Operational design domain management for automated vehicles

A road transport system for route planning for a vehicle with automated driving capabilities, the road transport system comprising:

• a control system comprising at least one processor configured to:
• obtain a driving condition restriction for an automated system or automated feature of the vehicle which defines at least one set of acceptable conditions for operating the vehicle in an at least partially automated mode;
• obtain plural data items originating in plural distinct sources;
• determine, based at least in part on the plural data items, at least one estimated driving condition for each one of a plurality of road segments in a road network, wherein:
• each of the at least one estimated driving condition being determined for a future time interval;
• and
• the at least one estimated driving condition includes a telecommunication connectivity quality or type for the each one of the plurality of road segments in the road network;
• and
• determine at least one route in the road network for the vehicle which includes a first road segment with a first estimated driving condition, determined for a first time interval, which satisfies the driving condition restriction for the at least partially automated mode of the vehicle, wherein the first estimated driving condition includes the telecommunication connectivity quality or type being at least a predetermined quality or type;
• and
• schedule instructions for the vehicle including the at least one determined route such that the vehicle is capable of traversing the first road segment during the first time interval,
• wherein in scheduling instructions for the vehicle, the at least one processor is configured to adjust a travelling speed, a start time, an arrival time, a stopping time, a stopping duration and/or a charging time for the vehicle for a portion of the determined at least one route so that the vehicle will be scheduled to arrive at a predetermined road segment within a time interval where the vehicle can be expected to traverse the whole predetermined road segment with determined driving conditions which meet the driving condition restriction of the vehicle.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a set of computer readable instructions for route planning for a vehicle with automated driving capabilities, where the set of computer readable instructions, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to at least:

• obtain a driving condition restriction for an automated system or automated feature of the vehicle which defines at least one set of acceptable conditions for operating the vehicle in an at least partially automated mode;
• obtain plural data items originating in plural distinct sources;
• determine, based at least in part on the plural data items, at least one estimated driving condition for each one of a plurality of road segments in a road network, wherein:
• each of the at least one estimated driving condition being determined for a future time interval;
• and
• the at least one estimated driving condition includes a telecommunication connectivity quality or type for the each one of the plurality of road segments in the road network;
• and
• determine at least one route in the road network for the vehicle which includes a first road segment with a first estimated driving condition, determined for a first time interval, which satisfies the driving condition restriction for the at least partially automated mode of the vehicle, wherein the first estimated driving condition includes the telecommunication connectivity quality or type being at least a predetermined quality or type;
• and
• schedule instructions for the vehicle including the at least one determined route such that the vehicle is capable of traversing the first road segment during the first time interval,
• wherein in scheduling instructions for the vehicle, modify the at least one determined route, or scheduled driving time of a road segment of the at least one determined route after the vehicle has started traversing the at least one determined route to avoid a determined road segment which has a determined driving condition which is not expected to meet the driving condition restriction at an expected time the vehicle was, before the modifying, scheduled to traverse the determined road segment.