Remote Assistance Operator Reassignment for Urgent Vehicle Requests

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

The existing techniques for managing remote assistance requests from autonomous vehicles are inadequate when the number of vehicles exceeds the number of available remote assistance operators, leading to inefficient allocation and potential delays in emergency responses or traffic management.

Innovation Solution

An operator management system that dynamically sets and updates allocation priorities for remote assistance requests based on the urgency of each vehicle's needs, allowing for the reassignment of operators from lower-priority vehicles to higher-priority ones, ensuring that vehicles with higher urgency receive timely assistance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If remote assistance operators are assigned in the order of request transmission, then the assignment process is simple, but vehicles with urgent needs may experience delays when operator numbers are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveassignment process simplicityVSAvoidresponse delay for urgent vehicles

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the assignment parameter from simple transmission order to a composite priority value that incorporates multiple factors including transmission order, vehicle type, request content, and current vehicle state. This allows urgent vehicles to be identified and assigned operators regardless of transmission timing, resolving the contradiction between simple assignment processes and timely response to urgent needs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic priority recalculation whenever new requests arrive or operator availability changes. This dynamic adjustment ensures that priority assignments reflect current system conditions, allowing urgent vehicles to receive preferential treatment while maintaining operational simplicity through automated recalculation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the number of remote assistance operators is increased to handle all vehicles, then all vehicles can receive timely assistance, but operational costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetimely assistance availabilityVSAvoidnumber of operators

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a self-service mechanism where vehicles with less urgent needs can wait in a queue while the system automatically manages priority assignments. This allows the operator pool to be optimized for urgent cases without requiring enough operators to handle every vehicle simultaneously, reducing the total number of operators needed while maintaining reliable assistance for those who need it most

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different service quality levels to different vehicles based on their priority classification. Urgent vehicles receive immediate operator assignment with high reliability, while non-urgent vehicles enter a queue system. This differentiated approach ensures timely assistance for critical cases without requiring operators for every vehicle, optimizing the operator-to-vehicle ratio

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Ease of operation

If vehicles are processed in transmission order, then fairness is maintained, but emergency response speed decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing fairnessVSAvoidemergency response speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the vehicle queue into different priority levels (urgent, normal, low priority) based on multiple factors including vehicle type, request content, and current state. This segmentation allows emergency vehicles to be separated from the general queue and processed separately, maintaining fairness for normal vehicles while enabling rapid response to emergencies without compromising overall system fairness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS20240028029A1Operator management system, operator management method, and non-transitory computer readable recording medium

Publication Date: 2024.01.25 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK

AI summary

An operator management system for managing allocation of a plurality of remote assistance operators to a plurality of vehicles transmitting a remote assistance request is proposed. The operator management system is configured to execute setting an allocation priority corresponding to contents of the remote assistance request for each of the plurality of vehicles, and reassigning a remote assistance operator assigned to a second vehicle to a first vehicle when the number of the plurality of vehicles is larger than the number of the plurality of remote assistance operators and when the allocation priority of the first vehicle is higher than the allocation priority of the second vehicle, the first vehicle being one of the plurality of vehicles to which any remote assistance operator is not assigned, the second vehicle being one of the plurality of vehicles to which one of the plurality of remote assistance operators is assigned.