Vehicle controller device and remote vehicle control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11518411-B2
Application number	US-202016884209-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2020
Priority date	Jul 17, 2019
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

A vehicle controller device includes a first processor. The first processor is configured to acquire biometric information of an occupant, in cases in which the compromised state is determined to have arisen, to communicate check-up information to check the well-being of the occupant using a report device provided inside the vehicle, to receive a response from the occupant whose well-being is being checked, to notify switchover information to an operation device in order to switch the vehicle from manual driving to remote driving in which the vehicle travels based on operation information in cases in which the response has not been received, and to perform the remote driving in cases in which the switchover information has been received by the operation device and operation-ready information indicating that the remote driving is possible has subsequently been received from the operation device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle control system including a vehicle controller device and an operation device, wherein the vehicle controller device comprises:
a wireless communication interface that is configured to receive operation information to operate a vehicle, from the operation device disposed externally to the vehicle and operated by a remote operator;
a first memory; and
a first processor that is connected to the first memory, the first processor being configured to:
acquire peripheral information regarding a periphery of the vehicle from a sensor,
generate a travel plan for the vehicle based on the peripheral information,
acquire biometric information of an occupant,
based on the acquired biometric information, determine whether or not a compromised state has arisen in which manual driving by operation by the occupant is predicted to become compromised,
in a case in which the compromised state is determined to have arisen, communicate check-up information, which is for checking a well-being of the occupant, using a display or speaker provided inside the vehicle, the check-up information being information transmitted from the operation device and input by the remote operator,
receive a response from the occupant whose well-being is being checked, or notify the operation device of switchover information for switching the vehicle from the manual driving to remote driving in which the vehicle travels based on the operation information and switch from the manual driving to autonomous driving in a case in which a response from the occupant has not been received, and
control the autonomous driving in which the vehicle travels based on the travel plan, control the remote driving in which the vehicle travels based on the operation information received from the operation device, and perform the remote driving in cases in which the switchover information has been received by the operation device; and
wherein the operation device comprises a remote controller device including a second memory and a second processor connected to the second memory, the second processor being configured to:
in a case in which information relating to the compromised state has been received, a second speaker provided at the operation device reports information relating to the compromised state.

2. The vehicle controller device of claim 1 , wherein the first processor is configured to switch from the manual driving to the autonomous driving after notifying the operation device of the switchover information and before receiving operation-ready information indicating that the remote driving is possible, and then, after the operation-ready information has been received from the operation device, switch from the autonomous driving to the remote driving.

3. The vehicle controller device of claim 1 , wherein the first processor is further configured to:
notify the operation device of information relating to the compromised state, in a case in which the occupant has been determined to be in the compromised state; and
communicate the check-up information, which is received from the operation device that has received the information relating to the compromised state, by outputting audio information.

4. The vehicle controller device of claim 1 , wherein the first processor is configured to notify the switchover information to the operation device in a case in which a response has not been received from the occupant whose well-being has been checked within a predetermined period after the check-up information has been reported by the display or speaker.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hanawa Atsushi
• Nakagawa Yasuki
• Matsushita Makoto
• Yokota Yusuke
• Kuriyama Tomoyuki
• Sugimura Tae

Classifications

• B60W60/0053

  from vehicle to occupant · CPC title

• B60W40/08

  related to drivers or passengers · CPC title

• B60W60/0025 Primary

  specially adapted for specific operations · CPC title

• B60W2540/221

  Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs · CPC title

• B60W60/005

  Handover processes (Handing over between remote control and on-board control or handing over between remote control arrangements G05D1/227) · CPC title