Remote Operator Start Permission for Autonomous Vehicle Passing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing remote control systems for autonomous vehicles prolong the restraint time of remote operators due to the need for continuous support during challenging driving scenarios, such as areas where vehicles approach each other, leading to operator constraint until the vehicle passes through the area.
Innovation Solution
A remote support system that allows remote operators to designate a starting reference vehicle for autonomous vehicles to follow, enabling the vehicle to wait until the reference vehicle passes through a predetermined area, thereby reducing operator restraint time by allowing autonomous driving to continue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the remote operator waits for all avoidance target vehicles to pass through the predetermined area, then the safety of autonomous driving is improved, but the restraint time of the remote operator is prolonged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the safety assurance function from the remote operator and transfers it to the autonomous driving vehicle's own determination capability. The vehicle independently determines whether it can safely pass through the predetermined area by evaluating its own autonomous driving capability and the behavior of avoidance target vehicles, rather than requiring the remote operator to monitor and confirm all vehicle passages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the autonomous driving vehicle perform advance determination of safety conditions before actually passing through the predetermined area. The vehicle evaluates whether avoidance target vehicles will complete passage before it enters the area, and only proceeds when this condition is satisfied, thereby eliminating the need for the remote operator to wait for actual passage confirmation.
2Reliability
If the remote operator must monitor all avoidance target vehicles passing through the predetermined area, then the safety control is improved, but the operator burden is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling the autonomous driving vehicle to independently perform safety determination and passage control without continuous remote operator intervention. The vehicle's determination unit autonomously evaluates safety conditions based on its own capability and the behavior of surrounding vehicles, making the system self-sufficient for safety-critical decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the safety control function into two independent parts: (1) the autonomous driving vehicle's own determination capability for assessing safety conditions, and (2) the remote operator's supervisory role for receiving notifications and providing high-level guidance. This segmentation allows the vehicle to handle routine safety assessments autonomously while the operator focuses on exceptional situations.
3Reliability
If the vehicle waits for all avoidance target vehicles to pass before entering the predetermined area, then the safety is improved, but the productivity of the autonomous driving system is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the vehicle perform advance safety determination before entering the predetermined area. The determination unit evaluates whether avoidance target vehicles will complete passage before the vehicle enters, and only proceeds when this condition is satisfied. This allows the vehicle to maintain safety while avoiding unnecessary waiting time, thereby improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making the passage condition flexible and adaptive rather than fixed. The vehicle dynamically adjusts its passage decision based on real-time evaluation of avoidance target vehicle behavior and its own autonomous driving capability. This allows the vehicle to pass through the predetermined area as soon as safety conditions are met, rather than waiting for all avoidance target vehicles to complete passage.
Data Source
AI summary
A remote support system requests a remote operator to perform remote support for passing through a predetermined area, when a vehicle is determined to be in a remote support request situation that a continuation of autonomous driving is difficult due to the vehicle during autonomous driving and one or more avoidance target vehicles approaching each other in the predetermined area. Then, the system displays information of the one or more avoidance target vehicles on a display of the remote operator, receives information of a starting reference vehicle serving as a reference for start permission designated by the remote operator from the displayed information, determines whether the starting reference vehicle has passed through the predetermined area, and causes the vehicle to pass through the predetermined area by autonomous driving in case where the starting reference vehicle has passed through the predetermined area.