Travel assist system, travel assist method, and travel-assist control program

A travel assist system for assisting traveling of at least one autonomous vehicle in response to at least one assistance request sent from the at least one autonomous vehicle, the travel assist system comprising:

• a plurality of instruction terminals, each of which is configured to perform an instruction function of generating instruction information in response to the at least one assistance request;
• at least one management terminal configured to perform the instruction function, and manage an operating condition of each of the plurality of instruction terminals;
• and
• a travel assist control unit comprising a computer and configured to selectively perform an off-peak task and an on-peak task in accordance with the operating condition of each of the plurality of instruction terminals,
• the off-peak task being configured to, upon receiving the at least one assistance request during an off-peak situation where there are a predetermined number of free terminals included in the plurality of instruction terminals, assign the at least one assistance request to a selected one of the free terminals included in the plurality of instruction terminals, the at least one assistance request comprising a quantified priority level,
• the on-peak task being configured to, upon receiving the at least one assistance request during an on-peak situation where there are not the predetermined number of the free terminals included in the plurality of instruction terminals, determine whether the quantified priority level of the at least one assistance request is higher than or equal to a predetermined threshold priority level, and analyze assignment of the at least one assistance request to the at least one management terminal in response to a determination that the quantified priority level of the at least one assistance request is higher than or equal to the predetermined threshold priority level.

A method of assisting traveling of at least one autonomous vehicle in response to at least one assistance request sent from the at least one autonomous vehicle in a system comprising a plurality of terminals, each of which has a first function and a second function,

• the first function of each of the terminals generating, based on input information entered by at least one of first operators belonging to a first group, instruction information related to traveling of the at least one autonomous vehicle,
• the second function of each of the terminals reporting, based on input information entered by at least one of second operators belonging to a second group, information representing a working situation of each of the first operators belonging to the first group,
• the method comprising
• performing, upon receiving the at least one assistance request during an off-peak situation where there are a predetermined number of free operators included in the first group, an off-peak task of assigning the at least one assistance request to a selected one of the free operators included in the first group;
• and
• performing, upon receiving the at least one assistance request during an on-peak situation where there are not the predetermined number of the free operators included in the first group, an on-peak task, the at least one assistance request comprising a quantified priority level,
• the on-peak task comprising:
• determining whether the quantified priority level of the at least one assistance request is higher than or equal to a predetermined threshold priority level;
• and
• analyzing the assignment of the at least one assistance request to a selected one of the second operators included in the second group in response to a determination that the quantified priority level of the at least one assistance request is higher than or equal to the predetermined threshold priority level.

A method of assisting traveling of at least one autonomous vehicle in response to at least one assistance request sent from the at least one autonomous vehicle in a system comprising (i) a plurality of instruction terminals, each of which is configured to perform an instruction function of generating instruction information in response to the at least one assistance request;

• and (ii) at least one management terminal configured to perform the instruction function, and manage an operating condition of each of the plurality of instruction terminals,
• the method comprising:
• performing, upon receiving the at least one assistance request during an off-peak situation where there are a predetermined number of free terminals included in the plurality of instruction terminals, an off-peak task of assigning the at least one assistance request to a selected one of the free terminals included in the plurality of instruction terminals, the at least one assistance request comprising a quantified priority level;
• and
• performing, upon receiving the at least one assistance request during an on-peak situation where there are not the predetermined number of the free terminals included in the plurality of instruction terminals, an on-peak task of:
• determining whether the quantified priority level of the at least one assistance request is higher than or equal to a predetermined threshold priority level;
• and
• analyzing assignment of the at least one assistance request to the at least one management terminal in response to a determination that the quantified priority level of the at least one assistance request is higher than or equal to the predetermined threshold priority level.