Remote Vehicle Guidance Using Observer-Set Driving Constraints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous vehicles operating in new environments may face delays in reacting to changing conditions due to lack of historical data, and relying on a safety driver in every vehicle is challenging to staff and maintain alertness.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a remote guidance system where a safety observer provides real-time constraints to the vehicle computing system via a mobile device, allowing the vehicle to adjust its trajectory and operation based on observed conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If autonomous vehicles rely on historical data for decision-making, then response time to known conditions is reduced, but reaction delay occurs in new environments without historical data
Solution Approach 1:
A remote operator serves as an intermediary between the autonomous vehicle and human decision-making. The operator receives sensor data from the vehicle, processes it remotely, and sends control signals back when intervention is needed, allowing the vehicle to operate autonomously most of the time while having human expertise available for novel situations.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system is segmented into autonomous operation mode and remote operator intervention mode. The vehicle handles routine decisions autonomously using historical data, while transferring control to a remote operator when encountering novel conditions that require human judgment and adaptability.
2Reliability
If a safety driver is placed in every autonomous vehicle, then safety is improved, but staffing difficulty and driver alertness maintenance worsen
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of placing a physical safety driver in each vehicle, the system creates a remote copy of human monitoring capability. A single operator can monitor and control multiple vehicles simultaneously through digital interfaces, replicating the safety function without the physical presence constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety monitoring function transitions from a spatial dimension (physical presence in vehicle) to a temporal/digital dimension (remote monitoring via communication networks). This allows one operator to provide safety oversight across multiple vehicles and locations simultaneously.
3Adaptability or versatility
If remote operator intervention is implemented, then adaptability to new conditions is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback loops where sensor data from the vehicle is continuously transmitted to the remote operator, who monitors conditions and provides control signals when needed. This feedback mechanism enables adaptive response to changing conditions while maintaining a relatively simple architecture that only activates remote intervention when necessary.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for providing remote guidance to a vehicle operating in an environment, by an operator located in the environment, are described herein. The operator can include a safety observer configured to observe one or more vehicles operating in the environment and may identify a scenario that requires a modification to a vehicle operation (e.g., stop forward movement, change direction of travel, modify a maximum speed, etc.). The operator may access a graphical user interface (GUI) via an operator computing device, and may input a constraint to modify the vehicle operation. The vehicle computing system may receive a control signal including the constraint, and may modify a vehicle trajectory based on the constraint. The vehicle computing system may later determine that a condition associated with the constraint is satisfied, and may continue vehicular operation in absence of the constraint.