Tele-operation of autonomous cars to negotiate problem situations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11307597-B2
Application number	US-202016890506-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2020
Priority date	Nov 30, 2016
Publication date	Apr 19, 2022
Grant date	Apr 19, 2022

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing remote support and negotiating problem situations of autonomous operation of vehicles based on signal states and vehicle information are described. A system comprises a memory and a processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to: assign vehicles to support queues based on state data, generate a map display including locations of the vehicles, and generate a state display including the support queues, vehicle manager indicators corresponding to the support queues and state indicators corresponding to the state data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a memory; and
a processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to:
assign vehicles to support queues based on state data,
generate a map display including locations of the vehicles, and
generate a state display including the support queues, vehicle manager indicators corresponding to the support queues and state indicators corresponding to the state data.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to:
receive a request from a vehicle for remote support; and
transmit instruction data to the vehicle to provide the remote support.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to:
responsive to autonomous operation of a vehicle operating outside of defined parameter values, transmit instruction data to the vehicle to modify the autonomous operation of the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the support queues comprise first level control stations, each first level control station receiving the state data for different vehicles.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the vehicles are assigned to the first level control stations using a second level control station.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the state data includes any of kinetic state data and location data for the vehicles.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to:
responsive to an input signal to a first state indicator representing state data of a vehicle, generate a remote support interface display including image data associated with the vehicle.

8. A method, comprising:
assigning vehicles to support queues based on state data;
generating a map display including locations of the vehicles;
generating a state display including the support queues, vehicle manager indicators corresponding to the support queues and state indicators corresponding to the state data; and
tracking autonomous operation of the vehicles.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
receiving a request from a vehicle for remote support; and
transmitting instruction data to the vehicle to provide the remote support.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
responsive to autonomous operation of a vehicle operating outside of defined parameter values, transmitting instruction data to the vehicle to modify the autonomous operation of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the support queues comprise first level control stations, each first level control station receiving the state data for different vehicles.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
prior to transmitting the instruction data to the vehicle, assigning, by a second level control station, the vehicle from a first control station to a second control station based on a change in the state data for the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
responsive to an input signal to a first state indicator representing state data of a vehicle, generating a remote support interface display including image data associated with the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the image data comprises any of an image of an individual within the vehicle and an image of an environment around the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the image data comprises an image of an obstruction in proximity to the vehicle, the method further comprising:
determining a new route that avoids the obstruction and deviates from a current route; and
transmitting the new route to the vehicle to modify autonomous operation of the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
analyzing the state data of at least one of the vehicles other than the vehicle in proximity to the obstruction; and
transmitting instruction data to the at least one of the vehicles to modify the autonomous operation of the at least one of the vehicles.

17. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
ranking the vehicles based on the state data; and
generating the state display by assigning each of the vehicles to a respective one of the support queues based on the ranking.

18. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
assigning at least one vehicle from one of the support queues that is determined as being over-tasked to another of the support queues that is determined as not being over-tasked.

19. The method of claim 8 , wherein the state data includes an issue state, the issue state indicating any of a normal state, an issue with an operator, an issue with a passenger, an issue with traffic, an issue with an external environment, a physical issue of the vehicle, and an issue related to a decision based on autonomous operation of the vehicle.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
assigning vehicles to support queues based on state data;
generating a map display including locations of the vehicles;
generating a state display including the support queues, vehicle manager indicators corresponding to the support queues and state indicators corresponding to the state data; and
tracking autonomous operation of the vehicles.

Assignees

• Nissan North America Inc
• Nasa

Inventors

• Pedersen Liam
• Sierhuis Maarten
• Utz Hans
• Penna Mauro Della
• Fong Terrence
• Allan Mark
• Bualat Maria
• Schafer Eric

Classifications

• G06Q10/06313

  Resource planning in a project environment · CPC title

• G05D1/0291 Primary

  Fleet control (monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127) · CPC title

• G05D1/0212

  with means for defining a desired trajectory (involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287) · CPC title

• G05D2201/0213

  Physics · mapped topic

• G05D1/0287

  involving a plurality of land vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling (traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00, particularly anticollision systems G08G1/16) · CPC title