Remote Assistance for Autonomous Vehicle Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles may encounter situations such as construction sites, obstructed views, or accidents that disrupt their navigation, and existing systems may struggle to independently overcome these obstacles or determine alternative routes with sufficient confidence, necessitating external assistance.
Innovation Solution
A remote assistance system that allows a human operator or passenger to provide guidance to an autonomous vehicle through a computing device, modifying lane availability, identifying lead vehicles, or selecting pull-over areas, using sensor data and graphical user interfaces to assist the vehicle in navigating through challenging environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If autonomous vehicles rely solely on independent navigation systems, then automation level is improved, but reliability deteriorates when encountering complex obstacles like construction sites or accidents
Solution Approach 1:
A remote computing device acts as an intermediary between the autonomous vehicle and human operators. The device receives sensor data from the vehicle, processes it to identify navigation challenges, and enables communication with remote human operators who can provide guidance. This intermediary system allows the autonomous vehicle to maintain its automated operation while accessing human expertise when needed, resolving the contradiction between automation and reliability.
2Reliability
If the autonomous vehicle stops to resolve navigation obstacles, then reliability is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to traffic flow disruption
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables preliminary action by allowing remote human operators to provide navigation guidance and instructions to the autonomous vehicle before it encounters critical obstacles. By receiving advance guidance on how to navigate around construction sites, accidents, or other obstacles, the vehicle can maintain its movement and avoid stopping, thus preserving both safety and traffic flow efficiency.
3Device complexity
If the autonomous vehicle processes all navigation decisions independently, then device complexity is reduced, but loss of information deteriorates when human expertise is needed
Solution Approach 1:
The system adds another dimension to the autonomous vehicle's decision-making process by introducing a remote communication layer. Instead of relying solely on onboard processing, the vehicle can access human expertise and contextual knowledge through the remote computing device. This dimensional addition allows the vehicle to maintain simple onboard systems while accessing external human intelligence when needed, preventing information loss without increasing internal complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Example embodiments relate to techniques for providing remote assistance to an autonomous vehicle. A computing device may receive location from a vehicle while the vehicle is autonomously navigating a path in an environment. Based on the location information, the computing device may display a representation of the environment of the vehicle that conveys lane information for the path and subsequently receive an input selecting a lane in the path. The input modified an availability of the lane in the path during subsequent navigation by the vehicle. The computing device may then provide navigation instructions to the vehicle based on availability of the lane in the path.