Autonomous Vehicle Assistance Timing for Remote Operator Bottlenecks
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Solution Overview
Problem
In autonomous driving systems, frequent remote control requests from vehicles can overwhelm limited human operator resources, leading to vehicles stopping on roads and hindering traffic.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control system that determines the necessity of remote assistance based on driving environment data and target trajectories, calculates a traveling efficiency level, and delays the transmission of remote assistance requests when the efficiency level is low, reducing the frequency of requests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If remote control requests are transmitted frequently to ensure safe autonomous driving, then the reliability of autonomous driving control is improved, but the productivity of the remote facility operator is worsened due to limited human resources
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of request transmission timing by calculating and adjusting the request timing based on the traveling efficiency level. When the traveling efficiency level is low, the request timing is delayed, which reduces the frequency of requests and allows operators to handle more cases, thereby improving productivity while maintaining reliability through selective timing adjustment
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the request transmission timing based on real-time traveling efficiency levels. The request timing is not fixed but varies according to the calculated efficiency level, allowing the system to optimize between reliability and productivity dynamically based on current driving conditions
2Loss of time
If remote control requests are transmitted immediately when assistance is needed, then the response time is improved, but the loss of time for vehicles waiting on roads is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculation of the traveling efficiency level before transmitting the request. By calculating the efficiency level in advance and determining the optimal request timing beforehand, the system avoids unnecessary immediate requests that would cause vehicles to stop and wait, thereby reducing time loss while maintaining appropriate response speed
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the timing parameter of request transmission based on the calculated traveling efficiency level. By adjusting the request timing parameter dynamically, the system optimizes the balance between response speed and time loss, ensuring requests are transmitted at appropriate moments rather than always immediately
Data Source
AI summary
A processor of a vehicle determines whether remote assistance from a remote facility is necessary during autonomous driving control. When determination is made that the remote assistance is necessary, the processor generates a target trajectory of the vehicle that includes an expected waiting position. The expected waiting position is a position where the vehicle is expected to wait for reception of an assistance signal from the remote facility. The processor calculates a traveling efficiency level indicating a level of traveling efficiency required in the vehicle, and calculates, based on the traveling efficiency level, a request timing to transmit a request signal for the remote assistance to the remote facility. When the traveling efficiency level is low in calculation of the request timing, the processor outputs a late timing.