Control system and method for verifying remote operation of a motor vehicle
A control system is configured to: transmit a verification request signal to a remote device; listen for a verification request reply signal transmitted from the remote device in response to the verification request signal being transmitted; listen for a remote device state signal transmitted from the remote device providing remote device state information indicating in which predefined state the remote device is currently operating, the operation information based on the remote device state information; determine whether information comprised by the verification request reply signal includes expected operation result information being operation result information corresponding to an expected result of the operation defined by the operation information; and control, or provide input to the system to control, motion of the vehicle in response to the motion control signal received from the remote device based on a correspondence between the received operation result information and the expected operation result information.
1 . A control system comprising one or more controllers, the control system arranged to control, or provide input to a system to control, motion of a motor vehicle in response to a motion control signal received from a remote device, wherein the control system is arranged to perform a verification cycle in which the control system is configured to:
transmit multiple verification request signals in succession to the remote device;
listen for verification request reply signals transmitted from the remote device in response to the multiple verification request signals in succession transmitted;
listen for a remote device state signal transmitted from the remote device providing remote device state information indicating in which one of a plurality of predefined states the remote device is currently operating,
wherein the multiple verification request signals comprise information that includes operation information indicative of an operation to be performed, the operation information based on the remote device state information;
determine whether information comprised by the verification request reply signals received from the remote device includes expected operation result information being operation result information corresponding to an expected result of the operation defined by the operation information provided in the multiple verification request signals; and
control, or provide input to the system to control, motion of the motor vehicle in response to the motion control signal received from the remote device based on a correspondence between the received operation result information and the expected operation result information.
2 . The control system according to claim 1 wherein the operation information based on the remote device state information comprises the operation information being selected from a corresponding predetermined group of one or more operations associated with each of the said plurality of predefined states in which the remote device may operate.
3 . The control system according to claim 2 wherein the one or more operations of each respective group of one or more operations are configured to cause the remote device to perform an operation that is expected to be performed by the remote device when it is operating in a corresponding predefined state as part of normal operation in that predefined state.
4 . The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to determine expected operation result information and store the expected operation result information together with a respective identifier in a memory associated with the control system,
the system being configured to include, in the multiple verification request signals, identifier information being information indicative of an identifier associated with the operation information comprised by the multiple verification request signals,
wherein the system being configured to determine whether information comprised by the verification request reply signals received from the remote device includes expected operation result information comprises the system being configured to compare received result information and stored expected result information associated with the same identifier information.
5 . The control system according to claim 4 configured wherein once a verification request reply signal has been received having identifier information therein and the system has compared received result information and stored expected result information associated with that identifier information, the system is configured not to compare further received expected result information associated with that identifier information until fresh expected result information has been stored corresponding to that identifier information.
6 . The control system according to claim 5 wherein the system is configured wherein once the verification request reply signals has been received having identifier information therein and the system has compared received result information and corresponding stored expected result information associated with that identifier information, the system is configured to delete the stored expected result information and corresponding identifier information from memory.
7 . The control system according to claim 1 configured to prevent motion of the motor vehicle in response to a motion control signal received from the remote device based on a number of times the verification request reply signals are received by the system within a prescribed time period where received result information does not correspond to corresponding stored expected result information.
8 . The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the multiple verification request signals are successive verification request signals, and wherein the control system is configured to prevent motion of the motor vehicle in response to a motion control signal received from the remote device based on whether an order in which successive verification request reply signals are received corresponds to an order in which the multiple successive verification request signals were transmitted.
9 . The control system according to claim 8 , wherein the verification reply signals are successive verification reply signals, wherein the system is configured to prevent motion of the motor vehicle in response to a motion control signal received from the remote device based on a number of times within a given time period the order in which the successive verification request reply signals are received does not correspond to the order in which the multiple successive verification request signals were transmitted.
10 . The control system according to claim 1 configured to implement a cyclic redundancy check in respect of data received and to overwrite stored results based on the operation result information.
11 . The control system according to claim 1 wherein the multiple verification request signals further comprise argument information indicative of one or more arguments to be employed in the operation to be performed.
12 . The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the multiple verification request signals in succession are part of a single verification cycle.
13 . A method of controlling motion of a vehicle by a control system, the method comprising controlling, or providing input to a system to control, motion of a motor vehicle in response to a motion control signal received from a remote device, the method comprising performing a repeating verification cycle, the method comprising:
transmitting multiple verification request signals in succession to the remote device;
listening for verification request reply signals transmitted from the remote device in response to the multiple verification request signals transmitted;
listening for a remote device state signal transmitted from the remote device providing remote device state information indicating in which one of a plurality of predefined states the remote device is currently operating, whereby the multiple verification request signals comprises information that includes operation information indicative of an operation to be performed, the operation information based on the remote device state information;
determining whether information comprised by the verification request reply signals received from the remote device includes expected operation result information being operation result information corresponding to an expected result of the operation defined by the operation information provided in the multiple verification request signals; and
controlling, or providing input to a system to control, motion of the motor vehicle in response to a motion control signal received from the remote device based on a correspondence between the received operation result information and the expected operation result information.
14 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the validator uses both slow responses and wrong responses to detect when a state of communication between the user and NFS is unsuitable for continued remote vehicle operation by means of the remote device.
15 . A remote device configured to communicate with a control system arranged to control, or provide input to a system to control, motion of a motor vehicle in response to a motion control signal received from the remote device, wherein the remote device is configured to:
transmit to the control system a remote device state signal providing information indicating in which one of a plurality of predefined states the remote device is currently operating;
listen for multiple verification request signals transmitted by the control system successively, wherein the multiple verification request signals comprise information that includes operation information indicative of an operation to be performed;
in response to receipt of the multiple verification request signals transmitted by the control system, perform the indicated predefined operation; and
transmit verification request reply signals in response to receipt of the multiple verification request signals after performing the predefined operation, the verification request reply signals comprising information indicative of a result of the indicated predefined operation.
16 . The remote device according to claim 15 configured to receive the multiple verification request signals further comprising argument information for the operation to be performed, the remote device being configured to perform the predefined operation using the received argument information, and the remote device further configured to perform an operation using fresh argument information each time one of the multiple verification request signals is received.
17 . The remote device according to claim 15 configured to receive the multiple verification request signals further including identifier information being information indicative of an identifier associated with the operation information comprised by the multiple verification request signals, the remote device being configured to include, in the verification request reply signals, identifier information indicative of an identifier associated with the multiple verification request signals in response to which the verification request reply signals are being sent.
18 . A method of controlling motion of a vehicle having a control system, the method comprising, by a remote device, communicating with a control system arranged to control, or provide input to a system to control, motion of a motor vehicle in response to a motion control signal received from the remote device, the method comprising:
transmitting to the control system a remote device state signal providing information indicating in which one of a plurality of predefined states the remote device is currently operating;
listening for multiple verification request signals transmitted by the control system in succession, whereby the multiple verification request signals comprise information that includes operation information indicative of a operation to be performed;
in response to receipt of the multiple verification request signals transmitted by the control system, performing the indicated predefined operation; and
transmitting from the remote device the verification request reply signals in response to receipt of the multiple verification request signals after performing the predefined operation, the verification request reply signals comprising information indicative of a result of the indicated predefined operation.
19 . A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more electronic processors, causes the one or more electronic processors to carry out the method of claim 13 .
20 . A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more electronic processors, causes the one or more electronic processors to carry out the method of claim 18 .