JP2022140526A - Remote monitoring system, vehicle control device, remote monitoring method, and vehicle control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote monitoring technique which ensures safety of an autonomous vehicle while traveling in the autonomous mode.

SOLUTION: An autonomously drivable vehicle transmits data acquired by autonomous sensors to a (remote monitoring) center. The vehicle also detects obstacles using information obtained from the autonomous sensors. When obstacles are detected, the vehicle automatically stops and transmits a first signal to the center. Upon receipt of the first signal, the center displays an image of the surroundings of the vehicle on a display unit using the data received from the vehicle. When an input of a command for authorizing resumption of travel is received, the center transmits a second signal that authorizes resumption of travel to the vehicle. Upon receipt of the second signal from the remote monitoring center, the vehicle resumes travel. When the obstacles are no longer detected after transmitting the first signal, the vehicle can resume travel without waiting for the second signal.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

COPYRIGHT: (C)2022,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to remote monitoring technology for remotely monitoring an autonomous vehicle.

The following patent document discloses a system in which an autonomous vehicle and a server are connected via a network.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,547,307

Generally, an autonomous vehicle has a function of detecting obstacles using an autonomous sensor including a camera. However, the detection performance of autonomous sensors is not always sufficient. Therefore, as one method for ensuring safety during autonomous driving, it has been considered to send the image of the vehicle-mounted camera to a remote monitoring center and remotely monitor the vehicle at the remote monitoring center. However, with the current communication disruption rate, it is difficult to always remotely monitor vehicles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the problems described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a remote monitoring technique capable of ensuring the safety of an autonomous vehicle during autonomous travel.

A remote monitoring system according to the present invention comprises a plurality of vehicles capable of autonomous travel, and a remote monitoring center that remotely monitors the plurality of vehicles by communicating with the plurality of vehicles via a network.

At least one vehicle of the plurality of vehicles comprises an autonomous sensor, a data transmitter, an obstacle detector, a stop controller, and a run resume controller. An autonomous sensor is a sensor that recognizes the vehicle's surrounding environment and includes at least a camera. The data transmitter is configured to transmit data recognized by the autonomous sensors to a remote monitoring center. The obstacle detection unit is configured to detect an obstacle ahead of the vehicle on the basis of information obtained from the autonomous sensor. The stop control unit is configured to stop the vehicle and transmit a vehicle stop signal to the remote monitoring center based on the detection of the obstacle by the obstacle detection unit. The travel restart control unit is configured to resume travel of the autonomous vehicle when receiving a start permission signal permitting resumption of travel from the remote monitoring center after the vehicle has been stopped by the stop control unit.

When the remote monitoring center receives a vehicle stop signal from the stop control unit, the display unit displays an image of the surroundings of the vehicle based on the data received from the data transmission unit, and inputs a command to allow the vehicle to resume running. an HMI that accepts the If the HMI accepts the command input, the remote monitoring center is configured to send a launch authorization signal to the vehicle.

By being configured as described above, the remote monitoring system according to the present invention stops the vehicle when the autonomous sensor detects an obstacle. After confirming the safety of the vehicle at the remote monitoring center, the remote monitoring center sends a start permission signal to the vehicle to restart the running of the vehicle. In this way, the autonomous detection of obstacles by the vehicle's autonomous sensors and the remote monitoring by the remote monitoring center ensure safety at times, especially when resuming driving after an automatic stop. be able to.

The stop control unit may slow down the vehicle when the obstacle detection unit detects the obstacle, and may stop the vehicle when communication with the remote monitoring center is interrupted. According to this, while the communication between the vehicle and the remote monitoring center is established, it is possible to reduce the discomfort of the passenger while increasing the detection rate of the autonomous sensor by traveling at a reduced speed. In addition, when communication between the vehicle and the remote monitoring center is interrupted, safety can be ensured by automatically stopping the vehicle.

The travel restart control unit may slow down the vehicle for a predetermined time after restarting the travel of the vehicle. According to this, it is possible to secure the safety after the travel is resumed by slowing down without increasing the speed for the predetermined time.

The travel restart control unit may slow down the vehicle only while receiving the start permission signal from the remote monitoring center, and stop the vehicle when the start permission signal from the remote monitoring center is interrupted. According to this, since the vehicle stops when the input of the start permission signal from the remote monitoring center is interrupted, safety can be ensured in a situation where the remote monitoring by the remote monitoring center does not function. In addition, there is an effect that the vehicle can be stopped immediately by stopping the transmission of the start permission signal from the remote monitoring center.

The travel restart control unit may autonomously resume travel of the vehicle when the obstacle detection unit no longer detects an obstacle after the vehicle is stopped by the stop control unit. According to this, even if communication between the vehicle and the remote monitoring center is interrupted, the vehicle can be restarted when safety is confirmed on the vehicle side.

When communication with the remote monitoring center is interrupted, the obstacle detection unit allows false detections more than when communication with the remote monitoring center is established, but reduces the number of obstacles that are not detected. The detection threshold may be changed. According to this, when communication between the vehicle and the remote monitoring center is interrupted, the threshold for obstacle detection is changed, increasing the number of false detections (erroneously detecting obstacles that should not exist). However, it is possible to reduce non-detection (not detecting an obstacle that should be there). As a result, safety can be ensured even when remote monitoring by the remote monitoring center does not work.

The remote monitoring center may notify the vehicle of the safety of the location when the vehicle approaches a location that has been confirmed to be safe by the remote monitoring center. When an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection unit at a location notified of safety by the remote monitoring center, the stop control unit of the vehicle may determine that it is an erroneous detection and may not stop the vehicle. According to this, it is possible to reduce the frequency of inadvertent stopping of the vehicle due to erroneous detection of obstacles.

A vehicle control device according to the present invention is a vehicle control device that is connected to a remote monitoring center via a network and causes a vehicle to travel autonomously, and comprises an autonomous sensor, a data transmission unit, an obstacle detection unit, a stop control unit, and a travel control unit. A restart controller is provided. An autonomous sensor is a sensor that recognizes the vehicle's surrounding environment. The data transmission unit is configured to transmit data recognized by the room sensor to the remote monitoring center. The obstacle detection unit is configured to detect an obstacle ahead of the vehicle on the basis of information obtained from the autonomous sensor. The stop control unit is configured to stop the vehicle and transmit a vehicle stop signal to the remote monitoring center based on the detection of the obstacle by the obstacle detection unit. The travel restart control unit is configured to restart travel of the vehicle when a start permission signal is received from the remote monitoring center after the vehicle has been stopped by the stop control unit.

According to the vehicle according to the present invention configured in this way, by performing double monitoring of autonomous detection of obstacles by the autonomous sensor and remote monitoring by the remote monitoring center, safety at the time, especially after automatic stop, is achieved. can ensure safety when resuming driving.

A remote monitoring method according to the present invention is a remote monitoring method executed in a remote monitoring system including a plurality of autonomously traveling vehicles and a remote monitoring center communicating with the plurality of vehicles via a network. . A remote monitoring method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: transmitting data recognized by an autonomous sensor mounted on at least one of a plurality of vehicles to a remote monitoring center; a step of the vehicle detecting an obstacle ahead of the vehicle's path; a step of stopping the vehicle and transmitting a vehicle stop signal to a remote monitoring center when the obstacle is detected by the vehicle's detection; When the remote monitoring center receives a vehicle stop signal, a step of displaying an image of the surroundings of the vehicle at the remote monitoring center based on the data transmitted from the vehicle to the remote monitoring center, and permitting the vehicle to resume running. a step of transmitting a start permission signal from the remote monitoring center to the vehicle for permitting the vehicle to resume running when an input of a command is received; and after receiving the start permission signal from the remote monitoring center, the vehicle resumes running. and

According to the remote monitoring method according to the present invention including the above steps, by performing dual monitoring of autonomous detection of obstacles by the autonomous sensors of the vehicle and remote monitoring by the remote monitoring center, It is possible to ensure safety, especially safety when resuming running after an automatic stop.

In the step of stopping the vehicle, the vehicle may slow down if an obstacle is detected by the vehicle, and the vehicle may automatically stop if communication between the vehicle and the remote monitoring center is lost. By doing so, while the communication between the vehicle and the remote monitoring center is established, it is possible to reduce the discomfort of the occupants while increasing the detection rate of the autonomous sensors by driving at a reduced speed. In addition, when communication between the vehicle and the remote monitoring center is interrupted, safety can be ensured by automatically stopping the vehicle.

In the step in which the vehicle resumes running, the vehicle may go slowly for a predetermined time after the vehicle resumes running. By doing so, it is possible to ensure safety after the vehicle resumes running.

In the step of causing the vehicle to resume running, the vehicle may slow down only while the start permission signal is received from the remote monitoring center, and the vehicle may be stopped when the start permission signal from the remote monitoring center is interrupted. . By doing so, the vehicle stops when the input of the start permission signal from the remote monitoring center is interrupted, so that safety can be ensured even when the remote monitoring by the remote monitoring center does not function. In addition, there is an effect that the vehicle can be stopped immediately by stopping the transmission of the start permission signal from the remote monitoring center.

In the step of causing the vehicle to resume traveling, the vehicle may autonomously resume traveling if the obstacle is no longer detected by the vehicle after the vehicle has stopped. By doing so, even if communication between the vehicle and the remote monitoring center is interrupted, the vehicle can be restarted when safety is confirmed on the vehicle side.

In the remote monitoring method according to the present invention, when communication between the vehicle and the remote monitoring center is interrupted, false detections are allowed more than when communication between the vehicle and the remote monitoring center is established, but no false detection is allowed. The method may further include modifying the vehicle's obstacle detection threshold to reduce detection. If communication between the vehicle and the remote monitoring center is interrupted, changing the threshold for obstacle detection will increase the number of false detections, but will reduce the number of non-detections. Safety can be ensured in situations where surveillance does not work.

In addition, the remote monitoring method according to the present invention may further include the step of notifying the vehicle of the safety of the location from the remote monitoring center when the vehicle approaches a location confirmed to be safe by the remote monitoring center. In that case, in the step of stopping the vehicle, the vehicle may not automatically stop even if the vehicle detects an obstacle in a place where the remote monitoring center has notified it of safety. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the frequency of inadvertent vehicle stops due to erroneous detection of obstacles.

As described above, according to the remote monitoring system, vehicle, and remote monitoring method according to the present invention, by performing dual monitoring of obstacle detection by the autonomous sensor of the vehicle and remote monitoring by the remote monitoring center, It is possible to ensure the safety of the vehicle when it runs autonomously, especially when it resumes running after it has stopped automatically.

It is a figure showing composition of a remote monitoring system concerning an embodiment of the invention. 4 is a flow chart showing processing on the in-vehicle system side for realizing the remote monitoring method of Embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing processing on the side of the remote monitoring center for realizing the remote monitoring method of Embodiment 1; 9 is a flow chart showing processing on the in-vehicle system side for realizing the remote monitoring method of Embodiment 2; 9 is a flow chart showing processing on the side of the remote monitoring center for realizing the remote monitoring method of the second embodiment; 10 is a flow chart showing processing on the in-vehicle system side for realizing the remote monitoring method of Embodiment 3. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing processing on the side of the remote monitoring center for realizing the remote monitoring method of Embodiment 3. FIG. FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing processing on the in-vehicle system side for realizing the remote monitoring method of Embodiment 4. FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing processing on the side of the remote monitoring center for realizing the remote monitoring method of Embodiment 4. FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing processing on the in-vehicle system side for realizing the remote monitoring method of Embodiment 5. FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing preliminary processing that is always executed on the vehicle-mounted system side in order to realize the remote monitoring method of Embodiment 6; FIG. FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing preliminary processing that is always executed on the side of the remote monitoring center in order to realize the remote monitoring method of Embodiment 6. FIG. FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing processing on the in-vehicle system side for realizing the remote monitoring method of Embodiment 6. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing processing on the side of an in-vehicle system for realizing a remote monitoring method of a reference example;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, when referring to numbers such as the number, quantity, amount, range, etc. of each element in the embodiments shown below, unless otherwise specified or clearly specified by the number in principle, the reference The present invention is not limited to this number. Also, the structures, steps, etc. described in the embodiments shown below are not necessarily essential to the present invention, unless otherwise specified or clearly specified in principle.

Embodiment 1.
1-1. Configuration of remote monitoring system The remote monitoring system is a system that connects an autonomous vehicle and a remote monitoring center via a network. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a remote monitoring system 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. The configuration of the remote monitoring system 1 will be described below with reference to FIG. The configuration of the remote monitoring system 1 described here is common not only to Embodiment 1 but also to Embodiments 2 to 7, which will be described later.

The remote monitoring system 1 includes a vehicle 10 that is an autonomous vehicle, and a remote monitoring center 4 that communicates with the vehicle 10 via a network (that is, the Internet) 2 . A vehicle 10 is remotely monitored by a remote monitoring center 4 . The remote monitoring center 4 may exclusively remotely monitor one vehicle 10 or remotely monitor a plurality of vehicles 10 at the same time.

The remote monitoring center 4 may be unmanned or manned. At the remote monitoring center 4 , the vehicle 10 may be remotely monitored by a supervisor, or the vehicle 10 may be remotely monitored only by a computer. When remote monitoring is performed by an observer, the remote monitoring center 4 has at least a display for displaying camera images transmitted from the vehicle 10 and an HMI for the observer to give instructions to the computer of the remote monitoring center 4. (Human Machine Interface) is provided. When remote monitoring is performed only by a computer, the computer itself becomes the remote monitoring center 4 .

FIG. 1 depicts an in-vehicle system of a vehicle 10 as a block diagram. The vehicle 10 comprises autonomous sensors 12, 14, 16 for perceiving the surrounding environment. Autonomous sensors 12 , 14 , 16 include camera 12 , millimeter wave radar 14 and lidar 16 . Of these, the camera 12 is essential, and the millimeter wave radar 14 and lidar 16 can be omitted. The camera 12 is attached to, for example, the windshield of the vehicle 10 so as to photograph at least the forward course of the vehicle 10 . Information acquired by the autonomous sensors 12, 14, 16 is transmitted to a vehicle-mounted controller 20. FIG.

The control device 20 receives various information for autonomous driving or automatic driving, including information from the autonomous sensors 12, 14, 16, and signals from the remote monitoring center 4, and processes them to obtain operation signals. Actuators 32, 34, 36 are operated. Actuators 32 , 34 , 36 include at least a drive actuator 32 for driving vehicle 10 , a braking actuator 34 for braking vehicle 10 , and a steering actuator 36 for steering vehicle 10 .

Various types of information for autonomous driving include information about the vehicle state obtained by vehicle sensors such as a vehicle speed sensor and an acceleration sensor (not shown). Furthermore, the various information for autonomous driving includes position information indicating the position of the vehicle 10 acquired by a GPS receiver (not shown) and map information held in a map database. A signal from the remote monitoring center 4 is acquired by wireless communication by a communication device 18 mounted on the vehicle. The wireless communication standard used by the communication device 18 may be a mobile communication standard such as 4G, LTE, or 5G.

The control device 20 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) having at least one processor and at least one memory. The memory stores at least one program and various data for autonomous driving. A program stored in the memory is read out and executed by the processor, so that the control device 20 realizes various functions for autonomous travel.

The control device 20 calculates a travel route for the vehicle 10 to travel based on the position information of the vehicle 10 and the map information, and controls the driving, steering, and braking of the vehicle 10 so as to travel along the calculated travel route. Control. However, there are various known methods for autonomously driving the vehicle 10 along the travel route, and the method itself is not limited in the present invention. Therefore, in this specification, the description of the method of autonomously driving the vehicle 10 along the driving route is omitted.

In FIG. 1, among the functions related to autonomous driving that the control device 20 has, functions related to ensuring safety during autonomous driving are represented by blocks. Illustrations of other functions of the control device 20 are omitted. The control device 20 has a function of automatically stopping the vehicle 10 when an obstacle that poses a risk of collision with the vehicle 10 is detected, and restarting traveling when it is confirmed that there is no risk of collision. This function is implemented by a camera image transmission section 22, an obstacle detection section 24, a stop control section 26, and a travel restart control section 28, which are provided in the control device 20. FIG. However, these do not exist as hardware in the control device 20, but are implemented as software when the programs stored in the memory are executed by the processor.

The camera image transmission unit 22 transmits images of the surroundings of the vehicle 10 captured by the camera 12 to the remote monitoring center 4 . The camera image to be transmitted includes at least an image of the road ahead of the vehicle 10 . The camera image transmission unit 22 transmits camera images according to the communication cycle between the remote monitoring center 4 and the communication device 18 while the vehicle 10 is stopped by the stop control unit 26 described later. The camera image transmitted to the remote monitoring center 4 is used for remote monitoring of the surroundings of the vehicle 10 . The communication cycle may be fixed, or may be changed according to the running environment of the vehicle 10 . For example, the communication cycle may be lengthened at car-only lanes, shortened at intersections with traffic lights, and further shortened at intersections without traffic lights.

Obstacle detector 24 detects obstacles associated with vehicle 10 based on information obtained from autonomous sensors 12 , 14 , 16 . In particular, an obstacle ahead of the vehicle 10 that is in danger of colliding with the vehicle 10 is detected. There are various known methods for detecting obstacles based on sensor information including camera images, and the method itself is not limited in the present invention. For example, the camera 12 may detect obstacles based only on camera images, or may detect obstacles by sensor fusion in which a plurality of autonomous sensors 12, 14, and 16 are combined. However, the obstacle detection unit 24 can change the threshold for obstacle detection. The threshold for obstacle detection is a threshold for judging whether numerical data indicating the possibility of an obstacle should be regarded as an obstacle or not as an obstacle (for example, noise).

The stop control unit 26 automatically stops the vehicle 10 when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection unit 24 . Specifically, the stop control unit 26 controls the braking force acting on the vehicle 10 by operating the drive actuator 32 and the braking actuator 34 so as to stop the vehicle 10 in front of the detected obstacle. Further, the stop control unit 26 transmits a vehicle stop signal to the remote monitoring center 4 when the vehicle 10 is automatically stopped. At this time, the camera image for monitoring the surroundings of the vehicle 10 photographed by the camera 12 is also transmitted from the camera image transmission unit 22 to the remote monitoring center 4 .

After the vehicle 10 is automatically stopped by the stop control unit 26 , the travel restart control unit 28 restarts the travel of the vehicle 10 when a start signal is received from the remote monitoring center 4 . Specifically, the travel resumption control unit 28 slows down the vehicle 10 for a predetermined period of time after the resumption of travel to ensure safety. Then, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the travel restart control unit 28 accelerates the vehicle 10 according to a predetermined speed plan.

When the vehicle 10 is automatically stopped, the remote monitoring center 4 determines whether the vehicle 10 can be restarted based on the image received from the camera image transmission unit. When remote monitoring at the remote monitoring center 4 is performed by a computer, the computer determines whether or not an obstacle is captured in the camera image transmitted from the vehicle 10 based on image data (big data), for example. Image processing technology using artificial intelligence can be used for judgment based on image data. The computer sends a start signal to the vehicle 10 when an obstacle is confirmed in the camera image. A series of processes from receiving the camera image to transmitting the start signal can be performed by a computer without human intervention.

When the remote monitoring at the remote monitoring center 4 is performed by a supervisor, the camera image transmitted from the vehicle 10 is displayed on the display. The surveillance staff checks the situation around the vehicle 10 by looking at the camera image. As a result of the confirmation, if it is determined that there is no problem in restarting the running of the vehicle 10, the supervisor operates the HMI and instructs the computer of the remote monitoring center 4 to permit the vehicle 10 to start. By accepting the start permission instruction, the computer of the remote monitoring center 4 judges that the vehicle 10 may resume running, and transmits a start signal to the vehicle 10 . In the remote monitoring method of each embodiment described below, it is assumed that remote monitoring is performed by a monitoring staff.

1-2. Remote Monitoring Method of Embodiment 1 A remote monitoring method of Embodiment 1 that can be executed in the remote monitoring system 1 having the above configuration will be described. The remote monitoring method by the remote monitoring system 1 can be explained separately for the processing on the in-vehicle system side and the processing on the remote monitoring center side. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing processing on the in-vehicle system side for realizing the remote monitoring method of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing processing on the side of the remote monitoring center for realizing the remote monitoring method of the first embodiment.

First, the processing on the in-vehicle system side will be described with reference to FIG. According to the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, the surrounding environment is recognized by the autonomous sensors 12, 14, and 16 (step S100). Based on the information obtained from the autonomous sensors 12, 14, and 16 in step S100, the obstacle detection unit 24 determines whether or not there is an obstacle that may cause a collision around the vehicle (step S110). If there is no such obstacle, the process of step S100 and the determination of step S110 are repeated.

When an obstacle with a danger of collision is detected in step S110, the stop control unit 26 automatically stops the vehicle 10 in front of the obstacle (step S120). Then, the stop control unit 26 transmits a vehicle stop signal to the remote monitoring center 4, and the camera image transmission unit 22 transmits the camera image around the vehicle 10 captured by the camera 12 to the remote monitoring center 4 (step S130).

After the vehicle stop signal is transmitted to the remote monitoring center 4, the travel restart control unit 28 determines whether or not a start signal has been received from the remote monitoring center 4 (step S140). The vehicle 10 remains stopped until the start signal is received. When the start signal is received from the remote monitoring center 4, the travel resumption control unit 28 performs start processing of the vehicle (step S150), and performs slow driving for a predetermined time after start (step S160).

Next, processing on the side of the remote monitoring center will be described with reference to FIG. According to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, the remote monitoring center 4 determines whether or not a vehicle stop signal has been received from the vehicle 10 (step S200). The remote monitoring center 4 is on standby until the vehicle stop signal is received.

When the vehicle stop signal from the vehicle 10 is received, the camera image transmitted from the stopped vehicle 10 is displayed on the display. The observer confirms the situation around the vehicle 10 from the camera image displayed on the display (step S210). Then, based on the confirmation result on the display, the observer determines whether or not the vehicle 10 can resume running (step S220). If the vehicle 10 cannot resume running, the process of step S210 and the determination of step S220 are repeated.

A situation in which it is safe to resume traveling is, for example, a case where the risk of collision has disappeared due to the movement of the obstacle, or a case where it has been confirmed that the obstacle was erroneously detected by the vehicle 10 . As a specific example, taking the case where the vehicle 10 is stopped in front of the pedestrian crossing, when it is confirmed that the pedestrian, which is an obstacle, has definitely finished crossing the pedestrian crossing, the vehicle 10 resumes running. be able to. When the vehicle 10 resumes running, the computer of the remote monitoring center 4 transmits a start signal to the vehicle 10 by the operation of the HMI by the observer (step S230).

According to the remote monitoring method of the first embodiment executed by the above procedure, dual monitoring of autonomous detection of obstacles by the autonomous sensors 12, 14, and 16 of the vehicle 10 and remote monitoring by the remote monitoring center 4 is performed. By doing so, it is possible to ensure safety when the vehicle 10 is autonomously traveling, particularly safety when restarting traveling after an automatic stop. Furthermore, according to the remote monitoring method of Embodiment 1, the running of the vehicle 10 is resumed by slowing down without increasing the speed until a predetermined time has elapsed since the running of the vehicle 10 can be resumed. Later safety can be ensured.

Embodiment 2.
Next, a remote monitoring method of Embodiment 2 that can be executed in the remote monitoring system 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing processing on the in-vehicle system side for realizing the remote monitoring method of the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing processing on the side of the remote monitoring center for realizing the remote monitoring method of the second embodiment. In each flow chart, the description of the same processing as the processing related to the remote monitoring method of the first embodiment will be simplified or omitted.

First, the processing on the in-vehicle system side will be described with reference to FIG. According to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, when an obstacle with a danger of collision is detected in step S110, the stop control unit 26 does not automatically stop the vehicle 10 immediately, but first drives the vehicle 10 to a very low speed ( For example, the vehicle is slowed down at a speed of 5 to 6 km/h (step S121). If the vehicle 10 is brought to a complete stop, the occupant may feel uncomfortable.

When the vehicle 10 is slowed down, the stop control unit 26 transmits a vehicle slowdown signal to the remote monitoring center 4, and the camera image transmission unit 22 transmits the camera image of the surroundings of the vehicle 10 captured by the camera 12 to the remote monitoring center. 4 (step S131). Transmission of camera images is performed at a constant cycle according to the communication cycle between the remote monitoring center 4 and the communication device 18 .

The stop control unit 26 determines whether communication with the remote monitoring center 4 is interrupted (step S132). For example, if a signal that should be transmitted from the remote monitoring center 4 is not received even after a predetermined time-out period has elapsed, the stop control unit 26 determines that communication disruption has occurred. The stop control unit 26 continues slowing down the vehicle 10 while communication is established with the remote monitoring center 4 (step S134). However, when communication with the remote monitoring center 4 is interrupted, the stop control unit 26 automatically stops the vehicle 10 (step S133).

Disruption of communication between the vehicle 10 and the remote monitoring center 4 not only occurs due to deterioration of the communication environment or an increase in line load, but can also be actively performed by the remote monitoring center 4's judgment. . In the remote monitoring center 4, a monitor monitors the camera image displayed on the display. In this embodiment, when the observer determines from the camera image that there is a danger of colliding with an obstacle, the observer operates the HMI to actively interrupt communication. As a result, the vehicle 10 can be slowed down without being stopped while the observer judges that the danger is low, and the vehicle 10 can be immediately stopped when the observer judges that there is danger or that the danger has increased. . In addition, the vehicle 10 can be automatically stopped even when a communication interruption occurs due to an external cause and the surveillance staff cannot monitor the camera image.

After the vehicle 10 automatically stops, when communication with the remote monitoring center 4 is established again, the stop control unit 26 slows down the vehicle 10 (step S134). However, if the communication with the remote monitoring center 4 remains interrupted, the stop control unit 26 keeps the vehicle 10 in a stopped state even if time passes in order to prioritize safety (step S133). Although this control is performed regardless of the location, it is very inconvenient if the vehicle 10 remains stopped within the intersection. Therefore, in the autonomous driving control when the vehicle 10 enters the intersection, the vehicle 10 is stopped in the intersection as much as possible, for example, after confirming that there is no preceding vehicle left behind in the intersection before entering the intersection. The control is done so that you don't have to.

After the vehicle slowdown signal is transmitted to the remote monitoring center 4, the travel resumption control unit 28 determines whether or not a start signal has been received from the remote monitoring center 4 (step S140). Until the start signal is received, the vehicle 10 continues to slow down or comes to a standstill. When the start signal is received from the remote monitoring center 4, the travel resumption control unit 28 performs start processing of the vehicle 10 (step S150), and slows down for a predetermined time after start (step S160).

Next, processing on the side of the remote monitoring center will be described with reference to FIG. According to the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, the remote monitoring center 4 determines whether or not a vehicle slowdown signal has been received from the vehicle 10 (step S201). The remote monitoring center 4 is on standby until the vehicle slowdown signal is received.

When the vehicle slowdown signal from the vehicle 10 is received, the camera image transmitted from the slowdown vehicle 10 is displayed on the display. The observer confirms the situation around the vehicle 10 from the camera image displayed on the display (step S211). Then, based on the confirmation result on the display, the observer determines whether or not the vehicle 10 can resume running (step S220).

If it is not possible to resume running, the observer determines whether or not the vehicle 10 can continue to run slowly (step S221). A signal is sent from the remote monitoring center 4 to the vehicle 10 at regular intervals. Since this signal will continue to be transmitted if nothing is done, the vehicle 10 will continue to go slowly unless communication is interrupted by an external factor. On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle 10 needs to be stopped, the surveillance staff turns off the signal to interrupt communication between the remote monitoring center 4 and the vehicle 10 (step S222). As a result, the slow-moving vehicle 10 automatically stops.

The processing from step S210 to step S221 or from step S210 to step S222 is repeated until safety is confirmed and the vehicle 10 can be restarted. Then, when it is determined that it is safe to resume running, the supervisor operates the HMI to transmit a start signal from the computer of the remote monitoring center 4 to the vehicle 10 (step S230).

According to the remote monitoring method according to the second embodiment, which is executed according to the procedure described above, the same effects as those of the remote monitoring method according to the first embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, according to the remote monitoring method of the second embodiment, while the communication between the vehicle 10 and the remote monitoring center 4 is established, it is possible to suppress discomfort of the passengers by driving at a reduced speed. Also, if a problem arises in slowing down the vehicle 10, the vehicle 10 can be immediately stopped by the judgment of the remote monitoring center 4 side. Furthermore, when communication between the vehicle 10 and the remote monitoring center 4 is interrupted, safety can be ensured by automatically stopping the vehicle 10 .

Embodiment 3.
Next, a remote monitoring method of Embodiment 3 that can be executed in the remote monitoring system 1 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing processing on the in-vehicle system side for realizing the remote monitoring method of the third embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing processing on the side of the remote monitoring center for realizing the remote monitoring method of the third embodiment. In each flow chart, the description of the same processing as the processing related to the remote monitoring method of the first embodiment will be simplified or omitted.

First, the processing on the in-vehicle system side will be described with reference to FIG. According to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, when the start signal is received from the remote monitoring center 4 in step S140, the travel restart control unit 28 performs start processing of the vehicle 10 (step S150). Then, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has passed after receiving the first start signal from the remote monitoring center 4 (step S161). This predetermined time may be changed according to the running environment of the vehicle 10 . For example, in a car-only lane, the predetermined time may be set to a short time. At an intersection, the time required for the vehicle 10 to pass through the intersection at a slow speed may be set as the predetermined time.

If the predetermined time has not elapsed since the first start signal was received, then the travel resumption control unit 28 determines whether or not the start signal is continuously received (step S162). When the start signal is continuously received, that is, when the transmission of the start signal is not stopped, the travel resumption control unit 28 slows down the vehicle 10 (step S164). On the other hand, if the start signal has not been received, the travel restart control unit 28 automatically stops the vehicle 10 (step S163).

The processing from step S161 to step S163 or from step S161 to step S164 is repeated until a predetermined time has passed since the first start signal was received. Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the first start signal was received, the travel restart control unit 28 causes the vehicle 10 to travel at a normal speed according to a predetermined speed plan (step S165).

Next, processing on the side of the remote monitoring center will be described with reference to FIG. According to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7, after transmitting the start signal to the vehicle 10 in step S230, the remote monitoring center 4 determines whether or not a predetermined time has passed since the first start signal was transmitted (step S231). . Until a predetermined time elapses after the first start signal is transmitted, the processing and determination from step S210 to step S231 are repeated. However, during the repetition of this process, if it is determined in step S220 that the vehicle cannot resume running, the remote monitoring center 4 stops transmitting the start signal (step S232). Then, when a predetermined time has passed since the transmission of the first start signal, the remote monitoring center 4 terminates the processing according to this flowchart.

According to the remote monitoring method according to the third embodiment, which is executed according to the procedure described above, the same effects as those of the remote monitoring method according to the first embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, according to the remote monitoring method of Embodiment 3, the vehicle 10 stops when the input of the start signal from the remote monitoring center 4 is interrupted for a predetermined period of time after the resumption of travel. Safety can be ensured in situations where remote monitoring by remote monitoring does not work. Further, according to the remote monitoring method of Embodiment 3, the vehicle 10 can be stopped immediately by stopping transmission of the start signal from the remote monitoring center 4 . The remote monitoring method of Embodiment 3 is suitable for remote monitoring in a driving environment that requires close attention after resuming driving, specifically remote monitoring of the vehicle 10 at intersections, especially intersections without traffic lights. is.

Embodiment 4.
Next, a remote monitoring method of Embodiment 4 that can be executed in the remote monitoring system 1 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing processing on the in-vehicle system side for realizing the remote monitoring method of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing processing on the side of the remote monitoring center for realizing the remote monitoring method of the fourth embodiment. In each flow chart, the description of the same processing as the processing related to the remote monitoring method of the first embodiment will be simplified or omitted.

First, the processing on the in-vehicle system side will be described with reference to FIG. According to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, after the vehicle stop signal is transmitted to the remote monitoring center 4 in step S130, the obstacle detection unit 24 again determines whether there is an obstacle around the vehicle that may cause a collision. (step S135). This determination is repeated until a start signal is received from the remote monitoring center 4 in step S140. Since the detection accuracy of the autonomous sensors 12, 14, 16 depends on the vehicle speed, when the vehicle 10 is stopped, the obstacle can be detected with higher accuracy than the detection accuracy in the determination in step S110.

When the obstacle detection unit 24 determines that there is no obstacle around the vehicle that may cause a collision, the travel restart control unit 28 transmits a vehicle autonomous start signal to the remote monitoring center 4 . Then, without waiting for the reception of the start signal from the remote monitoring center 4, the start processing of the vehicle 10 is autonomously performed (step S150). If the communication between the vehicle 10 and the remote monitoring center 4 is interrupted, waiting for the start signal from the remote monitoring center 4 will prevent the vehicle from starting. By autonomously starting the vehicle 10 after confirming its safety, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the vehicle 10 cannot start for a long time. However, even when the vehicle 10 starts autonomously based on the judgment of the vehicle 10 side, slow driving is performed for a predetermined time after starting (step S160).

Next, processing on the side of the remote monitoring center will be described with reference to FIG. According to the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, while the remote monitoring center 4 cannot determine that the vehicle 10 should resume running, and repeats the process of step S210 and the determination of step S220, is the vehicle autonomous start signal received? It is determined whether or not (step S211). Then, when the vehicle autonomous start signal is received, the remote monitoring center 4 skips the remaining steps and ends the processing according to this flowchart.

According to the remote monitoring method according to the fourth embodiment, which is executed according to the procedure described above, the same effects as those of the remote monitoring method according to the first embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, according to the remote monitoring method of the fourth embodiment, even if communication between the vehicle 10 and the remote monitoring center 4 is interrupted, if safety is confirmed on the vehicle 10 side, , the vehicle 10 can be restarted.

Embodiment 5.
Next, a remote monitoring method according to Embodiment 5 that can be executed in the remote monitoring system 1 will be described. The remote monitoring method of Embodiment 5 is characterized by processing on the in-vehicle system side. The processing on the side of the remote monitoring center is the same as the processing on the side of the remote monitoring center (see FIG. 3) in Embodiment 1, so the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing processing on the in-vehicle system side for realizing the remote monitoring method of the fifth embodiment. Only the processing on the in-vehicle system side will be described below with reference to FIG. However, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 10, the description of the same processing as the processing on the in-vehicle system side in the first embodiment will be simplified or omitted.

According to the flowchart shown in FIG. 10, after the surrounding environment is recognized by the autonomous sensors 12, 14, and 16 in step S100, the obstacle detection unit 24 determines whether communication with the remote monitoring center 4 has been established. Determine (step S101). The threshold level for obstacle detection by the obstacle detection unit 24 is variable. If the threshold level is raised, a suspected obstacle is less likely to be detected as an obstacle, and if the threshold level is lowered, a suspected obstacle is more likely to be detected as an obstacle. Therefore, by increasing the threshold level, it is possible to reduce the possibility of erroneous detection that noise is detected as an obstacle. However, on the other hand, there is an increased possibility that the obstacle is not detected as an obstacle even though it is an obstacle.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the threshold level for obstacle detection is changed according to the state of communication with the remote monitoring center 4 . Specifically, when communication with the remote monitoring center 4 is established, the obstacle detection unit 24 sets the threshold for obstacle detection to a high level, which is a normal setting (step S102). On the other hand, when the communication with the remote monitoring center 4 is interrupted, the obstacle detection unit 24 sets the threshold for obstacle detection to a low level instead of a high level (step S103). In other words, when communication with the remote monitoring center 4 is interrupted, the obstacle detection unit 24 permits false detections more than when communication with the remote monitoring center 4 is established, but does not detect the obstacles. Change the obstacle detection threshold to reduce Then, obstacle detection is performed using the level threshold set in step S102 or step S103, and it is determined whether or not there is an obstacle that may cause a collision around the vehicle 10 (step S110).

According to the remote monitoring method according to the fifth embodiment, which is executed according to the procedure described above, the same effects as those of the remote monitoring method according to the first embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, according to the remote monitoring method of Embodiment 5, when the communication between the vehicle 10 and the remote monitoring center 4 is interrupted, the threshold for obstacle detection is changed to a low level, thereby detecting an obstacle that should not exist. The possibility of "false positives", in which objects are detected incorrectly, increases. However, on the other hand, it is possible to reduce the possibility of "non-detection" in which an obstacle that should exist is not detected. As a result, according to the remote monitoring method of the fifth embodiment, compared to the remote monitoring method of the first embodiment, it is possible to ensure greater safety in situations where the remote monitoring by the remote monitoring center 4 does not function.

Embodiment 6.
Next, a remote monitoring method of Embodiment 6 that can be executed in the remote monitoring system 1 will be described. In Embodiment 6, preliminary processing for remote monitoring is always performed on the in-vehicle system side and the remote monitoring center side. FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing preliminary processing always executed by the in-vehicle system to implement the remote monitoring method of the sixth embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing preliminary processing that is always executed on the side of the remote monitoring center in order to implement the remote monitoring method of the sixth embodiment.

On the in-vehicle system side, as shown in FIG. 11, the current location information, that is, the position information of the vehicle 10 acquired by the GPS receiver is transmitted to the remote monitoring center 4 (step S300).

On the remote monitoring center side, as shown in FIG. 12, the current location information transmitted from the vehicle 10 is received (step S400). The computer of the remote monitoring center 4 collates the received current value information with the database and determines whether the current location of the vehicle 10 is a safe location (step S410). The database stores locations where the vehicle 10 has automatically stopped in the past and the results of confirmation of safety at those locations. If it is determined that the current location of the vehicle 10 is a safe location, the computer of the remote monitoring center 4 sends an ON signal for the flag that does not require stopping to the vehicle 10 (step S420). On the other hand, if it is determined that the current location is not a place where safety is ensured, the computer of the remote monitoring center 4 sends an off signal for the flag not requiring a stop to the vehicle 10 (step S430).

Next, a remote monitoring method according to Embodiment 6 based on the preliminary processing described above will be described. The remote monitoring method of Embodiment 6 is characterized by processing on the vehicle-mounted system side. The processing on the side of the remote monitoring center is the same as the processing on the side of the remote monitoring center (see FIG. 3) in Embodiment 1, so the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing processing on the in-vehicle system side for realizing the remote monitoring method of the sixth embodiment. Only the processing on the in-vehicle system side will be described below with reference to FIG. However, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 13, the description of the same processing as the processing on the in-vehicle system side in the first embodiment will be simplified or omitted.

According to the flowchart shown in FIG. 13, when it is determined in step S110 that there is an obstacle that may cause a collision around the vehicle 10, the stop control unit 26 determines whether the ON signal of the stop unnecessary flag has been received. Determine (step S111). When the ON signal of the stop unnecessary flag is not received, that is, when the current location of the vehicle 10 is a location where safety has not been notified by the remote monitoring center, the stop control unit 26 automatically stops the vehicle 10 in front of the obstacle. Stop (step S120). However, if the on-signal of the stop-unnecessary flag is received, that is, if the current location of the vehicle 10 is a location notified of safety by the remote monitoring center, the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 24 is incorrect. Likely to be detected. Therefore, the stop control unit 26 allows the vehicle 10 to continue running without stopping. In this case, in the flowchart, the process of step S100 and the determinations of steps S110 and S111 are repeated until the determination result of step S111 becomes negative.

According to the remote monitoring method according to the sixth embodiment, which is executed according to the procedure described above, the same effects as those of the remote monitoring method according to the first embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, according to the remote monitoring method of Embodiment 6, even if an obstacle is detected by the autonomous detection of the vehicle 10, the vehicle 10 does not automatically stop at a location determined to be safe by the remote monitoring center 4. It is possible to reduce the frequency of inadvertent stops of the vehicle 10 due to erroneous detection of objects.

Other embodiments.
In the above embodiment, the camera image is transmitted to the remote monitoring center 4 after an obstacle with a danger of collision is detected, but the camera image is always transmitted to the remote monitoring center 4 while the vehicle 10 is running. You may do so.

Reference example.
Next, a reference remote monitoring method that can be executed in the remote monitoring system 1 will be described. The remote monitoring method of the reference example is characterized by processing on the in-vehicle system side. The processing on the side of the remote monitoring center is the same as the processing on the side of the remote monitoring center (see FIG. 3) in Embodiment 1, so the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing processing on the in-vehicle system side for realizing the remote monitoring method of the reference example. Only the processing on the in-vehicle system side will be described below with reference to FIG. However, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 14, the description of the same processing as the processing on the in-vehicle system side in the first embodiment will be simplified or omitted.

According to the flowchart shown in FIG. 14, when it is determined in step S110 that there is no obstacle that may cause a collision around the vehicle 10, the stop control unit 26 determines that communication with the remote monitoring center 4 is not interrupted. (step S112). When communication with the remote monitoring center 4 is established, the vehicle 10 continues running, and the process of step S100 and the determinations of steps S110 and S112 are repeated.

When communication with the remote monitoring center 4 is cut off, the stop control unit 26 automatically stops the vehicle 10 on the spot (step S113). Then, the stop control unit 26 transmits a vehicle stop signal to the remote monitoring center 4, and the camera image transmission unit 22 transmits the camera image around the vehicle 10 captured by the camera 12 to the remote monitoring center 4 (step S130).

After the vehicle stop signal is transmitted to the remote monitoring center 4, the travel restart control unit 28 determines whether or not a start signal has been received from the remote monitoring center 4 (step S140). The vehicle 10 remains stopped until the start signal is received. When the start signal is received from the remote monitoring center 4, the travel resumption control unit 28 performs start processing of the vehicle (step S150), and slows down for a predetermined time after start (step S160).

According to the remote monitoring method of the reference example executed by the above procedure, the same effect as the remote monitoring method of the first embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, according to the remote monitoring method of the reference example, the vehicle 10 automatically stops when the communication between the vehicle 10 and the remote monitoring center 4 is interrupted. can be secured.

From the above reference example,
"An autonomous vehicle that is connected to a remote monitoring center via a network and can be remotely controlled from the remote monitoring center,
a camera that captures the surroundings of the autonomous vehicle;
a camera image transmission unit that transmits an image of the surroundings of the autonomous vehicle captured by the camera to the remote monitoring system;
a stop control unit that automatically stops the autonomous vehicle when communication between the autonomous vehicle and the remote monitoring center is interrupted;
a travel restart control unit that restarts travel of the autonomous vehicle when a start signal is received from the remote monitoring center after the autonomous travel vehicle is automatically stopped by the stop control unit;
It is possible to grasp the invention "autonomous traveling vehicle characterized by comprising

1 remote monitoring system 2 network 4 remote monitoring center 10 autonomous vehicle 12 camera (autonomous sensor)
14 millimeter wave radar (autonomous sensor)
16 lidar (autonomous sensor)
18 communication device 20 control device 22 camera video transmission unit 24 obstacle detection unit 26 stop control unit 28 travel restart control unit

Claims (19)

A remote monitoring system comprising a vehicle capable of autonomous driving and a center capable of communicating with the vehicle,
The vehicle is
an autonomous sensor that acquires data of the surrounding environment of the vehicle;
a data transmission unit that transmits data acquired by the autonomous sensor to the center;
an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle ahead of the vehicle on the basis of information obtained from the autonomous sensor;
a stop control unit that stops the vehicle and transmits a first signal to the center when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection unit;
a travel restart control unit capable of restarting travel of the vehicle when a second signal permitting travel restart is received from the center after the vehicle has been stopped by the stop control unit;
The center is
a display unit that, when receiving the first signal from the stop control unit, displays an image around the vehicle based on the data received from the data transmission unit;
an HMI that receives an input of a command permitting the vehicle to resume running;
with
transmitting the second signal to the vehicle when the HMI receives the input of the command;
The travel restart control unit
When the obstacle detection unit no longer detects an obstacle after the transmission of the first signal, the vehicle can resume running without waiting for the second signal. Monitoring system. The stop control unit slows down the vehicle when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection unit, and stops the vehicle when communication with the center is interrupted. The remote monitoring system according to claim 1. 3. The remote monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the travel resuming control unit slows down the vehicle for a predetermined time after resuming the travel of the vehicle. The travel restart control unit slows down the vehicle only while receiving the second signal from the center, and stops the vehicle when the second signal from the center is interrupted. 4. The remote monitoring system according to claim 3. When communication with the center is interrupted, the obstacle detection unit detects an obstacle so as to reduce non-detection while allowing false detection more than when communication with the center is established. 5. The remote monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the threshold of is changed. When the vehicle approaches a place where safety is confirmed by the center, the center notifies the vehicle of the safety of the place,
When an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection unit at a location notified of safety by the center, the stop control unit determines that the detection is erroneous and prevents the vehicle from stopping. The remote monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A vehicle control device that is communicably connected to a center and causes a vehicle to travel autonomously,
an autonomous sensor that acquires data of the surrounding environment of the vehicle;
a data transmission unit that transmits data acquired by the autonomous sensor to the center;
an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle ahead of the vehicle on the basis of information obtained from the autonomous sensor;
a stop control unit that stops the vehicle and transmits a first signal to the center when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection unit;
a travel restart control unit capable of restarting travel of the vehicle when receiving a second signal permitting resumption of travel from the center after the vehicle has been stopped by the stop control unit;
with
The travel restart control unit
A vehicle characterized by being capable of restarting running of the vehicle without waiting for the second signal when the obstacle detection unit no longer detects the obstacle after the transmission of the first signal. Control device. The stop control unit slows down the vehicle when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection unit, and stops the vehicle when communication with the center is interrupted. The vehicle control device according to claim 7. 9. The vehicle control device according to claim 7, wherein the travel restart control unit slows down the vehicle for a predetermined time after restarting the travel of the vehicle. The travel restart control unit slows down the vehicle only while receiving the second signal from the center, and stops the vehicle when the second signal from the center is interrupted. 10. The vehicle control device according to claim 9. When communication with the center is interrupted, the obstacle detection unit detects an obstacle so as to reduce non-detection while allowing false detection more than when communication with the center is established. 11. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the threshold value of is changed. When an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection unit at a location notified of safety by the center, the stop control unit determines that the detection is erroneous and prevents the vehicle from stopping. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 7 to 11. A remote monitoring method executed in a remote monitoring system comprising a vehicle and a center capable of communicating with the vehicle,
a step of transmitting data acquired by an autonomous sensor mounted on the vehicle from the vehicle to a center;
a step in which the vehicle detects an obstacle ahead of the vehicle on the basis of information obtained from the autonomous sensor;
transmitting a first signal from the vehicle to the center based on the detection of the obstacle, and stopping the vehicle;
a step of, when the center receives the first signal, displaying an image around the vehicle at the center based on data transmitted from the vehicle to the center;
a step of receiving, at the center, an input of a command permitting the vehicle to resume running;
transmitting a second signal from the center to the vehicle for permitting the vehicle to resume running when an input of a command permitting the vehicle to resume running is received;
enabling the vehicle to resume travel after receiving the second signal from the center or if the obstacle is no longer detected;
A remote monitoring method comprising: In the step of stopping the vehicle, the vehicle slows down when an obstacle is detected by the vehicle, and the vehicle stops when communication between the vehicle and the center is interrupted. The remote monitoring method according to claim 13. 15. The remote monitoring method according to claim 13, wherein, in the step of causing the vehicle to resume running, the vehicle travels slowly for a predetermined period of time after the vehicle resumes running. In the step of restarting the vehicle, the vehicle slows down only while the second signal is received from the center, and the vehicle stops when the second signal from the center is lost. 16. The remote monitoring method according to claim 15, characterized by: When the communication between the vehicle and the center is interrupted, the vehicle is operated so as to allow false detections and reduce non-detections compared to the case where the communication between the vehicle and the center is established. changing a threshold for obstacle detection;
17. The remote monitoring method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, further comprising: Further comprising the step of notifying the vehicle of the safety of the location from the center when the vehicle approaches a location that has been confirmed to be safe by the center;
18. The vehicle according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein in the step of stopping the vehicle, the vehicle does not stop even if an obstacle is detected by the detection of the vehicle at a location notified of safety by the center. The remote monitoring method according to item 1. A vehicle control method for controlling autonomous driving of a vehicle, the vehicle comprising:
a step in which the vehicle transmits data acquired by an autonomous sensor mounted on the vehicle to a communicatively connected center;
a step in which the vehicle detects an obstacle ahead of the vehicle on the basis of information obtained from the autonomous sensor;
transmitting a first signal from the vehicle to the center based on the detection of the obstacle, and stopping the vehicle;
After stopping the vehicle and after receiving a second signal from the center permitting resumption of travel, or when the obstacle is no longer detected, the vehicle is allowed to resume travel. When,
A vehicle control method comprising:

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