Systems and methods for augmented capabilities for remote operation of robot vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles face challenges in navigating unstructured environments and responding to hazards without immediate human intervention, particularly when the human operator is remote and unable to react swiftly to surrounding conditions.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a system that allows remote human operators to control autonomous vehicles using a communication system, processors, and memory instructions, which supplement the vehicle's autonomous capabilities to detect and mitigate hazards such as collisions, speed limits, and lane deviations, enabling the vehicle to switch between autonomous and remote operation modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If autonomous vehicles operate without human intervention, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to inability to respond to unexpected hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring the environment and pre-identifying potential hazards before they become critical threats. The autonomous vehicle maintains a state of readiness by pre-processing sensor data to detect early signs of dangerous situations, allowing it to respond more effectively when hazards materialize.
Solution Approach 2:
The remote operator serves as an intermediary between the autonomous vehicle's hazard detection systems and the final response actions. When the autonomous system identifies a potential hazard, it can escalate to a remote operator for verification and decision-making, combining autonomous efficiency with human judgment for complex or uncertain situations.
2Reliability
If remote human operators control autonomous vehicles, then reliability is improved through human judgment, but response time deteriorates due to communication delays
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary hazard assessment and preparation of response options before human operator intervention is needed. By pre-processing sensor data and identifying potential hazards in advance, the system reduces the cognitive load on remote operators and enables faster decision-making when escalation occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the level of autonomous intervention based on hazard severity and operator availability. For critical hazards requiring immediate response, the autonomous system can take direct action without waiting for operator confirmation, while less urgent situations allow for human review, creating a flexible response hierarchy that optimizes both speed and accuracy.
3Reliability
If autonomous capabilities are supplemented with remote operation, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into distinct functional modules: autonomous hazard detection, remote operator interface, and decision-making layers. This segmentation allows each component to be independently optimized, tested, and maintained, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining the benefits of both autonomous and remote control capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
An autonomous robot vehicle in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure includes a land vehicle conveyance system, a communication system configured to communicate with a remote human operator system, one or more processors, and a memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the processor(s), cause the autonomous robot vehicle to receive via the communication system control instructions from the remote human operator system for controlling the land vehicle conveyance system, control the land vehicle conveyance system in accordance with the control instructions to perform travel, and autonomously control the land vehicle conveyance system in coordination with the control instructions from the remote human operator system to semi-autonomously perform travel.