INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, OPERATED VEHICLE, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIUM STORING PROGRAM

• US 20180181118A1
• Filed: 12/12/2017
• Published: 06/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoneda, Takahiro, Konishi, Kazunobu, Ishikawa, Akira, Shimotsuma, Yuta
• Granted Patent: US 10,678,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0044 by providing the operator with a computer generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality, maps maps used for automatic navigation G05D1/0274; flight directors G01C23/005
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30261 Obstacle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads

Abstract

An operator uses a remote operation apparatus to remotely operate an operated vehicle. The remote operation apparatus includes a position information processor which, based on vehicle position information indicating a current position of the operated vehicle and delay information indicating a delay time required for information transmission between the operated vehicle and the remote operation apparatus, generates first position information indicating a first predicted position of the operated vehicle from the current position of the operated vehicle considering the delay time; based on obstacle position information indicating a current position of at least one obstacle around the operated vehicle acquired by the operated vehicle and the delay information, generates second position information indicating a second predicted position of the at least one obstacle from the time of the current position of the obstacle considering the delay time; and outputs the first and second position information.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for an operator remotely operating an operated vehicle, comprising:

processing circuitry; and

storage including at least one set of instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform operations including;

based on vehicle position information indicating a current position of the operated vehicle acquired by the operated vehicle and delay information indicating a delay time required for information transmission between the operated vehicle and the information processing apparatus, generating first position information indicating a first predicted position of the operated vehicle from the current position of the operated vehicle considering the delay time;

based on obstacle position information indicating a current position of at least one obstacle around the operated vehicle acquired by the operated vehicle and the delay information, generating second position information indicating a second predicted position of the at least one obstacle from the current position of the obstacle considering the delay time; and

outputting the first position information and the second position information.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operations further include:

based on the vehicle position information, calculating a third predicted position which is different from the first predicted position and which the operated vehicle is predicted to reach after a certain time has passed from the current position of the operated vehicle; and

outputting third position information indicating the calculated third predicted position.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operations further include:

based on the obstacle position information, calculating a travelling direction in which the obstacle is predicted to move from the current position of the obstacle indicated by the obstacle position information; and

outputting direction information indicating the calculated travelling direction of the obstacle.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operations further include:

based on at least the first predicted position and the second predicted position, judging whether a distance between the operated vehicle and the obstacle is smaller than or equal to a specified threshold; and

outputting information to call attention on the corresponding obstacle if the distance between the operated vehicle and the obstacle is smaller than or equal to the specified threshold.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the operations further include:

outputting the information to call attention on the corresponding obstacle in a form of an alarm sound if the distance between the operated vehicle and the obstacle is smaller than or equal to the specified threshold.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operations further include:

based on the vehicle position information and the first position information, calculating a travelling direction in which the operated vehicle is predicted to move from the current position of the operated vehicle indicated by the vehicle position information;

based on the travelling direction of the operated vehicle and the travelling direction of the obstacle, judging whether the travelling direction of the operated vehicle intersects the travelling direction of the obstacle; and

outputting a stop signal for stopping the operated vehicle to the operated vehicle if the travelling direction of the operated vehicle intersects the travelling direction of the obstacle.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operations further include:

measuring second delay information indicating a second delay time obtained by combining the delay time with at least one of a delay time related to processing to generate the vehicle position information, a delay time related to generating the obstacle position information, a delay time related to processing to calculate the first predicted position, a delay time related to processing to calculate the second predicted position, a delay time to output the first predicted position and the second predicted position to a display, and a delay time from when the information processing apparatus generates a vehicle operation signal to operate the operated vehicle to when the operated vehicle receives the vehicle operation signal; and

outputting the second delay information.

8. An operated vehicle which an operator remotely operates using an information processing apparatus, comprising:

a transmitter which transmits to the information processing apparatus, vehicle travel information indicating a travelling state of the operated vehicle including at least one of a steering angle of the operated vehicle, speed of the operated vehicle, acceleration of the operated vehicle, and a travelling direction of the operated vehicle; and

a controller which controls information volume of vehicle position information indicating a current position of the operated vehicle, the vehicle travel information, and obstacle position information indicating a current position of at least one obstacle around the operated vehicle, which are to be transmitted to the information processing apparatus, in accordance with communication quality from the operated vehicle to the information processing apparatus and a delay time required for information transmission between the operated vehicle and the information processing apparatus.

9. The operated vehicle according to claim 8, further comprising:

an image capturer which generates and outputs image information indicating an image of surroundings of the operated vehicle, wherein

the controller judges whether a communication rate between the operated vehicle and the information processing apparatus is higher than a specified value, and

if the communication rate is lower than or equal to the specified value, the controller reduces the information volume of the image information acquired from the image capturer and outputs the reduced image information.

10. The operated vehicle according to claim 9, wherein

the operated vehicle is provided with a plurality of the image capturers, and

the controller determines an importance level of each of the image capturers in accordance with behavior of the operated vehicle, reduces the information volume of the image information generated by each image capturer in accordance with the importance level, and outputs the reduced image information.

11. An information processing method for an operator remotely operating an operated vehicle, the method comprising:

based on vehicle position information indicating a current position of the operated vehicle acquired by the operated vehicle and delay information indicating a delay time required for information transmission between the operated vehicle and an information processing apparatus, generating first position information indicating a first predicted position of the operated vehicle from the current position of the operated vehicle considering the delay time;

based on obstacle position information indicating a current position of at least one obstacle around the operated vehicle acquired by the operated vehicle and the delay information, generating second position information indicating a second predicted position of the at least one obstacle from the current position of the obstacle considering the delay time; and

outputting the first position information and the second position information.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program which causes a computer to perform an information processing method for an operator remotely operating an operated vehicle,

the program, when executed by the computer, causing the computer to perform the method comprising:

based on vehicle position information indicating a current position of the operated vehicle acquired by the operated vehicle and delay information indicating a delay time required for information transmission between the operated vehicle and an information processing apparatus, generating first position information indicating a first predicted position of the operated vehicle from the current position of the operated vehicle considering the delay time;

based on obstacle position information indicating a current position of at least one obstacle around the operated vehicle acquired by the operated vehicle and the delay information, generating second position information indicating a second predicted position of the at least one obstacle from the current position of the obstacle considering the delay time; and

outputting the first position information and the second position information.