Transport method switching device, transport switching method, and moving object

Abstract

A transport method switching device is provided with: a transport information acquisition unit that acquires transport status information indicating the transport status of a moving body transported by a transport device that is capable of transporting a moving body in a predetermined transport section in a state in which movement control of the moving body that can be moved by unmanned driving is stopped; a movement control determination unit that determines whether or not to start movement control with respect to the moving body conveyed by the conveyance device, using the acquired conveyance status information; and a command generation unit that, when it is determined by the movement control determination unit that the movement control is started, generates a control command for moving the moving body by the movement control and separating the moving body from the conveyance section, and outputs the control command.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority based on Japanese patent application No. 2023-145709 filed on September 8, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a transport method switching device, a transport switching method, and a moving body. Background Art

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-538619 discloses a technology in which, in a manufacturing system for manufacturing vehicles, a vehicle is conveyed on an assembly line using a belt, and the vehicle is driven by remote control from the end of the assembly line, thereby conveying the vehicle to a parking lot of the manufacturing system. Summary of the invention Technical issues to be solved

[0004] In the conveying method using a belt and the conveying method using the travel of a vehicle based on remote control, since the conveying methods are different from each other, it is desirable to be able to smoothly switch the conveying method. If the conveying method is not smoothly switched, for example, the vehicle cannot be detached from the belt at an appropriate time, which may cause a decrease in productivity or abnormality. This problem is not limited to the belt, and is common to conveying methods using any conveying device that can convey a vehicle, such as a lift. Means for solving technical problems

[0005] The present disclosure can be implemented as the following aspects.

[0006] (1) According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a transport method switching device is provided. The transport method switching device includes: a transport information acquisition unit that acquires transport status information indicating the transport status of a mobile body transported by a transport device, wherein the transport device is capable of transporting the mobile body that can be moved unmanned in a predetermined transport section in a state where the movement control of the mobile body is stopped; a movement control determination unit that uses the acquired transport status information to determine whether to start the movement control for the mobile body transported by the transport device; and a command generation unit that generates a control command for moving the mobile body to leave the transport section by the movement control and outputs the control command when the movement control determination unit determines that the movement control is to be started. According to the conveying method switching device, the stopped movement control can be started at an appropriate timing based on the conveying status of the conveying device to the movable body. Therefore, it is possible to suppress or prevent the reduction of productivity and the occurrence of abnormalities due to the delay in the separation of the movable body from the conveying device. (2) In the above-described transport method switching device, the transport information acquisition unit may acquire a position of the moving object in the transport section as the transport status information. The movement control determination unit may determine whether to start the movement control using the acquired position of the moving object. According to this transport method switching device, it is possible to restart the stopped movement control at an appropriate timing based on the position of the moving body in the transport section. (3) In the transport method switching device of the above aspect, the movement control determination unit may determine to start the movement control when the acquired position of the moving body is upstream by a predetermined distance from an end point of the transport section. According to the transport method switching device, the movable body can be separated from the transport device before the end point of the transport section, and the inconvenience that the movable body stops beyond the end point and cannot be transported can be suppressed or prevented. (4) In the transport method switching device of the above aspect, the movement control determination unit may determine to start the movement control when at least a portion of the acquired position of the moving body exceeds an end point of the transport section. According to this transport method switching device, whether or not the movable body has reached the transport start position can be determined by a simple method of determining whether or not the movable body has crossed the end point of the transport section. (5) In the above-described transport method switching device, the transport information acquisition unit may acquire a transport speed of the transport device for the moving body as the transport status information. The movement control determination unit may further determine a time to start the movement control using the acquired transport speed, and determine whether to start the movement control at the determined time. According to this conveyance method switching device, even when the conveyance speed of the conveyance device is switched, the stopped movement control can be restarted at an appropriate timing based on the conveyance speed. (6) In the above-described transport method switching device, when the acquired transport speed is faster than a predetermined reference speed, the movement control determination unit may determine a timing to start the movement control earlier than when the transport speed is the reference speed. According to this transport method switching device, even when the transport speed of the transport device is increased, movement control can be started at an appropriate timing. (7) In the above-mentioned mode of switching the transport method, it may also include a transport instruction unit, which outputs an instruction to reduce the transport speed of the transport device to the mobile body or an instruction to stop the transport of the mobile body by the transport device when the movement of the mobile body is not detected after the control instruction is sent by the instruction generation unit to the mobile body. According to this transport method switching device, when the movable body cannot be moved by the movement control, the transport by the transport device is stopped, thereby ensuring time for executing abnormal measures. (8) In the above-described conveying method switching device, the conveying instruction unit may output an instruction to return the reduced conveying speed to the original conveying speed or to operate the stopped conveying device when measures for abnormality of the moving body whose movement is not detected are completed. According to the transport method switching device, by continuously performing abnormal measures to recovery, the transport device can be restored from the abnormal measures as quickly as possible. (9) The transport method switching device of the above aspect may further include a reporting unit that reports when movement of the movable body is not detected after the command generation unit transmits the control command to the movable body. According to the transport method switching device, by reporting the abnormality of the transport device, measures can be taken to prompt the transport device to be restored as soon as possible. (10) In the above-mentioned mode of switching the conveying method, a position estimating unit may be further provided, which estimates the position of the moving body using the moving body information detected by a moving body detector that detects at least one of the image of the moving body and the three-dimensional point cloud data of the moving body. The command generating unit may generate a control command for moving the moving body by the movement control using the estimated position of the moving body and output the control command. According to this transport method switching device, the position of the moving object can be estimated with high accuracy by using three-dimensional point cloud data. The present disclosure can also be implemented in various forms other than the transport method switching device, for example, in the form of a remote control device, a mobile body, a transport device, a transport system, a transport method for a mobile body, a control method for a transport device, a control method for a transport system, a computer program for implementing these control methods, a non-transitory recording medium having the computer program recorded thereon, and the like. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 This is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a transportation system including a remote control device as a transportation method switching device. Figure 2 It is an explanatory diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the remote control device and the vehicle. Figure 3A The flowchart shows a vehicle driving method implemented by the remote control device. Figure 3B It is a block diagram showing the internal functional structure of the transport control device. Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing a transportation switching method of a vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 : is a flowchart showing a processing routine of the remote control start processing. Figure 6 This is an explanatory diagram showing a remote control preparation start position set when the conveying speed is equal to or lower than the reference speed. Figure 7 This is an explanatory diagram showing the remote control preparation start position set when the conveying speed is faster than the reference speed. Figure 8 1 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of a remote control start process in the transportation method according to the second embodiment. Fig. 9 It is an explanatory diagram showing a preparation start position of remote control in the remote control start process of the transportation method according to the second embodiment. Fig.10 This is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an ECU in a vehicle according to the third embodiment. Fig.11 This is a flowchart showing a vehicle driving method according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] A. First Implementation Method: Figure 1 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conveying system 600 including a remote control device 300 as a conveying method switching device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The conveying system 600 is used, for example, in a factory that manufactures vehicles 100. The conveying object of the conveying system 600 is a vehicle 100 that can be driven by remote control. The conveying system 600 is used, for example, in an inspection process of the vehicle 100, an assembly process of the vehicle 100, etc., and conveys the vehicle 100 across a predetermined conveying section in the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100. The conveying system 600 includes a remote control device 300, a vehicle detector 80, and a conveying device 500.

[0009] Figure 2300 and the internal functional structure of the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 is, for example, a car, a truck, a bus, and a construction vehicle. In the present embodiment, the vehicle 100 is an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle) that can be driven by unmanned driving. "Unmanned driving" refers to driving that does not rely on the driving operation of the passenger. The driving operation refers to an operation related to at least one of "driving", "turning", and "stopping" of the vehicle 100. Unmanned driving is achieved by automatic or manual remote control using a device located outside the vehicle 100, or autonomous control of the vehicle 100. In the vehicle 100 that is driven by unmanned driving, passengers who do not perform driving operations can also be carried. Among the passengers who do not perform driving operations, for example, there are people who only sit on the seats of the vehicle 100, and people who perform operations different from driving operations such as assembly, inspection, and operation of a switch group while riding in the vehicle 100. In addition, driving performed by the driving operation of the passenger is sometimes referred to as "manned driving". In this specification, "remote control" includes "full remote control" in which all actions of the vehicle 100 are determined completely from outside the vehicle 100, and "partial remote control" in which part of the actions of the vehicle 100 are determined from outside the vehicle 100. In addition, "autonomous control" includes "full autonomous control" in which the vehicle 100 autonomously controls its own actions without receiving any information from a device outside the vehicle 100, and "partial autonomous control" in which the vehicle 100 autonomously controls its own actions using information received from a device outside the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 includes a vehicle communication device 190, an actuator 140, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 200.

[0010] The ECU 200 is mounted on the vehicle 100 and performs various controls of the vehicle 100. The ECU 200 includes a storage device 220 such as a HDD (hard disk drive), an SSD (solid state drive), an optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory, a CPU 210 as a central processing unit, and an interface circuit 230. The CPU 210, the storage device 220, and the interface circuit 230 are connected to each other via an internal bus so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally. The interface circuit 230 is connected to the actuator 140 and the vehicle communication device 190. The vehicle communication device 190 wirelessly communicates with a device outside the vehicle 100 connected to the network such as a remote control device 300 via an access point in a factory or the like.

[0011] Computer programs for realizing at least a part of the functions provided in the present embodiment are stored in the storage device 220. The functions of the driving control unit 212 and the like are realized by the CPU 210 executing various computer programs stored in the memory.

[0012] The driving control unit 212 performs driving control of the vehicle 100. "Driving control" is various controls for driving the actuators 140 that perform the "driving", "turning" and "stopping" functions of the vehicle 100, such as acceleration, speed, and adjustment of the steering angle. In addition, if the vehicle 100 is replaced by a mobile body, it is sometimes referred to as "mobility control" instead of "driving control". In this embodiment, the actuator 140 includes an actuator of a driving device for accelerating the vehicle 100, an actuator of a steering device for changing the direction of travel of the vehicle 100, and an actuator of a braking device for decelerating the vehicle 100. The driving device includes a battery, a driving motor driven by the power of the battery, and a driving wheel rotated by the driving motor. The actuator of the driving device includes a driving motor. In addition, the actuator 140 may also include an actuator for swinging the wiper of the vehicle 100, an actuator for opening and closing the electric window of the vehicle 100, etc.

[0013] When the driver is on the vehicle 100, the driving control unit 212 controls the actuator 140 according to the driver's operation to drive the vehicle 100. In addition, regardless of whether the driver is on the vehicle 100, the driving control unit 212 controls the actuator 140 according to the control command sent from the remote control device 300 to drive the vehicle 100.

[0014] The vehicle detector 80 is a device for measuring vehicle information. "Vehicle information" refers to information for estimating at least one of the position of the vehicle 100 and the direction of the vehicle 100, for example. The vehicle detector 80 in this embodiment is equivalent to an external sensor. The external sensor is a sensor located outside the vehicle 100. In addition, the vehicle information is equivalent to the detection result output from the external sensor. In this embodiment, the vehicle detector 80 uses LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) as a ranging device. The vehicle detector 80 measures the three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle 100 as vehicle information. "Three-dimensional point cloud data" refers to data indicating the three-dimensional position of the point cloud. By using LiDAR, high-precision three-dimensional point cloud data can be obtained. In addition, the vehicle detector 80 can also be used to obtain only the position of the vehicle 100, and obtain the position change of the vehicle 100 over time, thereby estimating the direction and driving direction of the vehicle 100.

[0015] The vehicle detector 80 is communicatively connected to the remote control device 300 through wireless communication or wired communication. The remote control device 300 can obtain the relative position and orientation of the vehicle 100 relative to the target route in real time by obtaining the three-dimensional point cloud data from the vehicle detector 80. The position of the vehicle detector 80 is fixed near the travel road SR where the vehicle 100 is scheduled to travel and the transport device 500. In addition, the target path in this embodiment corresponds to the reference path described later.

[0016] like Figure 2 As shown, the remote control device 300 generates a control command for automatically driving the vehicle 100 by remote control and transmits it to the vehicle 100, thereby executing the driving control of the vehicle 100 by remote control. For example, the remote control device 300 automatically drives the vehicle 100 by remote control, thereby transporting the vehicle 100 in the transport section within the factory. In this embodiment, as described later, the remote control device 300 also functions as a transport method switching device, which uses the transport status information indicating the transport status of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500 to determine whether to start the driving control of the vehicle 100 by remote control.

[0017] The remote control device 300 includes a CPU 310 as a central processing unit, a storage device 340, an interface circuit 350, and a remote communication device 390. The CPU 310, the storage device 340, and the interface circuit 350 are connected via an internal bus so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally. The remote communication device 390 is connected to the interface circuit 350. The remote communication device 390 communicates with the vehicle 100 and the transport control device 400 via a network or the like.

[0018] The storage device 340 is, for example, a RAM, a ROM, a HDD, and an SSD. A reference speed SV is stored in a readable and writable area of ​​the storage device 340. The reference speed SV is a conveying speed that is normally set among the variable conveying speeds at which the conveying device 500 conveys the vehicle 100. The "conveying speed set normally" refers to, for example, a conveying speed that is pre-set in order to achieve a target manufacturing time. The target manufacturing time is the manufacturing time set for a process in order to manufacture one vehicle 100. The target manufacturing time is sometimes referred to as a "takt time". As described later, the reference speed SV functions as a threshold for determining the moment to detach the vehicle 100 from the conveying device 500.

[0019] The storage device 340 stores a computer program for realizing at least a part of the functions provided in the present embodiment. By executing the computer program stored in the storage device 340, the CPU 310 functions as the remote control unit 312, the position estimation unit 314, the remote control determination unit 316, the transport information acquisition unit 318, the transport instruction unit 322, the report unit 324, the subsequent instruction unit 326, and the vehicle information acquisition unit 328. However, some or all of these functions may be configured by hardware circuits.

[0020] The position estimation unit 314 obtains vehicle information from the vehicle detector 80, and estimates the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 using the obtained vehicle information. The position and orientation estimated by the position estimation unit 314 are equivalent to the vehicle position information described later. In the present embodiment, the position estimation unit 314 uses the three-dimensional point cloud data measured by the vehicle detector 80 as the vehicle information. The position estimation unit 314 estimates the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 in the obtained three-dimensional point cloud data. Specifically, the position estimation unit 314 performs template matching on the three-dimensional point cloud data using the vehicle point cloud data pre-stored in the storage device 340. Therefore, the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 in the three-dimensional point cloud data can be estimated with high accuracy. The vehicle point cloud data as a template can use, for example, the three-dimensional CAD data of the vehicle 100. The vehicle point cloud data may include information for determining the orientation of the vehicle 100. In the template matching of the vehicle point cloud data with respect to the three-dimensional point cloud data, for example, an ICP (Iterative Closest Point) algorithm or an NDT (Normal Distribution Transform) algorithm may be used.

[0021] The remote control unit 312 functions as a command generation unit that generates control commands for causing the vehicle 100 to perform various actions and outputs them to the vehicle 100. For example, the remote control unit 312 generates a control command for remote control using the estimated position and orientation of the vehicle 100 and sends it to the vehicle 100. The control command is a command for causing the vehicle 100 to travel along a target route stored in the storage device 340. The control command can be generated as a command including a driving force or a braking force, or a steering angle. Alternatively, the control command can also be generated as a command including at least one of the position and orientation of the vehicle 100, and a future travel route. When the vehicle 100 receives a request for remote control, the driving control is implemented by the driving control unit 212 of the ECU 200, and as a result, the vehicle 100 automatically travels.

[0022] Figure 3A1 is a flowchart showing a driving method of the vehicle 100 implemented by the remote control device 300. In step S1, the remote control device 300 uses the detection result output from the sensor located outside the vehicle 100, that is, the external sensor, to obtain the vehicle position information. The vehicle position information is the position information that becomes the basis for generating the driving control signal. In the present embodiment, the vehicle position information includes the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 in the reference coordinate system of the factory. In the present embodiment, the reference coordinate system of the factory is a global coordinate system, and any position in the factory can be represented by the X, Y, and Z coordinates in the global coordinate system. Specifically, in step S1, the remote control unit 312 obtains the estimation result of the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 by the position estimation unit 314. In the present embodiment, the position of the vehicle 100 includes the X, Y, and Z coordinates in the global coordinate system of the factory. The position of the vehicle detector 80 is adjusted in advance. The remote control unit 312 detects the position of the vehicle 100 based on the vehicle information obtained from the vehicle detector 80, and obtains the position of the vehicle 100 in the factory based on the detected position of the vehicle 100.

[0023] In step S2, the remote control unit 312 determines the target position to which the vehicle 100 should go next. In the present embodiment, the target position is represented by the coordinates of X, Y, and Z in the global coordinate system. In the storage device 340 of the remote control device 300, a reference path as the path that the vehicle 100 should travel is pre-stored. The path is represented by a node indicating a departure point, a node indicating a passing point, a node indicating a destination, and a link connecting each node. The remote control device 300 uses the vehicle position information and the reference path to determine the target position to which the vehicle 100 should go next. The remote control device 300 determines the target position on the reference path that is ahead of the current position of the vehicle 100.

[0024] In step S3, the remote control unit 312 generates a driving control signal for driving the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. In the present embodiment, the driving control signal includes the acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 100 as parameters. The remote control unit 312 calculates the driving speed of the vehicle 100 according to the change of the position of the vehicle 100, and compares the calculated driving speed with the target speed. In general, the remote control unit 312 determines the acceleration in a manner to accelerate the vehicle 100 when the driving speed is lower than the target speed, and determines the acceleration in a manner to decelerate the vehicle 100 when the driving speed is higher than the target speed. In addition, when the vehicle 100 is located on the reference path, the remote control unit 312 determines the steering angle and acceleration in a manner so that the vehicle 100 does not deviate from the reference path. When the vehicle 100 is not located on the reference path, in other words, when the vehicle 100 deviates from the reference path, the remote control unit 312 determines the steering angle and acceleration in a manner so that the vehicle 100 returns to the reference path. In other embodiments, the travel control signal may include the speed of the vehicle 100 as a parameter instead of the acceleration of the vehicle 100 , or may include the speed of the vehicle 100 as a parameter in addition to the acceleration of the vehicle 100 .

[0025] In step S4, the remote control unit 312 transmits the generated travel control signal to the vehicle 100. The remote control unit 312 repeatedly acquires vehicle position information, determines a target position, generates a travel control signal, transmits the travel control signal, and the like in a predetermined cycle.

[0026] In step S5, the driving control unit 212 of the vehicle 100 receives the travel control signal transmitted from the remote control device 300. In step S6, the driving control unit 212 controls the actuator 140 of the vehicle 100 using the received travel control signal, thereby causing the vehicle 100 to travel at the acceleration and steering angle indicated by the travel control signal. The driving control unit 212 repeatedly receives the travel control signal and controls the actuator 140 of the vehicle 100 at a predetermined cycle. According to the transportation system 600 in this embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be driven by remote control, so that the vehicle 100 can be moved without using transportation equipment such as a crane or a conveyor.

[0027] return Figure 2 The remote control determination unit 316 determines whether to start automatic driving based on remote control for the vehicle 100 transported by the transport device 500. The remote control determination unit 316 is an example of a movement control determination unit that determines whether to start movement control for the moving body transported by the transport device 500. As described later, the transportation status of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500 is used in the determination of whether to start remote control by the remote control determination unit 316.

[0028] The transport information acquisition unit 318 acquires transport status information indicating the transport status of the vehicle 100. “Transport status information” refers to the vehicle position and the transport speed. “Vehicle position” refers to the position of the vehicle 100 in the transport section of the transport device 500. The vehicle position may be the position of the entire vehicle 100 or the position of at least a part of the vehicle 100. The transport information acquisition unit 318 acquires the vehicle position VP stored in the storage device 440 from the transport control device 400, or acquires the vehicle position by acquiring the position of the vehicle 100 on the transmission unit 510 from the vehicle detector 80 if it can be acquired from the vehicle detector 80. The transport information acquisition unit 318 may also directly acquire the vehicle position from the transport position detector 526.

[0029] The “transport speed” refers to the speed at which the transport device 500 transports the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the transport information acquisition unit 318 acquires the transport speed CV stored in the storage device 440 from the transport control device 400. The transport information acquisition unit 318 may directly acquire the transport speed from the transport speed detector 524.

[0030] The transport instruction unit 322 outputs instructions related to the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500 to the transport control device 400. For example, when an abnormality occurs in the driving of the vehicle 100 based on the remote control, the transport instruction unit 322 outputs an instruction to reduce the transport speed CV of the vehicle 100 or an instruction to stop the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500. In addition to the instructions to reduce the transport speed CV and stop the transport, the transport instruction unit 322 may also output an instruction to increase the transport speed CV and start the transport.

[0031] The reporting unit 324 reports an abnormality when an abnormality occurs in the driving of the vehicle 100 under remote control. For example, the reporting unit 324 reports an abnormality when the automatic driving of the vehicle 100 is not detected after a control command for executing remote control is sent to the vehicle 100.

[0032] The subsequent instruction unit 326 outputs an instruction for delaying the time when the subsequent vehicle arrives at the transport device 500 when an abnormality occurs in the travel of the vehicle 100 under remote control. The "subsequent vehicle" refers to a vehicle that is scheduled to be transported by the transport device 500 immediately after the vehicle 100. For example, when the automatic travel of the vehicle 100 is not detected after the control command for executing remote control is sent to the vehicle 100, or when the vehicle 100 is not transported by the transport device 500, the subsequent instruction unit 326 outputs an instruction for delaying the time when the subsequent vehicle arrives at the transport device 500.

[0033] The vehicle information acquisition unit 328 acquires the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 100 that is the transport object of the transport device 500 from the production management device or the like. "Vehicle identification information" refers to various information that can identify the vehicle 100 individually. The vehicle identification information includes, for example, the vehicle identification number (VIN: Vehicle Identification Number) provided to each vehicle 100, or the manufacturing number of the vehicle 100 used in production management. The vehicle identification information may also include specification information of the vehicle 100 such as the model, color, and shape. The vehicle identification information is not limited to information for identifying a single vehicle 100. For example, information for identifying multiple vehicles 100 in a specified unit such as a batch number may also be used. The vehicle identification information can be obtained from a radio frequency identification (RF-ID: Radio Frequency-Identification) tag attached to the vehicle 100 via short-range wireless communication or the like. The vehicle identification information can also be obtained by reading a two-dimensional code attached to the vehicle 100 with a camera or the like.

[0034] return Figure 1 The conveying device 500 includes a conveying unit 510 , a motor 522 , a conveying speed detector 524 , a plurality of conveying position detectors 526 , and a conveying control device 400 . The motor 522 is controlled by the conveying control device 400 to drive the conveying unit 510 .

[0035] The conveying unit 510 conveys the vehicle 100 as the conveying object in the conveying direction DR. In the present embodiment, the conveying unit 510 is a belt conveyor having an endless belt, and conveys the vehicle 100 in a state of being grounded on the endless belt. The conveying unit 510 is not limited to a belt conveyor, and may be various conveyors such as a roller conveyor and a chain conveyor that can convey the vehicle 100. In addition, the conveying unit 510 is continuously driven regardless of whether the vehicle 100 is present on the conveying unit 510. However, it is also possible to drive only in a state where the vehicle 100 is placed on the conveying unit 510. The conveying object conveyed by the conveying unit 510 is not limited to the vehicle 100, and for example, a worker who handles the vehicle 100, a component of the vehicle 100, etc. may be conveyed together with the vehicle 100. In addition, the vehicle 100 does not need to be conveyed in a state where all wheels of the vehicle 100 are in contact with the conveying unit 510, and may be conveyed in a state where only the wheels on either side in the vehicle width direction are in contact. The conveying unit 510 is not limited to a device for conveying the vehicle 100 in a grounded state. It can also be a device such as a so-called elevator that conveys the vehicle 100 in a non-grounded state, provided that the vehicle 100 is in a state capable of traveling by remote control when the conveying unit 510 starts and ends.

[0036] The conveying speed detector 524 detects the conveying speed of the conveying unit 510 for the vehicle 100. The conveying position detector 526 detects whether the vehicle 100 is on the conveying unit 510. The conveying position detector 526 is, for example, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar, or other various detectors that can detect the presence or absence of a target object. There are a plurality of conveying position detectors 526, and the plurality of conveying position detectors 526 are provided for each specified conveying section of the conveying system 600, thereby being able to detect the presence or absence of the vehicle 100 in each conveying section. In other words, the conveying position detector 526 can detect the vehicle position of the vehicle 100 in the conveying section of the conveying device 500. The detection results of the conveying speed detector 524 and the conveying position detector 526 are output to the conveying control device 400.

[0037] exist Figure 1 , the transport section of the vehicle 100 from the range AR1 to the range AR5 is schematically shown. Figure 1 , vehicles 100p, 100q, 100r, 100s, and 100t are shown as examples of the vehicle 100, and vehicle detectors 80p and 80t are shown as examples of the vehicle detector 80. Ranges AR1 and AR5 are transport sections in which the automatic travel of the vehicle 100 based on remote control is performed. In range AR1, the vehicle 100p that has started traveling from the previous process travels to the transport device 500 by remote control using vehicle information obtained from the vehicle detector 80p. Range AR5 is a transport section in which the vehicle 100t that has separated from the transport system 600 travels to the next process, etc., by remote control using vehicle information obtained from the vehicle detector 80p.

[0038] The range from range AR2 to range AR4 is the transportation interval of the transportation device 500 to the vehicle 100. Range AR2 is the area where the transportation of the vehicle 100 by the transportation device 500 starts. In range AR2, the transportation method of the vehicle 100 is switched from self-propelled transportation based on remote control to conveyor transportation based on the transportation device 500. In the present embodiment, range AR2 is pre-set as a range from the starting point SP to a predetermined distance. The "predetermined distance" is determined, for example, based on the range in which the vehicle detector 80p can detect the vehicle 100q. Figure 1 As shown, when the vehicle 100 p traveling by remote control passes the starting point SP on one end side of the conveying unit 510 and enters the range AR2 , it becomes a state where it can be conveyed by the conveying unit 510 .

[0039] The range AR3 is an area where a predetermined process such as an inspection process is performed on the vehicle 100r transported by the transport device 500. In the present embodiment, the range AR3 is outside the detection range of the vehicle detector 80, and the automatic driving of the vehicle 100r based on the remote control is not performed. However, in the range AR3, the vehicle 100r can be in a state where wireless communication with the remote control device 300 is possible, for example, the vehicle 100r and the power supply of each part can be turned on / off without using the vehicle information. However, the range AR3 can also be set within the detection range of the vehicle detector 80, and the remote control using the vehicle information can be performed in the range AR3.

[0040] Range AR4 is an area where the transportation of the vehicle 100 by the transportation device 500 ends. In range AR4, the processing of the vehicle 100 in range AR3 is completed, and the vehicle 100s can be detected by the vehicle detector 80t. That is, in range AR4, a state of self-propelled transportation based on remote control is achieved, and the vehicle 100s can be driven and separated from the conveying unit 510. In the present embodiment, range AR4 is pre-set to a range from the end point EP on the other end side of the conveying unit 510 to a predetermined distance. This "predetermined distance" is determined, for example, based on the range in which the vehicle detector 80t can detect the vehicle 100t. However, range AR4 may also be set to a range from the position where the processing for the vehicle 100r is completed in range AR3 to the end point EP. In this case, the size of range AR4 is variable depending on the progress of the processing for the vehicle 100 in range AR3.

[0041] Figure 3B 4 is a block diagram showing the internal functional structure of the transport control device 400. The transport control device 400 includes a CPU 410 as a central processing unit, a storage device 440, an interface circuit 450, and a transport communication device 490. The CPU 410, the storage device 440, and the interface circuit 450 are connected via an internal bus so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally. The transport communication device 490 is connected to the interface circuit 450. The transport communication device 490 communicates with the remote control device 300 and the vehicle 100 via a network or the like.

[0042] The storage device 440 is, for example, a RAM, a ROM, a HDD, or an SSD. In the readable and writable area of ​​the storage device 440, the conveying speed CV detected by the conveying speed detector 524 and the vehicle position VP detected by the conveying position detector 526 are stored. A program for realizing at least a part of the functions provided in this embodiment is stored in the storage device 440. By executing the program by the CPU 410, the conveyor control unit 412 and the conveying status acquisition unit 414 function.

[0043] The conveyor control unit 412 drives the motor 522 to control the on / off state and the conveying speed of the conveyor 510. The conveying status acquisition unit 414 acquires the conveying status information. Specifically, the conveying status acquisition unit 414 acquires the position of the vehicle 100 in the conveying section of the conveyor 500, that is, the vehicle position, from the conveying position detector 526, and stores it in the storage device 440 as the vehicle position VP. The position of the vehicle 100 in the conveying section can also be acquired using the vehicle detector 80. The conveying status acquisition unit 414 acquires the conveying speed CV of the conveyor 500 for the vehicle 100 from the conveying speed detector 524, and stores it in the storage device 440 as the conveying speed CV.

[0044] Figure 4 1 is a flowchart showing a method for switching the transportation of the vehicle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. This process starts when the vehicle 100, which has completed the processing of the previous process, obtains permission to start traveling toward the transportation device 500. Figure 1 Provide explanation.

[0045] In step S10, Figure 1 As shown in the range AR1, the remote control unit 312 automatically drives the vehicle 100 starting from the previous process toward the conveying device 500 through remote control. More specifically, the remote control unit 312 generates a control command for remote control using the position and direction of the vehicle 100p estimated by the position estimation unit 314, and sends it to the vehicle 100p.

[0046] In step S20, the remote control unit 312 controls the vehicle 100p to automatically drive by remote control and arrive at the conveying device 500. The conveying control device 400 may obtain vehicle identification information from the vehicle 100p that has arrived at the conveying device 500 and check whether the vehicle identification information matches the vehicle 100p that is the conveying target in production management.

[0047] In step S30, Figure 1 As shown, the remote control unit 312 causes the vehicle 100p to automatically travel by remote control using the vehicle information obtained from the vehicle detector 80p. The vehicle 100p automatically travels past the starting point SP of the transmission unit 510 and enters the range AR2. As a result, the vehicle 100q becomes a state that can be transported by the transmission unit 510. In addition, the arrival of the vehicle 100p in the range AR2 is detected by the transportation information acquisition unit 318 as a transportation status.

[0048] In step S40, when the remote control determination unit 316 detects that the vehicle 100p has arrived at the range AR2, it determines to stop the automatic driving of the vehicle 100q under remote control. The automatic driving of the vehicle 100q under remote control can be stopped by stopping the generation of the control command based on the remote control device 300, stopping the transmission of the control command to the vehicle 100q, disconnecting the power supply of the vehicle 100q, etc. During the transportation by the transportation device 500, the power consumption of the transportation system 600 under remote control can be suppressed, and the processing burden of the transportation system 600 and the vehicle 100q under remote control can be reduced. In addition, by disconnecting the power supply of the vehicle 100q or turning off the engine, for example, the electrical system, engine room, etc. of the vehicle 100q can be checked by the operator.

[0049] In step S50, the transport control device 400 controls the motor 522 to drive the conveying unit 510, and starts the transport of the vehicle 100q. In step S100, the remote control start process is executed by the remote control device 300. The "remote control start process" refers to the process of starting automatic driving based on remote control for the vehicle 100 being transported by the transport device 500 or the vehicle 100 in the state of being transported by the transport device 500. In step S200, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown in the range AR4, the remote control unit 312 starts the automatic driving of the vehicle 100s by remote control using the vehicle information obtained from the vehicle detector 80t, disconnects the vehicle 100s from the transmission unit 510, and ends this process.

[0050] Figure 5 In the present embodiment, when the remote control determination unit 316 determines to start the remote control of the vehicle 100 , it further uses the transport speed CV as an example of the transport condition to determine the timing to start the remote control of the vehicle 100 .

[0051] In step S110, the transport information acquisition unit 318 acquires the current transport speed of the transport device 500. In the present embodiment, the transport information acquisition unit 318 acquires the transport speed CV stored in the transport control device 400 as the current transport speed of the transport device 500. In step S120, the remote control determination unit 316 checks whether the acquired transport speed CV is faster than the reference speed SV stored in the storage device 340.

[0052] If the conveying speed CV is less than the reference speed SV (S120: less than the reference speed), the remote control judgment unit 316 transfers the processing to step S122. In step S122, the remote control judgment unit 316 sets the preparation start position of the remote control to a position that is a predetermined reference distance from the end point EP. The "preparation start position" refers to the position where preparations for enabling remote control to be performed at a specified position are started. In the present embodiment, the "prescribed position" refers to an arbitrary position within the range AR4. The "reference distance" refers to the preparation start position pre-set in order to achieve the target manufacturing time in the conveying device 500 whose conveying speed is the reference speed SV. Examples of preparation for remote control include power-on of the vehicle 100 and each part of the vehicle 100, completion of the startup of the ECU 200 and the vehicle detector 80, completion of preparations for enabling the vehicle 100 and the remote control device 300 to communicate, and the like.

[0053] If the conveying speed CV is faster than the reference speed SV (S120: faster than the reference speed), the remote control determination unit 316 shifts the process to step S124. In step S124, the remote control determination unit 316 sets the remote control preparation start position to a position upstream of the starting point SP relative to the reference distance.

[0054] In step S130, the vehicle 100 is transported by the transport device 500 and reaches the remote control preparation start position for each transport speed. In addition, the vehicle 100 reaching the preparation start position can be detected by the transport position detector 526 provided in the range AR3. In the case where the vehicle detector 80 is provided in the range AR3, it can also be detected by the vehicle detector 80. In step S140, the remote control unit 312 and the remote control determination unit 316 start controlling each part of the vehicle 100 and the remote control device 300, and start the remote control preparation.

[0055] In step S150, the remote control unit 312 detects whether the vehicle 100 has reached Figure 1 Whether the vehicle 100 has reached the area where remote control is possible can be determined based on the range AR4 shown in FIG. Figure 1 The vehicle 100s is detected by the transport position detector 526 or the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle detector 80t provided in the range AR4 shown in the figure. If the vehicle 100s in the range AR4 is detected (S150: YES), the remote control determination unit 316 shifts the process to step S160.

[0056] In step S160, the remote control unit 312 uses the vehicle detector 80t to perform remote control of the vehicle 100s. Specifically, the remote control device 300 generates a control command for automatically driving the vehicle 100s by remote control and sends it to the vehicle 100s, so that the vehicle 100s drives and detaches from the conveying device 500. The detached vehicle 100s is delivered to the next process by automatically driving.

[0057] Figure 6 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the remote control preparation start position set when the conveying speed CV is equal to or lower than the reference speed SV. Figure 6 In the example, the transport speed CV is set to the same speed V1 as the reference speed SV. In order to start remote control when the vehicle 100 transported at the speed V1 reaches the range AR4, the reference start position is set to a position at a reference distance D1 from the end point EP.

[0058] like Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , when the vehicle 100R1 reaches the position of the reference distance D1, preparation for starting the remote control begins. Figure 6 In the example, the reference distance D1 specifies the same distance as the range AR4. That is, the remote control preparation start position is the position at the end of the range AR3. The preparation for starting the remote control starts with the completion of the transport in the range AR3 and is completed before the vehicle 100R1 enters the range AR4.

[0059] like Figure 6 As shown in the vehicle 100S1 in the figure, the vehicle 100S1 in the state where the preparation for remote control has been completed is driven by remote control using the vehicle information obtained from the vehicle detector 80t, and is separated from the transport device 500. By completing the preparation for remote control before reaching the range AR4 where remote control is possible, even if the remote control is stopped during the transport process in the range AR3, it is possible to suppress or prevent the inconvenience of the start time of the vehicle 100 driven by remote control being delayed. In addition, by completing the preparation for remote control in advance, the range AR4 where remote control is possible can be reduced.

[0060] Figure 7 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the remote control preparation start position set when the conveying speed CV is faster than the reference speed SV. Figure 7 In the example, the transport speed CV is set to a speed V2 faster than the reference speed SV. In order to start remote control when the vehicle 100 transported at the speed V2 reaches the range AR4, the reference start position is set to a position that is a distance D2 longer than the reference distance D1 from the end point EP.

[0061] like Figure 7As shown in the figure, when the vehicle 100R2 reaches the position of the distance D2, the preparation for starting the remote control starts. The preparation for starting the remote control is completed before the vehicle 100R2 enters the range AR4. The vehicle 100S2 entering the range AR4 automatically travels by remote control and detaches from the conveying device 500. In this way, when the conveying speed CV of the conveying device 500 is faster than usual, the preparation for remote control starts at an earlier time than usual. Therefore, even if the configuration is such that the conveying speed CV can be switched, it is possible to suppress or prevent the inconvenience of the vehicle 100 starting to travel by remote control being delayed.

[0062] return Figure 5 In step S170, it is confirmed whether the vehicle 100 has moved by remote control after the control command of the remote control unit 312 is sent. That is, it is checked whether there is any abnormality in the driving of the vehicle 100 based on remote control. Whether the vehicle 100 has moved can be detected, for example, based on the presence or absence of the vehicle 100 detected by the conveying position detector 526 set in the range AR4 or the vehicle information detected by the vehicle detector 80t. When the movement of the vehicle 100 is detected (S170: Yes), the remote control unit 312 jumps the processing to the end and ends this process. When the movement of the vehicle 100 is not detected (S170: No), the remote control unit 312 transfers the processing to step S172 and executes various abnormal measures. In addition, steps S172 to S176 can be executed in any order or simultaneously.

[0063] In step S172, as an example of abnormality measures, the transport instruction unit 322 outputs an instruction to stop the transport device 500 to the transport control device 400. The transport control device 400 that receives the stop instruction stops the conveyor unit 510 by stopping the motor 522, etc., and stops the transport of the vehicle 100. In the case where the abnormality can be eliminated early, the transport instruction unit 322 may output an instruction to reduce the transport speed CV of the vehicle 100 instead of stopping the transport device 500.

[0064] In step S174 , the reporting unit 324 reports that the movement of the vehicle 100 is not detected or that an abnormal measure is taken, etc. The reporting unit 324 reports to, for example, an operator working on the vehicle 100 on the conveyor unit 510 , a manager of the process, or a manager of the transport system 600 .

[0065] In step S176, the subsequent instruction unit 326 outputs an instruction to delay the time when the subsequent vehicle arrives at the conveying device 500. The subsequent instruction unit 326 can output the instruction to, for example, a process management device of a previous process, a production management device that integrates various processes, a remote control device that causes the subsequent vehicle to travel by remote control, etc. The subsequent instruction unit 326 delays the time when the subsequent vehicle arrives, for example, according to the delay time relative to the target manufacturing time. By configuring in this way, it is possible to suppress the subsequent vehicle from arriving at the conveying device 500 before recovery from a conveying abnormality of the conveying device 500, suppress or prevent the increase of work-in-progress waiting to be conveyed by the conveying device 500, and suppress the reduction of production efficiency.

[0066] In step S180, when the abnormal measures from step S172 to step S176 are completed, the conveying instruction unit 322 outputs an instruction to operate the stopped conveying device 500 to the conveying control device 400. As a result, the conveying of the vehicle 100 is restarted, the processing jumps to the end, and the present flow is terminated. In the case where an instruction to reduce the conveying speed CV of the vehicle 100 is output instead of stopping the conveying device 500, the conveying instruction unit 322 outputs an instruction to return the reduced conveying speed CV to the original conveying speed CV to the conveying control device 400. In this case, in order to eliminate the delay with respect to the target manufacturing time, the conveying speed CV can be set to a conveying speed faster than the conveying speed before restarting. In addition, the subsequent instruction unit 326 restores the delayed travel of the subsequent vehicle to normal travel.

[0067] As described above, the remote control device 300 of the present embodiment includes the remote control determination unit 316, which determines whether to start remote control using the transportation status of the vehicle 100 by the transportation device 500 for the vehicle 100 in a state where the driving control is stopped due to the stop of the remote control. According to the remote control device 300 of the present embodiment, the stopped remote control can be started at an appropriate timing based on the transportation status of the vehicle 100 by the transportation device 500, and the vehicle 100 can be separated from the transportation device 500 at an appropriate timing. Therefore, the reduction in productivity and the occurrence of abnormalities due to the delay in the separation of the vehicle 100 from the transportation device 500 can be suppressed or prevented.

[0068] The remote control device 300 of the present embodiment further includes a transport information acquisition unit 318 that acquires the vehicle position VP in the transport section from the transport control device 400. The remote control determination unit 316 uses the acquired vehicle position VP as the transport status to determine whether to start remote control of the vehicle 100. According to the remote control device 300 of the present embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be separated from the transport device 500 at an appropriate timing based on the position of the vehicle 100 in the transport section.

[0069] According to the remote control device 300 of the present embodiment, the remote control determination unit 316 determines to start remote control when the acquired position of the vehicle 100 is upstream of the predetermined reference distance D1 from the end point EP of the transport section. Therefore, the vehicle 100 can be separated from the transport device 500 before the end point EP of the transport section, and the unfavorable situation that the vehicle 100 stops in a state where the transport cannot be transported after passing the end point EP from the transport device 500 can be suppressed or prevented.

[0070] The remote control device 300 of the present embodiment further includes a transport information acquisition unit 318 that acquires the transport speed CV of the transport device 500 to the vehicle 100. The remote control determination unit 316 also uses the acquired transport speed CV as the transport status to determine the timing of starting the remote control of the vehicle 100. Therefore, even if the transport speed CV of the transport device 500 is switched, the stopped remote control can be started at an appropriate timing based on the transport speed CV, and the vehicle 100 can be separated from the transport device 500 at an appropriate timing.

[0071] According to the remote control device 300 of the present embodiment, when the acquired conveying speed CV is faster than the predetermined reference speed SV, the remote control determination unit 316 determines the timing of starting the remote control of the vehicle 100 to be earlier than when the conveying speed CV is the reference speed SV. Therefore, even if the conveying speed CV of the conveying device 500 is increased, the remote control can be started at an appropriate timing based on the conveying speed CV.

[0072] The remote control device 300 of this embodiment further includes a transport instruction unit 322, which outputs an instruction to stop the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500 when the movement of the vehicle 100 is not detected after the remote control unit 312 sends a control command to the vehicle 100. When the vehicle 100 cannot be moved by remote control, by stopping the transport by the transport device 500, time for executing abnormal measures can be ensured.

[0073] In the remote control device 300 of this embodiment, when the abnormality measures for the vehicle 100 whose movement is not detected are completed, the transport instruction unit 322 outputs an instruction to operate the stopped transport device 500. Therefore, by continuously performing abnormality measures and recovery, the transport device 500 can be recovered from the abnormality measures as quickly as possible.

[0074] The remote control device 300 of this embodiment further includes a reporting unit 324 that reports when the movement of the vehicle 100 is not detected after the remote control unit 312 sends a control command to the vehicle 100. The reporting can prompt measures to correct the abnormality of the transport device 500 and prompt the transport device 500 to recover as soon as possible.

[0075] The remote control device 300 of this embodiment further includes a position estimation unit 314 that estimates the position of the vehicle 100 using the three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle 100 detected by the vehicle detector 80 as vehicle information. The remote control unit 312 uses the position of the vehicle 100 estimated using the three-dimensional point cloud data to move the vehicle 100 by remote control. By using the three-dimensional point cloud data, the position of the vehicle 100 can be estimated with high accuracy.

[0076] B. Second Implementation Method: Figure 8 : is a flowchart showing a processing routine of the remote control start processing in the transportation method involved in the second embodiment of the present disclosure. The remote control start processing of this embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in that the processing of steps S170 to S180 of the remote control start processing is not provided. Specifically, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, an example of executing abnormal measures when the movement of the vehicle 100 is not detected after the control command of the remote control unit 312 is sent is shown. In contrast, these abnormal measures may not be executed as in the present embodiment. However, any of the abnormal measures such as stopping the transportation device 500, reporting by the reporting unit 324, outputting an instruction to delay the arrival time of the subsequent vehicle, or abnormal measures composed of any combination of these abnormal measures may also be executed.

[0077] In addition, the remote control start processing of the present embodiment does not include the processing of steps S110 to S124 of the remote control start processing shown in the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, an example is shown in which the transportation conditions of both the transportation position and the transportation speed are used in the judgment of whether to start remote control. In contrast, as in the present embodiment, the remote control judgment unit 316 may use only the obtained transportation position of the vehicle 100 without using the transportation speed. In this case, as in the present embodiment, whether at least a part of the vehicle position has crossed the end point EP of the transportation section may be used as the transportation condition to judge whether to start remote control of the vehicle 100.

[0078] In the remote control start processing of this embodiment, step S150b is provided instead of step S150 of the remote control start processing shown in the first embodiment. In steps S130 and S140, as in the first embodiment, when the vehicle 100 reaches the remote control preparation start position of the transport device 500, the remote control preparation starts. In step S150b, it is waited until at least a part of the vehicle 100 for which the remote control preparation has started crosses the end point EP. When the vehicle 100 crosses the end point EP (S150b: Yes), the remote control unit 312 transfers the processing to step S160, and starts the automatic driving of the vehicle 100 by remote control using the vehicle detector 80.

[0079] Fig. 9 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a remote control preparation start position in a remote control start process of a transport method according to a second embodiment. Fig. 9 As shown, when the vehicle 100S3 is transported by the transport device 500 in the transport direction DR, a part of the vehicle 100S3, such as the front part FA of the vehicle 100S3, passes over the end point EP of the transport section of the transport device 500. When the vehicle detector 80t or the transport position detector 526 detects that the front part FA passes over the end point EP, the remote control determination unit 316 determines that the remote control is started. After receiving the determination result, the remote control unit 312 uses the vehicle detector 80t to perform remote control of the vehicle 100S3, so that the vehicle 100S3 is separated from the transport device 500.

[0080] As described above, the remote control determination unit 316 determines to start remote control when at least a part of the acquired vehicle position exceeds the end point EP of the transport section. Whether the vehicle 100 has reached the transport start position can be determined by a simple method of whether the vehicle 100 has exceeded the end point EP of the transport section. In addition, by starting remote control at the time of exceeding the end point EP, it becomes easy to disengage from the transport device 500. In addition, since the remote control can be started at the time of exceeding the end point EP, the range AR4 can be narrowed or omitted.

[0081] C. Third Implementation Method: Fig.10 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the ECU 200c in the vehicle 100 according to the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the transport system 600 is different from the first embodiment in that it does not include the remote control device 300. Specifically, the difference from the first embodiment is that the ECU 200c provided in the vehicle 100 instead of the remote control device 300 has a function as a transport method switching device. The other configurations of the transport system 600 are the same as those of the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0082] like Fig.10 As shown, the ECU 200c is different from the ECU 200 shown in the first embodiment in that a CPU 210 is provided instead of the CPU 210, and a storage device 220c is provided instead of the storage device 220. Specifically, in the storage device 220c, in addition to the functions of the CPU 210 shown in the first embodiment, a program for realizing functions corresponding to the position estimation unit 314, the remote control determination unit 316, the transport information acquisition unit 318, the transport instruction unit 322, the report unit 324, the subsequent instruction unit 326, and the vehicle information acquisition unit 328 provided in the remote control device 300 shown in the first embodiment is stored. As a result, the CPU 210c also functions as the position estimation unit 214, the driving control determination unit 216, the transport information acquisition unit 218, the transport instruction unit 222, the report unit 224, the subsequent instruction unit 226, and the vehicle information acquisition unit 228 corresponding to these functions. In addition, the storage device 220c stores the reference speed SV stored in the remote control device 300. In the present embodiment, the driving control determination unit 216 determines whether to start automatic driving based on driving control for the vehicle 100 transported by the transport device 500. The driving control determination unit 216 is an example of a movement control determination unit that determines whether to start movement control for the moving body transported by the transport device 500. In addition, the driving control determination unit 216 functions as a command generation unit that generates a control command for automatically driving the vehicle 100 and escaping from the transport section by driving control when it is determined that automatic driving based on driving control is to be started, and outputs the control command to the driving control unit 212. According to the vehicle 100 configured in this way, by providing the vehicle 100 with the function of a transport method switching device, it is possible to start the stopped driving control at an appropriate time based on the transport status of the vehicle 100 by the transport device without using a device such as the remote control device 300 that is separate from the vehicle 100.

[0083] Fig.112 is a flowchart showing a driving method of the vehicle 100 according to the present embodiment. In step S210, the position estimation unit 214 obtains the vehicle position information using the detection result output from the external sensor. In step S220, the driving control determination unit 216 determines the target position to which the vehicle 100 should go next. In step S230, the driving control unit 212 generates a driving control signal for driving the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. In step S240, the driving control unit 212 controls the actuator 140 of the vehicle 100 by using the generated driving control signal, so that the vehicle 100 drives according to the parameters indicated by the driving control signal. The vehicle 100 repeatedly performs the acquisition of the vehicle position information, the determination of the target position, the generation of the driving control signal, and the control of the actuator 140 in a predetermined cycle. According to the driving control in the present embodiment, even if the vehicle 100 is not remotely controlled by the remote control device 300, the vehicle 100 can be driven by the autonomous control of the vehicle 100. In addition, more specifically, in step S210, the position estimating unit 214 acquires the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 using the vehicle information output from the vehicle detector 80. In addition, in the present embodiment, a reference route is pre-stored in the storage device 220c of the ECU 200c.

[0084] D. Other implementation methods: (D1) In the above embodiments, the example of using the transportation speed of the transportation device 500 for the vehicle 100 or the transportation position of the vehicle 100 as the transportation status is shown. On the other hand, the transportation time from the start of transportation of the vehicle 100 may be used as the transportation status instead of the transportation speed or the transportation position.

[0085] (D2) In the first embodiment, the remote control determination unit 316 and the driving control determination unit 216 determine to start remote control when the acquired position of the vehicle 100 is upstream of the end point EP of the transport section by a predetermined distance D2. In contrast, the remote control determination unit 316 and the driving control determination unit 216 may determine to start remote control when the position of the vehicle 100 is downstream of the start point SP of the transport section by a predetermined distance. Even in this case, the same effect can be obtained.

[0086] (D3) In the first embodiment described above, an example is shown in which both the conveying position and the conveying speed are used in determining whether to start remote control. In contrast, it is also possible to obtain only the conveying speed without obtaining the conveying position. In this case, it is possible to start preparation for remote control using the obtained conveying speed. For example, in the case where the vehicle 100 is conveyed at the obtained conveying speed, preparation for remote control can be started at a time point when a prescribed time corresponding to the speed has passed since the start of the conveyance of the vehicle 100. Even in this case, as in the first embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be detached from the conveying device 500 at an appropriate time, and a reduction in productivity and the occurrence of abnormalities in the conveying system 600 can be suppressed or prevented.

[0087] In addition, it is also possible to obtain only the conveying position without obtaining the conveying speed. In this case, for example, regardless of the conveying speed, the preparation for remote control can be started at the time when the conveyed vehicle 100 reaches a position at a predetermined distance from the end point EP, or at the time when the vehicle 100 is conveyed a predetermined distance from the starting point SP. Even in this case, as in the first embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be separated from the conveying device 500 at an appropriate time, and the reduction of productivity and the occurrence of abnormalities in the conveying system 600 can be suppressed or prevented.

[0088] (D4) In the first embodiment, when the conveying speed CV is slower than the reference speed SV, the example of starting the preparation for remote control at the same time as when the conveying speed CV is the reference speed SV is shown. In contrast, when the conveying speed CV is slower than the reference speed SV, the preparation for remote control may be started at a later time than when the conveying speed CV is the reference speed SV.

[0089] (D5) In the above-mentioned embodiments, an example in which the vehicle detector 80 is a LiDAR is shown. In contrast, the vehicle detector 80 may be an external camera installed in a location different from the vehicle 100, instead of or in addition to the LiDAR. In this case, the vehicle detector 80 acquires an image of the vehicle 100 as vehicle information. The position estimation unit 314 and the position estimation unit 214 may estimate the position of the vehicle 100 and the direction of the vehicle 100 using the captured image acquired by the external camera. In this case, Figure 3AIn step S1, the remote control device 300 detects the shape of the vehicle 100 from the captured image, calculates the coordinates of the positioning point of the vehicle 100 in the coordinate system of the captured image, that is, the local coordinate system, and converts the calculated coordinates into coordinates in the global coordinate system, thereby obtaining the position of the vehicle 100. In addition, the remote control device 300 estimates the direction of the movement vector of the vehicle 100 calculated from the position change of the feature point of the vehicle 100 between the frames of the captured image, for example, using the optical flow method, thereby being able to obtain the direction of the vehicle 100. The direction of the vehicle 100 can also be calculated using the output result of the yaw rate sensor mounted on the vehicle 100, for example.

[0090] The shape of the vehicle 100 contained in the captured image can be detected, for example, by inputting the captured image into a detection model using artificial intelligence. The detection model is prepared, for example, inside or outside the conveying system 600, and is pre-stored in the storage device 340 of the remote control device 300. As a detection model, for example, a machine learning model that has been learned in a manner to achieve one of semantic segmentation and instance segmentation can be cited. As the machine learning model, for example, a convolutional neural network (hereinafter referred to as CNN) that has been learned by supervised learning using a learning data set can be used. The learning data set, for example, has a plurality of training images containing the vehicle 100, and labels indicating whether each area in the training image is an area representing the vehicle 100 or an area other than the vehicle 100. When learning the CNN, it is preferred to update the parameters of the CNN by back propagation (error back propagation method) in a manner that reduces the error between the output result of the detection model and the label.

[0091] (D6) In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, examples are shown in which the vehicle 100 is a car, a truck, a bus, a construction vehicle, and the like. However, the vehicle 100 may also be various mobile bodies. In the present disclosure, a "mobile body" refers to an object that can move, such as a vehicle, an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (a so-called flying car). A vehicle may be a vehicle that travels on wheels or a vehicle that travels on tracks, such as a car, a truck, a bus, a two-wheeled vehicle, a four-wheeled vehicle, a tank, a construction vehicle, and the like. Vehicles include electric vehicles (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle), gasoline vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. In the case where the mobile body is other than a vehicle, the expressions "vehicle" and "car" in the present disclosure may be appropriately replaced with "mobile body", and the expression "travel" may be appropriately replaced with "movement".

[0092] (D7) In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the vehicle 100 only needs to have a structure capable of being moved by unmanned driving, for example, it may also be in the form of a platform having the structure described below. Specifically, in order for the vehicle 100 to perform the three functions of "driving", "turning" and "stopping" by unmanned driving, it is sufficient to have at least an ECU 200 as a control device for controlling the driving of the vehicle 100, and actuators such as a drive device, a steering device and a braking device. In the case where the vehicle 100 obtains information from the outside for unmanned driving, the vehicle 100 further has a vehicle communication device 190. That is, on the vehicle 100 that can be moved by unmanned driving, at least a part of the interior components such as the driver's seat and the instrument panel may not be installed, at least a part of the exterior components such as the bumper and the fender may not be installed, and the body shell may not be installed. In this case, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be mounted on the vehicle 100 until the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory, or the remaining parts such as the body shell may be mounted on the vehicle 100 after the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory without the remaining parts such as the body shell being mounted on the vehicle 100. Each part may be mounted from any direction such as the upper side, the lower side, the front side, the rear side, the right side, or the left side of the vehicle 100, and may be mounted from the same direction or from different directions. In addition, the position of the stand may be determined in the same manner as the vehicle 100 in the first embodiment.

[0093] (D8) The vehicle 100 can be manufactured by any manufacturing method. For example, the vehicle 100 can be manufactured by combining a plurality of modules. A module refers to a unit composed of one or more components that are aggregated according to the structure and function of the vehicle 100. For example, the rack of the vehicle 100 can be manufactured by combining a front module that constitutes the front part of the rack, a central module that constitutes the central part of the rack, and a rear module that constitutes the rear part of the rack. In addition, the number of modules that constitute the rack is not limited to three, and may be less than two or more than four. In addition, in addition to the rack, a part of the vehicle 100 that is different from the rack may be modularized, or a part of the vehicle 100 that is different from the rack may be modularized instead of the rack. In addition, various modules may also include any exterior parts such as bumpers and grilles, and any interior parts such as seats or consoles. In addition, not limited to the vehicle 100, any type of mobile body may be manufactured by combining a plurality of modules. Such a module may be manufactured, for example, by joining a plurality of parts by welding or fixing tools, or by integrally molding at least a portion of the module into one part by casting. The molding method of integrally molding at least a part of a module into one component is also called Giga-casting or Mega-casting. By using Giga-casting, various parts of a moving body that were previously formed by joining multiple parts can be formed into one component. For example, the front module, the center module, and the rear module mentioned above can also be manufactured using Giga-casting.

[0094] (D9) In the first embodiment, the remote control device 300 performs the processing from the acquisition of the vehicle position information to the generation of the travel control signal. In contrast, at least a part of the processing from the acquisition of the vehicle position information to the generation of the travel control signal may be performed by the vehicle 100. For example, the following methods (1) to (3) may be used.

[0095] (1) The remote control device 300 can obtain vehicle position information, determine the target position to which the vehicle 100 should go next, and generate a path from the current position of the vehicle 100 indicated by the obtained vehicle position information to the target position. The remote control device 300 can generate a path to the target position between the current position and the destination, or can generate a path to the destination. The remote control device 300 can send the generated path to the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 can generate a travel control signal in a manner such that the vehicle 100 travels on the path received from the remote control device 300, and use the generated travel control signal to control the actuator 140 of the vehicle 100.

[0096] (2) The remote control device 300 may also obtain vehicle position information and transmit the obtained vehicle position information to the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 may also determine a target position to which the vehicle 100 should go next, generate a path from the current position of the vehicle 100 indicated by the received vehicle position information to the target position, generate a travel control signal so that the vehicle 100 travels on the generated path, and control the actuator 140 of the vehicle 100 using the generated travel control signal.

[0097] (3) In the above-mentioned methods (1) and (2), the vehicle 100 may be equipped with an internal sensor, and the detection result output from the internal sensor may be used in at least one of the generation of the route and the generation of the driving control signal. The internal sensor is a sensor mounted on the vehicle 100. Specifically, the internal sensor may include, for example, a camera, LiDAR, a millimeter wave radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a GPS sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope sensor, etc. For example, in the above-mentioned method (1), the remote control device 300 may also obtain the detection result of the internal sensor, and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the route when generating the route. In the above-mentioned method (1), the vehicle 100 may also obtain the detection result of the internal sensor, and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal. In the above-mentioned method (2), the vehicle 100 may also obtain the detection result of the internal sensor, and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the route when generating the route. In the above-mentioned aspect (2), the vehicle 100 may obtain the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the travel control signal when generating the travel control signal.

[0098] (D10) In the above embodiment in which the vehicle 100 can travel by autonomous control, the vehicle 100 may be equipped with an internal sensor, and a detection result outputted from the internal sensor may be used in at least one of the generation of the route and the generation of the travel control signal. For example, the vehicle 100 may obtain the detection result of the internal sensor, and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the route when generating the route. The vehicle 100 may obtain the detection result of the internal sensor, and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the travel control signal when generating the travel control signal.

[0099] (D11) In the third embodiment, the vehicle 100 uses the detection result of the vehicle detector 80 to obtain the position and direction of the vehicle 100. In contrast, the vehicle 100 may be equipped with an internal sensor, and the vehicle 100 may use the detection result of the internal sensor to obtain vehicle position information, determine the target position to which the vehicle 100 should go next, generate a path from the current position of the vehicle 100 indicated by the obtained vehicle position information to the target position, generate a travel control signal for traveling on the generated path, and use the generated travel control signal to control the actuator 140 of the vehicle 100. In this case, the vehicle 100 can travel without using the detection result of the vehicle detector 80 at all. In addition, the vehicle 100 may obtain the target arrival time and / or congestion information from the outside of the vehicle 100, and reflect the target arrival time and / or congestion information in at least one of the path and the travel control signal. In addition, the structure of the transportation system 600 and the functional structure of the remote control device 300 may be all provided on the vehicle 100. That is, the processing implemented by the transportation system 600 and the remote control device 300 shown in the present disclosure, such as the processing of switching at least one device of the vehicle 100 from the standby state to the operating state, can also be implemented by the vehicle 100 alone.

[0100] (D12) In the first embodiment described above, the remote control device 300 automatically generates a driving control signal to be sent to the vehicle 100. In contrast, the remote control device 300 may generate a driving control signal to be sent to the vehicle 100 in accordance with an operation of an external operator located outside the vehicle 100. For example, the external operator may operate an operating device including a display for displaying a captured image output from the vehicle detector 80, a steering wheel for remotely operating the vehicle 100, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a communication device for communicating with the remote control device 300 via wired communication or wireless communication, and the remote control device 300 may generate a driving control signal corresponding to the operation applied to the operating device.

[0101] (D13) The transportation of vehicles by the travel of unmanned vehicles is also referred to as "self-propelled transportation". In addition, the structure for realizing self-propelled transportation is also referred to as "vehicle remote control autonomous driving transportation system". In addition, the production method of producing vehicles by self-propelled transportation is also referred to as "self-propelled production". In self-propelled production, for example, in a factory that manufactures vehicles, at least a part of the transportation of vehicles is realized by self-propelled transportation.

[0102] (D14) A part or all of the functions of the conveyor control unit 412 and the like implemented by the conveyance control device 400 shown in the above-mentioned embodiments may be implemented by the remote control device 300. That is, the conveyance system 600 may be constituted by the remote control device 300 alone.

[0103] In the above-mentioned embodiments, part or all of the functions and processes implemented in software may also be implemented in hardware. In addition, part or all of the functions and processes implemented in hardware may also be implemented in software. As hardware for implementing the various functions in the above-mentioned embodiments, various circuits such as integrated circuits or discrete circuits may also be used.

[0104] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be implemented in various configurations within the scope of its main purpose. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each method described in the invention content section can be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve part or all of the above-mentioned problems, or to achieve part or all of the above-mentioned effects. In addition, as long as the technical feature is not described as a necessary part in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

Claims

1. A conveying method switching device, comprising: a transport information acquisition unit that acquires transport status information indicating a transport status of a moving body transported by a transport device capable of transporting the moving body capable of unmanned movement in a predetermined transport section in a state where movement control of the moving body is stopped; a movement control determination unit that determines whether to start the movement control for the moving object transported by the transport device, using the acquired transport status information; and A command generating unit generates and outputs a control command for moving the movable body to leave the conveyance section by the movement control when the movement control determining unit determines that the movement control is started.

2. The conveying method switching device according to claim 1, wherein: The transport information acquisition unit acquires the position of the moving body in the transport section as the transport status information. The movement control determination unit determines whether to start the movement control using the acquired position of the moving object.

3. The conveying method switching device according to claim 2, wherein: The movement control determination unit determines to start the movement control when the acquired position of the moving body is on the upstream side of a predetermined distance from an end point of the conveyance section.

4. The conveying method switching device according to claim 2, wherein: The movement control determination unit determines to start the movement control when at least a part of the acquired position of the moving object exceeds an end point of the conveyance section.

5. The conveying method switching device according to claim 1, wherein: The transport information acquisition unit acquires a transport speed of the transport device for the moving body as the transport status information. The movement control determination unit further determines a timing to start the movement control using the acquired conveying speed, and determines whether to start the movement control at the determined timing.

6. The conveying method switching device according to claim 5, wherein: When the acquired conveying speed is faster than a predetermined reference speed, the movement control determination unit determines a timing to start the movement control to be a timing earlier than when the conveying speed is the reference speed.

7. The conveying method switching device according to claim 1, wherein: A transport instruction unit is further provided for outputting an instruction to reduce the transport speed of the transport device for the mobile body or to stop the transport of the mobile body by the transport device when the movement of the mobile body is not detected after the command generation unit sends the control command to the mobile body.

8. The conveying method switching device according to claim 7, wherein: The transport instruction unit outputs an instruction to return the reduced transport speed to an original transport speed or to operate the stopped transport device when measures against the abnormality of the moving body whose movement is not detected are completed.

9. The conveying method switching device according to claim 1, wherein: The invention further includes a reporting unit configured to report, when movement of the moving body is not detected after the command generating unit transmits the control command to the moving body.

10. The conveying method switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: The apparatus further comprises a position estimating unit for estimating the position of the mobile object using the mobile object information detected by a mobile object detector that detects the mobile object information of at least one of the image of the mobile object and the three-dimensional point cloud data of the mobile object, The command generation unit generates a control command for moving the moving object by the movement control using the estimated position of the moving object, and outputs the control command.

11. A method for transport switching, wherein: Using a conveying device, conveying the movable body capable of being moved unmanned, the movement control of which has been stopped, in a predetermined conveying section, obtaining the transport status information of the transported moving body, Using the obtained transport status information, determining whether to start the movement control for the transported moving object, When it is determined that the movement control is to be started, the moving body is moved by the movement control to separate from the conveyance section.

12. A mobile object capable of moving unmanned, comprising: a transport information acquisition unit that acquires transport status information indicating a transport status of the movable body transported by a transport device capable of transporting the movable body in a state where movement control is stopped within a predetermined transport section; a movement control determination unit that determines whether to start the movement control for the moving object transported by the transport device, using the acquired transport status information; and A command generating unit generates and outputs a control command for moving the movable body to leave the conveyance section by the movement control when the movement control determining unit determines that the movement control is started.

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