Remote Vehicle Guidance for Obstacle Bypass With Verified Waypoints

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Autonomous vehicles often become stuck when encountering obstacles or scenarios that violate their operational protocols, such as road blockages or construction zones, as they lack the capability to navigate around these challenges without human intervention.

Innovation Solution

A remote vehicle guidance system that allows an operator to input waypoints and orientations via a graphical user interface, enabling the vehicle to receive real-time guidance and validate safety protocols, allowing it to safely navigate through complex scenarios by connecting to a service computing device and processing sensor data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If autonomous vehicles strictly follow operational protocols, then safety is improved, but the ability to navigate around obstacles is worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidability to navigate around obstacles
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a remote operator as an intermediary between the autonomous vehicle and the obstacle navigation problem. When the vehicle encounters an obstacle it cannot navigate around while following protocols, the system connects to a remote operator who can provide guidance instructions, allowing the vehicle to adapt to unexpected situations while maintaining protocol compliance through verified actions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If autonomous vehicles attempt to navigate complex scenarios independently, then operational efficiency is improved, but processing power requirements are worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperational efficiencyVSAvoidprocessing power usage
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts complex navigation decision-making from the autonomous vehicle's onboard processing and relocates it to remote operators. This extraction allows the vehicle to handle routine operations independently with minimal processing while offloading computationally intensive complex scenario navigation to external human operators, reducing onboard processing power requirements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP3990999B1Remote vehicle guidance
Publication Date: 2023.07.19 ZOOX INC
  • EP3990999B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3990999B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3990999B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A vehicle computing system may identify an obstruction along a route of travel and may connect to a service computing device for guidance. The service computing device may include a guidance system configured to receive waypoint and/or orientation input from an operator. The operator may evaluate the scenario and determine one or more waypoints and/or associated orientations for the vehicle to navigate the scenario. In some examples, the guidance system may validate the waypoint(s) and/or associated orientation(s). The service computing device may send the waypoint(s) and/or associated orientation(s) to the vehicle computing system. The vehicle computing system may validate the waypoint(s) and/or associated orientation(s) and, based on the validation, control the vehicle according to the input. Based on a determination that the vehicle has navigated the scenario, the guidance system may release vehicle guidance back to the vehicle computing system.