REMOTE DRIVING ASSISTANCE

• US 20160249180A1
• Filed: 05/29/2014
• Published: 08/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xinctec Technologies LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC), Daqi Li, Jun Fang
• Inventors: LI, Daqi, FANG, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 9,668,108 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 for active traffic flow control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/30 Public key, i.e. encryption algorithm being computationally infeasible to invert or user's encryption keys not requiring secrecy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

In at least some examples, a control center, which provides remote driving assistance service, may be configured to receive traffic data from sensors and to identify an area of congested traffic, based on the received traffic data, within a predetermined range of the sensors. When the control center receives a request for the remote driving assistance service, from a vehicle within the predetermined range of the sensor, the control center may generate and transmit remote driving commands to the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system to control a vehicle, comprising:

a traffic receiver configured to receive traffic data from a sensor;

a traffic evaluator configured to identify an area of congested traffic, based on the received traffic data, within a predetermined range of the sensor;

a service transmitter configured to announce availability of a remote driving assistance service to at least some vehicles within the predetermined range of the sensor;

a request receiver configured to receive a request for the remote driving assistance service from a requesting one of the vehicles; and

a remote driving assistance manager configured to transmit remote driving commands to the requesting vehicle at least within the area of congested traffic.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the service transmitter is configured to announce availability of the remote driving assistance service to vehicles having a subscription to the remote driving assistance service.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the traffic data includes thermal images, picture images, or weight collected by the sensor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote driving assistance manager is further configured to generate the remote driving commands based at least on road conditions or traffic signals.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote driving assistance manager is further configured to cease transmitting remote driving commands by initially transmitting a warning indicator.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the request receiver is configured to decrypt the request.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote driving assistance manager is further configured to determine a location of the vehicle relative to the area of congested traffic.

8. A method for controlling vehicles remotely, comprising:

receiving traffic data from a sensor;

identifying an area of congested traffic, based on the received traffic data, within a predetermined range of the sensor;

receiving, from a vehicle within the predetermined range of the sensor, a request for remote driving assistance service; and

transmitting remote driving commands to the vehicle at least within the area of congested traffic.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, prior to the receiving, the method further comprises broadcasting an announcement regarding availability of the remote driving assistance service to at least the vehicle within the predetermined range of the sensor.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising generating the remote driving commands based at least on road conditions or traffic signals.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the broadcasting is directed to one or more vehicles having a subscription to the remote driving assistance service.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the broadcasting is directed to all vehicles that are capable of being remotely driven within at least the predetermined range of the sensor.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising ceasing the transmitting by transmitting a warning message and ceasing transmission of the remote driving commands.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the receiving the request includes decrypting the request for the remote driving assistance service.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the receiving the traffic data includes determining a location of the vehicle relative to the area of congested traffic.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium on a vehicle that stores executable-instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving traffic data from a sensor;

identifying an area of congested traffic, based on the received traffic data, within a predetermined range of the sensor;

broadcasting an announcement regarding availability of a remote driving assistance service to at least some vehicles within the predetermined range of the sensor;

receiving, from one of the vehicles within the predetermined range of the sensor, a request for the remote driving assistance service; and

transmitting remote driving commands to the vehicle at least within the predetermined range of the sensor.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the broadcasting is directed to one or more vehicles having a subscription to the remote driving assistance service.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising generating the remote driving commands based at least on data regarding road conditions or traffic signals.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the receiving the traffic data includes determining a location of the vehicle relative to the area of congested traffic.

20. A system to control a vehicle, comprising:

a real time traffic tracker configured to identify an area of congested traffic by monitoring real time traffic information;

a positioning device configured to monitor location information of a vehicle having a subscription to a remote driving assistance service;

a request receiver configured to receive, from the vehicle, a request for the remote driving assistance service; and

a remote driving assistance configured to transmit remote driving commands to the vehicle when the vehicle is within the area of congested traffic.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the location information of the vehicle is generated by a global positioning system (GPS) device associated with the vehicle.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the request receiver is further configured to receive environmental information collected from one or more sensors associated with the vehicle, and

wherein further the environmental information includes a distance between the vehicle and a surrounding object, a speed of the vehicle, ambient brightness, traffic signals of the area of congested traffic, or road conditions of the area of congested traffic.