body's cruise control process, is changed to a third processing result based on the second processing result, which is the result of the more advanced second pre-processing. Alternatively, based on the difference, the first processing result is changed to a third processing result obtained by correcting or restricting the first processing result. This allows the third processing result, which is more advanced than the first processing result, to be used in the cruise control process of the autonomous moving body, thereby improving the performance of the autonomous movement.

[0034] Furthermore, a request to execute the second pre-processing may be output to the external device, and the second processing result may be obtained as a response to the request.

[0035] This makes it possible to have an external device execute the second pre-processing at a timing when the autonomous moving body requests execution of the advanced second pre-processing, for example.

[0036] The request may also be output to the external device based on at least one of the resources of the autonomous moving body, the moving state of the autonomous moving body, the external environment of the autonomous moving body, the time, and the response time to a query to the external device.

[0037] Depending on the situation, even if the second pre-processing is executed, the performance of the autonomous movement may not be improved. For example, depending on the resources possessed by the autonomous moving body, the moving state of the autonomous moving body, the external environment of the autonomous moving body, the time, or the response time to a request, even if the second pre-processing is executed and the travel control process of the autonomous moving body is performed using the third processing result, the performance of the autonomous movement may not be improved. In such cases, it is possible to prevent the request from being output. In other words, depending on the situation, it may be possible to improve the performance of the autonomous movement by executing the second pre-processing. When a situation arises in which the performance of the autonomous movement can be improved, a request can be output.

[0038] The request may include information specifying a specific process of the second pre-processing, and the second processing result may be a result obtained by executing the specific process.

[0039] This allows the autonomous moving body to specify a specific process it desires from among the second pre-processing processes, and to cause an external device to selectively execute the specific process.

[0040] Furthermore, if the second processing result is obtained after a predetermined time has elapsed since the output of the sensing data or the output of the request, (A) the determination of the difference may not be performed, or (B) a difference may be determined between a part of the processing result of the first processing result and a processing result corresponding to the part of the processing result of the second processing result, and the part of the processing result of the first processing result may be changed to the third processing result according to the determined difference.

[0041] According to this, if the second processing result is obtained after a predetermined time has elapsed since the output of the sensing data or the output of the request, there is a possibility that a communication delay with the external device has occurred. In such a case, the processing load of the information processing device can be reduced by not performing the difference determination or by performing the difference determination only on some of the processing results that are not affected by the delay.

[0042] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0043] The embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples, and the numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement and connection of the components, steps, and order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0044] (Embodiment 1) The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.

[0045] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an autonomous driving vehicle (specifically, an information processing device 20 mounted on the autonomous driving vehicle) and a remote autonomous driving server 10 according to the first embodiment.

[0046] An autonomous vehicle is, for example, a vehicle that can travel automatically without human driving operations. An autonomous vehicle is equipped with sensors such as a camera, thermography, radar, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), sonar, GPS (Global Positioning System), or IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), and can travel autonomously by recognizing the surrounding environment and the like using these sensors. Note that an autonomous vehicle is an example of an autonomous mobile body. An autonomous mobile body may be a mobile robot, an air vehicle such as a drone, or a ship.

[0047] The remote automatic driving server 10 communicates wirelessly with the automatic driving vehicle and can remotely control the automatic driving of the automatic driving vehicle. Note that automatic driving is an example of autonomous movement.

[0048] The autonomously driven vehicle is equipped with an information processing device 20. The information processing device 20 is a computer including a processor, a memory, a communication interface, etc. The memory is a read-only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM), etc., and can store programs executed by the processor. The information processing device 20 includes a sensing data acquisition unit 21, a sensing data transmission unit 22, an autonomous vehicle driving system 23, a first processing result transmission unit 24, a processing result change unit 25, a communication confirmation unit 26, and a driving restriction unit 27. The sensing data acquisition unit 21, the sensing data transmission unit 22, the autonomous vehicle driving system 23, the first processing result transmission unit 24, the processing result change unit 25, the communication confirmation unit 26, and the driving restriction unit 27 are realized by a processor, etc., that executes programs stored in the memory.

[0049] The sensing data acquisition unit 21 acquires sensing data from sensors such as a camera, a thermograph, a radar, a LiDAR, a sonar, a GPS, or an IMU that are equipped in the autonomous vehicle. Note that the sensing data acquisition unit 21 may also acquire sensing data from sensors installed in other vehicles or traffic lights.

[0050] The sensing data transmission unit 22 transmits the sensing data acquired by the sensing data acquisition unit 21 to the remote autonomous driving server 10. The sensing data transmission unit 22 transmits the sensing data to the remote autonomous driving server 10, for example, via a communication interface or the like provided in the information processing device 20. The sensing data transmission unit 22 is able to transmit the sensing data with low latency by using, for example, data compression technology and high-speed transmission technology such as 5G.

[0051] Based on the sensing data acquired by the sensing data acquisition unit 21, the vehicle automatic driving system 23 executes first preprocessing, which is preprocessing of the driving control processing in the automatic driving processing of the automatic driving vehicle, and acquires a first processing result. The first processing result is the result of the first preprocessing. For example, the preprocessing includes recognition processing or driving judgment processing of the automatic driving vehicle. The recognition processing includes processing of recognizing the environment in which the automatic driving vehicle is located. The environment includes the vehicle's own position, surrounding objects, road surface conditions, weather, road conditions, etc. Specifically, the preprocessing includes processing of estimating the vehicle's own position, processing of detecting objects around the automatic driving vehicle, processing of predicting the movement of objects around the automatic driving vehicle, driving judgment processing of the automatic driving vehicle, or route planning processing of the automatic driving vehicle. For example, the vehicle automatic driving system 23 may perform these processes using a learning model. For example, the processing result includes a recognition result or a driving judgment result of the automatic driving vehicle. Specifically, the processing results include estimation results of the autonomous vehicle's own position, detection results of objects around the autonomous vehicle, prediction results of the movement of objects around the autonomous vehicle, driving judgment results of the autonomous vehicle, or route planning results of the autonomous vehicle, etc.

[0052] The first processing result transmission unit 24 transmits the first processing result, which is the result of the first pre-processing executed by the vehicle automatic driving system 23, to the remote automatic driving server 10. The first processing result transmission unit 24 transmits the first processing result to the remote automatic driving server 10 via a communication interface or the like provided in the information processing device 20, for example.

[0053] The sensing data transmission unit 22 may transmit only the sensing data used by the vehicle automatic driving system 23 when performing the first pre-processing, or may transmit not only the sensing data used by the vehicle automatic driving system 23 when performing the first pre-processing, but also sensing data that was not used when performing the first pre-processing (for example, high-resolution sensing data that the vehicle automatic driving system 23 could not handle).

[0054] The processing result change unit 25 changes the first processing result to the third processing result based on the change instruction received from the remote autonomous driving server 10. In other words, by changing the first processing result to the third processing result by the processing result change unit 25, the third processing result is used instead of the first processing result that was originally intended to be used for driving control of the autonomous vehicle.

[0055] The communication confirmation unit 26 checks the communication status of wireless communication between the autonomous vehicle and the remote autonomous driving server 10. For example, the communication confirmation unit 26 sends an inquiry to the remote autonomous driving server 10 via a communication interface or the like provided in the information processing device 20, and checks the communication status based on the response to the inquiry. Specifically, the communication confirmation unit 26 can determine that there is no communication connection if there is no response to the inquiry, and can determine that a communication delay has occurred if there is a delay in the response to the inquiry. If the communication confirmation unit 26 determines that there is no communication connection or that a communication delay has occurred, it notifies the driving restriction unit 27 of a driving restriction instruction to restrict driving.

[0056] The driving restriction unit 27 restricts the driving of the autonomous vehicle based on the driving restriction instruction. Specifically, the driving restriction unit 27 slows down or stops the autonomous vehicle, or increases the avoidance margin. This ensures the safety of the autonomous vehicle even if communication between the autonomous vehicle and the remote autonomous driving server 10 is interrupted.

[0057] The remote autonomous driving server 10 is a computer including a processor, memory, a communication interface, etc. The remote autonomous driving server 10 is an example of an information processing system capable of wireless communication with an autonomous vehicle. The memory is ROM, RAM, etc., and can store programs executed by the processor. The remote autonomous driving server 10 includes a sensing data acquisition unit 11, a pseudo autonomous driving system 12, a first processing result acquisition unit 13, a difference determination unit 14, and a change instruction output unit 15. The sensing data acquisition unit 11, the pseudo autonomous driving system 12, the first processing result acquisition unit 13, the difference determination unit 14, and the change instruction output unit 15 are realized by a processor or the like that executes programs stored in memory. Note that the components that make up the remote autonomous driving server 10 may be distributed across multiple servers.

[0058] The sensing data acquisition unit 11 acquires sensing data acquired by the autonomous vehicle from the autonomous vehicle. For example, the sensing data acquisition unit 11 acquires sensing data transmitted from the autonomous vehicle and received via a communication interface or the like provided in the remote autonomous driving server 10.

[0059] The pseudo autonomous driving system 12 executes second pre-processing, which is pre-processing of driving control processing in autonomous driving of an autonomous vehicle, based on the sensing data acquired by the sensing data acquisition unit 11, and acquires a second processing result. The second pre-processing is pre-processing more advanced than the first pre-processing. For example, the pseudo autonomous driving system 12 may perform the second pre-processing using a learning model. The second processing result is the result of the second pre-processing.

[0060] For example, there are limitations on the computers that can be installed in an autonomous vehicle due to factors such as cost, power consumption, and space. For this reason, the resources used in the vehicle autonomous driving system 23 are reduced and the algorithms are made less computationally intensive. Here, resources refer to the processor's processing volume or processing speed, memory capacity, or power. On the other hand, the remote autonomous driving server 10 has fewer limitations in terms of cost, power consumption, and space. This allows the resources used in the pseudo-autonomous driving system 12 to be increased and the algorithms to be made more computationally intensive. Therefore, the second pre-processing executed by the remote autonomous driving server 10 can be made more advanced than the first pre-processing executed by the information processing device 20 installed in the autonomous vehicle. For example, the first pre-processing is executed using first resources (e.g., small resources in an autonomous vehicle) and the second pre-processing is executed using second resources (e.g., large resources in the remote autonomous driving server 10) that are different from the first resources. This allows the second pre-processing to be made more advanced than the first pre-processing. In other words, the second resources are more abundant than the first resources. Furthermore, for example, the first pre-processing may be performed using a first algorithm (e.g., an algorithm with a small amount of calculations that can be handled by an autonomous vehicle), and the second pre-processing may be performed using a second algorithm different from the first algorithm (e.g., an algorithm with a large amount of calculations that can be handled by the remote autonomous driving server 10), thereby making the second pre-processing more advanced than the first pre-processing. In other words, the second algorithm is more advanced than the first algorithm. Note that the first pre-processing may be performed using both the first resource and the first algorithm, and the second pre-processing may be performed using both the second resource and the second algorithm.

[0061] The first processing result acquisition unit 13 acquires the first processing result from the autonomous vehicle. For example, the first processing result acquisition unit 13 acquires the first processing result transmitted from the autonomous vehicle and received via a communication interface or the like provided in the remote autonomous driving server 10.

[0062] The difference determination unit 14 determines the difference between the first processing result acquired by the first processing result acquisition unit 13 and the second processing result acquired by the pseudo autonomous driving system 12. The operation of the difference determination unit 14 will be described in detail later.

[0063] The change instruction output unit 15 outputs a change instruction to the autonomously driven vehicle to change the first processing result to a third processing result in accordance with the difference determined by the difference determination unit 14. In other words, by the change instruction output unit 15 instructing the autonomously driven vehicle to change the first processing result to the third processing result, the third processing result is used instead of the first processing result that was originally intended to be used for driving control of the autonomously driven vehicle. A specific example of the third processing result will be described later.

[0064] Next, the operation of the remote automatic driving server 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0065] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of an information processing method according to embodiment 1. For example, the information processing method according to embodiment 1 is a method executed by a computer (specifically, a processor) included in the remotely controlled autonomous driving server 10. For this reason, FIG. 2 is also a flowchart showing the operation of the remotely controlled autonomous driving server 10.

[0066] First, the remote autonomous driving server 10 acquires from the autonomous vehicle a first processing result, which is the result of a first pre-processing, which is a pre-processing of the driving control processing in the autonomous driving processing of the autonomous vehicle, and sensing data acquired by the autonomous vehicle (step S11). For example, the remote autonomous driving server 10 acquires the detection processing result acquired by the autonomous vehicle performing a process of detecting obstacles around the autonomous vehicle from the sensing data (e.g., detecting the number of obstacles or detecting the positions of obstacles). Also, for example, the remote autonomous driving server 10 acquires the estimation processing result acquired by the autonomous vehicle performing a process of estimating the position of the autonomous vehicle from the sensing data. Also, for example, the remote autonomous driving server 10 acquires the driving judgment processing result acquired by the autonomous vehicle performing a driving judgment process of the autonomous vehicle from the sensing data (e.g., determining whether to continue driving or stop).

[0067] Next, the remote autonomous driving server 10 performs second preprocessing, which is preprocessing more advanced than the first preprocessing, based on the sensing data and obtains the second processing result (step S12). For example, the remote autonomous driving server 10 performs detection processing of obstacles around the autonomous vehicle from the sensing data (e.g., detecting the number of obstacles or detecting the positions of obstacles, etc.) and obtains the detection processing result. Also, for example, the remote autonomous driving server 10 performs estimation processing of the position of the autonomous vehicle from the sensing data and obtains the estimation processing result. Also, for example, the remote autonomous driving server 10 performs driving judgment processing of the autonomous vehicle from the sensing data (e.g., determining whether to continue driving or stop, etc.) and obtains the driving judgment processing result.

[0068] Next, the remote autonomous driving server 10 determines whether there is a processing delay in the second pre-processing (step S13). For example, the resource occupancy rate for the second pre-processing in the remote autonomous driving server 10 may be high, causing a processing delay in the second pre-processing.

[0069] If there is a processing delay in the second pre-processing (Yes in step S13), the remote autonomous driving server 10 outputs an instruction to restrict the driving of the autonomous vehicle (step S14). For example, it is desirable to perform driving control of the autonomous vehicle with as little delay as possible from the timing when the sensing data is acquired. If it takes a long time after the sensing data is acquired until driving control is performed using the results of the pre-processing, the autonomous vehicle may move significantly from the point where the sensing data was acquired, and the results of the pre-processing performed based on the sensing data may become invalid for the autonomous vehicle's current position, which has shifted from the point where the sensing data was acquired. Therefore, if there is a processing delay in the second pre-processing, the autonomous vehicle will not be able to effectively utilize the results of the advanced second pre-processing performed by the remote autonomous driving server 10, which could put the autonomous vehicle in a dangerous state. Therefore, the remote autonomous driving server 10 outputs an instruction to restrict the driving of the autonomous vehicle to the autonomous vehicle. An instruction to restrict the driving of the autonomous vehicle may, for example, slow down or stop the autonomous vehicle, or increase the avoidance margin. If there is a processing delay in the second pre-processing, the remote autonomous driving server 10 may notify the autonomous driving vehicle of an alert.

[0070] If there is no processing delay in the second pre-processing (No in step S13), the remote autonomous driving server 10 determines the difference between the first processing result and the second processing result (step S15). For example, the remote autonomous driving server 10 determines the difference between the number of obstacles indicated by the first processing result and the number of obstacles indicated by the second processing result. Also, for example, the remote autonomous driving server 10 determines the difference between the obstacle position indicated by the first processing result and the obstacle position indicated by the second processing result (for example, the Root Mean Square (RMS) error value of the obstacle position indicated by the first processing result when the obstacle position indicated by the second processing result is correct). Also, for example, the remote autonomous driving server 10 determines the difference between the autonomous vehicle position indicated by the first processing result and the autonomous vehicle position indicated by the second processing result (for example, the RMS error value of the autonomous vehicle position indicated by the first processing result when the autonomous vehicle position indicated by the second processing result is correct). Furthermore, for example, the remote autonomous driving server 10 determines the difference between the driving judgment processing result of the autonomous vehicle indicated by the first processing result and the driving judgment processing result of the autonomous vehicle indicated by the second processing result (for example, the number of times that the driving judgment processing result indicated by the first processing result and the driving judgment processing result indicated by the second processing result differ over a certain period of time). Note that these are merely examples of determining the difference, and the present invention is not limited to these.

[0071] Next, the remote autonomous driving server 10 determines whether the determined difference satisfies a predetermined condition (step S16). The predetermined condition is, for example, a condition related to the magnitude of the determined difference. For example, the remote autonomous driving server 10 determines whether the number of obstacles indicated by the first processing result differs from the number of obstacles indicated by the second processing result. Furthermore, for example, the remote autonomous driving server 10 determines whether the RMS error value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Furthermore, for example, the remote autonomous driving server 10 determines whether the number of times that the driving judgment processing result indicated by the first processing result differs from the driving judgment processing result indicated by the second processing result over a certain period of time is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Note that these are merely examples of the predetermined condition, and the predetermined condition is not limited to these.

[0072] If the determined difference satisfies a predetermined condition (Yes in step S16), the remote autonomous driving server 10 outputs a change instruction to the autonomous vehicle to change the first processing result to the third processing result (step S17). The determined difference satisfies a predetermined condition, for example, when the number of obstacles indicated by the first processing result differs from the number of obstacles indicated by the second processing result, when the RMS error value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, when the number of times the driving judgment processing result indicated by the first processing result differs from the driving judgment processing result indicated by the second processing result over a certain period of time is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, etc.

[0073] The third processing result is obtained based on at least one of the first processing result or the second processing result. Because the second processing result is the result of advanced second pre-processing, the third processing result, which is the result of processing based on the second processing result, is an advanced processing result. For example, the third processing result may be the second processing result. As a result, the first processing result is not used for driving control of the autonomous vehicle, and the second processing result, which is the result of advanced second pre-processing, is used for driving control of the autonomous vehicle, thereby improving the performance of autonomous driving. Also, for example, the third processing result may be obtained by correcting the first processing result based on the determined difference. For example, only a necessary range or a processable range of the first processing result is corrected based on the difference between the second processing result and the first processing result. As a result, the first processing result is not used for driving control of the autonomous vehicle, and the first processing result, which is corrected based on the difference between the second processing result, which is the result of advanced second pre-processing, and the first processing result (i.e., the corrected first processing result), is used for driving control of the autonomous vehicle, thereby improving the performance of autonomous driving.

[0074] If the determined difference satisfies a predetermined condition (Yes in step S16), the remote autonomous driving server 10 may output an instruction to restrict the driving of the autonomous vehicle. In this case, the remote autonomous driving server 10 may also notify a remote monitor or passenger of the autonomous vehicle of the abnormality.

[0075] If the determined difference does not satisfy a predetermined condition (No in step S16), the remote autonomous driving server 10 does not output the change instruction to the autonomous vehicle (step S18). The determined difference does not satisfy the predetermined condition, for example, when the number of obstacles indicated by the first processing result is the same as the number of obstacles indicated by the second processing result, when the RMS error value is less than a predetermined threshold, or when the number of times that the driving judgment processing result indicated by the first processing result differs from the driving judgment processing result indicated by the second processing result over a certain period of time is less than a predetermined threshold. In this case, for example, the first processing result is not inferior to the second processing result, and the autonomous vehicle can perform driving control of the autonomous vehicle using the first processing result that is not inferior to the second processing result without receiving a change instruction. In other words, after confirming that the first processing result is not inferior to the second processing result or that the degree of deterioration of the first processing result relative to the second processing result is within an acceptable range, the first processing result can be used to control the driving of the autonomous vehicle.

[0076] If the autonomous vehicle receives the change instruction late due to a communication delay, the autonomous vehicle may ignore the received change instruction and restrict the driving of the autonomous vehicle. This is because, just as in the case where there is a processing delay in the second pre-processing described above, even if the autonomous vehicle changes the first processing result to the third processing result, the third processing result cannot be effectively utilized, which could put the autonomous vehicle in a dangerous state.

[0077] Note that sensing data acquired by an autonomous vehicle is easily affected by weather, and even if the vehicle autonomous driving system 23 performs the first pre-processing using sensing data affected by weather, there are cases in which a correct first processing result cannot be obtained. For example, if the weather is rainy or cloudy and visibility around the autonomous vehicle is poor, obstacles present around the autonomous vehicle may not be correctly recognized. Therefore, it may be determined whether the weather is suitable for autonomous driving by the vehicle autonomous driving system 23. This will be explained using FIG. 3.

[0078] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing another example of the information processing method according to the first embodiment.

[0079] The flowchart shown in Fig. 3 differs from the flowchart shown in Fig. 2 in that step S19 is added. Other points (i.e., steps S11 to S18) are the same as those shown in Fig. 2, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0080] If there is no processing delay in the second pre-processing (No in step S13), the remote autonomous driving server 10 determines (step S19) whether the weather is suitable for autonomous driving by the vehicle autonomous driving system 23. For example, if the weather is sunny, it is determined that the weather is suitable for autonomous driving by the vehicle autonomous driving system 23, and if the weather is rainy or cloudy, it is determined that the weather is not suitable for autonomous driving by the vehicle autonomous driving system 23.

[0081] If the weather is not suitable for autonomous driving by the vehicle autonomous driving system 23 (No in step S19), the remote autonomous driving server 10 outputs a change instruction (step S17) without performing a process such as determining the difference between the first processing result and the second processing result in step S15. This is because if the weather is not suitable for autonomous driving by the vehicle autonomous driving system 23, it is expected that the first processing result will be inferior to the second processing result, even without taking the trouble of determining the difference.

[0082] If the weather is suitable for autonomous driving by the vehicle autonomous driving system 23 (Yes in step S19), the remote autonomous driving server 10 performs the processing from step S15 onwards in the same manner as described in Fig. 2. This is because if the weather is suitable for autonomous driving by the vehicle autonomous driving system 23, the first processing result may not be inferior to the second processing result, and it is better to determine the difference and decide whether to output a change instruction.

[0083] In this way, it may be determined whether the weather is suitable for automatic driving by the automatic vehicle driving system 23.

[0084] As described above, in addition to the first pre-processing executed in an autonomous vehicle (specifically, the information processing device 20 installed in the autonomous vehicle), which is limited in the computer that can be installed due to factors such as cost, power consumption, and space, a second pre-processing, which is more advanced than the first pre-processing, is executed on the remote autonomous driving server 10, which is less restricted in terms of cost, power consumption, and space. A difference between the first processing result, which is the result of the first pre-processing, and the second processing result, which is the result of the second pre-processing, is determined. Then, based on the difference, a change instruction is output to the autonomous vehicle to change the first processing result, which is the result of the first pre-processing, which is pre-processing of the autonomous vehicle's cruise control process, to a third processing result based on the second processing result, which is the result of the more advanced second pre-processing. Alternatively, based on the difference, a change instruction is output to the autonomous vehicle to change the first processing result to a third processing result obtained by correcting or restricting the first processing result. This allows the third processing result, which is more advanced than the first processing result, to be used in the autonomous vehicle's cruise control process, thereby improving the autonomous driving performance. For example, improved autonomous driving performance can expand the range of travel available for autonomous vehicles.

[0085] (Modification of the first embodiment) For example, execution of the second pre-processing on the remote autonomous driving server may be started upon a request from the autonomous driving vehicle. This will be described as a variation of the first embodiment with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

[0086] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of an autonomously driven vehicle (specifically, an information processing device 20a mounted on the autonomously driven vehicle), a remote autonomous driving server 10a, and a remote processing management server 30 according to a modification of the first embodiment.

[0087] The information processing device 20a differs from the information processing device 20 in the first embodiment in that it further includes a remote processing request unit 28, and includes a sensing data acquisition unit 21a, a sensing data transmission unit 22a, and a first processing result transmission unit 24a instead of the sensing data acquisition unit 21, the sensing data transmission unit 22, and the first processing result transmission unit 24. The other points are the same as those in the information processing device 20, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. Note that the remote processing request unit 28 is realized by a processor or the like that executes a program stored in a memory, just like the other components.

[0088] The remote processing request unit 28 outputs a request to execute the second pre-processing to the remote automatic driving server 10a via the remote processing management server 30. For example, if there are multiple remote automatic driving servers 10a that have the function of executing the second pre-processing, upon receiving the request, the remote processing management unit 31 of the remote processing management server 30 queries the multiple remote automatic driving servers 10a as to whether they are capable of executing the second pre-processing, and selects from the multiple remote automatic driving servers 10a a remotely capable of executing the second pre-processing based on the query result. The remote processing management unit 31 notifies the autonomous vehicle of the selected remote automatic driving server 10a. The remote processing request unit 28 instructs the sensing data acquisition unit 21a to acquire sensing data, instructs the sensing data transmission unit 22a to transmit the sensing data to the selected remote automatic driving server 10a, and instructs the first processing result transmission unit 24a to transmit the first processing result to the selected remote automatic driving server 10a.

[0089] The sensing data acquisition unit 21a acquires sensing data from sensors equipped in the autonomously driven vehicle by receiving instructions from the remote processing request unit 28. Other aspects of the sensing data acquisition unit 21a are the same as those of the sensing data acquisition unit 21, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0090] The sensing data transmission unit 22a transmits the sensing data acquired by the sensing data acquisition unit 21a to the selected remote automatic driving server 10a. Other aspects of the sensing data transmission unit 22a are the same as those of the sensing data transmission unit 22, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0091] The first processing result transmission unit 24a transmits the first processing result, which is the result of the first pre-processing executed by the vehicle automatic driving system 23a, to the selected remote automatic driving server 10a. Other aspects of the first processing result transmission unit 24a are the same as those of the first processing result transmission unit 24, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0092] The remote autonomous driving server 10a differs from the remote autonomous driving server 10 in embodiment 1 in that it further includes a request acquisition unit 16 and a second pre-processing execution determination unit 17, and includes a sensing data acquisition unit 11a and a pseudo autonomous driving system 12a instead of the sensing data acquisition unit 11 and the pseudo autonomous driving system 12. The other points are the same as those in the remote autonomous driving server 10, so a description thereof will be omitted. Note that the request acquisition unit 16 and the second pre-processing execution determination unit 17 are realized by a processor or the like that executes a program stored in memory, just like the other components.

[0093] The request acquisition unit 16 acquires a request to execute the second pre-processing from the autonomously driven vehicle. For example, the request acquisition unit 16 acquires the request to execute the second pre-processing from the autonomously driven vehicle via the remote processing management server 30.

[0094] When a request is received, the second pre-processing execution determination unit 17 determines whether to execute the second pre-processing. For example, the second pre-processing execution determination unit 17 may determine whether to execute the second pre-processing based on the task status or resource status of the remote autonomous driving server 10a. For example, if many tasks are being executed on the remote autonomous driving server 10a or if resources are low, the second pre-processing execution determination unit 17 determines not to execute the second pre-processing. Furthermore, for example, the second pre-processing execution determination unit 17 may determine whether to execute the second pre-processing based on at least one of the resources possessed by the autonomous vehicle, the moving state of the autonomous vehicle, the external environment of the autonomous vehicle, the time, and the response time to the request. The moving state includes the moving speed, acceleration, deceleration, moving direction (steering angle), etc. of the autonomous vehicle. For example, the second pre-processing is determined to be executed if the autonomous vehicle has insufficient resources, if the autonomous vehicle is moving at a high speed, a high acceleration, or a large steering angle, if the external environment of the autonomous vehicle is one in which obstacles are nearby, there are many obstacles, or the type of obstacle is moving, if the autonomous vehicle is located in a place with high traffic volume (such as an intersection), the surrounding brightness is low, the weather is rainy or cloudy, if it is nighttime, if the response time to a request is short, etc. Furthermore, the second pre-processing is determined not to be executed if the autonomous vehicle has sufficient resources, if the autonomous vehicle is moving at a low speed, a low acceleration, or a small steering angle, if the external environment of the autonomous vehicle is one in which obstacles are distant, there are few obstacles, or the type of obstacle is stationary, if the autonomous vehicle is located in a place with low traffic volume, the surrounding brightness is high, the weather is clear, etc., if it is daytime, or if the response time to a request is long, etc.

[0095] Thus, depending on the circumstances, when a request is received, executing the second pre-processing may not improve the performance of the autonomous driving. For example, depending on the resources of the autonomous vehicle, the state of movement of the autonomous vehicle, the external environment of the autonomous vehicle, the time, or the response time to the request, executing the second pre-processing and using the results of the third process to control the driving of the autonomous vehicle may not improve the performance of the autonomous driving. In such cases, the remote autonomous driving server 10a can reject or ignore the request.

[0096] The sensing data acquisition unit 11a acquires sensing data when it is determined that the second pre-processing is to be executed upon receiving a request from the autonomous vehicle. Other aspects of the sensing data acquisition unit 11a are the same as those of the sensing data acquisition unit 11, and therefore, description thereof will be omitted.

[0097] When a request is received from an autonomous vehicle, the pseudo autonomous driving system 12a executes the second pre-processing based on the sensing data acquired by the sensing data acquisition unit 11a when it is determined that the second pre-processing should be executed, and acquires the second processing result. The other points regarding the pseudo autonomous driving system 12a are the same as those of the pseudo autonomous driving system 12, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0098] Next, the operation of the remote automatic driving server 10a will be described with reference to FIG.

[0099] Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of an information processing method according to a modification of the first embodiment. For example, the information processing method according to the modification of the first embodiment is a method executed by a computer (specifically, a processor) included in the remote automatic driving server 10a. Therefore, Fig. 5 is also a flowchart showing the operation of the remote automatic driving server 10a.

[0100] The flowchart shown in Fig. 5 differs from the flowchart shown in Fig. 2 in that steps S21, S22, and S23 have been added. The other points (i.e., steps S11 to S18) are the same as those shown in Fig. 2, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0101] The remote autonomous driving server 10a determines whether or not a request to execute the second pre-processing has been received from the autonomous driving vehicle (step S21).

[0102] If the remote autonomous driving server 10a has not received a request from the autonomous driving vehicle to execute the second pre-processing (No in step S21), the remote autonomous driving server 10a repeats the processing of step S21 until a request is received.

[0103] When a request to execute the second pre-processing is received from the autonomously driven vehicle (Yes in step S21), the remote autonomous driving server 10a determines whether or not to execute the second pre-processing (step S22).

[0104] If the remote autonomous driving server 10a determines not to execute the second pre-processing (No in step S22), it rejects or ignores the request (step S23). As a result, for example, the remote processing management server 30 does not select the remote autonomous driving server 10a that rejected or ignored the request as the server to execute the second pre-processing, but instead selects another remote autonomous driving server 10a to execute the second pre-processing. Note that if all remote autonomous driving servers 10a reject or ignore the request, the remote processing management server 30 may instruct the autonomous vehicle to restrict driving.

[0105] If the remote autonomous driving server 10a determines that the second pre-processing is to be executed (Yes in step S22), the processing from step S11 onwards is carried out in the same manner as described with reference to FIG.

[0106] The request from the autonomous vehicle may include information specifying a specific process from the second pre-processing. In this case, the remote autonomous driving server 10a executes the specific process in step S12 and obtains the second processing result. This is because, depending on the moving state of the autonomous vehicle or the external environment, it may be necessary to determine the difference only for a specific process (e.g., only the obstacle detection process or only the driving judgment process). This allows the remote autonomous driving server 10a to selectively execute, from the second pre-processing, a specific process desired by the autonomous vehicle, for example. Note that if only obstacle detection is performed, the area in which obstacle detection is performed may be limited. For example, if the autonomous vehicle is changing lanes, obstacle detection may be performed for the lane into which the lane is to be changed.

[0107] In addition, when the remote processing management server 30 receives requests from multiple autonomous vehicles, it may select an autonomous vehicle to prioritize accepting the request based on at least one of the resources possessed by each autonomous vehicle, the movement status of each autonomous vehicle, the external environment of each autonomous vehicle, the time, and the response time to the request.

[0108] As explained above, execution of the second pre-processing on the remote autonomous driving server 10a may be started upon a request from the autonomous vehicle. This allows the remote autonomous driving server 10a to execute the second pre-processing at the timing when the autonomous vehicle requests execution of the advanced second pre-processing.

[0109] (Embodiment 2) In the first embodiment, an example has been described in which the determination of the difference between the first processing result and the second processing result is performed by the remote autonomous driving server 10, but this determination may also be performed by an information processing device mounted on the autonomous driving vehicle. This will be described as the second embodiment using Figs. 6 and 7.

[0110] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of an autonomous driving vehicle (specifically, an information processing device 200 mounted on the autonomous driving vehicle) and a remote autonomous driving server 100 according to the second embodiment.

[0111] The remote autonomous driving server 100 communicates wirelessly with the autonomous driving vehicle.

[0112] The autonomously driven vehicle is equipped with an information processing device 200. The information processing device 200 is a computer including a processor, a memory, a communication interface, etc. The memory is a ROM, a RAM, etc., and can store a program executed by the processor. The information processing device 200 includes a sensing data acquisition unit 201, a sensing data transmission unit 202, an autonomous vehicle driving system 203, a second processing result acquisition unit 204, a difference determination unit 205, a processing result change unit 206, a communication confirmation unit 207, and a driving restriction unit 208. The sensing data acquisition unit 201, the sensing data transmission unit 202, the autonomous vehicle driving system 203, the second processing result acquisition unit 204, the difference determination unit 205, the processing result change unit 206, the communication confirmation unit 207, and the driving restriction unit 208 are realized by a processor, etc., that executes a program stored in the memory.

[0113] The functions of the sensing data acquisition unit 201, the sensing data transmission unit 202, the vehicle automatic driving system 203, the communication confirmation unit 207 and the driving restriction unit 208 are basically the same as the functions of the sensing data acquisition unit 21, the sensing data transmission unit 22, the vehicle automatic driving system 23, the communication confirmation unit 26 and the driving restriction unit 27 in embodiment 1, so explanations will be omitted.

[0114] The second processing result acquisition unit 204 acquires second processing results obtained by executing second preprocessing, which is preprocessing more advanced than the first preprocessing, based on the sensing data, from the remote autonomous driving server 100. For example, the second processing result acquisition unit 204 acquires second processing results sent from the remote autonomous driving server 100 and received via a communication interface or the like provided in the autonomous driving vehicle.

[0115] The difference determination unit 205 determines the difference between the first processing result acquired by the vehicle automatic driving system 203 and the second processing result acquired by the second processing result acquisition unit 204. The difference determination unit 205 in the second embodiment and the difference determination unit 14 in the first embodiment are basically the same in function, except that the difference determination unit 205 is provided in the information processing device 200 or the remote automatic driving server 10. Therefore, a detailed description of the difference determination unit 205 will be omitted.

[0116] The processing result change unit 206 changes the first processing result to a third processing result in accordance with the determined difference. In the first embodiment, an example was described in which the processing result change unit 25 changes the first processing result to a third processing result in response to a change instruction from the remote autonomous driving server 10, but in the second embodiment, the processing result change unit 206 changes the first processing result to a third processing result in accordance with a difference determined by the autonomous vehicle itself.

[0117] The remote autonomous driving server 100 is a computer including a processor, memory, a communication interface, etc. The remote autonomous driving server 100 is an example of a device external to the information processing device 200. The memory is ROM, RAM, etc., and can store programs executed by the processor. The remote autonomous driving server 100 includes a sensing data acquisition unit 101, a pseudo autonomous driving system 102, and a second processing result transmission unit 103. The sensing data acquisition unit 101, the pseudo autonomous driving system 102, and the second processing result transmission unit 103 are realized by a processor or the like that executes programs stored in memory. Note that the components that make up the remote autonomous driving server 100 may be distributed across multiple servers.

[0118] The functions of the sensing data acquisition unit 101 and the pseudo autonomous driving system 102 are basically the same as the functions of the sensing data acquisition unit 11 and the pseudo autonomous driving system 12 in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0119] The second processing result transmission unit 103 transmits to the autonomous vehicle the second processing result, which is the result of the second pre-processing executed by the pseudo autonomous driving system 102. The second processing result transmission unit 103 transmits the second processing result to the autonomous vehicle via a communication interface or the like provided in the remote autonomous driving server 100.

[0120] In the second embodiment, the second processing result is transmitted from the remote autonomous driving server 100 to the autonomous driving vehicle, and the determination of the difference between the first processing result and the second processing result is not performed by the remote autonomous driving server 100, but by the autonomous driving vehicle.

[0121] Next, the operation of the self-driving car will be explained with reference to FIG.

[0122] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the automatically driven vehicle (specifically, the information processing device 200) according to the second embodiment.

[0123] First, the autonomous vehicle determines whether or not the autonomous vehicle is connected for communication with the remote autonomous driving server 100 (step S41).

[0124] If the autonomous vehicle is not connected by communication with the remote autonomous driving server 100 (No in step S41), the autonomous vehicle restricts its driving (step S42). If the autonomous vehicle is not connected by communication with the remote autonomous driving server 100, the autonomous vehicle cannot obtain the second processing result, that is, it cannot determine the difference between the first processing result and the second processing result, and cannot change the first processing result to the third processing result. For this reason, if the autonomous vehicle is not connected by communication with the remote autonomous driving server 100, there is a risk that the autonomous vehicle may be in a dangerous state, and therefore the driving of the autonomous vehicle is restricted. Therefore, safety can be ensured in the autonomous vehicle even if communication between the autonomous vehicle and the remote autonomous driving server 10 is interrupted.

[0125] If the autonomous vehicle is communicatively connected to the remote autonomous driving server 100 (Yes in step S41), the autonomous vehicle executes first pre-processing, which is pre-processing for the driving control process in the autonomous driving of the autonomous vehicle, based on the sensing data, and acquires a first processing result (step S43). For example, the autonomous vehicle executes a process of detecting obstacles around the autonomous vehicle from the sensing data (e.g., detecting the number of obstacles or detecting the positions of obstacles) and acquires a result of the detection process. Also, for example, the autonomous vehicle executes a process of estimating the position of the autonomous vehicle from the sensing data and acquires a result of the estimation process. Also, for example, the autonomous vehicle executes a driving judgment process for the autonomous vehicle (e.g., determining whether to continue driving or stop) from the sensing data and acquires a result of the driving judgment process.

[0126] Next, the autonomously driven vehicle outputs the sensing data it has acquired to the remote autonomous driving server 100 (step S44). Having received the sensing data, the remote autonomous driving server 100 performs second preprocessing, which is a more advanced preprocessing than the first preprocessing, based on the sensing data to acquire a second processing result. The remote autonomous driving server 100 then transmits the acquired second processing result to the autonomously driven vehicle.

[0127] Next, the autonomously driven vehicle determines whether the second processing result transmitted from the remote autonomous driving server 100 was acquired without delay (step S45). For example, if the autonomously driven vehicle acquires the second processing result after a predetermined time has elapsed since the output of the sensing data or the output of the request, the autonomously driven vehicle determines that the second processing result could not be acquired without delay. If a communication delay occurs between the autonomously driven vehicle and the remote autonomous driving server 100, the second processing result may not be acquired without delay.

[0128] If the second processing result cannot be obtained without delay (No in step S45), the autonomous vehicle does not perform the difference determination and restricts the autonomous vehicle's travel (step S42). This is because, just as in the case where there is a processing delay in the second pre-processing described in the first embodiment, even if the autonomous vehicle changes the first processing result to the third processing result, it will not be able to effectively utilize the third processing result, which could put the autonomous vehicle in a dangerous state.

[0129] If the second processing result can be acquired without delay (Yes in step S45), the autonomous vehicle determines the difference between the first processing result and the second processing result (step S46), and determines whether the determined difference satisfies a predetermined condition (step S47). The processing in steps S46 and S47 is the same as the processing in steps S15 and S16 described in Fig. 2 except that it is performed by an autonomous vehicle, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0130] If the determined difference satisfies a predetermined condition (Yes in step S47), the autonomously driven vehicle executes a process to change the first processing result to a third processing result (step S48). Then, the third processing result is used to execute a driving control process. In this way, the first processing result is not used in the driving control process of the autonomously driven vehicle, and the third processing result based on the second processing result, which is the result of the advanced second pre-processing, is used in the driving control of the autonomously driven vehicle, thereby improving the performance of autonomous driving.

[0131] If the determined difference satisfies a predetermined condition (Yes in step S47), the autonomous vehicle may restrict the traveling of the autonomous vehicle. In this case, the autonomous vehicle may notify a remote monitor or a passenger of the autonomous vehicle of the abnormality.

[0132] If the determined difference does not satisfy a predetermined condition (No in step S47), the autonomous vehicle does not execute the above-mentioned change process (step S49). In this case, for example, if the first process result is not inferior to the second process result, the autonomous vehicle does not need to change the first process result to a third process result, and can perform driving control of the autonomous vehicle using the first process result that is not inferior to the second process result.

[0133] The self-driving car then determines whether it has arrived at the destination (step S50). If it has not arrived at the destination (No in step S50), it repeats the processing from step S41 to step S49 until it arrives at the destination. If it has arrived at the destination (Yes in step S50), it stops the self-driving car and ends the processing.

[0134] As described above, in addition to the first pre-processing performed in an autonomous vehicle, which is limited by the computer that can be installed due to factors such as cost, power consumption, and space, a second pre-processing, which is more advanced than the first pre-processing, is performed in an external device (e.g., remote autonomous driving server 100) that is less restricted by factors such as cost, power consumption, and space. The second pre-processing result, which is the result of the second pre-processing, is then transmitted to the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle then determines the difference between the first pre-processing result, which is the result of the first pre-processing, and the second pre-processing result, which is the result of the second pre-processing. Then, based on the difference, the first pre-processing result, which is the result of the first pre-processing, which is pre-processing for the autonomous vehicle's cruise control process, is changed to a third pre-processing result based on the second pre-processing result, which is the result of the more advanced second pre-processing. Alternatively, based on the difference, the first pre-processing result is changed to a third pre-processing result obtained by correcting or restricting the first pre-processing result. This allows the third pre-processing result, which is more advanced than the first pre-processing result, to be used in the autonomous vehicle's cruise control process, thereby improving the autonomous driving performance. For example, improved autonomous driving performance can expand the range of travel available for autonomous vehicles.

[0135] (Modification of the second embodiment) For example, execution of the second pre-processing on the remote autonomous driving server may be started upon a request from the autonomous driving vehicle. This will be described as a variation of the second embodiment with reference to Figures 8 and 9.

[0136] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of an autonomous driving vehicle (specifically, an information processing device 200a mounted on the autonomous driving vehicle), a remote autonomous driving server 100a, and a remote processing management server 30 according to a variation of the second embodiment.

[0137] The information processing device 200a differs from the information processing device 200 in the second embodiment in that it further includes a remote processing request unit 210, and includes a sensing data acquisition unit 201a and a sensing data transmission unit 202a instead of the sensing data acquisition unit 201 and the sensing data transmission unit 202. Other points are the same as those in the information processing device 200, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. Note that the remote processing request unit 210 is realized by a processor or the like that executes a program stored in a memory, just like the other components.

[0138] The remote processing request unit 210 outputs a request to execute the second pre-processing to the remote autonomous driving server 100a via the remote processing management server 30. The remote processing management server 30 has basically the same functions as the remote processing management server 30 in the variation of the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. For example, the remote processing request unit 210 may output the request to the remote autonomous driving server 100a based on at least one of the resources of the autonomous vehicle, the moving state of the autonomous vehicle, the external environment of the autonomous vehicle, the time, and the response time to an inquiry to the remote autonomous driving server 100a. For example, the remote processing request unit 210 outputs a request when the resources of the autonomous vehicle are insufficient, when the moving state of the autonomous vehicle is, for example, a high vehicle speed, a high acceleration, or a large steering angle, when the external environment of the autonomous vehicle is an environment in which obstacles are nearby, there are many obstacles, or the type of obstacle is a moving object, when the autonomous vehicle is located in a location with heavy traffic (for example, an intersection), when the surrounding brightness is low, when the weather is rainy or cloudy, when it is nighttime, or when the response time to the request is short, etc. Furthermore, for example, a request will not be output if the autonomous vehicle has sufficient resources, if the autonomous vehicle is moving at a slow speed, with low acceleration or a small steering angle, if the external environment of the autonomous vehicle is one in which obstacles are far away, have a small number of, or are stationary objects, if the autonomous vehicle is located in an area with little traffic, if the surrounding area is bright, if the weather is clear, if it is daytime, or if the response time to a request is long.

[0139] As such, depending on the situation, executing the second pre-processing may not improve the performance of autonomous driving. For example, depending on the resources of the autonomous vehicle, the movement state of the autonomous vehicle, the external environment of the autonomous vehicle, the time, or the response time to a request, executing the second pre-processing and using the results of the third processing to control the driving of the autonomous vehicle may not improve the performance of autonomous driving. In such cases, the autonomous vehicle can refrain from outputting a request. In other words, depending on the situation, executing the second pre-processing may improve the performance of autonomous driving. The autonomous vehicle can output a request when a situation arises in which such autonomous driving performance can be improved.

[0140] The remote processing request unit 210 instructs the sensing data acquisition unit 201a to acquire sensing data, and instructs the sensing data transmission unit 202a to transmit the sensing data to the remote automatic driving server 100a selected by the remote processing management unit 31.

[0141] The sensing data acquisition unit 201a acquires sensing data from sensors equipped in the autonomous vehicle in response to instructions from the remote processing request unit 210. Other aspects of the sensing data acquisition unit 201a are the same as those of the sensing data acquisition unit 201, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0142] The sensing data transmission unit 202a transmits the sensing data acquired by the sensing data acquisition unit 201a to the selected remote autonomous driving server 100a. Other aspects of the sensing data transmission unit 202a are the same as those of the sensing data transmission unit 202, and therefore will not be described further.

[0143] The remote autonomous driving server 100a differs from the remote autonomous driving server 100 in embodiment 2 in that it further includes a request acquisition unit 104 and a second pre-processing execution determination unit 105, and includes a sensing data acquisition unit 101a and a pseudo autonomous driving system 102a instead of the sensing data acquisition unit 101 and the pseudo autonomous driving system 102. As the other points are the same as those in the remote autonomous driving server 100, a description thereof will be omitted. Note that the request acquisition unit 104 and the second pre-processing execution determination unit 105 are realized by a processor or the like that executes a program stored in memory, just like the other components.

[0144] The request acquisition unit 104 is basically the same as the request acquisition unit 16 in the modification of the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0145] The second pre-processing execution determining unit 105 is basically the same as the second pre-processing execution determining unit 17 in the modification of the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0146] The sensing data acquisition unit 101a acquires sensing data when it is determined to execute the second pre-processing upon receiving a request from the autonomous vehicle. Other aspects of the sensing data acquisition unit 101a are the same as those of the sensing data acquisition unit 101, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0147] When a request is received from an autonomous vehicle, the pseudo autonomous driving system 102a executes the second pre-processing based on the sensing data acquired by the sensing data acquisition unit 101a when it is determined that the second pre-processing should be executed, and acquires the second processing result. The other aspects of the pseudo autonomous driving system 102a are the same as those of the pseudo autonomous driving system 102, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0148] Next, the operation of the self-driving car will be explained with reference to FIG.

[0149] The flowchart shown in Fig. 9 differs from the flowchart shown in Fig. 7 in that step S51 is added instead of step S41. Other points (i.e., steps S42 to S50) are the same as those shown in Fig. 7, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0150] The autonomous vehicle outputs a request to execute the second pre-processing to the remote autonomous driving server 100a (step S51). For example, after outputting the request, the autonomous vehicle receives a notification from the remote processing management server 30 indicating to which remote autonomous driving server 100a the sensing data should be output as a server capable of executing the second pre-processing. Then, in step S45, the autonomous vehicle acquires the second processing result as a response to the request. Note that if the autonomous vehicle does not receive a response to the request after outputting the request, it may determine that a communication connection with the remote processing management server 30 or the like is not established, and may restrict the driving of the autonomous vehicle.

[0151] The request to execute the second pre-processing may include information specifying a specific process from the second pre-processing. This is because, depending on the moving state of the autonomous vehicle or the external environment, it may be necessary to determine the difference only for a specific process (for example, only the obstacle detection process or only the driving judgment process). This allows the autonomous vehicle to specify a specific process from the second pre-processing that the autonomous vehicle desires, for example, and have the remote autonomous driving server 100a selectively execute the specific process. In this case, the autonomous vehicle obtains the second processing result, which is the result obtained by executing the specific process in steps S45 and S46, and performs the difference determination for only the specific process.

[0152] Note that even if the autonomously driven vehicle acquires the second processing result after a predetermined time has elapsed since the output of the sensing data or the output of the request (i.e., even if the answer to step S45 is No), the autonomously driven vehicle may proceed to step S46 and determine a difference between a portion of the first processing result and a processing result corresponding to the portion of the second processing result. For example, the portion of the processing result may be a portion that is less susceptible to delay. For example, the portion of the processing result may be a result of a surrounding recognition process, which is less susceptible to delay. For example, the result of the self-location estimation process is more susceptible to delay, so a difference determination may not be performed on the processing result. Then, the autonomously driven vehicle may change the portion of the first processing result to a third processing result based on the determined difference. In this way, if the autonomously driven vehicle acquires the second processing result after a predetermined time has elapsed since the output of the sensing data or the output of the request, there is a possibility that a communication delay with the remote autonomous driving server 100a has occurred. In such cases, the processing load on the autonomous vehicle (specifically, the information processing device 200a) can be reduced by not performing difference determination or by performing difference determination only on some processing results that are not affected by delays.

[0153] As described above, execution of the second pre-processing, etc., at the remote autonomous driving server may be initiated by outputting a request from the autonomous driving vehicle. This allows the second pre-processing to be executed at the timing when the autonomous driving vehicle requests execution of the advanced second pre-processing.

[0154] (Modifications common to all embodiments) In each of the above embodiments, the instruction to change or the control to change the preprocessing result is performed depending on whether there is a delay related to the second preprocessing, but it may also be performed depending on whether correction processing for the delay is possible if there is a delay.

[0155] Furthermore, the change instruction or change control of the pre-processing result and the driving restriction instruction or driving restriction may be performed according to an ODD (Operational Design Domain) that corresponds to the delay and difference in addition to the difference between the first processing result and the second processing result. The ODD is set using, for example, time zone, region, driving condition (speed, acceleration, steering angle, etc.), and environment (weather, illuminance, etc.) as elements.

[0156] The above processing will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an information processing method according to a modified example common to each embodiment. Note that a description of processing that is substantially the same as that in each of the above embodiments will be omitted.

[0157] If there is a delay in the second pre-processing (Yes in step S13), the server (e.g., remote autonomous driving server) determines whether correction processing for the delay is possible (step S60). Specifically, if there is a communication delay between the server and the autonomous driving vehicle or a processing delay as described above, the server determines whether it is possible to correct (suppress or reduce) the time difference in the processing results due to the delay. For example, it determines whether the amount of delay is equal to or less than a threshold.

[0158] If the delay correction process is possible (Yes in step S60), the server executes the correction process (step S61). Specifically, if the delay amount is equal to or less than the threshold, the server executes the correction process on the second pre-processing result.

[0159] If there is no delay in the second pre-processing (No in step S60), or after the correction process has been executed, the process proceeds to steps S15 and S16.

[0160] If the delay correction process is not possible (No in step S60), the server determines whether the first ODD is satisfied (step S62). Specifically, the first ODD is an ODD set for autonomous driving in an autonomous vehicle. For example, the first ODD is the area other than an intersection, the speed is 20 km / h or less, and the weather is clear.

[0161] If the first ODD is satisfied, the server does not output a change instruction (step S18). In this case, the driving control process during autonomous driving is performed using the results of the first pre-processing executed in the autonomous driving vehicle.

[0162] If the difference between the first pre-processing and the second pre-processing satisfies a predetermined condition (Yes in step S16), the server determines whether the second ODD is satisfied (step S63). Specifically, the second ODD is an ODD different from the first ODD set for autonomous driving in an autonomous vehicle. For example, the second ODD is the entire area, the speed is 15 km / h or less, and the weather is sunny or rainy. In this way, the second ODD is at least partially relaxed compared to the first ODD. On the other hand, because communication is used when the second processing result is used, the items in the second ODD that are affected by delay are the same as those in the first ODD or are stricter than those in the first ODD.

[0163] If the difference satisfies the predetermined condition and satisfies the second ODD (Yes in step S63), the server outputs a change instruction (step S17). In this case, the result of the second pre-processing executed in the server or the corrected result of the first pre-processing is used to perform the cruise control process in the autonomous driving.

[0164] If the difference between the first pre-processing and the second pre-processing does not satisfy the predetermined condition (No in step S16), the server determines whether the second ODD is satisfied (step S64). This process is substantially the same as the process in step S63.

[0165] If the difference does not satisfy the predetermined condition but satisfies the second ODD (Yes in step S64), the server does not output a change instruction (step S18). The reason for using the second ODD when the difference does not satisfy the predetermined condition is that the difference between the result of preprocessing on the server and the result of preprocessing on the autonomous vehicle is not large enough to satisfy the predetermined condition. In other words, the result of preprocessing on the autonomous vehicle can be treated the same as the result of preprocessing on the server.

[0166] If the first ODD is not satisfied (No in step S62) or if the second ODD is not satisfied (No in step S63 or S64), the server outputs a driving restriction instruction (step S14).

[0167] 10 shows an example in which the server determines whether or not a correction process for the delay is possible, and determines an instruction to change the pre-processing result and an instruction to impose a driving restriction in accordance with an ODD corresponding to the delay and the difference. However, the self-driving vehicle may determine whether or not a correction process for the delay is possible, and execute a control to change the pre-processing result and a driving restriction in accordance with an ODD corresponding to the delay and the difference.

[0168] Furthermore, the instruction to change or the change control of the preprocessing result may be performed depending on whether or not there is a communication failure related to the second preprocessing. Specifically, the communication failure is a communication data loss. For example, the instruction to change or the change control of the preprocessing result may be performed depending on whether or not the packet loss rate is equal to or greater than a threshold. Note that the communication failure may include the above-mentioned communication delay.

[0169] Furthermore, when a communication failure occurs, a change instruction or change control of the preprocessing result may be performed depending on whether correction processing for the communication failure is possible. Specifically, a change instruction or change control of the preprocessing result is performed depending on whether data lost due to communication data loss can be complemented. For example, a change instruction or change control of the preprocessing result is performed depending on the rate at which lost packets can be complemented.

[0170] (Other embodiments) While the information processing method, information processing system (e.g., remote automated driving server), and information processing device according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure have been described above based on the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. Various modifications conceivable by a person skilled in the art to each embodiment, and configurations constructed by combining components of different embodiments, may also be included within the scope of one or more aspects of the present disclosure, as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0171] For example, the present disclosure can be realized as a program for causing a processor to execute steps included in an information processing method. Furthermore, 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.

[0172] For example, when the present disclosure is realized as a program (software), each step is performed by running the program using hardware resources such as a computer's CPU, memory, input / output circuits, etc. In other words, each step is performed by the CPU acquiring data from memory or input / output circuits, etc., performing calculations on the data, and outputting the calculation results to memory or input / output circuits, etc.

[0173] In the above-described embodiments, each component included in the information processing system and the information processing device may be configured with 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 semiconductor memory.

[0174] Some or all of the functions of the information processing system and information processing device according to the above embodiments are typically realized as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit. These may be individually implemented as single chips, or may be integrated into a single chip that includes some or all of the functions. Furthermore, the integrated circuit is not limited to an LSI, and may be realized using a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. It is also possible to use an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), which can be programmed after LSI manufacturing, or a reconfigurable processor, which allows the connections and settings of circuit cells within the LSI to be reconfigured.

[0175] Furthermore, various modifications made to the embodiments of the present disclosure within the scope that would occur to a person skilled in the art are also included in the present disclosure, as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0176] The present disclosure is applicable to remote control systems for autonomous vehicles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0177] 10, 10a, 100, 100a Remote autonomous driving server 11, 11a, 21, 21a, 101, 101a, 201, 201a Sensing data acquisition unit 12, 12a, 102, 102a Pseudo-Automated Driving System 13 First processing result acquisition unit 14, 205 Difference judgment part 15 Change instruction output section 16, 104 Request acquisition department 17, 105 Second preprocessing execution decision unit 20, 20a, 200, 200a Information processing device 22, 22a, 202, 202a Sensing data transmission unit 23, 203 Autonomous Vehicle Driving System 24, 24a First processing result transmission unit 25, 206 Processing result change unit 26, 207 Communication Confirmation Department 27, 208 Travel restriction section 28, 210 Remote Processing Request Department 30 Remote Processing Management Server 31 Remote Processing Management Department 103 Second processing result transmission unit 204 Second processing result acquisition unit

Claims

1. An information processing method executed by an information processing device mounted on an autonomous moving body, comprising: executes a first pre-processing, which is a pre-processing of a driving control process in autonomous driving of the autonomous moving body, based on sensing data acquired by the autonomous moving body, to acquire a first processing result; outputting the sensing data to an external device; a second processing result obtained by executing a second preprocessing, which is a preprocessing more advanced than the first preprocessing and obtains the same type of processing result as the first preprocessing, based on the sensing data used when executing the first preprocessing, is acquired from the external device, wherein the second preprocessing is executed by the external device that is connected to the autonomous moving body via a network and has a processing capability higher than that of the information processing device; restricting travel of the autonomous moving body when there is a communication delay between the autonomous moving body and the external device or when there is a processing delay in the second pre-processing; When there is no communication delay between the autonomous moving body and the external device, or when there is no processing delay in the second pre-processing, performing travel control of the autonomous moving body based on the first processing result or the third processing result; the third processing result is the second processing result or a processing result obtained by correcting the first processing result, moreover, If there is neither the communication delay nor the processing delay, a difference between the first processing result and the second processing result is determined; The first processing result is changed to the third processing result in accordance with the determined difference, and travel control of the autonomous moving body is performed based on the third processing result. Information processing methods.

2. When a change instruction to change the first processing result to the third processing result is received, if reception of the change instruction is delayed due to the communication delay, the received change instruction is ignored and the traveling of the autonomous moving body is restricted. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

3. When the second processing result cannot be acquired without delay due to the communication delay, the traveling of the autonomous moving body is restricted. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

4. When the second processing result cannot be acquired without delay due to the communication delay, or when there is a processing delay in the second pre-processing, if the delay can be corrected, the autonomous moving body performs travel control based on the first processing result or the third processing result. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

5. When the second processing result cannot be acquired without delay due to the communication delay, or when there is a processing delay in the second pre-processing and correction for the delay is not possible, if a predetermined ODD (Operational Design Domain) is satisfied, travel control of the autonomous moving body is performed based on the first processing result, and when the predetermined ODD is not satisfied, travel of the autonomous moving body is restricted. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

6. If the difference satisfies a predetermined condition, the first processing result is changed to a third processing result, and travel control of the autonomous moving body is performed based on the third processing result. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

7. When the difference satisfies the predetermined condition, if a predetermined odd-match is satisfied, the first processing result is changed to the third processing result, and travel control of the autonomous moving body is performed based on the third processing result, and when the predetermined odd-match is not satisfied, travel of the autonomous moving body is restricted. The information processing method according to claim 6.

8. When the difference satisfies a predetermined condition, the traveling of the autonomous moving body is restricted. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

9. If the difference satisfies a predetermined condition, an abnormality is notified. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

10. If the weather is not suitable for autonomous driving of the autonomous moving body, the first processing result is changed to the third processing result without determining the difference, and travel control of the autonomous moving body is performed based on the third processing result. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

11. When the second processing result is acquired after a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the output of the sensing data, a difference between a part of the first processing result and a part of the second processing result is determined. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

12. and outputting a request for execution of the second pre-processing to the external device based on at least one of the resources of the autonomous moving body, the moving state of the autonomous moving body, the external environment of the autonomous moving body, the time, and a response time to a query to the external device. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

13. An information processing device mounted on an autonomous moving body, executes a first pre-processing, which is a pre-processing of a driving control process in autonomous driving of the autonomous moving body, based on sensing data acquired by the autonomous moving body, to acquire a first processing result; outputting the sensing data to an external device; a second processing result obtained by executing a second preprocessing, which is a preprocessing more advanced than the first preprocessing and obtains the same type of processing result as the first preprocessing, based on the sensing data used when executing the first preprocessing, is acquired from the external device, wherein the second preprocessing is executed by the external device that is connected to the autonomous moving body via a network and has a processing capability higher than that of the information processing device; restricting travel of the autonomous moving body when there is a communication delay between the autonomous moving body and the external device or when there is a processing delay in the second pre-processing; When there is no communication delay between the autonomous moving body and the external device, or when there is no processing delay in the second pre-processing, performing travel control of the autonomous moving body based on the first processing result or the third processing result; the third processing result is the second processing result or a processing result obtained by correcting the first processing result, moreover, If there is neither the communication delay nor the processing delay, a difference between the first processing result and the second processing result is determined; The first processing result is changed to the third processing result in accordance with the determined difference, and travel control of the autonomous moving body is performed based on the third processing result. Information processing device.

14. An information processing method executed by an external device connected to an autonomous moving body via a network, comprising: acquiring, from the autonomous moving body, a first processing result that is a result of first pre-processing that is pre-processing of a driving control process in an autonomous movement process of the autonomous moving body, and sensing data acquired by the autonomous moving body, wherein the first pre-processing is executed based on the sensing data by an information processing device provided in the autonomous moving body; a second preprocessing is performed based on the sensing data used when the first preprocessing is performed, the second preprocessing being a more advanced preprocessing than the first preprocessing and obtaining a processing result of the same type as the first preprocessing, and a second processing result is obtained, wherein the external device has a processing capability higher than that of the information processing device; When there is a communication delay between the autonomous moving body and the external device or when there is a processing delay in the second pre-processing, outputting a travel restriction instruction to the autonomous moving body that restricts travel of the autonomous moving body; outputting, to the autonomous moving body, a change instruction to change the first processing result to a third processing result when there is no communication delay between the autonomous moving body and the external device or when there is no processing delay in the second pre-processing; the third processing result is the second processing result or a processing result obtained by correcting the first processing result, moreover, If there is neither the communication delay nor the processing delay, a difference between the first processing result and the second processing result is determined; outputting the change instruction to the autonomous moving body in accordance with the determined difference; Information processing methods.

15. When there is a communication delay between the autonomous moving body and the external device, or when there is a processing delay in the second pre-processing, and when correction for the delay is not possible, if a predetermined ODD (Operational Design Domain) is satisfied, the change instruction is not output to the autonomous moving body, and when the predetermined ODD is not satisfied, the travel restriction instruction is output to the autonomous moving body. The information processing method according to claim 14.

16. If the difference satisfies a predetermined condition, the change instruction is output to the autonomous moving body. The information processing method according to claim 14.

17. When the difference satisfies the predetermined condition, if a predetermined odd-match is satisfied, the change instruction is output to the autonomous moving body, and when the predetermined odd-match is not satisfied, the travel restriction instruction is output to the autonomous moving body. The information processing method according to claim 16.

18. When requests to perform the second pre-processing are received from a plurality of the autonomous moving bodies, an autonomous moving body that will preferentially accept the requests is selected from the plurality of autonomous moving bodies based on at least one of resources possessed by the plurality of autonomous moving bodies, movement states of the plurality of autonomous moving bodies, an external environment of the plurality of autonomous moving bodies, time, and a response time to the requests. The information processing method according to claim 14.

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