Abstract: Platoons of vehicles are operated remotely by a teleoperator. A lead vehicle of a platoon establishes communications with a teleoperator station, which receives drive state data from the lead vehicle and generates reference instructions for the lead vehicle. When a lead vehicle is under control of a teleoperator, and a follower vehicle joins a platoon with the lead vehicle, the follower vehicle receives drive state data from the lead vehicle and reference instructions for the lead vehicle from the teleoperator station. The follower vehicle captures data regarding its own drive state, and generates instructions based on the drive state data of the lead vehicle and the reference instructions for the lead vehicle. Drive state data of a lead vehicle of a platoon may be estimated, augmented or refined for accuracy based on drive state data of other vehicles of the platoon.

Abstract: Described are systems and methods for determining one or more data paths of a network link for transmitting data packets of a data stream for load balancing the data across the paths while avoiding saturation of the network link and/or alleviating congestion of the network link. The selection of the one or more paths may be performed by adaptively modifying a redundancy of the data packets being transmitted on the transmission paths of the network link in view of current network parameters associated with the paths of the network link, so that the data stream is effectively load balanced across the paths of the network link while ensuring redundancy of the data stream and maintaining the data rate of the data stream.

Abstract: A method for controlling a teleoperated vehicle is provided, in particular for a shared mobility service. The method includes: driving the vehicle via a teleoperator station using a network; and determining a disturbance within said network. The method also includes starting a first braking maneuver for slowing down said vehicle, if a disturbance is determined within said network; and starting a second braking maneuver for stopping said vehicle, if a predetermined condition is met. A corresponding computer program and a teleoperated vehicle using this method are also provided.

Abstract: Systems and methods to account for latency associated with remote driving applications may include a vehicle having an imaging device and a teleoperator station in communication with each other via a network. Imaging data that is captured by the imaging device may be transmitted to the teleoperator station for presentation to a teleoperator. In order to account for latency in the transmission, receipt, processing, and presentation of the imaging data, one or more visualizations of the vehicle, with various visual characteristics, may be rendered within or overlaid onto the imaging data, in order to facilitate safe and reliable remote operation of the vehicle by the teleoperator at the teleoperator station.

Abstract: A vehicle teleoperation system may comprise a single, integrated unit that is installed within a vehicle to enable remote driving operations. The vehicle teleoperation system may include a processing island, a connectivity island, a safety island, and various interfaces by which to connect the vehicle teleoperation system to various systems onboard a vehicle. For example, the vehicle teleoperation system may receive and process various sensor data, transmit the sensor data for presentation to a teleoperator at a teleoperator station, receive and process user commands from the teleoperator at the teleoperator station, and instruct remote execution of the user commands by the vehicle.

Abstract: Systems and methods for fleet management of remote driving systems may include a plurality of vehicles and a plurality of teleoperators. A fleet management system may receive a plurality of tasks, and may generate or optimize assignment or allocation of the plurality of tasks to various combinations of the vehicles and teleoperators. Because the teleoperators are decoupled from the vehicles, and because the teleoperators may be dynamically coupled to vehicles via network connections to remotely operate vehicles, performance of the plurality of tasks may be optimized to improve cost, time, and efficiency associated with fleet management of remote driving systems.

Abstract: Platoons of vehicles are operated remotely by a teleoperator. A lead vehicle of a platoon establishes communications with a teleoperator station, which receives drive state data from the lead vehicle and generates reference instructions for the lead vehicle. When a lead vehicle is under control of a teleoperator, and a follower vehicle joins a platoon with the lead vehicle, the follower vehicle receives drive state data from the lead vehicle and reference instructions for the lead vehicle from the teleoperator station. The follower vehicle captures data regarding its own drive state, and generates instructions based on the drive state data of the lead vehicle and the reference instructions for the lead vehicle. Drive state data of a lead vehicle of a platoon may be estimated, augmented or refined for accuracy based on drive state data of other vehicles of the platoon.

Abstract: Platoons of vehicles are operated remotely by a teleoperator. A lead vehicle of a platoon establishes communications with a teleoperator station, which receives drive state data from the lead vehicle and generates reference instructions for the lead vehicle. When a lead vehicle is under control of a teleoperator, and a follower vehicle joins a platoon with the lead vehicle, the follower vehicle receives drive state data from the lead vehicle and reference instructions for the lead vehicle from the teleoperator station. The follower vehicle captures data regarding its own drive state, and generates instructions based on the drive state data of the lead vehicle and the reference instructions for the lead vehicle. Drive state data of a lead vehicle of a platoon may be estimated, augmented or refined for accuracy based on drive state data of other vehicles of the platoon.

Abstract: Systems and methods to ensure safe driving behaviors in remote driving applications may include a vehicle having an imaging device and a teleoperator station in communication with each other via a network. For example, a safety tunnel having various safety tunnel parameters may be generated based on location data, map data, vehicle data, and/or sensor data. Remote operation of the vehicle may be monitored with respect to the safety tunnel parameters, and various visual, audio, and/or haptic alerts or feedback may be presented or emitted for the teleoperator to encourage or enforce vehicle operation within the safety tunnel parameters. Further, various autonomous remote operation programs or control routines may be initiated or instructed to ensure safe driving behaviors of the vehicle based on the safety tunnel parameters.

Abstract: Described are systems and methods for determining one or more data paths of a network link for transmitting data packets of a data stream for load balancing the data across the paths while avoiding saturation of the network link and/or alleviating congestion of the network link. The selection of the one or more paths may be performed by adaptively modifying a redundancy of the data packets being transmitted on the transmission paths of the network link in view of current network parameters associated with the paths of the network link, so that the data stream is effectively load balanced across the paths of the network link while ensuring redundancy of the data stream and maintaining the data rate of the data stream.

Abstract: In embodiments of an autonomous vehicle platform and safety architecture, safety managers of a safety-critical system monitor outputs of linked components of the safety-critical system. The linked components comprise at least three components, each of which is configured to produce output indicative of a same event independent from the other linked components by using different input information than the other linked components. The safety managers also compare the outputs of the linked components to determine whether each output indicates the occurrence of a same event. When the output of one linked component does not indicate the occurrence of an event that is indicated by the outputs of the other linked components, the safety managers identify the one linked component as having failed. Based on this, the outputs of the other linked components are used to carry out operations of the safety-critical system without using the output of the failed component.

Abstract: A vehicle is configured for local operation by an on-board human operator or remote operation by a remote human operator (or teleoperator) via a computer system in communication with the vehicle. A local human operator may request that a remote human operator take operational control of the vehicle, and a bi-directional communication channel between the computer system and the vehicle is established. The remote human operator is selected based on a drive state of the vehicle, any attributes of the local human operator or the remote human operator. When the vehicle violates one or more standards under operational control of the local human operator, transfer of the operational control is recommended to the local human operator. When the vehicle violates one or more standards under the operational control of a remote human operator, the operational control of the vehicle is transferred to another remote human operator.

Abstract: Systems and methods to ensure safe driving behaviors in remote driving applications may include a vehicle having an imaging device and a teleoperator station in communication with each other via a network. For example, a safety tunnel having various safety tunnel parameters may be generated based on location data, map data, vehicle data, and/or sensor data. Remote operation of the vehicle may be monitored with respect to the safety tunnel parameters, and various visual, audio, and/or haptic alerts or feedback may be presented or emitted for the teleoperator to encourage or enforce vehicle operation within the safety tunnel parameters. Further, various autonomous remote operation programs or control routines may be initiated or instructed to ensure safe driving behaviors of the vehicle based on the safety tunnel parameters.

Abstract: Systems and methods to increase environment awareness in remote driving applications may include a vehicle having an imaging device and a teleoperator station in communication with each other via a network. For example, audio data may be received from the vehicle and processed to identify known sounds associated with unseen objects in the environment. In addition, imaging data may be received from the vehicle and processed to identify known but unheard objects in the environment. Based on the identified sounds and/or objects, visualizations of the objects may be generated and presented to a teleoperator, and sounds associated with the objects may be amplified, synthesized, and/or emitted to the teleoperator to increase environment awareness.

Abstract: Systems and methods that facilitate identifying and controlling the systems and subsystems in a vehicle to enable autonomous operation of the vehicle are disclosed. An autonomous vehicle interface (AVI) (the “AVI control system”) can interface with and control the system of the vehicle, thereby enabling control of the vehicle as a whole. Electronic control units may be associated with each of the systems and subsystems in the vehicle, and the AVI may interface with and control these electronic control units over a shared data bus. In order to control particular electronic control units, the systems and methods provide for sampling data packets transmitted by the electronic control units on the shared data bus, measuring the impedance of the shared data bus when data packets are being transmitted, and identifying particular electronic control units based on the measured impedance.

Abstract: A vehicle adapted to be remotely driven via a wireless communication network comprises a capturing unit for capturing live video data of the vehicle's environment, a video encoding unit for video encoding the captured live video data, a transmission unit for transmitting the encoded live video data via the wireless communication network, and a control unit for controlling the video encoding unit and/or the transmission unit. The control unit controls the video encoding unit to optimize the video encoding of the captured live video data and/or to control the transmission unit to optimize the transmission of the encoded live video data. The controlling is based on one, two or all of: (i) pre-determined location information associated with a current location of the vehicle; (ii) real-time driving information associated with current driving parameters of the vehicle, and; (iii) real-time environment information associated with a current environment of the vehicle.

Abstract: In embodiments of an autonomous vehicle platform and safety architecture, safety managers of a safety-critical system monitor outputs of linked components of the safety-critical system. The linked components comprise at least three components, each of which is configured to produce output indicative of a same event independent from the other linked components by using different input information than the other linked components. The safety managers also compare the outputs of the linked components to determine whether each output indicates the occurrence of a same event. When the output of one linked component does not indicate the occurrence of an event that is indicated by the outputs of the other linked components, the safety managers identify the one linked component as having failed. Based on this, the outputs of the other linked components are used to carry out operations of the safety-critical system without using the output of the failed component.

Abstract: Systems and methods that facilitate identifying and controlling the systems and subsystems in a vehicle to enable autonomous operation of the vehicle are disclosed. An autonomous vehicle interface (AVI) (the “AVI control system”) can interface with and control the system of the vehicle, thereby enabling control of the vehicle as a whole. Electronic control units may be associated with each of the systems and subsystems in the vehicle, and the AVI may interface with and control these electronic control units over a shared data bus. In order to control particular electronic control units, the systems and methods provide for sampling data packets transmitted by the electronic control units on the shared data bus, measuring the impedance of the shared data bus when data packets are being transmitted, and identifying particular electronic control units based on the measured impedance.

Abstract: In embodiments of an autonomous vehicle platform and safety architecture, safety managers of a safety-critical system monitor outputs of linked components of the safety-critical system. The linked components comprise at least three components, each of which is configured to produce output indicative of a same event independent from the other linked components by using different input information than the other linked components. The safety managers also compare the outputs of the linked components to determine whether each output indicates the occurrence of a same event. When the output of one linked component does not indicate the occurrence of an event that is indicated by the outputs of the other linked components, the safety managers identify the one linked component as having failed. Based on this, the outputs of the other linked components are used to carry out operations of the safety-critical system without using the output of the failed component.

Abstract: Technologies are provided for detecting anomalous data at runtime in an autonomous vehicle component that is indicative of a byzantine fault, and providing real-time remediation. Input and output data streams of the vehicle component can be analyzed to generate a normal operational model for the vehicle component. Using the model, deviations from a known steady state of operation of the vehicle component can be detected and flagged as potential faults. The vehicle component can then be isolated and/or restarted. Additionally or alternatively, a specification can be defined that specifies allowed component interactions in the autonomous vehicle system. The specification can be used to generate tests that can be used to validate the functional correctness of the vehicle components. The specification can be used at run-time to detect component interactions that are not allowed. Such a disallowed component interaction can be detected using the specification and flagged as a potential fault.