IP Library › Granted Patent US 12669818
Granted Patent B2
US 12669818 · App. 17/833,387 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

Remote control request system, remote control request method, and nontransitory storage medium

Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano (Numazu, JP); Sho Otaki (Yokohama, JP); Takashi Suzuki (Susono, JP); Toru Takashima (Susono, JP); Hojung Jung (Shizuoka-ken, JP); Hiromitsu Kobayashi (Nisshin, JP); Satoru Niwa (Shizuoka-ken, JP); Kosuke Akatsuka (Mishima, JP)
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
G05D1/0061G05D1/0022G05D1/0214G05D1/2279
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12669818
App. No.
17/833,387
Granted
Jun 30, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A remote control request method has requesting, by a computer, a remote operator to perform remote control on an autonomous driving vehicle when the autonomous driving vehicle currently has or is expected to have difficulty in continuing autonomous driving, requesting remote assistance in which the remote operator makes at least a part of determination for the autonomous driving inside an autonomous driving domain, and requesting, outside the autonomous driving domain, remote driving in which the remote operator performs at least one of a steering operation and an acceleration or deceleration operation of the autonomous driving vehicle.

Claims (59)

1 . A remote control request system comprising:

a remote control request device including:

a memory storing a program; and

a processor connected to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine that an autonomous driving vehicle has a planned trajectory that when followed would cause the autonomous driving vehicle to enter into and/or remain within a geographic location for a duration of time;

determine that the autonomous driving vehicle detects and/or receives weather data indicative of rain or lack thereof currently and/or forecasted within the geographic location during the duration of time;

determine that the autonomous driving vehicle detects and/or receives parking data indicative of another vehicle parked on a roadway shoulder within the geographic location during the duration of time;

determine whether the autonomous driving vehicle is permitted to implement autonomous driving within the geographic location, wherein the autonomous driving vehicle is permitted to implement the autonomous driving in the geographic location when each of the following conditions are satisfied:

(a) a speed limit assigned to each roadway in which the autonomous driving vehicle is traveling and/or will be traveling according to the planned trajectory within the geographic location is less than a predetermined threshold value,

(b) map information is available for each roadway in which the autonomous driving vehicle is traveling and/or will be traveling according to the planned trajectory within the geographic location, and

(c) the weather data indicates that there is no rain currently within and/or forecasted to be within the geographic location for the duration of time;

upon a positive determination that the autonomous driving vehicle is permitted to implement and has implemented the autonomous driving in the geographic location, request remote assistance in which a remote operator external to the autonomous driving vehicle makes a determination for operation of the autonomous driving vehicle as it pertains to the another vehicle parked on the roadway shoulder within the geographic location during the duration of time, while the autonomous driving vehicle continues to perform the autonomous driving; and

upon a negative determination that the autonomous driving vehicle is not permitted to implement and has not implemented the autonomous driving in the geographic location, request remote control driving in which the remote operator external to the autonomous driving vehicle remotely controls driving operations for the autonomous driving vehicle as it pertains to the another vehicle parked on the roadway shoulder within the geographic location during the duration of time, while the autonomous driving vehicle continues to not perform the autonomous driving.

2 . The remote control request system according to claim 1 , wherein

following the positive determination, the processor is configured to request the remote assistance without requesting the remote control driving, or

following the negative determination, the processor is configured to request the remote control driving without requesting the remote assistance.

3 . The remote control request system according to claim 1 , wherein the conditions needing to be satisfied for determining the autonomous driving vehicle is permitted to implement the autonomous driving are predetermined.

4 . The remote control request system according to claim 1 , wherein the conditions needing to be satisfied for determining the autonomous driving vehicle is permitted to implement the autonomous driving are adjustable conditions.

5 . The remote control request system according to claim 1 , wherein the determining whether the autonomous driving vehicle is permitted to implement the autonomous driving within the geographic location is based on both external information received by the autonomous driving vehicle and internal information detected and/or acquired by the autonomous driving vehicle directly.

6 . The remote control request system according to claim 1 , wherein

following the negative determination, the processor is configured to request the remote control driving after verifying that one or more remote control driving conditions are satisfied, wherein the one or more remote control driving conditions must be satisfied in order for the remote control driving be permitted on the autonomous driving vehicle, and the processor is configured to stop the autonomous driving vehicle or change the planned trajectory of the autonomous driving vehicle when one or more of the remote control driving conditions are not satisfied.

7 . The remote control request system according to claim 6 , wherein the remote control driving conditions are predetermined.

8 . The remote control request system according to claim 6 , wherein the conditions needing to be satisfied for determining the autonomous driving vehicle is permitted to implement the autonomous driving are adjustable conditions.

9 . The remote control request system according to claim 6 , wherein the determining whether the autonomous driving vehicle is permitted to implement the autonomous driving within the geographic location is based on both external information received by the autonomous driving vehicle and internal information detected and/or acquired by the autonomous driving vehicle directly.

10 . The remote control request system according to claim 1 , the remote control request system further comprising a server configured to connect to the remote control request device via a communication network, wherein:

the remote control request device is mounted on the autonomous driving vehicle, and

the remote control request device is configured to:

following the positive determination, cooperate with the server to request the remote assistance, and

following the negative determination, cooperate with the server to request the remote control driving.

11 . The remote control request system according to claim 10 , wherein:

the remote control request device is configured to transmit, to the server, the parking data indicative of the another vehicle parked on the roadway shoulder within the geographic location during the duration of time;

wherein the determining whether the autonomous driving vehicle is permitted to implement the autonomous driving within the geographic location is based on the parking data transmitted from the remote control request device and supplemental information acquired by the server and relating to the autonomous driving within the geographic location during the duration of time; and

the server is configured to assist the remote control request device making the positive determination or the negative determination.

12 . The remote control request system according to claim 1 , wherein the geographic location has preset boundaries.

13 . The remote control request system according to claim 1 , wherein the geographic location has adjustable boundaries.

14 . A remote control request method comprising:

determining that an autonomous driving vehicle has a planned trajectory that when followed would cause the autonomous driving vehicle to enter into and/or remain within a geographic location for a duration of time;

determining that the autonomous driving vehicle detects and/or receives weather data indicative of rain or lack thereof currently and/or forecasted within the geographic location during the duration of time;

determining that the autonomous driving vehicle detects and/or receives parking data indicative of another vehicle parked on a roadway shoulder within the geographic location during the duration of time;

determining whether the autonomous driving vehicle is permitted to implement autonomous driving within the geographic location, wherein the autonomous driving vehicle is permitted to implement the autonomous driving in the geographic location when each of the following conditions are satisfied:

(a) a speed limit assigned to each roadway in which the autonomous driving vehicle is traveling and/or will be traveling according to the planned trajectory within the geographic location is less than a predetermined threshold value,

(b) map information is available for each roadway in which the autonomous driving vehicle is traveling and/or will be traveling according to the planned trajectory within the geographic location, and

(c) the weather data indicates that there is no rain currently within and/or forecasted to be within the geographic location for the duration of time;

upon a positive determination that the autonomous driving vehicle is permitted to implement and has implemented the autonomous driving in the geographic location, requesting remote assistance in which a remote operator external to the autonomous driving vehicle makes a determination for operation of the autonomous driving vehicle as it pertains to the another vehicle parked on the roadway shoulder within the geographic location during the duration of time, while the autonomous driving vehicle continues to perform the autonomous driving; and

upon a negative determination that the autonomous driving vehicle is not permitted to implement and has not implemented the autonomous driving in the geographic location, requesting remote control driving in which the remote operator external to the autonomous driving vehicle remotely controls driving operations for the autonomous driving vehicle as it pertains to the another vehicle parked on the roadway shoulder within the geographic location during the duration of time, while the autonomous driving vehicle continues to not perform the autonomous driving.

15 . The remote control request method according to claim 14 , wherein the geographic location has preset boundaries.

16 . The remote control request method according to claim 14 , wherein the geographic location has adjustable boundaries.

17 . A non-transitory storage medium storing a program that is executable by one or more processors and that causes the one or more processors to perform functions comprising:

determining that an autonomous driving vehicle has a planned trajectory that when followed would cause the autonomous driving vehicle to enter into and/or remain within a geographic location for a duration of time;

determining that the autonomous driving vehicle detects and/or receives weather data indicative of rain or lack thereof currently and/or forecasted within the geographic location during the duration of time;

determining that the autonomous driving vehicle detects and/or receives parking data indicative of another vehicle parked on a roadway shoulder within the geographic location during the duration of time;

determining whether the autonomous driving vehicle is permitted to implement autonomous driving within the geographic location, wherein the autonomous driving vehicle is permitted to implement the autonomous driving in the geographic location when each of the following conditions are satisfied:

(a) a speed limit assigned to each roadway in which the autonomous driving vehicle is traveling and/or will be traveling according to the planned trajectory within the geographic location is less than a predetermined threshold value,

(b) map information is available for each roadway in which the autonomous driving vehicle is traveling and/or will be traveling according to the planned trajectory within the geographic location, and

(c) the weather data indicates that there is no rain currently within and/or forecasted to be within the geographic location for the duration of time;

upon a positive determination that the autonomous driving vehicle is permitted to implement and has implemented the autonomous driving in the geographic location, requesting remote assistance in which a remote operator external to the autonomous driving vehicle makes a determination for operation of the autonomous driving vehicle as it pertains to the another vehicle parked on the roadway shoulder within the geographic location during the duration of time, while the autonomous driving vehicle continues to perform the autonomous driving; and

upon a negative determination that the autonomous driving vehicle is not permitted to implement and has not implemented the autonomous driving in the geographic location, requesting remote control driving in which the remote operator external to the autonomous driving vehicle remotely controls driving operations for the autonomous driving vehicle as it pertains to the another vehicle parked on the roadway shoulder within the geographic location during the duration of time, while the autonomous driving vehicle continues to not perform the autonomous driving.

18 . The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 17 , wherein the geographic location has preset boundaries.

19 . The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 17 , wherein the geographic location has adjustable boundaries.