JP2020005123A - Vehicle remote control system, vehicle control device, vehicle, and method for notifying start timing of remote control - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress passengers' anxiety in a vehicle waiting for remote control.SOLUTION: In remote control systems 100 and 100a including a plurality of vehicles 10 and 10a having a communication device 12 and capable of automatic driving, and a control center 90 communicable with the plurality of vehicles and performing a remote operation in response to a request for the remote operation from the vehicle, the control center includes a determination unit 63 that determines a start timing of the remote operation for the vehicle using the request timing and transmits the start timing to the vehicle 10, and the vehicle includes a request unit 44 that requests for the control center to perform the remote operation, a notification device 24 that notifies information toward the inside of the vehicle, and notification control units 45 and 45a that acquire the determined start timing, and causes the notification device to perform notification of remote operation waiting information including the start timing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a vehicle remote control system, a vehicle control device, a vehicle, and a method of notifying start timing of remote control.

  A technique has been proposed in which a vehicle is temporarily operated by an operator at a remote place. For example, in Patent Document 1, when the behavior of a remotely controlled vehicle is a behavior in which a passenger is presumed to feel uncomfortable or uneasy, an image of an operator is transmitted to the vehicle and displayed on a monitor. It is described that the anxiety of the occupant of a remotely controlled vehicle is suppressed by causing the vehicle to operate.

JP-A-2017-158149

  For example, even if an automatic driving vehicle reaches a point to be remotely controlled and the automatic driving is stopped, it may take time before the remote operation is started depending on the situation of the operator. In this case, even if an image of the operator is displayed, the anxiety of the occupant of the vehicle may not be suppressed. Therefore, in a technology for remotely controlling a vehicle, a technology capable of further suppressing anxiety of a passenger has been desired.

  The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-described problem, and can be realized as the following embodiments.

  According to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of vehicles (10, 10a) each having a communication device (12) and capable of automatic driving, and a request for remote operation from the vehicles capable of communicating with the plurality of vehicles. And a control center (90) that executes the remote control in response to the request. In this system, the control center includes a determination unit (63) that determines the start timing of the remote operation for the vehicle using the timing of the request and transmits the start timing to the vehicle; A requesting unit (44) for requesting a remote operation; a notifying device (24) for notifying information toward the inside of the vehicle; acquiring the determined start timing and transmitting remote operation waiting information including the start timing. A notification control unit (45, 45a) for notifying the notification device.

  According to this embodiment, the timing of the start of the remote operation is notified in the notification device for the vehicle in which the remote operation is not started, so that the anxiety of the occupant of the vehicle in which the remote operation is not started can be suppressed.

The figure which shows the image of a remote control system. The figure which shows the schematic structure of the vehicle in a remote control system. The figure which shows the schematic structure of the control center in a remote control system. The figure which shows the remote control processing of a vehicle side. The figure which shows the remote control processing by the control center side when a new remote control is requested. The figure which shows the remote control processing by the control center side when remote control is complete | finished. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of remote operation waiting information according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of remote operation waiting information according to the second embodiment. The figure which shows the example of the remote control waiting information in 3rd Embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating another example of the remote operation waiting information according to the third embodiment. The figure which shows the remote control processing by the control center side when a new remote control is requested in 4th Embodiment. The figure which shows the example of the remote control waiting information in 4th Embodiment. The figure which shows the schematic structure of the vehicle in the remote control system of 5th Embodiment. The figure which shows the remote control processing by the control center side when a new remote control is requested in 6th Embodiment. The figure which shows the remote control processing by the control center side when the remote control in 6th Embodiment is complete | finished. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of remote operation waiting information according to another embodiment 1. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of remote operation waiting information according to another embodiment 2.

A. First Embodiment As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a remote control system 100 includes a plurality of vehicles 10 and a control center 90. The vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment is a vehicle capable of automatic driving at level 4 or higher.

  FIG. 1 shows, by way of example, three vehicles M1, M2, and M3 requesting remote control among a plurality of vehicles 10, a display unit 84 and an operation unit 82 provided in a control center 90, and one person. An operator OP is shown. The remote operation means that the operator OP remotely operates or monitors the vehicle 10. The operator OP remotely operates the vehicle 10 by operating the operation unit 82 with reference to the image displayed on the display unit 84. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the remote operation is performed by the operator OP in the vehicle M1 so as to avoid the collision with the obstacle Ob and reach the point P1. As shown in FIG. 1, when the number of operators OP is insufficient with respect to the number of vehicles 10 requesting remote operation, in vehicles M2 and M3, remote operation is not started by operator OP immediately after requesting remote operation. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the vehicles M2 and M3 are waiting for a remote operation to be started (remote operation waiting).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 10 includes a vehicle-side communication device 12, an external sensor 14, a position sensor 22, a notification device 24, a driving device 30, and a vehicle control device 40. These units are connected via a vehicle-mounted network.

  The vehicle-side communication device 12 performs wireless communication between the vehicle 10 and the control center 90.

  The external sensor 14 acquires an external situation that is a situation outside the vehicle 10. The external sensor 14 includes an external camera 16 and a peripheral object sensor 18.

  The external camera 16 is directed around the vehicle 10 and captures at least the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. The external camera 16 acquires an external situation as image information. The external camera 16 is also called an “image acquisition unit”.

  The peripheral object sensor 18 detects the presence and position of various peripheral objects such as a stationary vehicle, a falling object, a stationary object, and a pedestrian, in addition to peripheral traveling vehicles such as a preceding vehicle, an adjacent lane traveling vehicle, an oncoming vehicle, an approaching vehicle, and a following vehicle. , Size, distance, etc. are detected. Examples of the peripheral object sensor 18 include an object sensor using a reflected wave, such as a laser radar, a millimeter wave radar, and an ultrasonic sensor.

  The position sensor 22 detects the position of the vehicle 10 itself. The self-position is represented by the latitude and longitude of the vehicle 10. Examples of the position sensor 22 include a global navigation satellite system (sns) (GNSS), a gyro sensor, and the like. The self position may include the altitude of the vehicle 10.

  The notification device 24 includes a display device 26 and a speaker 28 that are directed to the cabin of the vehicle 10. The display device 26 displays an image. The image displayed on the display device 26 includes characters, symbols, and the like in addition to images in a narrow sense. The speaker 28 outputs sound. The notification device 24 notifies various types of information to the occupants of the vehicle 10 under the control of a notification control unit 45 described later.

  The driving device 30 includes a driving device (not shown), a steering device, and a brake device. The driving device includes at least one of an internal combustion engine and a motor, and generates a driving force for traveling. The steering device includes an electric steering mechanism and realizes steering of the vehicle 10. The brake device includes a disk brake and the like, and realizes braking of the vehicle 10.

  The vehicle control device 40 is configured as one or a plurality of ECUs equipped with a CPU 41, a memory 42, and an interface (not shown). The CPU 41 functions as an operation control unit 43, a request unit 44, and a notification control unit 45 by expanding and executing a program stored in the memory 42. The CPU 41 is also called a “vehicle control unit”.

  The operation control unit 43 controls the driving device 30 in accordance with the travel plan using the external situation acquired from the external sensor 14 and the self-position acquired from the position sensor 22, thereby performing automatic driving at level 4 or higher. Realize. The travel plan is determined by the CPU 41 using, for example, the current self-position of the vehicle 10 and a destination acquired from a navigation device (not shown). When receiving a remote control signal for remotely controlling the vehicle 10 from the control center 90, the drive control unit 43 controls the driving device 30 according to the remote control signal.

  The driving control unit 43 determines whether the automatic driving of the vehicle 10 is difficult. The case where the automatic driving is difficult is, for example, a case where the vehicle 10 needs to go out of the traveling lane to the opposite lane in order to travel toward the destination or a case where the vehicle 10 reaches a predetermined remote operation position. And so on. The case where it is necessary to protrude into the opposite lane includes, for example, a case where an obstacle Ob is present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 and a case where traffic regulation such as one-way alternating traffic is performed in the traveling lane of the vehicle 10. . The driving control unit 43 determines from the external situation that an obstacle Ob exists in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 and that one-side traffic regulation is being performed. In addition, the driving control unit 43 determines that the vehicle 10 has reached a predetermined remote operation position using the self-position detected by the position sensor 22. The remote control position is stored in the memory 42 of the vehicle control device 40 in advance. When determining that automatic driving is difficult, the driving control unit 43 stops the vehicle 10 and stops automatic driving. The existence of the obstacle Ob ahead, the restriction of one-sided traffic, and the fact that the vehicle 10 has reached the remote control position are also "reasons for the automatic driving of the vehicle 10 to be stopped". In addition, an imaging result obtained by imaging the obstacle Ob ahead and an imaging result obtained by imaging that the one-way traffic restriction is being performed are also included in the “reason for stopping the automatic driving”.

  The driving control unit 43 determines that automatic driving is possible when the vehicle 10 is remotely operated and returns to the traveling lane from the opposite lane or when the vehicle 10 leaves the remote operation point. When the automatic driving becomes possible, the driving control unit 43 restarts the automatic driving of the vehicle 10.

  When the driving control unit 43 determines that automatic driving is difficult, the request unit 44 requests the control center 90 via the vehicle-side communication device 12 for remote control. The request unit 44 transmits vehicle information of the vehicle 10 together with a request signal for requesting remote operation. The vehicle information includes a vehicle ID stored in advance in the memory 42 for identifying the vehicle 10, a self-position of the vehicle 10, an external situation of the vehicle 10, and a destination of the vehicle 10.

  The notification control unit 45 causes the notification device 24 to notify the remote control waiting information to the passenger in the vehicle 10. The remote operation waiting information is information including the start timing of the remote operation. The notification control unit 45 acquires information including the start timing from the determination unit 63 via the vehicle-side communication device 12. The start timing is determined by a determination unit 63 described later in the control center 90, and is transmitted to the vehicle 10 waiting for remote control.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the control center 90 includes a remote control device 50 and an operator terminal 80.

  The operator terminal 80 includes the operation unit 82, the display unit 84, and a communication device (not shown) shown in FIG. The remote control device 50 includes a center communication device 52 and a center control device 60.

  The center-side communication device 52 performs wireless communication between the remote operation device 50 and the plurality of vehicles 10. The center-side communication device 52 performs wired or wireless communication with the operator terminal 80.

  The center control device 60 is configured as one or a plurality of ECUs including a CPU 61, a storage unit 62, and an interface (not shown). The storage unit 62 includes a memory and a database. The CPU 61 functions as the determination unit 63 and the remote operation unit 65 by expanding and executing the program stored in the storage unit 62.

  The storage unit 62 stores the request timing of the remote operation in each vehicle 10 and the determined start timing.

  The determination unit 63 determines the start timing of the remote operation of each vehicle 10 using the timing of the request for the remote operation in each vehicle 10. The determination unit 63 sequentially stores the determined start timing in the storage unit 62. In the present embodiment, the start timing is the order in which the remote operation is started.

  The determination unit 63 transmits the determined start timing to each vehicle 10 that has requested the remote operation via the center-side communication device 52. "Determining the start timing" includes changing or updating the start timing. The determination unit 63 transmits the determined start timing to the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation. The determination unit 63 does not have to transmit the determined start timing to the vehicle 10 whose start timing is the earliest.

  The remote control unit 65 executes the remote control in order from the vehicle 10 having the determined start timing to the vehicle 10 having the latest start timing. The remote control unit 65 repeatedly acquires the vehicle information of the vehicle 10 whose determined start timing is the earliest, and transmits the vehicle information to the operator terminal 80. The remote control unit 65 acquires a remote control signal from the operator terminal 80 and transmits the signal to the vehicle 10. The remote control signal is a signal generated by the operator OP via the operation unit 82 to remotely control the vehicle 10. When the remote operation unit 65 receives an end signal requesting the end of the remote operation from the vehicle 10 whose start timing is the earliest, the remote operation unit 65 ends the remote operation on the vehicle 10 and starts the remote operation of the vehicles 10 waiting for the remote operation. The remote operation for the vehicle 10 with the earliest timing is started.

  Hereinafter, the remote operation processing executed in the remote operation system 100 will be described. The process on the vehicle 10 side shown in FIG. 4 is repeatedly executed during the operation of the vehicle 10. First, the operation control unit 43 determines whether or not automatic driving is difficult (Step S100). The case where the automatic driving is difficult is a case where the vehicle 10 needs to protrude from the traveling lane to the opposite lane in order to travel toward the destination, or a case where the vehicle 10 reaches a predetermined remote operation position. It is. If the automatic driving is not difficult (step S100, NO), the CPU 41 ends the process. When a negative determination is made in step S100, in the vehicle 10, the automatic driving by the driving control unit 43 is continued.

  If automatic driving is difficult (step S100, YES), driving control unit 43 stops vehicle 10 and stops automatic driving (step S110). The request unit 44 transmits a request signal for remote operation and vehicle information to the control center 90 via the vehicle-side communication device 12 (Step S120).

  Next, CPU 41 determines whether or not a remote control signal has been received from control center 90 (step S130).

  When the remote control signal has not been received (step S130, NO), the CPU 41 determines whether or not the start timing has been received (step S140). If the start timing has not been received (step S140, NO), the CPU 41 returns the process to step S130.

  When the start timing is received (step S140, YES), the notification control unit 45 causes the notification device 24 to notify the information including the start timing as the remote operation waiting information (step S150). Upon notifying the remote operation waiting information, the CPU 41 returns the process to step S130.

  If a remote control signal has been received (step S130, YES), operation control unit 43 controls driving device 30 using the remote control signal (step S160). As a result, remote control of the vehicle 10 is realized.

  Next, the driving control unit 43 determines whether the automatic driving of the vehicle 10 is enabled (Step S170). The case where the automatic driving is enabled is a case where the vehicle 10 is remotely operated to return from the opposite lane to the traveling lane or a case where the vehicle 10 has left the remote operation point. If automatic operation is not possible (step S170, NO), CPU 41 returns the process to step S160.

  When automatic driving is enabled (step S170, YES), the request unit 44 transmits an end signal requesting the end of the remote operation to the control center 90 via the vehicle-side communication device 12 (step S180), The operation control unit 43 starts the automatic operation (Step S190). The transmission of the end signal (Step S180) and the start of the automatic operation (Step S190) may be performed simultaneously.

  In the control center 90, remote control processing shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is executed. The remote control processing shown in FIG. 5 is started when the control center 90 newly receives a remote control request signal (see step S120 in FIG. 4).

  Upon receiving a new remote control request signal from vehicle 10 (step S200, YES), determination unit 63 in control center 90 determines whether or not operator OP can be assigned to requesting vehicle 10 (step S210). ). The case where the operator OP can be assigned is a case where the operator OP has not remotely controlled the other vehicle 10 and there is no vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation.

  If the operator OP can be assigned (step S210, YES), the determination unit 63 determines the first remote control order, which is the start timing of the vehicle 10 that has newly requested, and transmits a remote control signal to the vehicle 10. (Step S220).

  If there is no available space in the operator OP (NO in step S210), the determination unit 63 determines the remote operation order of the requesting vehicle 10 to be the next order of the last vehicle in the remote operation order, and (Step S240).

  The remote operation process shown in FIG. 6 is started when the remote operation of the vehicle 10 under the remote operation ends. When receiving a remote control end signal (see step S180 in FIG. 4) from the remotely operated vehicle 10 (step S300, YES), the determining unit 63 sets the remote control order in the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote control to be one. The remote operation order is transmitted to the vehicle 10 waiting for remote operation one by one (Step S310). The remote control unit 65 transmits a remote control signal to the vehicle 10 whose remote control order is the first in the process of step S310 (step S320).

  Hereinafter, an example of the remote control waiting information in which the notification control unit 45 of the vehicle 10 causes the notification device 24 to notify the inside of the vehicle 10 in step S150 of FIG. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the display device 26 of the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation displays the current system state s1, the reason s2 that the automatic driving was stopped, the start timing s3 of the remote operation, and the map information s4. Is displayed. When a request for remote support is made by the request unit 44, the notification control unit 45 changes the display of the system state s1 to "waiting for remote operation". In step S150, the notification control unit 45 of the vehicle 10 displays the reason s2 that the driving control unit 43 has stopped the automatic driving of the vehicle 10 and the start timing s3 of the vehicle 10 received from the control center 90. The map information s4 is information indicating the starting point (Start), the self-position (current position), and the destination (Goal) of the vehicle 10 on the map. The notification control unit 45 generates the map information s4 using the map data stored in the memory 42, the own position acquired from the position sensor 22, and the departure place and the destination acquired from the navigation device (not shown). Can be.

  The display of the system state s1 in the vehicle 10 is "waiting for remote control", and the reason s2 for stopping the automatic driving is "because of an obstacle ahead". The external device status s21 of the vehicle 10 is displayed on the display device 26 shown in FIG. 7 as the reason s2. The external situation s21 is an imaging result of the external camera 16. The start timing s3 of the remote operation in the vehicle 10 is “No. 2”. The notification control unit 45 may cause the speaker 28 to notify the reason s2 and the start timing s3 of the automatic driving stop, for example.

  According to this embodiment, the start timing s3 of the remote operation is notified in the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation. Therefore, the anxiety of the passenger in the vehicle 10 in which the remote operation is not started can be suppressed.

  According to this embodiment, the reason s2 that the automatic driving is stopped in the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation is reported. Therefore, the passenger in the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation can be given a sense of satisfaction regarding the necessity of the remote operation.

  According to this embodiment, the external situation s21 of the vehicle 10 is reported as the reason s2 that the automatic driving was stopped. Therefore, the occupant of the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation can be given more conviction of the necessity of the remote operation.

B. 2nd Embodiment In 2nd Embodiment, the determination part 63 of the control center 90 WHEREIN: In step S240 (FIG. 5) and step S310 (FIG. 6) in a remote operation process, the start timing And the external situation acquired from another vehicle 10 whose start timing is earlier than that of the vehicle 10 waiting for remote operation. When attention is paid to a certain vehicle 10 among the vehicles 10 waiting for remote control, another vehicle 10 whose start timing is earlier than that of the vehicle 10 is also referred to as “preceding operation vehicle”. As shown in the example of FIG. 8, the notification control unit 45 of the vehicle 10 displays, on the display device 26, the reason s2 for stopping the automatic driving, the start timing s3, the map information s4, and the external situation s5 of the preceding operation vehicle. And are displayed. In the present embodiment, the external situation s5 is an external situation in the vehicle 10 that is being remotely operated. Other configurations in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  According to this embodiment, the external situation s5 of the preceding operation vehicle in which the remote operation is started earlier than the vehicle 10 is notified in the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation. Therefore, a passenger of the vehicle 10 whose remote operation has not been started can be given a sense of satisfaction that the remote operation has not been started.

  Further, since the external situation of the vehicle 10 that is being remotely operated is reported as the external situation s5 of the preceding operation vehicle, the occupant of the vehicle 10 that is waiting for the remote operation can view the progress of the remote operation of the vehicle 10 that is being remotely operated. You can know. Therefore, the passenger can be inferred that the remote control is being performed in the other vehicle and the remote control is to be started in the own vehicle if the start timing is waited. Therefore, the anxiety of the passenger in the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation can be further suppressed.

C. Third Embodiment In the third embodiment, the determination unit 63 of the remote control device 50 determines the start timing of the vehicle 10 waiting for remote control in steps S240 (FIG. 5) and S310 (FIG. 6) in the remote control process. And the external situation and the own position acquired from the preceding operation vehicle. The notification control unit 45 of the vehicle 10 displays the own position (current position) of the vehicle 10 and the own position of the preceding operation vehicle (other vehicle position) on a map on the display device 26, as in the example shown in FIG. The generated map information s4a is generated, and the notification device 24 is notified. Other configurations in the third embodiment are the same as those in the second embodiment.

  According to this embodiment, the notification device 24 of the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation notifies the self-position of the preceding operation vehicle in which the remote operation is started earlier than the vehicle 10. Therefore, the passenger of the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation can be given a sense of satisfaction that the remote operation is not started.

  In the second and third embodiments, the determining unit 63 may transmit the external situation acquired from all the preceding operation vehicles to the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation, together with the remote operation order as the start timing, The self position acquired from all preceding operation vehicles may be transmitted. The notification control unit 45 may notify the external situation in all the preceding operation vehicles, or may notify the external situation and the own position. FIG. 10 shows an example of the remote operation waiting information in the vehicle 10 whose start timing is the third. The notification control unit 45 displays, on the display device 26, the start timing s3 of the vehicle 10 and the reason s2 that the automatic driving has been stopped, the external timing s5a and s5b in the first and second vehicles 10 and the start timing. Map information s4b indicating the own position in the first and second timing vehicles 10 may be displayed.

  According to this embodiment, in the vehicle 10 waiting for a remote operation, the external conditions of all the preceding operation vehicles, or the external conditions and the self position of all the preceding operation vehicles are notified. Therefore, the occupant of the vehicle whose remote operation has not been started can be given more conviction that the remote operation has not been started.

D. Fourth Embodiment The remote control process shown in FIG. 11 is started when the control center 90 newly receives a remote control request signal, similarly to the remote control process (FIG. 5) in the first embodiment. 11, the same processes as those in the remote operation process (FIG. 5) in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

  In the present embodiment, when the operator OP cannot be assigned to the requesting vehicle 10 (step S210, NO), the determination unit 63 determines whether the requesting vehicle 10 is a priority vehicle (step S230). ). The priority vehicle is a vehicle in which remote control is given priority over other vehicles 10 waiting for remote control. The determining unit 63 determines that the requesting vehicle 10 is a priority vehicle when the external situation in the requesting vehicle 10 corresponds to a predetermined highly urgent external situation stored in the storage unit 62. . The external situation with high urgency is, for example, an external situation in which an obstacle Ob is present at an intersection or an external situation in which the vehicle density within a predetermined range is higher than a specified value.

  If the vehicle is the priority vehicle (step S230, YES), the determination unit 63 determines the remote control order of the priority vehicle to be No. 2 and transmits the remote control order to the remote control waiting vehicle 10 (step S250). In step S250, the determination unit 63 reduces the order of remote control in the vehicles 10 waiting for remote control other than the priority vehicle, and transmits the external situation of the priority vehicle to the remote control waiting vehicle 10 in which the order of remote control has been reduced. .

  For example, when the remote operation is being performed on the vehicle M1 shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle M2 is waiting for the remote operation, and a request for the remote operation is issued from the vehicle M3 which is the priority vehicle (step S230, YES), the determination unit 63 sets the remote control order of the vehicle M3 to No. 2 and reduces the start timing of the vehicle M2 from No. 2 to No. 3 as the process of Step S250. The determination unit 63 transmits the determined remote operation order to the vehicles M2 and M3. Further, it transmits the external situation of the vehicle M3, which is the priority vehicle, to the vehicle M2.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 12, the display device 26 of the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation includes the current system state s1 of the vehicle 10, the reason s2 that the automatic driving of the vehicle 10 has been stopped, and the start timing s31 of the vehicle 10. , Map information s4c and an external situation s5c of the priority vehicle are displayed. The start timing s31 is a start timing changed by the determination unit 63. The map information s4c is information in which the own position (current position) of the vehicle 10 and the own position (other vehicle position) of the priority vehicle are displayed on the map. In the example shown in FIG. 12, it is displayed that the start timing s31 of the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation has been changed from the second to the third. In the present embodiment, the speaker 28 notifies that the start timing s31 has been changed by the highly urgent vehicle 10, that is, the priority vehicle.

  According to this embodiment, the presence of the priority vehicle and the notification that the start timing has been reduced are notified to the vehicle 10 whose remote control start timing has been reduced. Therefore, it is possible to give a passenger of the vehicle 10 whose start timing has been advanced a sense of conviction that the start timing has been advanced.

  According to this embodiment, the presence of the priority vehicle and the fact that the start timing has been lowered are notified by the speaker 28 to the vehicle 10 whose remote control start timing has been lowered, so that the display device 26 is watched carefully. It is also possible to notify a passenger who has not started that the start timing has been advanced.

E. FIG. Fifth Embodiment In a remote control system 100a shown in FIG. 13, a vehicle 10a includes an in-vehicle camera 20. The CPU 41a of the vehicle control device 40a functions as the driving control unit 43, the request unit 44, and the notification control unit 45a by expanding and executing the program stored in the memory 42a.

  The in-vehicle camera 20 is a camera directed to the cabin of the vehicle 10a. The in-vehicle camera 20 acquires a passenger situation in the vehicle 10a as image information. The in-vehicle camera 20 according to the present embodiment captures an image of a passenger's head. The in-vehicle camera 20 is also called an “in-vehicle image acquisition unit”.

  The notification control unit 45a determines whether or not the occupant status acquired by the in-vehicle camera 20 corresponds to a predetermined occupant status stored in the memory 42a. The predetermined occupant situation is a situation in which the occupant is sleeping, or a situation in which the occupant is operating the mobile terminal or reading and is concentrating on other matters. In such a situation, when the remote operation waiting information is notified by voice, the occupant may feel troublesome.

  The notification control unit 45a monitors the occupant's eye movement, eyelid opening, head movement, and the like based on the occupant status acquired from the in-vehicle camera 20, so that the current occupant status is determined in advance. It is possible to determine whether or not the situation is a person. When the current occupant status corresponds to a predetermined occupant status, the notification control unit 45a causes the display device 26 to notify the remote operation waiting information and does not allow the speaker 28 to notify the remote operation waiting information. Other configurations are the same as those of the above-described embodiment.

  According to this embodiment, when the occupant situation corresponds to a predetermined occupant situation, the remote operation waiting information is not notified by the speaker 28, so that the occupant of the vehicle 10a is prevented from having trouble. be able to.

F. Sixth embodiment:
The sixth embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the determination unit 63 determines the time until the start of the remote operation as the start timing. The remote control process shown in FIG. 14 is started when the control center 90 newly receives a remote control request signal, similarly to the remote control process (FIG. 5) in the first embodiment. 14, the same processes as those in the remote operation process (FIG. 5) in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

  In the present embodiment, when the operator OP cannot be assigned (step S210, NO), the determination unit 63 determines the order of the remote operation in the requesting vehicle 10, and calculates the time until the start of the remote operation (step S240a). ). In step S240a, the determination unit 63 acquires the average value of the remote control required time in the plurality of vehicles 10 that have previously requested remote control, stored in the storage unit 62. The determination unit 63 calculates the time until the start of the remote operation in the request source vehicle 10 by multiplying the number of the preceding operation vehicles by the average value of the required time. For example, when the average value of the required time is 2 minutes and the order of remote control in the requesting vehicle 10 is No. 3, the determination unit 63 sets the time until the remote control of the requesting vehicle 10 starts to 4 minutes. The determined time until the start of the remote operation is transmitted to the requesting vehicle 10.

  The remote operation process shown in FIG. 15 is started when the remote operation of the vehicle 10 during the remote operation ends, similarly to the remote operation process (FIG. 6) in the first embodiment. In FIG. 15, the same processes as those in the remote operation process (FIG. 6) in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

  When receiving a remote control end signal (see step S180 in FIG. 4) from the remotely operated vehicle 10 (step S300, YES), the determining unit 63 sets the remote control order in the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote control to be one. At the same time, the time until the start of the remote operation is calculated and transmitted to the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation (step S310a).

  The determining unit 63 subtracts the time at which the remote operation was actually performed on the remotely operated vehicle 10 from the value obtained by multiplying the average number of required times by the number of the preceding operation vehicles, and calculates the time until the start of the remote operation. May be sequentially updated.

  According to this embodiment, in the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation, the time until the start of the remote operation is reported as the start timing of the remote operation. Therefore, the anxiety of the passenger in the vehicle 10 in which the remote operation is not started can be suppressed.

G. FIG. Other Embodiments G1. Other Embodiment 1
The notification control unit 45, 45a uses the self-position of the vehicles 10, 10a, the destination, the external situation and speed of the vehicles 10, 10a, etc. during the automatic driving of the vehicles 10, 10a, and The destination and the estimated arrival time at the waypoint to the destination may be calculated and notified to the notification device 24. When the vehicles 10, 10a are buses, the waypoint is a bus stop. When the vehicles 10, 10a are waiting for remote control, the notification control units 45, 45a change the estimated arrival time at the waypoint using the received start timing, and as shown in FIG. The information s4d and the changed estimated arrival time s6 may be displayed on the display device 26. The estimated arrival time may be calculated by a server (not shown) acquiring the own position, destination, start timing, external situation, speed, and the like of the vehicles 10, 10a. The notification control units 45 and 45a may acquire the estimated arrival time calculated from the server.

  According to this embodiment, the changed expected arrival time at the destination or the waypoint is notified in the vehicles 10, 10a waiting for the remote operation. Therefore, the passenger can know whether or not the initial schedule of the passenger changes due to the remote operation waiting. Therefore, the anxiety of the occupants of the vehicles 10 and 10a in which the remote operation is not started can be suppressed.

G2. Other Embodiment 2
In the other embodiment 1, the notification control units 45 and 45a may cause the display device 26 to display the transfer guidance s7 corresponding to the estimated arrival time, as shown in FIG. The notification controllers 45 and 45a may acquire transfer guidance from a server (not shown). According to this embodiment, a passenger who plans to transfer to a transportation mode other than the vehicles 10 and 10a at the destination or the waypoint can know the transfer mode and the transfer time from the transfer guide s7.

G3. Other Embodiment 3
In the above various embodiments, the number of operators OP may be plural. The determining unit 63 may allocate the vehicles 10 and 10a that require the remote operation in the order of the operators OP with the smaller number of the allocated vehicles 10 and 10a among the plurality of operators OP and determine the start timing of the vehicles 10 and 10a. Good.

G4. Other Embodiment 4
In the above various embodiments, the CPUs 41 and 41a of the vehicles 10, 10a make an affirmative determination in step S100 in FIG. 4 when a remote operation is requested via an input device (not shown) provided in the vehicles 10, 10a. Thus, remote control may be requested to the control center 90.

G5. Other Embodiment 5
In the fourth embodiment, the determination unit 63 sets the order of remote control of the priority vehicle to the second (step S250 in FIG. 11). The order of remote control of the priority vehicle is not limited to No. 2, and the determining unit 63 may set the order of remote control of the priority vehicle earlier than the start timing determined by the request timing of the priority vehicle. For example, when the start timing determined by the request timing of the priority vehicle is No. 5, the determination unit 63 may set the remote operation order of the priority vehicle to No. 3. In the fourth embodiment, the priority vehicle may be the vehicles 10 and 10a in which prioritizing the remote operation is linked to the vehicle ID in advance. The determination unit 63 may determine whether the vehicle is a priority vehicle using the vehicle ID.

G6. Other Embodiment 6
In step S230 (FIG. 11) of the fourth embodiment, the determination unit 63 may display the external situation of the request source on the display unit 84. The operator OP determines the degree of similarity between the external situation of the requesting vehicle 10 and a predetermined highly urgent external situation, and when the situation is similar to the highly urgent external situation, the operator OP May be determined to be the priority vehicle. The determination unit 63 may acquire the result of the determination by the operator OP and position the determination result by the operator OP as the determination result by the determination unit 63.

G7. Other Embodiment 7
In the sixth embodiment, the determination unit 63 learns the relationship between the external situation of each vehicle 10 that has previously requested remote operation and the required time at that time, and determines the learning result and the vehicle 10 that requests remote operation. , The required time of the vehicle 10 may be predicted from the current external situation in. The learning may be performed using the relationship between the own position of the vehicle 10 and the traffic volume corresponding to the own position, in addition to the external situation of the vehicle 10. The determination unit 63 starts remote operation in each vehicle 10 using the estimated time required in the vehicle 10 being remotely operated, the estimated time required in each vehicle 10 waiting for remote operation, and the order of remote operation. The time up to may be calculated. For example, when the required time estimated in the remotely operated vehicle 10 is 2 minutes and the estimated time required in the vehicle 10 whose remote operation order is the second is 1 minute, The time until the start of the remote control in the vehicle 10 whose remote control order is the third may be determined to be three minutes.

  Further, the determination unit 63 learns the relationship between the change in the external situation during the remote operation of the vehicle 10 that has been remotely operated in the past and the degree of progress of the remote operation, and learns the external situation of the vehicle 10 that is being remotely operated. , The degree of progress of the remote operation may be calculated. The determination unit 63 may determine from the degree of progress whether or not the remote operation of the vehicle 10 during the remote operation ends within the expected required time. When determining that the remote operation does not end within the expected required time, the determining unit 63 may increase the time until the start of the remote operation in the vehicle 10 waiting for the remote operation by a time corresponding to the degree of progress. Good.

G8. Other Embodiment 8
In the above various embodiments, at least a part of each function in the CPUs 41 and 41 a of the vehicle control devices 40 and 40 a may be executed by the CPU 41 of the remote control device 50 of the control center 90. For example, the CPU 61 of the remote control device 50 may acquire an external situation from the external sensor 14 of the vehicle 10, 10a and function as the driving control unit 43.

  The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented with various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in the form described in the summary of the invention are for solving the above-mentioned problems or for achieving some or all of the above-mentioned effects. It is possible to perform replacement and combination as appropriate. If the technical features are not described as essential in this specification, they can be deleted as appropriate. For example, the present disclosure can be realized in various forms other than the remote operation systems 100 and 100a. The vehicle control devices 40 and 40a that execute the remote control process, the vehicles 10 and 10a equipped with the vehicle control devices 40 and 40a, the remote control device 50, the remote control method, the computer program for realizing the method, and the computer program It can be realized in the form of a stored storage medium or the like. Further, in the above embodiments, some or all of the functions and processes realized by software may be realized by hardware. Some or all of the functions and processes realized by hardware may be realized by software. As the hardware, for example, various circuits such as an integrated circuit, a discrete circuit, or a circuit module obtained by combining those circuits may be used.

    10, 10a vehicle, 12 ... vehicle-side communication device, 24 notification device, 44 request unit, 45, 45a notification control unit, 50 remote control device, 63 determination unit, 65 remote control unit, 90 control center, 100, 100a remote control system

Claims (10)

A plurality of vehicles (10, 10a) having a communication device (12) and capable of automatic driving, and a control center capable of communicating with the plurality of vehicles and executing the remote control in response to a request for a remote control from the vehicle. (90), a remote operation system (100, 100a) comprising:
The control center includes a determination unit (63) that determines a start timing of the remote operation for the vehicle using the timing of the request and transmits the start timing to the vehicle,
The vehicle is
A request unit (44) for requesting the control center to perform the remote operation;
A notifying device (24) for notifying information toward the inside of the vehicle;
A notification control unit (45, 45a) for acquiring the determined start timing and notifying the notification device of remote operation waiting information including the start timing.
Remote control system. The remote control system according to claim 1, wherein
The vehicle further includes an image acquisition unit (16) that acquires an external situation of the vehicle as image information,
The determining unit further obtains the image information obtained from the preceding operation vehicle that is the vehicle whose start timing is earlier than the vehicle that is waiting to start the remote operation from the preceding operation vehicle, and performs the remote operation. To the vehicle waiting to start,
The remote control system, wherein the notification control unit further obtains the image information obtained by the preceding operation vehicle and notifies the notification device as the remote operation waiting information. The remote control system according to claim 2, wherein
The vehicle further includes a position sensor (22) for acquiring a position of the vehicle.
The determination unit further acquires the self-position acquired in the preceding operation vehicle from the preceding operation vehicle, and transmits the self-position to the vehicle waiting for the start of the remote operation,
The remote control system, wherein the notification control unit obtains the self-position obtained in the preceding operation vehicle and notifies the notification device as the remote control waiting information. The remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
The determining unit includes:
When the vehicle corresponds to a predetermined priority vehicle, the start timing of the vehicle waiting for the remote operation other than the priority vehicle is reduced, and the start timing of the priority vehicle is determined using the timing of the request. Set earlier than the determined start timing,
The vehicle whose start timing has been advanced, transmits that the priority vehicle is present and the advanced start timing,
The remote control system, wherein the notification control unit further obtains information including the presence of the priority vehicle and the fact that the start timing has been deferred, and notifies the notification device as the remote control waiting information. The remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
The vehicle further includes an image acquisition unit that acquires an external situation of the vehicle as image information, a position sensor that acquires a self-position of the vehicle, and a vehicle control unit (41, 41a) that executes the automatic driving. With
The vehicle control unit determines whether the automatic driving is difficult using at least one of the acquired external situation and the self-position, and determines whether the automatic driving is difficult when the automatic driving is difficult. Stop,
The requesting unit requests the remote operation when it is determined that the automatic driving is difficult,
The remote control system, wherein the notification control unit further causes the notification device to notify the reason why the automatic driving is stopped as the remote control waiting information. It is a remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein
The determination unit, as the start timing, the order in which the remote operation is started, and the time until the remote operation is started, and determines at least one of the order and transmits to the vehicle,
The remote control unit obtains at least one of an order in which the remote operation is started and a time until the remote operation is started, and notifies the notification device as the remote operation waiting information. system. The remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein:
The vehicle includes an in-vehicle image acquisition unit (20) that acquires a passenger situation, which is a situation of a passenger of the vehicle, as image information,
The notification device includes a display device (26) that displays an image toward the inside of the vehicle, and a speaker (28) that outputs sound toward the inside of the vehicle,
The notification control unit, when the acquired occupant status corresponds to the predetermined occupant status, causes the display device to notify the remote operation waiting information, the speaker to the remote operation waiting information. A remote control system that does not notify you. A vehicle control device (40, 40a) mounted on a vehicle (10, 10a) having a communication device (12) and capable of automatic driving,
A request unit (44) that can communicate with the plurality of vehicles and that requests the remote control to a control center (90) that executes the remote control when a request for remote control is received from the vehicle;
The start timing of the remote operation determined using the timing of the request is acquired from the control center, and the remote control waiting information including the start timing is transmitted to the notification device (24) provided in the vehicle by the in-vehicle information. And a notification control unit (45, 45a) for notifying to.
Vehicle control device. A vehicle (10, 10a) capable of automatic driving,
A communication device (12);
A notifying device (24) for notifying information toward the inside of the vehicle;
When a request for a remote operation is received from the vehicle, the remote control is requested to a control center (90) that executes the remote operation when the remote operation is requested from the plurality of vehicles, and the request is determined using the timing of the request. A vehicle control device (40, 40a) that acquires the start timing of the remote operation from the control center, and notifies the notification device (24) of the remote control waiting information including the start timing toward the inside of the vehicle; Comprising,
vehicle. When receiving a request for remote control from a plurality of vehicles capable of automatic driving, a method of notifying the start timing of the remote control in the vehicle,
The start timing of the remote operation is determined using the timing of the request (S220, S240),
A method of informing the notifying device provided in the vehicle, which is waiting for the start of the remote operation, of the remote operation waiting information including the determined start timing toward the inside of the vehicle (S150).

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