System and method for handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a vehicle computer system (501, 600) for handling interruption in communication between a vehicle (100) and an offboard computer system (105, 600). The vehicle computer system (501, 600) comprises vehicle processing circuitry (503, 602) configured to: detect that communication between the vehicle (100) and the offboard computer system (600, 105) has been interrupted; activate waiting mode in the vehicle (100); start a timer; store time information indicating a time of the last communication received by the vehicle (100) from the offboard computer system (105, 600) before the interruption; detect that the communication has been re-established; provide the time information to the offboard computer system (105, 600) when the communication has been re-established; obtain instructions associated with a status of an E-stop triggering event since the last communication; and to act according to the obtained instructions.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HANDLING INTERRUPTION IN COMMUNICATION BETWEEN A VEHICLE AND AN OFFBOARD COMPUTER SYSTEMTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The disclosure relates generally to a vehicle computer system, a vehicle, an offboard computer system and a computer-implemented method. In particular aspects, the disclosure relates to handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system. The disclosure can be applied to heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks, buses, and construction equipment, among other vehicle types. Although the disclosure may be described with respect to a particular vehicle, the disclosure is not restricted to any particular vehicle.BACKGROUND

[0002] An at least partly autonomous vehicle may be connected to an offboard control system. For the sake of simplicity, the term vehicle will be used herein when referring to the at least partly autonomous vehicle. However, there may be instability in the wireless communication network between the vehicle and the offboard control system.

[0003] Emergency stop (E-stop) is a function commonly implemented in at least partly autonomous vehicles and is arranged to bring the vehicle to a full stop in emergency situations. Currently, vehicles are arranged to always E-stop when there is an interruption in the wireless communication between the vehicle and the offboard control system, and this has the consequence of that autonomous operations will always suffer from massively reduced productivity any time there is an interruption in the wireless communication between the vehicle and the offboard control system. A vehicle that has entered E-stop must be re-enabled locally and manually by an operator. This is resource intensive since the distances that the operator needs to cover might be large as might the number of vehicles needing to be reenabled.

[0004] In view of the above, there is a strive to develop further improved technology relating to at least partly autonomous vehicles.SUMMARY

[0005] According to a first aspect of the disclosure, a vehicle computer system for handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system is provided. The vehicle is at least partly autonomous. The vehicle computer system comprises vehicle processing circuitry configured to: detect that communication between the vehicle and the offboard computer system has been interrupted; activate waiting mode in the vehicle, wherein the vehicle is stationary when it is in waiting mode; start a timer when the waiting mode is activated, wherein the timer counts down to activation of an E-stop mode;- before the timer expires, store time information indicating a time of the last communication received by the vehicle from the offboard computer system before the interruption;- before the timer expires, detect that the communication has been re-established; provide the time information to the offboard computer system when the communication has been re-established and before the timer expires; obtain instructions associated with a status of an E-stop triggering event since the last communication as indicated in the time information; and to act according to the obtained instructions.

[0006] The first aspect of the disclosure may seek to improve handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system. A technical benefit may include that handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system is improved. The vehicle will not enter E-stop immediately when the communication is interrupted, but instead enter a very similar mode called waiting mode where all potentially dangerous movement is stopped. Thus, the E-stop is not unnecessarily activated due to the interruption in communication, but when there has been another E-stop triggering event during the interrupted communication. Thus, the productivity time of the vehicle will be reduced since the E-stop will not be activated each time there is an interruption in the communication. Furthermore, the number of times the E-stop must be manually re-enabled by an operator is also significantly reduced.

[0007] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the status of the E-stop triggering event may be that it has occurred since the last communication. The instructions may be to activate the E-stop mode in the vehicle. The vehicle processingcircuitry may be configured to act according to the obtained instructions by activating the E- stop mode.

[0008] A technical benefit may include that handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system is improved. Since the E-stop triggering event has occurred since the last communication before the interruption, the E-stop is correctly activated and only when it is necessary and required.

[0009] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the status of the E-stop triggering event may be that it has not occurred since the last communication. The instructions may be to resume operation of the vehicle. The vehicle processing circuitry may be configured to act according to the obtained instructions by resuming operation.

[0010] A technical benefit may include that handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system is improved. When no E-stop triggering event has occurred since the last communication before the interruption, operation of the vehicle is resumed without activating the E-stop. Thus, there is no unnecessary activation of the E-stop.

[0011] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the vehicle processing circuitry may be further configured to act according to the obtained instructions by stopping the timer before it expires.

[0012] A technical benefit may include that the timer is not running unnecessarily. Processing power for running the timer is only limited to the time when it is necessary for the timer to run.

[0013] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the vehicle may be configured to operate in autonomous mode when it has resumed operation.

[0014] A technical benefit may include that handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system is improved.

[0015] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the vehicle processing circuitry may be further configured to detect that the timer has expired and that E-stop mode has not been activated, and to activate the E-stop mode in the vehicle.

[0016] A technical benefit may include that handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system is improved.

[0017] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the vehicle may be configured to operate in autonomous mode before the interrupted communication has been detected. A technical benefit may include that handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system is improved.

[0018] According to a second aspect of the disclosure, a vehicle is provided. The vehicle comprises the vehicle computer system of the first aspect. The second aspect of the disclosure may seek to improve handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system. A technical benefit may include that handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system is improved. The vehicle will not enter E-stop immediately when the communication is interrupted, but instead enter a very similar mode called waiting mode where all potentially dangerous movement is stopped. Thus, the E-stop is not unnecessarily activated due to the interruption in communication, but when there has been another E-stop triggering event during the interrupted communication. Thus, the productivity time of the vehicle will be reduced since the E-stop will not be activated each time there is an interruption in the communication. Furthermore, the number of times the E-stop must be manually re-enabled by an operator is also significantly reduced.

[0019] According to a third aspect of the disclosure, an offboard computer system for handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and the offboard computer system is provided. The offboard computer system comprises an offboard processing circuitry configured to: detect, that communication between the vehicle and the offboard computer system has been interrupted; detect that the communication has been re-established; obtain time information from the vehicle computer system when the communication is re-established, wherein the time information indicates a time of the last communication received by the vehicle from the offboard computer system before the interruption; determine a status of an E-stop triggering event since the last communication as indicated in the time information; and to provide instructions associated with the status of the E-stop triggering event to the vehicle computer system.

[0020] The third aspect of the disclosure may seek to improve handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system. A technical benefit mayinclude that handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system is improved. The vehicle will not enter E-stop immediately when the communication is interrupted, but instead enter a very similar mode called waiting mode where all potentially dangerous movement is stopped. Thus, the E-stop is not unnecessarily activated due to the interruption in communication, but when there has been another E-stop triggering event during the interrupted communication. Thus, the productivity time of the vehicle will be reduced since the E-stop will not be activated each time there is an interruption in the communication. Furthermore, the number of times the E-stop must be manually re-enabled by an operator is also significantly reduced.

[0021] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the status of the E-stop triggering event may be that it has occurred since the last communication. The instructions may be to activate the E-stop mode in the vehicle.

[0022] A technical benefit may include that handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system is improved. Since the E-stop triggering event has occurred since the last communication before the interruption, the E-stop is correctly activated and only when it is necessary and required.

[0023] Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the status of the E-stop triggering event may be that it has not occurred since the last communication. The instructions may be to resume operation of the vehicle.

[0024] A technical benefit may include that handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system is improved. When no E-stop triggering event has occurred since the last communication before the interruption, operation of the vehicle is resumed without activating the E-stop. Thus, there is no unnecessary activation of the E-stop.

[0025] According to a fourth aspect of the disclosure, a computer-implemented method for handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system is provided. The method comprising: detecting, by a vehicle processing circuitry of the vehicle computer system, that communication between the vehicle and the offboard computer system has been interrupted; activating, by the vehicle processing circuitry, waiting mode in the vehicle, wherein the vehicle is stationary when it is in waiting mode;starting, by the vehicle processing circuitry, a timer when the waiting mode is activated, wherein the timer counts down to activation of an E-stop mode;- before the timer expires, storing, by the vehicle processing circuitry, time information indicating a time of the last communication received by the vehicle from the offboard computer system before the interruption;- before the timer expires, detecting, by the vehicle processing circuitry, that the communication has been re-established; providing, by the vehicle processing circuitry, the time information to the offboard computer system when the communication has been re-established and before the timer expires; obtaining, by the vehicle processing circuitry, instructions associated with a status of an E-stop triggering event since the last communication as indicated in the time information; and acting, by the vehicle processing circuitry, according to the obtained instructions.

[0026] The fourth aspect of the disclosure may seek to improve handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system. A technical benefit may include that handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system is improved. The vehicle will not enter E-stop immediately when the communication is interrupted, but instead enter a very similar mode called waiting mode where all potentially dangerous movement is stopped. Thus, the E-stop is not unnecessarily activated due to the interruption in communication, but when there has been another E-stop triggering event during the interrupted communication. Thus, the productivity time of the vehicle will be reduced since the E-stop will not be activated each time there is an interruption in the communication. Furthermore, the number of times the E-stop must be manually re-enabled by an operator is also significantly reduced.

[0027] According to a fifth aspect of the disclosure, a computer-implemented method for handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system is provided. The vehicle is at least partly autonomous. The method comprising: detecting, by an offboard processing circuitry of the offboard computer system, that communication between the vehicle and the offboard computer system has been interrupted; detecting, by the offboard processing circuitry, that the communication has been reestablished;obtaining, by the offboard processing circuitry, time information from the vehicle computer system when the communication is re-established, wherein the time information indicates a time of the last communication received by the vehicle from the offboard computer system before the interruption; determining, by the offboard processing circuitry, a status of an E-stop triggering event since the last communication as indicated in the time information; and providing, by the offboard processing circuitry, instructions associated with the status of the E-stop triggering event to the vehicle computer system.

[0028] The fifth aspect of the disclosure may seek to improve handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system. A technical benefit may include that handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system is improved. The vehicle will not enter E-stop immediately when the communication is interrupted, but instead enter a very similar mode called waiting mode where all potentially dangerous movement is stopped. Thus, the E-stop is not unnecessarily activated due to the interruption in communication, but when there has been another E-stop triggering event during the interrupted communication. Thus, the productivity time of the vehicle will be reduced since the E-stop will not be activated each time there is an interruption in the communication. Furthermore, the number of times the E-stop must be manually re-enabled by an operator is also significantly reduced.

[0029] According to a sixth aspect of the disclosure, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product comprises program code for performing, when executed by a processing circuitry, the method of the fourth aspect and / or method of the fifth aspect.

[0030] The sixth aspect of the disclosure may seek to improve handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system. A technical benefit may include that handling interruption in communication between a vehicle and an offboard computer system is improved. The vehicle will not enter E-stop immediately when the communication is interrupted, but instead enter a very similar mode called waiting mode where all potentially dangerous movement is stopped. Thus, the E-stop is not unnecessarily activated due to the interruption in communication, but when there has been another E-stop triggering event during the interrupted communication. Thus, the productivity time of the vehicle will be reduced since the E-stop will not be activated each time there is aninterruption in the communication. Furthermore, the number of times the E-stop must be manually re-enabled by an operator is also significantly reduced.

[0031] According to a seventh aspect of the disclosure, a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprises instructions, which when executed by a processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform the method of the fourth aspect and / or method of the fifth aspect.

[0032] Advantages and effects of the first aspect are largely analogous to the advantages and effects of the other aspects. It shall also be noted that all embodiments of the first aspect are combinable with all embodiments of the other aspects, and vice versa.

[0033] The disclosed aspects, examples (including any preferred examples), and / or accompanying claims may be suitably combined with each other as would be apparent to anyone of ordinary skill in the art. Additional features and advantages are disclosed in the following description, claims, and drawings, and in part will be readily apparent therefrom to those skilled in the art or recognized by practicing the disclosure as described herein.

[0034] There are also disclosed herein computer systems, control units, code modules, computer-implemented methods, computer readable media, and computer program products associated with the above discussed technical benefits.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Examples are described in more detail below with reference to the appended drawings.

[0036] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic drawing illustrating a vehicle system, according to an example.

[0037] FIG. 2 is an exemplary signaling diagram illustrating a method, according to an example.

[0038] FIG. 3 is an exemplary flow chart illustrating a method.

[0039] FIG. 4 is an exemplary flow chart illustrating a method.

[0040] FIG. 5 is another view of FIG. 1, according to an example.

[0041] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary computer system for implementing examples disclosed herein, according to an example.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The detailed description set forth below provides information and examples of the disclosed technology with sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure.

[0043] An at least partly autonomous vehicle may be connected to an offboard control system. For the sake of simplicity, the term vehicle will be used herein when referring to the at least partly autonomous vehicle. However, there may be instability in the wireless communication network between the vehicle and the offboard control system. This affects for example the E-stop function of the vehicle. Currently, vehicles are arranged to always E-stop when there is an interruption in the wireless communication between the vehicle and the offboard control system, and this has the consequence of that autonomous operations will always suffer from massively reduced productivity any time there is an interruption in the wireless communication between the vehicle and the offboard control system. A vehicle that has entered E-stop must be re-enabled locally and manually by an operator. This is resource intensive since the distances that the operator needs to cover might be large as might the number of vehicles needing to be re-enabled. In view of the above, there is a strive to develop further improved technology relating to at least partly autonomous vehicles.

[0044] FIG. 1 is an exemplary system diagram of a vehicle system according to an example. The vehicle system comprises a vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 may be a heavy-duty vehicle, such as truck, bus, marine vessel, and construction equipment, among other vehicle types. Although the disclosure may be described with respect to a particular vehicle, the disclosure is not restricted to any particular vehicle. The vehicle 100 may comprise a tractor or it may comprise a tractor and a trailer.

[0045] The vehicle 100 may be arranged to operate at a site. The vehicle 100 may be comprised in a vehicle fleet. The vehicle fleet may comprise two or more vehicles.

[0046] The vehicle system comprises an offboard computer system 105. The offboard computer system 105 may be referred to as an offboard control system, offboard control unit, remote control system, remote control unit etc. The offboard computer system 105 is arranged to for example at least partly control the vehicle 100, and the control may be to for example operate the vehicle 100, drive the vehicle 100, assist an operator of the vehicle 100, e.g. the driver, in operating the vehicle 100, to control E-stop of the vehicle 100, to control E- stop at the site in which the vehicle 100 operates, to perform fleet management of the vehicle fleet in which the vehicle 100 belongs, just to mention some examples. The offboard computer system 105 is arranged to maintain site safety at the site with regards to providingoffboard operators with E-stop actuators, for emergencies where vehicles aren't behaving as intended, and maintaining integrity of the Autonomous Operation Zone (AOZ) using light barriers, pullwires and other inputs to E-stop one or more vehicles in the autonomous fleet if for example a human enters the site during autonomous operations. The term site refers to the area in which the vehicle 100 is located and operating. The offboard computer system 105 may be arranged to perform fleet management, i.e. it may be responsible for coordination of the autonomous fleet. It manages vehicles on the site, sending missions to the vehicle 100 ush as e.g. drive to this location and wait to be loaded or drive to this position and unload.

[0047] The offboard computer system 105 is located offboard the vehicle 100, i.e. not onboard the vehicle 100. The offboard computer system 105 is located at an offboard location, e.g. a remote location, which is located at a geographical distance from the vehicle 100. The offboard computer system 105 and the vehicle 100 may be located in the same confined area or a common operation area, but with a geographical distance between each other. The offboard computer system 105 may be a cloud system or comprised in a cloud system. The offboard computer system 105 may be arranged to control the vehicle fleet to which the vehicle 100 belongs. The offboard computer system 105 may be arranged to control the site at which the vehicle fleet and its vehicles’ operate.

[0048] The offboard computer system 105 and the vehicle 100 are arranged to communicate with each other via a wireless communication link 100. The wireless communication link 110 may be a radio link, a mobile communication link applying e.g. 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G , etc. The wireless communication link 110 may use any suitable protocol depending on type and level of layer (e.g. as indicated by the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model) as understood by the person skilled in the art.

[0049] FIG. 2 is an exemplary signaling diagram illustrating a method, according to an example. The method comprises at least one of the following steps, and the steps may be performed in any suitable order than described below:

[0050] Step 201: The vehicle 100 operates in autonomous mode. Autonomous mode may be described as the mode or state of the vehicle 100 where the vehicle 100 is arranged to operate at least partly without direct intervention by a human, e.g. a driver. There may be different levels of autonomy where the levels reflect the amount of intervention by the human in the operation of the vehicle 100, and the vehicle 100 may operate in any such autonomy level when the method is performed. The wireless communication link 100 between the vehicle 100 and the offboard computer system 105 is functioning, i.e. there is no interruptionor failure in the communication between the vehicle 100 and the offboard computer system100.

[0051] Step 202a: The vehicle 100 detects that there is an interruption in the communication with the offboard computer system 100. The offboard computer system 105 and the vehicle 100 communicate constantly or at regular time intervals. The vehicle 100, e.g. the onboard safety system, may obtain a heartbeat signal from the offboard computer system 105 indicating that all is OK and that the vehicle 100 can continue or start its operation. When the communication is interrupted, the vehicle 100 may detect this through that the stream of messages, e.g. the heartbeat signal, from the offboard computer system 105 stops or is delayed. Thus, the interruption in the communication may be detected when no communication, e.g. a heartbeat signal, from the offboard computer system 105 is obtained for a time period, e.g. a predetermined time period from a previous communication.

[0052] The interruption may have any suitable cause, for example disturbances in the radio frequencies used, poor coverage, network overloaded with other communications, just to mention some examples.

[0053] Step 202b: The offboard computer system 100 detects that there is an interruption in the communication with the vehicle 100. The offboard computer system 105 and the vehicle 100 communicate constantly or at regular time intervals. The offboard computer system 105 may obtain a heartbeat signal from the vehicle 100 indicating that all is OK. When the communication is interrupted, the offboard computer system 105 may detect this through that the stream of messages, e.g. the heartbeat signal, from the vehicle 100 stops or is delayed. Thus, the interruption in the communication may be detected when no communication, e.g. a heartbeat signal, from the vehicle 100 is obtained for a time period, e.g. a predetermined time period from a previous communication.

[0054] Step 202a and 202b may be performed at the same time or in any suitable order.

[0055] Step 203: When the vehicle 100 has detected the interrupted communication, it activates waiting mode, i.e. it changes from the current mode to waiting mode. Waiting mode may comprise that the vehicle 100 stops with integrity. The current mode may be any mode. The current mode may comprise that the vehicle 100 is moving, that it is stationary etc. If the current mode comprises that the vehicle 100 is in motion, then the waiting mode may comprise that the vehicle 00 will stop as soon as possible as it would if an actual E-stop was triggered. If the current mode comprises that the vehicle 100 is stationary, the waiting modemay comprise that the vehicle 100 remains stationary with the driveline disengaged and brakes applied.

[0056] Step 203 comprises starting a timer substantially at the same time as the waiting mode is activated. The term substantially indicates that there may be some tolerance for starting the timer.

[0057] Step 204: The vehicle 100 stores time information about the last communication between the vehicle 100 and the offboard computer system 100 that took place before the interruption. The time information may comprise the actual time when the last communication took place. The time information may be stored in any suitable memory storage, e.g. onboard memory, cloud memory, offboard memory etc.

[0058] Step 205a: The vehicle 100 detects that the communication with the offboard computer system 105 is re-established. In other words, the vehicle 100 detects that there is no interruption in the communication anymore. The communication is re-established when the stream of messages from the offboard computer system 105 is obtained by the vehicle 100 again, which is then detected by the onboard system of the vehicle 100.

[0059] Step 205b: The offboard computer system 105 detects that the communication with the vehicle 100 is re-established. In other words, the offboard computer system 105 detects that there is no interruption in the communication anymore. The communication is reestablished when the stream of messages from the vehicle 100 is obtained by the offboard computer system 105 again.

[0060] Step 206: The vehicle 100 provides the time information from step 204 to the offboard computer system 105. The vehicle 100 may automatically provide the time information to the offboard system 105 when the re-established communication has been detected, it may be provided upon request from the offboard computer system 105, it may be provided at a predetermined time instance after the re-established communication has been detected, etc. The offboard computer system 105 obtains the time information from the vehicle 100.

[0061] Step 207: The offboard computer system 105 determines if there has been any E- stop triggering events since the last communication, i.e. the last communication before the interruption. The decision may be taken based on the time information obtained in step 206. The offboard computer system 105 is aware of when the last communication from the vehicle 100 was received and comprises an event log for the state of the site, allowing it to analyse the event log with respect to timestamp of the last communication before the interruption anddetermine if the vehicle 100 has been E-stopped during the interruption in communication. The E-stop may be part of an E-stop of the whole site in which the vehicle is operating, i.e. all vehicles located at the site. If there has been no E-stop triggering event, then the method proceeds to step 210, as indicated with “no” in fig. 2. If there has been an E-stop triggering event, then the method proceeds to step 208, as indicated with “yes” in fig. 2.

[0062] Step 208: This step is performed if step 207 indicates that there has been an E- stop triggering event since the last communication. The offboard computer system 105 provides instructions to the vehicle 100 to activate E-stop mode. The vehicle 100 obtains the instructions to activate E-stop mode from the offboard computer system 105.

[0063] Step 209: The vehicle 100 activates the E-stop mode, i.e. it changes from waiting mode to E-stop mode. The vehicle 100 may stop the timer at the same time as the E-stop mode is activated, or shortly after the E-stop mode has been activated.

[0064] Step 210: This step is performed if step 207 indicates that there has not been any E-stop triggering events since the last communication with the vehicle 100. The offboard computer system 105 determines that the vehicle should resume operation. Resuming operation may comprise deactivating waiting mode.

[0065] Step 211: The offboard computer system 105 provides instructions to the vehicle 100 to resume operation, e.g. to deactivate waiting mode and to continue operating in autonomous mode as it did before the communication was interrupted.

[0066] Step 212: The vehicle 100 may detect that the timer has expired. The timer may erroneously not have been stopped in step 209, or there may be some other reason for the timer not previously having been stopped.

[0067] Step 213: When the vehicle 100 has detected that the timer has expired in step 212, the vehicle 100 activates E-stop mode, i.e. it changes from waiting mode to E-stop mode.

[0068] Summarized, the vehicle 100 will not enter E-stop immediately when the communication is interrupted, but instead enter a very similar state where all potentially dangerous movement is stopped, i.e. waiting mode. The vehicle 100 also starts a timer that counts down towards actuation of an actual E-stop. The vehicle 100 will remember the time of the last communication received before the interruption

[0069] When communication is re-established, the vehicle 100 will provide that timestamp to the offboard computer system 105, assuming the timer has not expired.

[0070] The offboard computer system 105 will then check if there has been any events since the last communication that would have triggered an E-stop if the vehicle 100 had been in communication with the offboard computer system 105 at that time. If Yes: The vehicle 100 will activate E-stop mode. If No: The vehicle 100 may resume operation without further input.

[0071] FIG. 3 is an exemplary flow chart seen from the perspective of the vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602. FIG. 3 illustrates a method for handling interruption in communication between a vehicle 100 and an offboard computer system 105, 600. The method may be a computer-implemented method. The method may be performed by the vehicle 100. The method may be performed by a vehicle processing circuitry 503, 600 of a vehicle computer system 501, 600. The reference numbers 501 and 503 are seen in FIG. 5 and reference number 600 is seen in FIG. 6, and both these figs, will be described in more detail later. The vehicle 100 is at least partly autonomous. The method in FIG. 3 comprises at least one of the following steps, which steps may be performed in any suitable order than described below:

[0072] Step 301: This step corresponds to step 202a in FIG. 2. The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 detects that communication between the vehicle 100 and the offboard computer system 600, 105 has been interrupted.

[0073] The vehicle 100 may operate in autonomous mode before the interrupted communication has been detected and at the time when the interruption is detected.

[0074] Step 302: This step corresponds to step 203 in FIG. 2. The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 activates waiting mode in the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 is stationary when it is in waiting mode.

[0075] Step 303: This step corresponds to step 203 in FIG. 2. The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 starts a timer when the waiting mode is activated. The timer counts down to activation of an E-stop mode.

[0076] Step 304: This step corresponds to step 204 in FIG. 2. Before the timer expires, the vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 stores time information indicating a time of the last communication received by the vehicle 100 from the offboard computer system 105, 600 before the interruption.

[0077] Step 305: This step corresponds to step 205a in FIG. 2. Before the timer expires, the vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 detects that the communication has been reestablished.

[0078] Step 306: This step corresponds to step 206 in FIG. 2. The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 provides the time information to the offboard computer system 105, 600 when the communication has been re-established and before the timer expires.

[0079] Step 307: This step corresponds to steps 208 and 211 in FIG. 2. The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 obtains instructions associated with a status of an E-stop triggering event since the last communication as indicated in the time information.

[0080] The status of the E-stop triggering event may be that it has occurred since the last communication and the instructions may be to activate the E-stop mode in the vehicle 100.

[0081] The status of the E-stop triggering event may be that it has not occurred since the last communication and the instructions may be to resume operation of the vehicle 100.

[0082] Step 308: This step corresponds to steps 209 and 201 in FIG. 2. The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 acts according to the obtained instructions.

[0083] The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 may act according to the obtained instructions by activating the E-stop mode, i.e. when the instructions in step 307 are to activate the E-stop mode in the vehicle 100.

[0084] The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 may act according to the obtained instructions by resuming operation, i.e. when the instructions in step 307 are to resume operation.

[0085] The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 may act according to the obtained instructions by stopping the timer before it expires.

[0086] The vehicle 100 may operate in autonomous mode when it has resumed operation

[0087] Step 309: This step corresponds to step 212 in FIG. 2. The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 may detect that the timer has expired and that E-stop mode has not been activated.

[0088] Step 310: This step corresponds to step 213 in FIG. 2. The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 may activate the E-stop mode in the vehicle 100.

[0089] FIG. 4 is an exemplary flow chart seen from the perspective of the offboard computer system 105, 600. FIG. 4 illustrates a method for handling interruption in communication between a vehicle 100 and an offboard computer system 105, 600. The method may be a computer-implemented method. The method may be performed by the offboard computer system 105, 600. The method may be performed by an offboard processing circuitry 505, 600 of the offboard computer system 105, 600. The reference number 505 is seen in FIG. 5 and reference number 600 is seen in FIG. 6, and both thesefigs, will be described in more detail later. The vehicle 100 is at least partly autonomous. The method in FIG. 4 comprises at least one of the following steps, which steps may be performed in any suitable order than described below:

[0090] Step 401: This step corresponds to step 202b in FIG. 2. The offboard computer system 105, 600 detects that communication between the vehicle 100 and the offboard computer system 105, 600 has been interrupted.

[0091] Step 402: This step corresponds to step 205b in FIG. 2. The offboard computer system 105, 600 detects that the communication has been re-established.

[0092] Step 403: This step corresponds to step 206 in FIG. 2. The offboard computer system 105, 600 obtains time information from the vehicle computer system 501, 600 when the communication is re-established. The time information indicates a time of the last communication received by the vehicle 100 from the offboard computer system 105, 600 before the interruption.

[0093] Step 404: This step corresponds to step 207 in FIG. 2. The offboard computer system 105, 600 determines a status of an E-stop triggering event since the last communication as indicated in the time information.

[0094] The status of the E-stop triggering event may be that it has occurred since the last communication.

[0095] The status of the E-stop triggering event may be that it has not occurred since the last communication.

[0096] Step 405: This step corresponds to steps 208 and 211 in FIG. 2. The offboard computer system 105, 600 provides instructions associated with the status of the E-stop triggering event to the vehicle computer system 501, 600.

[0097] The status of the E-stop triggering event may be that it has occurred since the last communication, and the instructions may be to activate the E-stop mode in the vehicle 100.

[0098] The status of the E-stop triggering event may be that it has not occurred since the last communication, and the instructions may be to resume operation of the vehicle 100.

[0099] FIG. 5 is another view of FIG. 1, according to an example. The vehicle 100 comprises a vehicle computer system 501, 600 and a vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602. The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 may be comprised in or associated with the vehicle computer system 501, 600.

[0100] The vehicle computer system 501, 600 is for handling interruption in communication between the vehicle 100 and the offboard computer system 105, 600. The vehicle 100 is at least partly autonomous.

[0101] The vehicle computer system 501, 600 comprises vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 configured to detect that communication between the vehicle 100 and the offboard computer system 600, 105 has been interrupted.

[0102] The vehicle 100 may be configured to operate in autonomous mode before the interrupted communication has been detected.

[0103] The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 configured to activate waiting mode in the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 is stationary when it is in waiting mode.

[0104] The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 configured to start a timer when the waiting mode is activated. The timer counts down to activation of an E-stop mode.

[0105] The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 configured to, before the timer expires, store time information indicating a time of the last communication received by the vehicle 100 from the offboard computer system 105, 600 before the interruption.

[0106] The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 configured to, before the timer expires, detect that the communication has been re-established.

[0107] The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 configured to provide the time information to the offboard computer system 105, 600 when the communication has been reestablished and before the timer expires.

[0108] The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 configured to obtain instructions associated with a status of an E-stop triggering event since the last communication as indicated in the time information.

[0109] The status of the E-stop triggering event may be that it has occurred since the last communication and the instructions may be to activate the E-stop mode in the vehicle 100.

[0110] The status of the E-stop triggering event may be that it has not occurred since the last communication, and the instructions may be to resume operation of the vehicle 100.[OHl] The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 configured to act according to the obtained instructions.

[0112] The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 may be configured to act according to the obtained instructions by activating the E-stop mode

[0113] The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 may be configured to act according to the obtained instructions by resuming operation.

[0114] The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 may be further configured to act according to the obtained instructions by stopping the timer before it expires.

[0115] The vehicle 100 may be configured to operate in autonomous mode when it has resumed operation.

[0116] The vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 may be further configured to detect that the timer has expired and that E-stop mode has not been activated and to activate the E-stop mode in the vehicle 100.

[0117] FIG. 5 illustrates that the offboard computer system 105, 600 comprises an offboard processing circuitry 505, 602. The offboard computer system 105, 600 is for handling interruption in communication between the vehicle 100 and the offboard computer system 105, 600.

[0118] The offboard computer system 105, 600 comprises an offboard processing circuitry 505, 602 configured to detect, that communication between the vehicle 100 and the offboard computer system 105, 600 has been interrupted.

[0119] The offboard processing circuitry 505, 602 is configured to detect that the communication has been re-established.

[0120] The offboard processing circuitry 505, 602 is configured to obtain time information from the vehicle computer system 501, 600 when the communication is reestablished. The time information indicates a time of the last communication received by the vehicle 100 from the offboard computer system 105, 600 before the interruption.

[0121] The offboard processing circuitry 505, 602 is configured to determine a status of an E-stop triggering event since the last communication as indicated in the time information.

[0122] The status of the E-stop triggering event may be that it has occurred since the last communication.

[0123] The status of the E-stop triggering event may be that it has not occurred since the last communication.

[0124] The offboard processing circuitry 505, 602 is configured to provide instructions associated with the status of the E-stop triggering event to the vehicle computer system 501, 600.

[0125] The status of the E-stop triggering event may be that it has occurred since the last communication, and the instructions may be to activate the E-stop mode in the vehicle 100.

[0126] The status of the E-stop triggering event may be that it has not occurred since the last communication, and the instructions may be to resume operation of the vehicle 100.

[0127] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a computer system 600 for implementing examples disclosed herein. The computer system 600 may be or may represent the offboard computer system 105. The computer system 600 may be or may represent the vehicle computer system 501. The computer system 600 is adapted to execute instructions from a computer-readable medium to perform these and / or any of the functions or processing described herein. The computer system 600 may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines in a LAN (Local Area Network), LIN (Local Interconnect Network), automotive network communication protocol (e.g., FlexRay), an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. While only a single device is illustrated, the computer system 600 may include any collection of devices that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Accordingly, any reference in the disclosure and / or claims to a computer system, computing system, computer device, computing device, control system, control unit, electronic control unit (ECU), processor device, processing circuitry, etc., includes reference to one or more such devices to individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. For example, control system may include a single control unit or a plurality of control units connected or otherwise communicatively coupled to each other, such that any performed function may be distributed between the control units as desired. Further, such devices may communicate with each other or other devices by various system architectures, such as directly or via a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, etc.

[0128] The computer system 600 may comprise at least one computing device or electronic device capable of including firmware, hardware, and / or executing software instructions to implement the functionality described herein. The computer system 600 may include processing circuitry 602 (e.g., processing circuitry including one or more processor devices or control units), a memory 604, and a system bus 606. The processing circuitry 602 may be or may represent the offboard processing circuitry system 505. The processing circuitry 602 may be or may represent the vehicle processing circuitry 503. The computer system 600 may include at least one computing device having the processing circuitry 602. The system bus 606 provides an interface for system components including, but not limited to, the memory 604 and the processing circuitry 602. The processing circuitry 602 may include any number of hardware components for conducting data or signal processing or for executing computer code stored in memory 604. The processing circuitry 602 may, forexample, include a general-purpose processor, an application specific processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a circuit containing processing components, a group of distributed processing components, a group of distributed computers configured for processing, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The processing circuitry 602 may further include computer executable code that controls operation of the programmable device.

[0129] The system bus 606 may be any of several types of bus structures that may further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and / or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The memory 604 may be one or more devices for storing data and / or computer code for completing or facilitating methods described herein. The memory 604 may include database components, object code components, script components, or other types of information structure for supporting the various activities herein. Any distributed or local memory device may be utilized with the systems and methods of this description. The memory 604 may be communicably connected to the processing circuitry 602 (e.g., via a circuit or any other wired, wireless, or network connection) and may include computer code for executing one or more processes described herein. The memory 604 may include non-volatile memory 608 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), etc.), and volatile memory 610 (e.g., randomaccess memory (RAM)), or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a computer or other machine with processing circuitry 602. A basic input / output system (BIOS) 612 may be stored in the non-volatile memory 608 and can include the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer system 600.

[0130] The computer system 600 may further include or be coupled to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as the storage device 614, which may comprise, for example, an internal or external hard disk drive (HDD) (e.g., enhanced integrated drive electronics (EIDE) or serial advanced technology attachment (SATA)), HDD (e.g., EIDE or SATA) for storage, flash memory, or the like. The storage device 614 and other drivesassociated with computer-readable media and computer-usable media may provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and the like.

[0131] Computer-code which is hard or soft coded may be provided in the form of one or more modules. The module(s) can be implemented as software and / or hard-coded in circuitry to implement the functionality described herein in whole or in part. The modules may be stored in the storage device 614 and / or in the volatile memory 610, which may include an operating system 616 and / or one or more program modules 618. All or a portion of the examples disclosed herein may be implemented as a computer program 620 stored on a transitory or non-transitory computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium (e.g., single medium or multiple media), such as the storage device 614, which includes complex programming instructions (e.g., complex computer-readable program code) to cause the processing circuitry 602 to carry out actions described herein. Thus, the computer-readable program code of the computer program 620 can comprise software instructions for implementing the functionality of the examples described herein when executed by the processing circuitry 602. In some examples, the storage device 614 may be a computer program product (e.g., readable storage medium) storing the computer program 620 thereon, where at least a portion of a computer program 620 may be loadable (e.g., into a processor) for implementing the functionality of the examples described herein when executed by the processing circuitry 602. The processing circuitry 602 may serve as a controller or control system for the computer system 600 that is to implement the functionality described herein.

[0132] The computer system 600 may include an input device interface 622 configured to receive input and selections to be communicated to the computer system 600 when executing instructions, such as from a keyboard, mouse, touch-sensitive surface, etc. Such input devices may be connected to the processing circuitry 602 through the input device interface 622 coupled to the system bus 606 but can be connected through other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 1394 serial port, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, an IR interface, and the like. The computer system 600 may include an output device interface 624 configured to forward output, such as to a display, a video display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 600 may include a communications interface 626 suitable for communicating with a network as appropriate or desired.

[0133] The operational actions described in any of the exemplary aspects herein are described to provide examples and discussion. The actions may be performed by hardwarecomponents, may be embodied in machine-executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the actions, or may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. Although a specific order of method actions may be shown or described, the order of the actions may differ. In addition, two or more actions may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence.

[0134] Example 1: A vehicle computer system 501, 600 for handling interruption in communication between a vehicle 100 and an offboard computer system 105, 600, wherein the vehicle 100 is at least partly autonomous, wherein the vehicle computer system 501, 600 comprises vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 configured to: detect that communication between the vehicle 100 and the offboard computer system 600, 105 has been interrupted; activate waiting mode in the vehicle 100, wherein the vehicle 100 is stationary when it is in waiting mode; start a timer when the waiting mode is activated, wherein the timer counts down to activation of an E-stop mode;- before the timer expires, store time information indicating a time of the last communication received by the vehicle 100 from the offboard computer system 105, 600 before the interruption;- before the timer expires, detect that the communication has been re-established; provide the time information to the offboard computer system 105, 600 when the communication has been re-established and before the timer expires; obtain instructions associated with a status of an E-stop triggering event since the last communication as indicated in the time information; and to act according to the obtained instructions.

[0135] Example 2: The vehicle computer system 501, 600 of example 1, wherein the status of the E-stop triggering event is that it has occurred since the last communication, wherein the instructions 208 are to activate the E-stop mode in the vehicle 100, and wherein the vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 is configured to act according to the obtained instructions by activating 209 the E-stop mode.

[0136] Example 3: The vehicle computer system 501, 600 of any of examples 1-2, wherein the status of the E-stop triggering event is that it has not occurred since the last communication, wherein the instructions 211 are to resume operation of the vehicle 100, andwherein the vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 is configured to act according to the obtained instructions by resuming operation 201.

[0137] Example 4: The vehicle computer system 501, 600 of any of examples 1-3, wherein the vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 is further configured to act according to the obtained instructions by stopping the timer before it expires.

[0138] Example 5: The vehicle computer system 501, 600 of any of examples 1-4, wherein the vehicle 100 is configured to operate in autonomous mode when it has resumed operation.

[0139] Example 6: The vehicle computer system 501, 600 of any of examples 1-5, wherein the vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 is further configured to: detect that the timer has expired and that E-stop mode has not been activated; and to activate the E-stop mode in the vehicle 100.

[0140] Example 7: The vehicle computer system 501, 600 of any of examples 1-6, wherein the vehicle 100 is configured to operate in autonomous mode before the interrupted communication has been detected.

[0141] Example 8: The vehicle computer system 501, 600 of any of examples 1-7, wherein the communication is detected to be interrupted when no communication from the offboard computer system 105 has been obtained for a time period.

[0142] Example 9: The vehicle computer system 501, 600 of any of examples 1-8, wherein the interrupted communication is caused by one or more of a disturbance in radio frequency of a communication network between the vehicle 100 and the offboard computer system 105, a coverage of the communication network being below a coverage threshold and a network overload.

[0143] Example 10: The vehicle computer system 501, 600 of any of examples 1-9, wherein the vehicle 100 is comprised in a vehicle fleet arranged to be controlled by the offboard control system 105.

[0144] Example 11: A vehicle 100 comprising the vehicle computer system 501, 600 of any of examples 1-10.

[0145] Example 12: An offboard computer system 105, 600 for handling interruption in communication between a vehicle 100 and the offboard computer system 105, 600, wherein the offboard computer system 105, 600 comprises an offboard processing circuitry 505, 602 configured to:detect, that communication between the vehicle 100 and the offboard computer system 105, 600 has been interrupted; detect that the communication has been reestablished; obtain time information from the vehicle computer system 501, 600 when the communication is re-established, wherein the time information indicates a time of the last communication received by the vehicle 100 from the offboard computer system (105, 600) before the interruption; determine a status of an E-stop triggering event since the last communication as indicated in the time information; and to provide instructions associated with the status of the E-stop triggering event to the vehicle computer system 501, 600.

[0146] Example 13: The offboard computer system 105, 600 of example 12, wherein the status of the E-stop triggering event is that it has occurred since the last communication, and wherein the instructions 208 are to activate the E-stop mode in the vehicle 100.

[0147] Example 14: The offboard computer system 105, 600 of any of examples 12-13, wherein the status of the E-stop triggering event is that it has not occurred since the last communication, and wherein the instructions 211 are to resume operation of the vehicle (100).

[0148] Example 15: The offboard computer system 105, 600 of any of examples 12-14, wherein the communication is detected to be interrupted when no communication from the vehicle 100 has been obtained for a time period.

[0149] Example 16: The offboard computer system 105, 600 of any of examples 12-15, wherein the interrupted communication is caused by one or more of: a disturbance in radio frequency of a communication network between the vehicle 100 and the offboard computer system 105, a coverage of the communication network being below a coverage threshold and a network overload.

[0150] Example 17: A computer-implemented method for handling interruption in communication between a vehicle 100 and an offboard computer system 105, 600, wherein the vehicle 100 is at least partly autonomous, wherein the vehicle 100 comprises a vehicle computer system 501, 600, the method comprising: detecting 202a, 301, by a vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602 of the vehicle computer system 501, 600, that communication between the vehicle 100 and the offboard computer system 600, 105 has been interrupted;activating 203, 302, by the vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602, waiting mode in the vehicle 100, wherein the vehicle 100 is stationary when it is in waiting mode; starting 203, 303, by the vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602, a timer when the waiting mode is activated, wherein the timer counts down to activation of an E-stop mode; before the timer expires, storing 204, 304, by the vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602, time information indicating a time of the last communication received by the vehicle 100 from the offboard computer system 105, 600 before the interruption; before the timer expires, detecting 205a, 305, by the vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602, that the communication has been re-established;- providing 206, 306, by the vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602, the time information to the offboard computer system 105, 600 when the communication has been reestablished and before the timer expires; obtaining 208, 211, 307, by the vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602, instructions associated with a status of an E-stop triggering event since the last communication as indicated in the time information; and acting 209, 201, 308, by the vehicle processing circuitry 503, 602, according to the obtained instructions.

[0151] Example 18: A computer-implemented method for handling interruption in communication between a vehicle 100 and an offboard computer system 105, 600, wherein the vehicle 100 is at least partly autonomous, the method comprising: detecting 202b, 401, by an offboard processing circuitry 505, 602 of the offboard computer system 105, 600, that communication between the vehicle 100 and the offboard computer system 105, 600 has been interrupted; detecting 205b, 402, by the offboard processing circuitry 505, 602, that the communication has been re-established; obtaining 206, 403, by the offboard processing circuitry 505, 602, time information from the vehicle computer system 501, 600 when the communication is reestablished, wherein the time information indicates a time of the last communication received by the vehicle 100 from the offboard computer system 105, 600 before the interruption;determining 207, 404, by the offboard processing circuitry 505, 602, a status of an E- stop triggering event since the last communication as indicated in the time information; and- providing 208, 211, 405, by the offboard processing circuitry 505, 602, instructions associated with the status of the E-stop triggering event to the vehicle computer system 501, 600.

[0152] Example 19: A computer program product comprising program code for performing, when executed by a processing circuitry 503, 505, 602, the method of example 17 and / or example 18.

[0153] Example 20: A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a processing circuitry 503, 505, 602, cause the processing circuitry 503, 505, 602 to perform the method of example 17 and / or example 18.

[0154] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," and / or "including" when used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0155] It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0156] Relative terms such as "below" or "above" or "upper" or "lower" or "horizontal" or "vertical" may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element to another element as illustrated in the Figures. It will be understood that these terms and those discussed above are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element isreferred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements present.

[0157] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0158] It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the aspects described above and illustrated in the drawings; rather, the skilled person will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present disclosure and appended claims. In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed aspects for purposes of illustration only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the disclosure being set forth in the following claims.

Claims

ClaimsWhat is claimed is:

1. A vehicle computer system (501, 600) for handling interruption in communication between a vehicle (100) and an offboard computer system (105, 600), wherein the vehicle (100) is at least partly autonomous, wherein the vehicle computer system (501, 600) comprises vehicle processing circuitry (503, 602) configured to: detect that communication between the vehicle (100) and the offboard computer system (600, 105) has been interrupted; activate waiting mode in the vehicle (100), wherein the vehicle (100) is stationary when it is in waiting mode; start a timer when the waiting mode is activated, wherein the timer counts down to activation of an E-stop mode; before the timer expires, store time information indicating a time of the last communication received by the vehicle (100) from the offboard computer system (105, 600) before the interruption; before the timer expires, detect that the communication has been re-established; provide the time information to the offboard computer system (105, 600) when the communication has been re-established and before the timer expires; obtain instructions associated with a status of an E-stop triggering event since the last communication as indicated in the time information; and to act according to the obtained instructions.

2. The vehicle computer system (501, 600) of claim 1, wherein the status of the E-stop triggering event is that it has occurred since the last communication, wherein the instructions (208) are to activate the E-stop mode in the vehicle (100); and wherein the vehicle processing circuitry (503, 602) is configured to act according to the obtained instructions by activating (209) the E-stop mode.

3. The vehicle computer system (501, 600) of any of claims 1-2, wherein the status of the E-stop triggering event is that it has not occurred since the last communication, wherein the instructions (211) are to resume operation of the vehicle (100), andwherein the vehicle processing circuitry (503, 602) is configured to act according to the obtained instructions by resuming operation (201).

4. The vehicle computer system (501, 600) of any of claims 1-3, wherein the vehicle processing circuitry (503, 602) is further configured to act according to the obtained instructions by stopping the timer before it expires.

5. The vehicle computer system (501, 600) of any of claims 1-4, wherein the vehicle (100) is configured to operate in autonomous mode when it has resumed operation.

6. The vehicle computer system (501, 600) of any of claims 1-5, wherein the vehicle processing circuitry (503, 602) is further configured to; detect that the timer has expired and that E-stop mode has not been activated; and to activate the E-stop mode in the vehicle (100).

7. The vehicle computer system (501, 600) of any of claims 1-6, wherein the vehicle (100) is configured to operate in autonomous mode before the interrupted communication has been detected.

8. A vehicle (100) comprising the vehicle computer system (501, 600) of any of claims 1-7.

9. An offboard computer system (105, 600) for handling interruption in communication between a vehicle (100) and the offboard computer system (105, 600), wherein the offboard computer system (105, 600) comprises an offboard processing circuitry (505, 602) configured to: detect, that communication between the vehicle (100) and the offboard computer system (105, 600) has been interrupted; detect that the communication has been re-established; obtain time information from the vehicle computer system (501, 600) when the communication is re-established, wherein the time information indicates a time of the last communication received by the vehicle (100) from the offboard computer system (105, 600) before the interruption;determine a status of an E-stop triggering event since the last communication as indicated in the time information; and to provide instructions associated with the status of the E-stop triggering event to the vehicle computer system (501, 600).

10. The offboard computer system (105, 600) of claim 9, wherein the status of the E-stop triggering event is that it has occurred since the last communication, and wherein the instructions (208) are to activate the E-stop mode in the vehicle (100).

11. The offboard computer system (105, 600) of any of claims 9-10, wherein the status of the E-stop triggering event is that it has not occurred since the last communication, and wherein the instructions (211) are to resume operation of the vehicle (100).

12. A computer-implemented method for handling interruption in communication between a vehicle (100) and an offboard computer system (105, 600), wherein the vehicle (100) is at least partly autonomous, wherein the vehicle (100) comprises a vehicle computer system (501, 600), the method comprising: detecting (202a, 301), by a vehicle processing circuitry (503, 602) of the vehicle computer system (501, 600), that communication between the vehicle (100) and the offboard computer system (600, 105) has been interrupted; activating (203, 302), by the vehicle processing circuitry (503, 602), waiting mode in the vehicle (100), wherein the vehicle (100) is stationary when it is in waiting mode; starting (203, 303), by the vehicle processing circuitry (503, 602), a timer when the waiting mode is activated, wherein the timer counts down to activation of an E-stop mode; before the timer expires, storing (204, 304), by the vehicle processing circuitry (503, 602), time information indicating a time of the last communication received by the vehicle (100) from the offboard computer system (105, 600) before the interruption; before the timer expires, detecting (205a, 305), by the vehicle processing circuitry (503, 602), that the communication has been re-established; providing (206, 306), by the vehicle processing circuitry (503, 602), the time information to the offboard computer system (105, 600) when the communication has been re-established and before the timer expires; obtaining (208, 211, 307), by the vehicle processing circuitry (503, 602), instructionsassociated with a status of an E-stop triggering event since the last communication as indicated in the time information; and acting (209, 201, 308), by the vehicle processing circuitry (503, 602), according to the obtained instructions.

13. A computer-implemented method for handling interruption in communication between a vehicle (100) and an offboard computer system (105, 600), wherein the vehicle (100) is at least partly autonomous, the method comprising: detecting (202b, 401), by an offboard processing circuitry (505, 602) of the offboard computer system (105, 600), that communication between the vehicle (100) and the offboard computer system (105, 600) has been interrupted; detecting (205b, 402), by the offboard processing circuitry (505, 602), that the communication has been re-established; obtaining (206, 403), by the offboard processing circuitry (505, 602), time information from the vehicle computer system (501, 600) when the communication is reestablished, wherein the time information indicates a time of the last communication received by the vehicle (100) from the offboard computer system (105, 600) before the interruption; determining (207, 404), by the offboard processing circuitry (505, 602), a status of an E-stop triggering event since the last communication as indicated in the time information; and providing (208, 211, 405), by the offboard processing circuitry (505, 602), instructions associated with the status of the E-stop triggering event to the vehicle computer system (501, 600).

14. A computer program product comprising program code for performing, when executed by a processing circuitry (503, 505, 602), the method of claim 12 and / or claim 13.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a processing circuitry (503, 505, 602), cause the processing circuitry (503, 505, 602) to perform the method of claim 12 and / or claim 13.

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