Vehicle detection device, vehicle detection method and vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle detection device is provided with a detection unit that detects a state of a vehicle using at least one of state information indicating the state of the vehicle, an image of the vehicle, three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle, and position information of the vehicle, the state information being obtained from a detector provided in the vehicle that can be driven by unmanned driving. The present invention detects that at least one wheel provided in a vehicle exceeds a transport unit of a transport device having a transport unit capable of transporting the vehicle, and outputs a detection result.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority based on the Japanese patent application (application number 2023-145729) filed on September 8, 2023, and all the disclosed contents are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle detection device, a vehicle detection method and a vehicle. Background Art

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-538619 discloses a technology that uses two transportation methods, transportation using a vehicle with a belt and transportation using the travel of a vehicle under remote control, in a manufacturing system for manufacturing a vehicle.

[0004] However, the reality is that, in the past, only the configuration of conveying by the movement of the vehicle by remote control after conveying by the belt has been studied, and no research has been conducted on the configuration of conveying by the movement of the vehicle by the belt after conveying by the movement of the vehicle by remote control. If the vehicle is not arranged at a suitable position of the conveying device using the belt, the vehicle may be damaged when being conveyed by the conveying device. Summary of the invention

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

[0006] (1) According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle detection device is provided. The vehicle detection device includes a detection unit that uses at least any one of status information indicating the status of the vehicle obtained from a detector provided on a vehicle capable of unmanned driving, an image of the vehicle, three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle, and position information of the vehicle to detect that at least one wheel of the vehicle has protruded from a conveying unit of a conveying device having a conveying unit capable of conveying the vehicle and output a detection result. According to the vehicle detection device of this aspect, when the vehicle is arranged on the conveying section of the conveying device, it is possible to detect whether the wheels are protruding from the conveying section. Therefore, it is possible to detect whether the vehicle is properly arranged on the conveying section. (2) The vehicle detection device of the above-mentioned method may further include a command generating unit which, when detecting that the wheel has exceeded the limit, generates a control command for causing the wheel to be able to idle with a force weaker than that before the wheel has exceeded the limit and outputs the control command. According to the vehicle detection device of this aspect, by making the protruding wheel rotatable, it is possible to suppress or prevent the protruding wheel from being damaged by a contact object other than the conveying unit. (3) In the vehicle detection device of the above-mentioned method, the state in which the excess wheel is able to idle may refer to at least any one of a state in which the excess wheel is able to idle by not transmitting power from the prime mover of the vehicle to the excess wheel, and a state in which the excess wheel is able to idle by weakening the braking force applied to the excess wheel compared to the braking force applied before the excess. According to the vehicle detection device of this aspect, a vehicle in a state where the wheels are out of the vehicle can be switched to a state where the vehicle can be transported by the transport device by a simple method of switching the vehicle state. (4) The vehicle detection device of the above embodiment may include a wheel determination unit that uses the at least any one of the information to determine which wheel is out of the vehicle. When the wheel is detected to be out of the vehicle, the instruction generation unit may generate a control instruction for enabling only the out-of-the-way wheel to idle and output the control instruction. According to the vehicle detection device of this aspect, since only the protruding wheel can be switched to a state where it can idle, the rotation of the other wheels of the conveyance unit can be suppressed or prevented, thereby suppressing or preventing the vehicle from moving on the conveyance unit. (5) In the vehicle detection device of the above-mentioned method, there may also be a position estimation unit, which estimates the position of the vehicle using the vehicle information obtained by the vehicle detector, namely, the vehicle information obtained by obtaining an image of the vehicle and at least any one of the three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle. According to the vehicle detection device of this aspect, it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the vehicle position. (6) The vehicle detection device of the above-mentioned embodiment may further include a command generating unit which, when detecting that the wheel has exceeded the limit, generates a control command for moving the vehicle toward the conveying unit using the position of the vehicle estimated by the position estimating unit and outputs the control command. According to the vehicle detection device of this aspect, a vehicle in a state where the wheels are out of control can be restored to a normal state by a simple method of driving the vehicle. (7) In the vehicle detection device of the above-mentioned method, it may also include: a wheel information acquisition unit, which uses the acquired at least any one of the information to obtain wheel information indicating the state of the excess wheel; and a transportation instruction unit, which outputs an instruction for stopping the transportation performed by the transportation device when the acquired state of the excess wheel satisfies a predetermined stop condition. According to the vehicle detection device of this aspect, by determining whether or not to transport the vehicle based on the state of the wheels, it is possible to more reliably prevent damage to the wheels and the drive device due to transportation by the transportation device. (8) In the vehicle detection device of the above-mentioned method, the wheel information may include at least any one of information related to the orientation of the protruding wheel relative to the conveying direction of the vehicle conveyed by the conveying device, information related to the distance from the conveying unit to the protruding wheel, and information related to the height difference between the conveying unit and the protruding wheel. (9) The vehicle detection device of the above aspect may further include a command generating unit that generates and outputs a control signal for activating at least one of a light and a horn provided on the vehicle when the wheel is detected to be out of range. According to the vehicle detection device of this aspect, it is possible to make a report to the vicinity of the vehicle by a simple method using a device included in the vehicle. (10) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle capable of unmanned driving is provided. The vehicle comprises: at least one wheel; a detector that obtains state information indicating the state of the vehicle; and a command generating unit that generates and outputs a control command for causing the wheel that has exceeded to be able to idle with a force weaker than that before the wheel has exceeded the detection result using at least any one of an image of the vehicle, three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle, the state information, and position information of the vehicle. When the vehicle of this type is arranged on the conveying part of the conveying device, it is possible to detect whether the wheel has protruded from the conveying part and whether the vehicle is properly arranged on the conveying part. By making the protruding wheel rotatable, the vehicle can suppress or prevent the protruding wheel from being damaged by contact objects other than the conveying part. The present disclosure can also be implemented in various ways other than the vehicle detection device and the vehicle, for example, it can be implemented in a remote control device, a conveying device, a conveying system, a vehicle detection system, a vehicle conveying method, a vehicle detection method, a conveying device control method, a conveying system control method, a vehicle detection system control method, a computer program for implementing these control methods, a non-temporary recording medium having the computer program recorded thereon, and the like. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a transport system including a remote control device as a vehicle detection device. Figure 2 It is an explanatory diagram showing the internal functional configuration of a vehicle. Figure 3 It is a block diagram showing the internal functional structure of the transport control device. Figure 4 This is a block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the remote control device according to the first embodiment. Figure 5A The flowchart shows a vehicle driving method implemented by the remote control device. Figure 5B This is a flowchart showing the vehicle transportation method according to the first embodiment. Figure 6 1 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of a vehicle arrangement confirmation process in the transportation method according to the first embodiment. Figure 7 This is an explanatory diagram showing a vehicle in a state normally arranged at a transport start position in a plan view. Figure 8 This is an explanatory diagram showing a vehicle in a state of protruding from a conveying unit in a plan view. Fig. 9 This is an explanatory diagram showing a vehicle in a state of protruding from a conveying unit in a front view. Fig.10 This is an explanatory diagram showing a vehicle in a state where the stop condition is not satisfied in a plan view. Fig.11 Detailed Description of the Invention This is a flowchart showing a processing routine of a vehicle arrangement confirmation process in the transportation method according to the second embodiment. Fig.12 It is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a vehicle according to the third embodiment. Fig.13 This is a flowchart showing a vehicle driving method according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] A. First Implementation Method: Figure 1 This is an explanatory diagram showing the schematic structure of a conveying system 600 including a remote control device 300 as a vehicle detection device according to the 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 a manufacturing process of the vehicle 100, such as an inspection process or an assembly process of the vehicle 100, and conveys the vehicle 100 across a predetermined conveying section in the manufacturing process. The vehicle 100 in the conveying process is inspected, assembled, and processed by workers, equipment, and the like.

[0009] Figure 21 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal functional configuration 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. Unmanned driving is achieved by automatic / manual remote control using a device provided outside the vehicle, or autonomous control of the vehicle. In a vehicle 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, and people who perform operations different from driving operations such as assembly, inspection, and operation of the switch group while riding in the vehicle. In addition, driving performed by the driving operation of the passenger is sometimes referred to as "manual driving". The vehicle 100 includes a vehicle communication device 190, an actuator group 140, a sensor group 180, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit: 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 via an internal bus so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally. The interface circuit 230 is connected to the actuator group 140, the sensor group 180, 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 the factory.

[0011] State information VI is stored in the readable and writable area of ​​the storage device 220. The "state information" is information indicating the state of the vehicle 100 obtained from the sensor group 180 of the vehicle 100, such as the tilt of the vehicle 100 and the rotation state of the wheel 166. As described later, the state information is used to detect that the vehicle 100 exceeds the conveying unit 510.

[0012] 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.

[0013] The driving control unit 212 performs driving control of the vehicle 100. "Driving control" is various controls for driving the actuator group 140 that performs the "driving", "turning", and "stopping" functions of the vehicle 100, such as adjustment of acceleration, speed, and steering angle. In the present embodiment, the actuator group 140 includes an actuator of the drive device 160 for accelerating the vehicle 100, an actuator of the brake device 170 for decelerating the vehicle 100, and an actuator of a steering device (not shown) for changing the traveling direction of the vehicle 100.

[0014] The actuator group 140 may further include an actuator for turning on and off the lights 142 of the vehicle 100 and an actuator for sounding a horn 144. The lights 142 include various lights whose lighting state can be visually recognized from the outside of the vehicle 100, such as headlights, direction indicators, width lights, brake lights, and tail lights. As long as they can be visually recognized from the outside of the vehicle 100, lights installed inside the vehicle 100, such as interior lights, may be included. In addition, the actuator group 140 may include an actuator for swinging the wipers of the vehicle 100, an actuator for opening and closing the power windows of the vehicle 100, and the like.

[0015] The actuator of the driving device 160 includes a driving battery (not shown), a driving motor 168 driven by the power of the driving battery, four wheels 166, a transmission unit 162, and a locking unit 164. The driving motor 168 is an example of a prime mover. The wheels 166 rotate using the power transmitted from the driving motor 168. Instead of the driving motor 168, another type of prime mover such as an internal combustion engine or an external combustion engine may be provided.

[0016] The transmission part 162 includes a transmission mechanism such as a gear and a shaft, and transmits the power from the driving motor 168 to the wheel 166. The locking part 164 switches between a fixed state in which the transmission mechanism of the transmission part 162 is locked and a non-fixed state. In the present embodiment, the locking part 164 is an electric parking brake (EPB: Electric Parking Brake) that can be operated by remote control. When the function of the transmission part 162 is switched to the "P gear" by remote control of the remote control device 300 or an operating lever of the occupant of the vehicle 100, the locking part 164 switches to a fixed state, and the wheel 166 is locked and no longer rotates. In addition, when switching to the "N gear", the gears and the like in the transmission mechanism of the transmission part 162 become unconnected, and the power from the driving motor 168 is no longer transmitted to the wheel 166. In the N gear, the wheel 166 becomes a state in which it can idle. "Idling" refers to a state in which the wheel 166 can perform so-called idling. During idling, even if the wheels 166 are rotated, the vehicle 100 does not travel a distance corresponding to the amount of rotation of the wheels 166. In addition, the "D range" is a state in which the lock portion 164 is not fixed and the gears and the like of the transmission mechanism of the transmission portion 162 are connected. In the D range, the power from the driving motor 168 is transmitted to the wheels 166 through the transmission portion 162, and the vehicle 100 is in a state in which it can travel.

[0017] When the driver is on the vehicle 100, the driving control unit 212 controls the actuator group 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 group 140 according to the control command sent from the remote control device 300 to drive the vehicle 100.

[0018] The sensor group 180 is a general sensor used in the driving control of the vehicle 100. The sensor group 180 includes, for example, an acceleration sensor 182 for detecting impact on the vehicle 100, a wheel speed sensor 184 for measuring the rotation speed of the wheel 166, and a steering angle sensor 186 for measuring the steering angle of each wheel 166. In addition, in this specification, "steering angle" refers to the average steering angle of the two front wheels of the vehicle 100. In addition, the acceleration sensor 182 can also detect the inclination of the vehicle 100 relative to the horizontal plane. The measurement results of the sensor group 180 are sent to the ECU 200.

[0019] like Figure 1 As shown, the transport system 600 includes a vehicle detector 80 , a transport device 500 , and a remote control device 300 . Figure 1Vehicle detectors 80p and 80t are shown as an example of a vehicle detector 80. 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 orientation of the vehicle 100, such as an image of the vehicle 100 or three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle 100. "Three-dimensional point cloud data" refers to data indicating the three-dimensional position of a point cloud. In the present 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. By using LiDAR, high-precision three-dimensional point cloud data can be obtained. As a ranging device, a ranging device other than Lidar, such as a millimeter-wave radar, can also be used.

[0020] The vehicle detector 80 is communicatively connected to the remote control device 300 by wireless communication or wired communication. The remote control device 300 can obtain the relative position and orientation of the vehicle 100 with respect to the target route in real time by acquiring vehicle information from the vehicle detector 80.

[0021] The conveying device 500 includes a motor 522, a conveying unit 510, 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.

[0022] 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 vehicle 100 on the conveying unit 510 can be detached from the conveying unit 510 at any time through remote control of the remote control device 300. In the present embodiment, the conveying unit 510 is driven continuously regardless of whether there is a vehicle 100 on the conveying unit 510. Through the conveying unit 510, the vehicle 100 can be moved across a prescribed conveying interval without relying on remote control, driving control of the vehicle 100, etc. In addition, the conveying unit 510 is not limited to a belt conveyor, but can also be various conveyors such as a roller conveyor and a chain conveyor that can convey the vehicle 100. The conveying unit 510 is not limited to the case of continuous driving, and can also be configured to be driven only in a state where the vehicle 100 is placed on the conveying unit 510. The transport unit 510 is not limited to the vehicle 100 , and may transport, for example, a worker who handles the vehicle 100 , parts of the vehicle 100 , and the like together with the vehicle 100 .

[0023] The transport position detector 526 is, for example, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar, or any other detector capable of detecting the presence or absence of a target object. The transport position detector 526 detects the vehicle 100 on the transport unit 510. In the present embodiment, there are a plurality of transport position detectors 526, and a plurality of transport position acquisition units 324 are provided for each specified transport section in the transport device 500. Thus, the presence or absence of the vehicle 100 in each transport section, in other words, the position of the vehicle 100 in the transport section can be detected. The information related to the position of the vehicle 100 detected by the transport position detector 526 and the transport non-detection unit 528 described later is also referred to as "position information". The detection result of the transport position detector 526 is output to the transport control device 400.

[0024] Figure 3 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.

[0025] 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 position VP detected by the conveying position detector 526 is stored. In addition, 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 position acquisition unit 414 function. The conveyor control unit 412 drives the motor 522 to control the on / off of the conveying unit 510 and the conveying speed.

[0026] The transport position acquisition unit 414 acquires the transport position of the vehicle 100 from the transport position detector 526, and stores the acquired transport position as the transport position VP in the storage device 440. The position of the vehicle 100 in the transport section may be acquired using the vehicle detector 80. When the transport position of the vehicle 100 is detected by the vehicle detector 80, the transport position detector 526 may be omitted.

[0027] Figure 41 is a block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the remote control device 300 according to the first embodiment. 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 performing 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 a transport section within a factory. In addition, in the present embodiment, as described later, the remote control device 300 also functions as a vehicle detection device that detects a situation in which at least one wheel 166 of the vehicle 100 exceeds the transport section 510 of the transport device 500.

[0028] 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.

[0029] The storage device 340 is, for example, a RAM, a ROM, a HDD, and an SSD. The wheel information WI and the estimated position VL are stored in the readable and writable area of ​​the storage device 340. In addition, a computer program for realizing at least a part of the functions provided in the present embodiment is stored in the storage device 340. By executing the computer program stored in the storage device 340 by the CPU 310, the CPU 310 functions as a remote control unit 312, a position estimation unit 314, a detection unit 316, a wheel determination unit 318, a wheel information acquisition unit 320, a remote control determination unit 322, a conveying position acquisition unit 324, a conveying instruction unit 326, a reporting unit 328, a subsequent instruction unit 330, and a vehicle information acquisition unit 332. However, some or all of these functions may also be constituted by hardware circuits.

[0030] 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. 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 estimated position and orientation of the vehicle 100 are stored in the storage device 340 as the estimated position VL. For example, the three-dimensional CAD data of the vehicle 100 can be used as the vehicle point cloud data as a template. The vehicle point cloud data contains 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 can be used. In addition, in the case where the position of the vehicle 100 can be estimated with high accuracy based on the three-dimensional point cloud data, template matching may not be performed.

[0031] 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 causing the vehicle 100 to automatically drive by remote control using the estimated position and orientation of the vehicle 100, i.e., the estimated position VL, and sends the control command to the vehicle 100. The control command is, for example, a command for causing the vehicle 100 to drive 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. 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 drives. In addition, in the present embodiment, as described later, the remote control unit 312 can also generate a control command for driving the actuator group 140 that is not directly involved in the driving control of the vehicle 100, such as the lights 142 and the siren 144.

[0032] Figure 5A3 is a flowchart showing a driving method of the vehicle 100 implemented by the remote control device 300. The remote control unit 312 obtains the estimation result of the position and direction of the vehicle 100 by the position estimation unit 314 (step S110). 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 pre-adjusted. 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.

[0033] The remote control unit 312 determines the target position to which the vehicle 100 should go next (step S120). In the present embodiment, the target position is represented by the X, Y, and Z coordinates in the global coordinate system of the factory. In the storage device 340 of the remote control device 300, an ideal path is pre-stored as the path that the vehicle 100 should travel. The path is represented by a node showing a departure point, a node showing a passing point, a node showing a destination, and a link connecting each node. The remote control unit 312 uses the position of the vehicle 100 and the ideal path to determine the target position to which the vehicle 100 should go next. The remote control unit 312 determines the target position on the ideal path that is ahead of the current position of the vehicle 100.

[0034] The remote control unit 312 generates a driving control signal for driving the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position (step S130). 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 predetermined target speed of the vehicle 100. When the driving speed is lower than the target speed, the remote control unit 312 determines the acceleration so as to accelerate the vehicle 100, and when the driving speed is higher than the target speed, the remote control unit 312 determines the acceleration so as to decelerate the vehicle 100. When the vehicle 100 is on the ideal path, the remote control unit 312 determines the steering angle so as not to deviate from the ideal path. When the vehicle 100 is not on the ideal path, in other words, when the vehicle 100 deviates from the ideal path, the remote control unit 312 determines the steering angle so as to return the vehicle 100 to the ideal path.

[0035] The remote control unit 312 transmits the generated travel control signal to the vehicle 100 (step S140). The remote control unit 312 repeatedly acquires the position of the vehicle 100, determines the target position, generates the travel control signal, transmits the travel control signal, etc. at a predetermined cycle.

[0036] The driving control unit 212 of the vehicle 100 receives the driving control signal from the remote control unit 312 (step S150), and controls the actuator group 140 using the received driving control signal, so that the vehicle 100 drives at the acceleration and steering angle indicated by the driving control signal (step S160). The driving control unit 212 repeatedly receives the driving control signal and controls the actuator group 140 at a predetermined cycle. As described above, 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.

[0037] The detection unit 316 detects the wheel 166 protruding from the conveying unit 510 of the conveying device 500. The state in which the wheel 166 protrudes from the conveying unit 510 is sometimes referred to as "wheel slipping". The protrusion of the wheel 166 from the conveying unit 510 can be detected using the position information of the vehicle 100, the three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle 100, and the state information VI. For example, when the detection result of the vehicle detector 80 is used as the vehicle information, such as the three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle 100, the image of the vehicle 100, etc., by detecting the relative position of the vehicle 100 with respect to the conveying unit 510, it is possible to detect whether the vehicle 100 protrudes from the conveying unit 510. In addition, when the state information VI is used, for example, the inclination of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane obtained from the acceleration sensor 182, the rotation of the wheel 166 detected by the wheel speed sensor 184, etc., can be used to detect the state in which the vehicle 100 protrudes from the conveying unit 510. The detection result of the detection unit 316 is output to the remote control unit 312 and the wheel identification unit 318. The detection result of the detection unit 316 may be output to a display device such as a display connected to the transport control device 400 or the remote control device 300 .

[0038] The wheel identification unit 318 identifies which wheel 166 of the four wheels 166 of the vehicle 100 is out of the vehicle. In the present embodiment, the wheel identification unit 318 analyzes the estimated position VL stored in the storage device 340, identifies the area of ​​the vehicle 100 that is out of the conveying unit 510, and identifies the wheel 166 included in the area as the out of the vehicle 100. In addition, the wheel identification unit 318 is not limited to the case of identifying only a single wheel 166, and a plurality of wheels 166 may be identified. In addition, for example, the wheel identification unit 318 may use a prescribed range including the out of the vehicle 166, such as the driving wheel, the front wheel, the rear wheel, the right side in the width direction, the left side in the width direction, etc., to identify which wheel 166 is out of the vehicle.

[0039] The wheel identification unit 318 is not limited to the position information, the estimated position VL, and the vehicle information, and can also obtain the state information VI from the vehicle 100, and use the obtained state information VI to identify which wheel 166 has exceeded. As an example of using the state information VI, the wheel 166 at a lower position than the other wheels 166 can be identified as the wheel 166 that has exceeded by using the inclination of the vehicle 100 detected by the acceleration sensor 182. In addition, when the vehicle 100 is transported on the conveying unit 510 in a state where the wheel 166 does not rotate, the rotation of the wheel 166 detected by the wheel speed sensor 184 can be used. For example, by obtaining the wheel 166 that is rotating or about to rotate from the wheel speed sensor 184, it can be estimated that the identified wheel 166 is in contact with the road surface outside the conveying unit 510 and exceeds the conveying unit 510. In addition, in the case where only the detection of whether the vehicle 100 exceeds without identifying the wheel 166 that has exceeded, the wheel identification unit 318 can also be omitted. In addition, the wheel identification unit 318 may identify which wheel 166 is out of the way by using information obtained by arbitrarily combining the position information, the estimated position VL, the vehicle information, and the state information VI.

[0040] The wheel information acquisition unit 320 acquires the wheel information WI using at least any one of the acquired position information of the vehicle 100, the vehicle information or the estimated position VL, and the state information VI obtained from the vehicle 100. The “wheel information” refers to information indicating the state of the protruding wheel 166. The “state of the protruding wheel 166” includes, for example, at least any one of the orientation of the wheel 166 relative to the conveying direction DR of the vehicle 100 by the conveying device 500, the distance between the protruding wheel 166 and the conveying unit 510, and the height difference between the protruding wheel 166 and the conveying unit 510. The wheel information acquisition unit 320 stores the acquired wheel information WI in the storage device 340.

[0041] The remote control determination unit 322 determines whether to stop or start the remote control. Specifically, the remote control determination unit 322 determines whether to stop or start the remote control based on whether the transportation position of the vehicle 100 has reached the transportation start position and the transportation end position of the vehicle 100 in the transportation section of the transportation device 500. When the vehicle 100 reaches the transportation start position on the transportation unit 510 and becomes a state in which it can be transported by the transportation device 500, the remote control determination unit 322 determines to stop the remote control. "Stop of remote control" includes, for example, stopping the generation of a control command for remotely controlling the vehicle 100 by the remote control unit 312 and stopping the transmission of the control command generated in the remote control device 300 to the vehicle 100. By stopping the remote control during the transportation of the vehicle 100 by the transportation device 500, the power consumption of the remote control device 300 or devices other than the remote control device 300 can be suppressed. Other embodiments of stopping the remote control include turning off the power supply and communication function of the remote control device 300, turning off the power supply and communication function of the vehicle 100, and the like. Furthermore, when the remote control of the vehicle 100 is not stopped while the transportation device 500 is transporting the vehicle 100 , the remote control determination unit 322 may not be provided.

[0042] The “transport start position” refers to a position in the transport section of the transport device 500 where the transport of the vehicle 100 starts. The “transport end position” refers to a position in the transport section of the transport device 500 where the transport of the vehicle 100 ends. The “transport position” refers to the position of the vehicle 100 in the transport section of the transport device 500. The transport position may also include information indicating whether the vehicle 100 has exceeded the transport unit 510. The transport position may be the position of the entire vehicle 100 or the position of at least a part of the vehicle 100. The “position of the entire vehicle 100” may refer to a position representing the vehicle 100, such as the position of each end of the vehicle 100 in the length direction, width direction, and height direction, the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle 100, or a collection of positions of various parts of the vehicle 100.

[0043] The transport position acquisition unit 324 acquires the transport position of the vehicle 100 during transport by the transport device 500. The transport position acquisition unit 324 acquires the transport position VP stored in the storage device 440 from the transport control device 400, or, if the position of the vehicle 100 on the transport unit 510 can be acquired by the vehicle detector 80, acquires the transport position from the vehicle detector 80. The transport position acquisition unit 324 may also directly acquire the vehicle position from the transport position detector 526.

[0044] The transport instruction unit 326 outputs instructions related to the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500, such as stop / start of transport and switching of transport speed, to the transport control device 400. For example, when an abnormality occurs in the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500, the transport instruction unit 326 outputs an instruction to stop the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500.

[0045] The reporting unit 328 reports when an abnormality occurs in the transportation of the vehicle 100 by the transportation device 500. The subsequent instruction unit 330 outputs an instruction to delay the time when the subsequent vehicle arrives at the transportation device 500 when an abnormality occurs in the transportation of the vehicle 100 by the transportation device 500. The "subsequent vehicle" refers to a vehicle that is scheduled to be transported by the transportation device 500 immediately after or after the vehicle 100.

[0046] The vehicle information acquisition unit 332 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 individually identify the vehicle 100. 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 is used to verify whether the vehicle 100 is the transport object of the transport device 500. The vehicle identification information can be obtained from a wireless mobile 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.

[0047] use Figure 1 A method of transporting the vehicle 100 will be described. 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. The range AR1 and the range AR5 are transport sections based on the automatic travel of the vehicle 100 under remote control. In the range AR1, the vehicle 100p automatically travels to the transport device 500 by remote control using vehicle information obtained from the vehicle detector 80p. In the range AR5, the vehicle 100t separated from the transport system 600 travels to the next process or the like by remote control using vehicle information obtained from the vehicle detector 80p.

[0048] The range AR2 to the range AR4 is a conveyance section of the vehicle 100 by the conveyance device 500. The range AR2 is an example of a conveyance start position where the conveyance device 500 starts conveying the vehicle 100. In the range AR2, the remote control is stopped, and the conveyance method of the vehicle 100 is switched from self-propelled conveyance by remote control to conveyance by the conveyance device 500. The vehicle 100p traveling by remote control passes the starting point SP on one end side of the conveyance unit 510 and enters the range AR2. The vehicle 100q that has arrived at the range AR2 becomes a state that can be conveyed by the conveyance unit 510.

[0049] In the range AR3, the vehicle 100r is transported by the transport device 500 and is subjected to a predetermined process such as an inspection process. In the present embodiment, the range AR3 is an area outside the detection range of the vehicle 100 by the vehicle detector 80, and the automatic driving of the vehicle 100r based on remote control is not performed in the range AR3. However, the vehicle 100r in the range AR3 may be in a state where wireless communication with the remote control device 300 is possible, and for example, the vehicle 100 and the power supply of each part may be turned on / off to perform remote control operations other than driving of the vehicle 100. In addition, the range AR3 may be set within the detection range of the vehicle detector 80, and in this case, the automatic driving based on remote control may also be performed in the range AR3.

[0050] Range AR4 is an example of a transport end position where the transport device 500 ends the transport of the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 reaches range AR4 after the processing in range AR3 is completed. In range AR4, the vehicle 100s can be detected by the vehicle detector 80t, and the vehicle 100s can be automatically driven and separated from the transport unit 510 by remote control. In the present embodiment, range AR4 is pre-set to a range from the end point EP on the other end side of the transport unit 510 to a predetermined distance. This "predetermined distance" is determined, for example, based on a range in which the vehicle detector 80t can detect the vehicle 100t. However, range AR4 can also be set to an arbitrary range from a position in range AR3 where the processing for the vehicle 100r is completed to the end point EP, based on the premise that the vehicle detector 80t can detect the vehicle 100t. In this case, the size of range AR4 is variable according to the progress of the processing for the vehicle 100 in range AR3.

[0051] Figure 5B 1 is a flow chart showing a method for transporting a vehicle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. This process starts when the vehicle 100 starts to travel toward the transport device 500. Figure 1 Provide explanation.

[0052] In step S10, the remote control unit 312 causes the vehicle 100 to automatically drive toward the conveying device 500 through remote control. Figure 1 As shown in the range AR1, the remote control unit 312 generates a control command for remote control using the position and orientation of the vehicle 100p estimated by the position estimation unit 314, and sends it to the vehicle 100p. In addition, before the start of transportation by the transportation device 500, the transportation control device 400 obtains the vehicle identification information from the vehicle 100p that has arrived at the transportation device 500, and checks whether it matches the vehicle identification information of the transportation object in production management. However, this check can also be omitted, and when the vehicle identification information is not used, the vehicle information acquisition unit 332 can also be omitted.

[0053] In step S20, the remote control unit 312 controls the vehicle 100 to automatically travel to the transport start position on the transport unit 510. Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 5 , when the vehicle 100p reaches the transport device 500, the remote control unit 312 uses the vehicle information obtained from the vehicle detector 80p to perform remote control so that the vehicle 100p travels past the starting point SP of the transport unit 510 and moves to the range AR2. Figure 1 As shown in the vehicle 100q in FIG. 1 , when the estimated position of the vehicle 100q reaches the transport start position, the remote control determination unit 322 determines to stop the remote control.

[0054] In step S30 , a vehicle arrangement confirmation process is executed. In the “vehicle arrangement confirmation process”, it is confirmed whether the vehicle 100 to be transported has passed through the transport unit 510 , and when the vehicle 100 has passed through the transport unit 510 , a predetermined abnormal measure is executed.

[0055] In step S40, the remote control unit 312 stops the remote control of the vehicle 100. In the present embodiment, the remote control of the vehicle 100 can be stopped by stopping the generation of control instructions based on the remote control device 300 or stopping the transmission of control instructions to the vehicle 100. By stopping the remote control of the vehicle 100 during the transportation by the transportation device 500, the power consumption and processing burden of the remote control device 300 and other control devices mounted on the vehicle 100 can be reduced. In addition, by stopping the travel of the vehicle 100, for example, the electrical system and engine room of the vehicle 100 can be smoothly inspected by the operator during the transportation of the vehicle 100.

[0056] In step S50, the transport control device 400 controls the motor 522 to drive the transport unit 510, and starts transporting the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the transport unit 510 is continuously driven, and S50 is executed in parallel with S30, S40, etc. In step S60, the remote control unit 312 detects whether the vehicle 100 has reached an area where transport can be performed by remote control. Whether the vehicle 100 has reached an area where transport can be performed by remote control can be determined, for example, by Figure 1 The position of the vehicle 100 is detected by the transport position detector 526 or the vehicle detector 80t provided in the illustrated range AR4.

[0057] In step S70, the remote control unit 312 starts remote control of the vehicle 100. In step S80, the remote control unit 312 switches the function of the transmission unit 162 from the P position to the D position through remote control, and starts the driving of the vehicle 100 based on the remote control. Specifically, the remote control unit 312 puts the transmission unit 162 into a connected state, drives the locking unit 164 to switch the fixed state of the transmission mechanism of the transmission unit 162 to a non-fixed state, and switches the vehicle 100 to a state where it can travel. Figure 1 As shown in the range AR4, the remote control device 300 uses the vehicle information obtained from the vehicle detector 80t to generate a control command for automatically driving the vehicle 100s and sends it to the vehicle 100s. In step S90, the remote control unit 312 detaches the vehicle 100s from the conveying unit 510 through remote control, and ends this process. The vehicle 100t detached from the conveying device 500 is delivered to the next process through automatic driving.

[0058] Figure 6 30 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of the vehicle configuration confirmation processing in the transportation method involved in the first embodiment. In step S302, the detection unit 316 obtains the estimated position of the vehicle 100 from the position estimation unit 314 and confirms the obtained estimated position VL of the vehicle 100. In step S303, the detection unit 316 confirms the position information of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, as the position information of the vehicle 100, the detection unit 316 confirms the detection results of the vehicle 100 by the transportation position detector 526 and the transportation out-of-transportation detection unit 528. In step S304, the detection unit 316 obtains and confirms the state information VI from the vehicle 100. In step S306, the detection unit 316 uses the obtained estimated position VL of the vehicle 100, the position information, and the state information VI to confirm whether the wheel 166 exceeds the transportation unit 510.

[0059] When the detection unit 316 determines that the wheel 166 has not extended from the conveying unit 510 (S306: No), the processing is transferred to step S322. In step S322, the remote control unit 312 drives the locking unit 164 of the vehicle 100 through remote control to switch the function of the transmission unit 162 to the P gear. In addition, the remote control unit 312 can also switch the function of the transmission unit 162 to the N gear instead of the P gear. In this case, the remote control unit 312 preferably switches the locking unit 164 of the vehicle 100 to a fixed state through remote control, or fixes the wheel 166 on the conveying unit 510 by a predetermined fixing tool, so that the vehicle 100 is effectively stopped. As a result, the transmission mechanism of the transmission unit 162 is fixed, the wheel 166 does not rotate, and the vehicle 100 becomes unable to travel. The remote control unit 312 ends this process after switching to the P gear.

[0060] When the detection unit 316 determines that the wheel 166 has protruded from the conveying unit 510 (S306: Yes), the processing is transferred to step S308. In step S308, the wheel information acquisition unit 320 acquires the wheel information WI. Specifically, the wheel information acquisition unit 320 acquires at least one of information related to the direction of the wheel 166 relative to the conveying direction DR of the vehicle 100 by the conveying device 500, information related to the distance between the protruding wheel 166 and the conveying unit 510, and information related to the height difference between the protruding wheel 166 and the conveying unit 510. The wheel information acquisition unit 320 stores the acquired wheel information WI in the storage device 340.

[0061] In step S310, the transport instruction unit 326 checks the acquired wheel information WI and determines whether the stop condition is satisfied. The "stop condition" is a condition for determining the degree of abnormality of the wheel 166 that has passed the transport unit 510, and is used to determine whether to stop the transport device 500. When the wheel information satisfies the stop condition, the transport instruction unit 326 stops the transport device 500 in order to suppress or prevent damage to the wheel 166 and the drive device 160 of the vehicle 100. However, even if the stop condition is satisfied, the stop condition may be eliminated by, for example, performing remote control by the remote control unit 312 to eliminate the stop condition before the transport device 500 stops.

[0062] When the stop condition is satisfied (S310: Yes), the process is transferred to step S312 and abnormal measures are executed. In addition, the abnormal measures of the following steps S312 to S316 can be executed in any order or simultaneously. In step S312, as an example of abnormal measures, the transport instruction unit 326 outputs an instruction to stop the transport of the transport device 500 to the vehicle 100 to the transport control device 400. The transport control device 400 that has received the stop instruction stops the transport unit 510 by stopping the motor 522, etc. In addition, in the case where the abnormality can be eliminated early, such as when the vehicle 100 can be moved to the transport unit 510 early, the transport instruction unit 326 can also output an instruction to reduce the transport speed of the transport device 500 to the vehicle 100 instead of stopping the transport device 500.

[0063] In step S314 , the reporting unit 328 reports that the vehicle 100 has gone beyond the transport unit 510 or that an abnormal measure has been taken, etc. The reporting unit 328 reports to, for example, a worker who has performed work on the vehicle 100 on the transport unit 510 , a manager of the process, or a manager of the transport system 600 .

[0064] In step S316, the subsequent instruction unit 330 outputs an instruction to delay the time when the subsequent vehicle arrives at the conveying device 500. The subsequent instruction unit 330 outputs the instruction to, for example, the process management device of the previous process, the production management device that integrates each process, the remote control device that drives the subsequent vehicle by remote control, etc. As a result, the time when the subsequent vehicle arrives at the conveying device 500 is delayed. At this time, the subsequent instruction unit 330 delays the time when the subsequent vehicle arrives, for example, according to the delay time relative to the target manufacturing time. By delaying the arrival of the subsequent vehicle based on the target manufacturing time, it is possible to suppress the arrival of the subsequent vehicle at the conveying device 500 before the conveying device 500 is restored, 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.

[0065] In step S318, the abnormality is eliminated. In the present embodiment, the abnormality is eliminated by, for example, moving the vehicle 100 in the overrun state to the conveying start position CP of the conveying unit 510 by manual operation of the operator. The abnormality may also be eliminated by detaching the vehicle 100 from the conveying unit 510. In this case, the process is not transferred to S322, and the present flow is terminated.

[0066] In step S320, the transport instruction unit 326 outputs an instruction to operate the stopped transport device 500 to the transport control device 400, and the process is transferred to step S322. As a result, the transport device 500 resumes the transport of the vehicle 100. In the case where the transport speed of the vehicle 100 is reduced instead of stopping the transport device 500, the transport instruction unit 326 outputs an instruction to return to the original transport speed to the transport control device 400. In addition, in order to eliminate the delay in production relative to the target manufacturing time, the transport speed may be set to a transport speed faster than the transport speed before the restart. In addition, the subsequent instruction unit 330 switches the delayed travel of the subsequent vehicle to normal travel.

[0067] If the stop condition is not satisfied (S310: No), the process is transferred to step S330, and preparation for transporting the vehicle 100 while maintaining the overrun state is performed. In step S330, the wheel identification unit 318 uses at least one of the estimated position VL, the position information, and the state information VI to identify which wheel 166 of the four wheels 166 is overrun. In step S332, the remote control unit 312 switches only the identified wheel 166 of the vehicle 100 to a state where the wheel 166 can idle with a force weaker than the force applied to the wheel 166 before the overrun is detected, and ends this process. As a result, even if the overrunning wheel 166 is transported by the transport device 500 in a state in contact with the ground or the like outside the transport unit 510, the overrunning wheel 166 can be protected from the force applied to the overrunning wheel 166 by the overrunning ground or the like due to the idle rotation of the wheel 166, and damage to the overrunning wheel 166, the transmission unit 162, etc. by the force from the ground or the like can be suppressed or prevented.

[0068] Reference Figures 7 to 10 , details of wheel information and stop conditions are explained. Figures 7 to 10 In the figure, a top view is shown. Figure 1 The vehicle 100 is located near the range AR2 shown in FIG. 1 , that is, near the transport start position. Figures 7 to 10 In each of the figures, the vehicle 100 and the two front wheels of the vehicle 100 are schematically illustrated for easy understanding of the technology. Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Fig.10 , the conveying direction DR of the vehicle 100 by the conveying device 500 and the directions VD1 , VD2 , and VD3 of the two front wheels of the vehicle 100 are shown. The directions VD1 , VD2 , and VD3 of the two front wheels coincide with the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 .

[0069] In addition, if Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Fig.10As shown, in the present embodiment, the transport device 500 further includes an out-of-transport detection unit 528. The out-of-transport detection unit 528 is arranged around the transport unit 510. The out-of-transport detection unit 528 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. The out-of-transport detection unit 528 can detect a vehicle 100 that exceeds the transport unit 510. In other words, the out-of-transport detection unit 528 can detect the position of the vehicle 100 outside the transport unit 510. The position of the vehicle 100 detected by the out-of-transport detection unit 528 is an example of position information. The detection result of the out-of-transport detection unit 528 is output to the transport control device 400. However, in the case where the out-of-transport detection unit 528 can detect the exceeding of the wheel 166 based on the state information of the vehicle 100, the position of the vehicle 100 detected by the vehicle detector 80, or the estimated position of the vehicle 100 by the position estimation unit 314, the out-of-transport detection unit 528 can also be omitted.

[0070] Figure 7 This is an explanatory diagram showing the vehicle 100 in a state normally arranged at the conveyance start position of the conveyance unit 510 in a plan view. Figure 7 The conveying start position CP is schematically shown in FIG. Figure 7 In the example, the vehicle 100 is arranged in the conveying start position CP in a state where the direction VD1 of the wheel 166 and the conveying direction DR are consistent with each other. In addition, the conveying start position CP is not limited to a specific position, and can also be set using a specified range. The conveying start position CP can be set using an arbitrary range included in the conveying section of the conveying device 500, for example, on the premise that the vehicle 100 can be arranged by automatic driving under remote control. "The vehicle 100 arrives at the conveying start position CP" only needs to be a state where the vehicle 100 can be conveyed by the conveying device 500. For example, the vehicle 100 may not be included in the conveying start position CP as a whole, and a part of the rear side of the vehicle 100 may be separated from the conveying start position CP. The conveying start position CP can also be set using a range wider than these ranges in consideration of the error of the stop position of the vehicle 100 based on remote control. However, from the perspective of miniaturization of the conveying unit 510, it is preferred that the range of the conveying start position CP is smaller. In addition, the conveying start position CP can also be set individually for each individual corresponding to the vehicle identification information in consideration of the size difference of the vehicle body of each vehicle model.

[0071] Figure 8 The vehicle 100 is shown in a plan view in a state where it is protruding from the conveying unit 510. Figure 8In the example of , the right front wheel 166R of the two front wheels of the vehicle 100 is out of the conveyance unit 510. In this case, the detection unit 316 detects that the front wheel 166R is out of the conveyance unit 510 using at least any one of the vehicle information obtained from the vehicle detector 80p, the estimated position of the vehicle 100 estimated by the position estimating unit 314 using the vehicle information, the position of the vehicle 100 detected by the out-of-transportation detection unit 528, and the state information VI of the vehicle 100. The detection unit 316 may detect using the vehicle information obtained from the vehicle detector 80p.

[0072] Next, the wheel information acquisition unit 320 acquires wheel information. In the present embodiment, the wheel information acquisition unit 320 acquires the angle θ1 between the conveying direction DR of the conveying device 500 to the vehicle 100 and the direction VD2 of the wheel 166 as wheel information. The conveying instruction unit 326 determines whether the acquired angle θ1 satisfies the stop condition. In the present embodiment, the stop condition is set using a predetermined threshold value such as 30 degrees or 45 degrees that can suppress damage to the wheel 166 that exceeds the conveying of the conveying device 500. The conveying instruction unit 326 determines that the stop condition is not satisfied if the acquired angle θ1 is less than the threshold, and determines that the stop condition is satisfied if it is greater than the threshold.

[0073] Fig. 9 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the vehicle 100 in a state of being beyond the conveying unit 510 in a front view. Fig. 9 As shown, when there is a step between the conveying unit 510 and the road surface GR outside the conveying unit 510, the wheel information acquisition unit 320 can detect the inclination of the vehicle 100 relative to the conveying unit 510 or the inclination angle θ2 as the state information by, for example, the acceleration sensor 182. In this case, the conveyance instruction unit 326 can detect that the vehicle 100 exceeds the conveying unit 510 based on the occurrence of the inclination angle θ2. That is, by detecting the inclination that does not occur during the conveyance by the conveying unit 510, it is possible to detect that the vehicle 100 exceeds the conveying unit 510.

[0074] In addition, the wheel information acquisition unit 320 may also acquire the distance DT from the conveying unit 510 to the overrunning wheel 166L as wheel information. In this case, the conveying instruction unit 326 determines whether the acquired distance DT satisfies the stop condition. The stop condition in this case is set using a threshold value that is different for each vehicle 100, such as a distance of half the width of the vehicle 100. However, any fixed value such as 100 centimeters or 80 centimeters may be used as the stop condition. The conveying instruction unit 326 determines that the stop condition is not satisfied if the acquired distance DT is less than the threshold value, and determines that the stop condition is satisfied if it is greater than the threshold value.

[0075] In addition, the wheel information acquisition unit 320 may also acquire the height difference HL between the conveying unit 510 and the wheel 166L that has exceeded the conveying unit 510 as wheel information. In this case, the conveying instruction unit 326 determines whether the acquired height difference HL satisfies the stop condition. In this case, the stop condition may be, for example, a threshold value for each vehicle 100 such as the radius of the wheel 166, or an arbitrary fixed value such as 20 centimeters. In addition, it is not necessary to acquire all the information of the distance DT, the height difference HL, and the inclination angle θ2, but any one of them may be acquired, and it is also possible to acquire information obtained by arbitrarily combining these information.

[0076] Fig.10 This is an explanatory diagram showing the vehicle 100 in a state where the stop condition is not satisfied in a plan view. Fig.10 In FIG. 5 , the right front wheel 166R of the two front wheels of the vehicle 100 is protruding from the conveying unit 510. As wheel information, the wheel information acquisition unit 320 acquires an angle θ3 between the conveying direction DR of the conveying device 500 to the vehicle 100 and the direction VD3 of the front wheel 166R. Fig.10 In the example, the conveying direction DR is substantially consistent with the direction VD3, and the angle θ3 is substantially zero. Since the obtained angle θ3 is below the threshold, the conveying instruction unit 326 determines that the stop condition is not satisfied. In this case, the remote control unit 312 switches the transmission unit 162 of the vehicle 100 to the N gear and switches the locking unit 164 to a non-fixed state through remote control. As a result, the protruding front wheel 166R becomes capable of idling with a force weaker than before the front wheel 166R is detected to be protruding. That is, the protruding front wheel 166R can rotate even in a state of being grounded to the ground or the like outside the conveying unit 510. Unlike the case where the vehicle 100 is conveyed while maintaining the P gear, the force applied to the protruding front wheel 166R from the ground or the like can be used for the rotation of the wheel 166, and damage to the wheel 166, the transmission unit 162, etc. can be suppressed or prevented. Furthermore, during the process of the transport device 500 transporting the vehicle 100, when the rotation of the front wheel 166R is restricted by the braking force of the braking device 170 such as a brake instead of the control of the driving device 160 such as the transmission unit 162 and the lock unit 164 or in addition to the control, the braking force applied to the front wheel 166R that has been exceeded may be weakened compared to the braking force applied to the front wheel 166R before the excess, so that the excess wheel 166 can be made to rotate. In this case, the same effect can be obtained.

[0077] As described above, the remote control device 300 of the present embodiment includes the detection unit 316, which detects the situation where the wheel 166 exceeds the conveying unit 510 using the position information of the vehicle 100 and the state information VI indicating the state of the vehicle 100 obtained from the sensor group 180 provided in the vehicle 100, and functions as a vehicle detection device. According to the remote control device 300 of the present embodiment, when the vehicle 100 is arranged on the conveying unit 510 of the conveying device 500 by remote control, it is possible to detect whether the wheel 166 exceeds the conveying unit 510. Therefore, it is possible to detect whether the vehicle 100 is properly arranged on the conveying unit 510.

[0078] According to the remote control device 300 of the present embodiment, the remote control unit 312 functions as a command generating unit, and when the wheel 166 is detected to be out of position, the remote control unit 312 generates a control command for switching the out-positioned wheel 166 to the N gear that can idle with a force weaker than that before the out-positioned wheel 166 is detected, and transmits the control command to the vehicle 100. Therefore, unlike the case where the vehicle 100 is transported while maintaining the P gear, it is possible to suppress or prevent the out-positioned wheel 166 from being damaged by a force applied from the ground or the like outside the transport unit 510.

[0079] According to the remote control device 300 of the present embodiment, the state in which the protruding wheel 166 can idle is a state in which the protruding wheel 166 can idle by switching the state of the transmission unit 162 of the vehicle 100 to the N gear and switching the locking unit 164 to the non-fixed state, thereby not transmitting the power from the driving motor 168 to the protruding wheel 166. Therefore, the vehicle 100 in the state in which the wheel 166 is protruding can be switched to a state in which the vehicle 100 can be transported by a simple method of switching the function of the transmission unit 162 by the remote control unit 312.

[0080] The remote control device 300 of the present embodiment includes a wheel identification unit 318, which identifies which wheel 166 of the four wheels 166 is out of the way using at least any one of the position information of the vehicle 100, the vehicle information, the estimated position VL obtained using the vehicle information, and the state information VI. When the remote control unit 312 detects that the wheel 166 is out of the way, it generates a control command for making only the out of the way wheel 166 into a state where it can idle, and transmits it to the vehicle 100. Since only the out of the way wheel 166 can be switched to a state where it can idle, the rotation of the other wheels 166 on the conveying unit 510 can be suppressed or prevented, and the movement of the vehicle 100 on the conveying unit 510 can be suppressed or prevented.

[0081] The remote control device 300 of the present embodiment further includes: a wheel information acquisition unit 320 that uses at least any one of the acquired position information, vehicle information, estimated position VL obtained using the vehicle information, and state information VI to acquire wheel information WI indicating the state of the wheel 166 that has exceeded; and a transport instruction unit 326 that outputs an instruction to stop transport by the transport device 500 when the state of the wheel 166 that has exceeded satisfies a predetermined stop condition. By determining whether to transport the vehicle 100 based on the state of the wheel 166, it is possible to more reliably prevent the wheel 166 and the drive device 160 from being damaged by transport by the transport device 500.

[0082] B. Second Implementation Method: Fig.11 1 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of a vehicle configuration confirmation process in a transportation method according to a second embodiment. Figure 6 The vehicle configuration confirmation process in the transportation method according to the first embodiment shown is different in that steps S340 to S346 are provided instead of steps S308 to S320 and steps S330 to S332, and the other structures are the same. In this embodiment, when the detection unit 316 detects the wheel 166 that has protruded, the occurrence of the abnormality is reported to the surroundings, and the vehicle 100 is driven by remote control to eliminate the protrusion of the wheel 166.

[0083] In step S340, the remote control unit 312 remotely controls the lighting of the lamps 142 of the vehicle 100 to notify the surroundings of the vehicle 100. In this case, from the perspective of notifying the occurrence of abnormality to the operator as soon as possible, the lighting method of the lamps 142 is preferably a method that makes it easy to understand that an abnormality has occurred, such as repeatedly turning off and on alternately. In step S342, the remote control unit 312 remotely controls the siren 144 of the vehicle 100 to notify the surroundings of the vehicle 100. In this case, from the perspective of notifying the occurrence of abnormality to the operator as soon as possible, the operating method of the siren 144 is preferably a method that makes it easy to understand that an abnormality has occurred, such as emitting a predetermined number of sounds or a long sound.

[0084] In step S346, the remote control unit 312 moves the vehicle 100 toward the conveying unit 510 by remote control. Specifically, first, the position estimation unit 314 obtains the estimated position of the vehicle 100 in a state of being beyond the conveying unit 510 using the vehicle information obtained from the vehicle detector 80. The remote control unit 312 causes the vehicle 100 to travel toward the conveying start position CP of the conveying unit 510 by remote control using the obtained estimated position of the vehicle 100. As a result, the beyond of the wheel 166 is eliminated, and the vehicle 100 is conveyed by the conveying device 500.

[0085] As described above, according to the remote control device 300 of the present embodiment, when the remote control unit 312 detects that the wheel 166 is out of position, it generates a control command for moving the vehicle 100 toward the conveying unit 510 by remote control using the position of the vehicle 100 estimated by the position estimating unit 314, and transmits the control command to the vehicle 100. Therefore, the vehicle 100 in the state where the wheel 166 is out of position can be restored to a normal state by remote control. Therefore, it is possible to restore to a normal state more smoothly than by manual restoration.

[0086] According to the remote control device 300 of this embodiment, the position estimation unit 314 estimates the position of the vehicle 100 using the vehicle information detected by the vehicle detector 80 using the three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle 100 as the vehicle information. Therefore, the estimation accuracy of the position of the vehicle 100 can be improved.

[0087] According to the remote control device 300 of the present embodiment, when the remote control unit 312 detects that the wheel 166 is out of the vehicle, it transmits a control signal to the vehicle 100 to activate at least one of the lights 142 and the horn 144 provided in the vehicle 100. Therefore, a report can be made to the surroundings of the vehicle 100 by a simple method using the device provided in the vehicle 100.

[0088] C. Third Implementation Method: Fig.12 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of 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 on the vehicle 100 instead of the remote control device 300 has a function as a vehicle detection device. The other configurations of the transport system 600 are the same as those of the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0089] like Fig.12As shown, the ECU 200c is different from the ECU 200 shown in the first embodiment in that a CPU 210c 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 estimating unit 314, the detecting unit 316, the wheel identifying unit 318, the wheel information acquiring unit 320, the transport position acquiring unit 324, the transport instructing unit 326, the reporting unit 328, and the subsequent instructing unit 330 provided in the remote control device 300 is stored. As a result, the CPU 210c also functions as the position estimating unit 214, the detecting unit 216, the wheel identifying unit 218, the wheel information acquiring unit 221, the transport position acquiring unit 224, the transport instructing unit 226, the reporting unit 228, and the subsequent instructing unit 231 corresponding to these functions. In addition, the storage device 220c stores the wheel information WI and the estimated position VL stored in the remote control device 300 in addition to the state information VI stored in the storage device 220 shown in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the detection unit 216 of the vehicle 100 functions as a command generation unit, and when the detection unit detects that the wheel 166 has protruded from the conveying unit 510, the command generation unit generates a control command for making the protruding wheel 166 into a state in which the protruding wheel 166 can idle, and outputs the control command to the driving control unit 212. The driving control unit 212 receives the input and switches the protruding wheel 166 to a state in which the wheel 166 can idle with a force weaker than the force applied to the wheel 166 before the protrusion of the wheel 166 is detected. According to the vehicle 100 configured in this way, since the vehicle 100 is provided with a vehicle detection device, the same effect as the first embodiment can be obtained without using a device separate from the vehicle 100 such as the remote control device 300.

[0090] Fig.132 is a flowchart showing a driving method of the vehicle 100 according to the present embodiment. The position estimation unit 214 obtains the position and direction of the vehicle 100 using the vehicle information output from the vehicle detector 80 (step S210). The driving control unit 212 determines the target position to which the vehicle 100 should go next (step S220). In the present embodiment, an ideal path is pre-stored in the storage device 220c of the ECU 200c. The driving control unit 212 generates a driving control signal for driving the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position (step S230). The driving control unit 212 controls the actuator group 140 by using the generated driving control signal, so that the vehicle 100 drives at the acceleration and steering angle indicated by the driving control signal (step S240). The driving control unit 212 repeatedly obtains the position and direction of the vehicle 100, determines the target position, generates the driving control signal, and controls the actuator group 140 at a predetermined cycle. According to the vehicle 100 of 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 autonomous control.

[0091] D. Other implementation methods: (D1) In the above embodiment, when the wheel 166 is detected to be out of position, the remote control unit 312 generates a control command for making the outgoing wheel 166 rotatable and transmits it to the vehicle 100. In contrast, when the vehicle 100 in the state where the wheel 166 is out of position is not transported by the transport device 500 as in the above second embodiment, the control command for making the wheel 166 rotatable may not be generated. In this case, the wheel identification unit 318 may be omitted.

[0092] (D2) In the above-mentioned embodiments, an example is shown in which the position estimating unit 314 and the position estimating unit 214 are provided. On the other hand, the position estimating unit 314 and the position estimating unit 214 may be omitted, for example, when high-precision position information is not required during the automatic driving of the vehicle 100. In this case, for example, the detection result of a sensor capable of detecting the vehicle 100, such as the transport position detector 526 provided in the transport device 500, may be used.

[0093] (D3) In the above embodiment, an example in which the vehicle detector 80 is a LiDAR is shown. In contrast, the vehicle detector 80 may be replaced with the LiDAR or may be used together with the LiDAR using an external camera installed at a location different from the vehicle 100. In this case, the vehicle detector 80 obtains an image of the vehicle 100 as vehicle information. The position estimation unit 314 may estimate the position of the vehicle 100 and the orientation of the vehicle 100 using the captured image obtained by the external camera. For example, the position of the vehicle 100 may be obtained by calculating the coordinates of the positioning points of the vehicle 100 in the image coordinate system using the shape of the vehicle 100 detected from the captured image, and converting the calculated coordinates into coordinates in the global coordinate system. For example, the orientation of the vehicle 100 may be estimated based on the direction of the moving vector of the vehicle 100 calculated from the position change of the feature points of the vehicle 100 between the frames of the captured image using the optical flow method. The orientation of the vehicle 100 may also be calculated using the output result of a yaw rate sensor or the like mounted on the vehicle 100, for example.

[0094] 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 that uses artificial intelligence. 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 a correct answer label indicating whether each area in the training image is an area representing the vehicle 100 and an area representing a region 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 correct answer label.

[0095] (D4) In 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 is not limited to these, and may also be various mobile bodies. "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). The vehicle may be a vehicle that travels on wheels, or a vehicle that travels on tracks, such as a two-wheeled vehicle, a four-wheeled vehicle, a tank, 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".

[0096] (D5) The vehicle 100 only needs to have a structure that can be moved by unmanned driving. For example, it can also be a form of a stand having the structure described below. Specifically, the vehicle 100 only needs to have a structure for performing the functions of "driving", "turning" and "stopping" by unmanned driving. That is, "the vehicle 100 that can be moved by unmanned driving" means that at least a part of the interior parts such as the driver's seat and the instrument panel may not be installed, at least a part of the exterior parts 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 installed on the vehicle 100 during the period until the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory, or the remaining parts such as the body shell may be installed on the vehicle 100 after the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory in a state where the remaining parts such as the body shell are not installed on the vehicle 100. Each component can be installed 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 can be installed from the same direction or from different directions. In addition, the position of the platform can also be determined in the same manner as the vehicle 100 in the first embodiment.

[0097] (D6) 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 a plurality of components that are aggregated according to the location 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 portion of the rack, a central module that constitutes the central portion of the rack, and a rear module that constitutes the rear portion of the rack. In addition, the number of modules that constitute the rack is not limited to 3, and may be 2 or less or 4 or more. In addition, in addition to the components that constitute the rack, components that constitute a portion of the vehicle 100 that is different from the rack may also be modularized, or components that constitute a portion of the vehicle 100 that is different from the rack may be modularized instead of the components that constitute the rack. In addition, the various modules may also include any exterior components such as a bumper or grille, and any interior components such as a seat or a console. 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 can 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 parts constituting the module into one part by casting. The molding method of integrally molding a part, especially a relatively large part, is also called one-piece casting (Giga-casting or Mega-casting). For example, the front module, the central module, and the rear module described above can also be manufactured using Giga-casting.

[0098] (D7) Some or all of the functions of the conveyor control unit 412 and the conveying position acquisition unit 414 implemented by the conveying control device 400 shown in the above embodiments may be implemented by the remote control device 300. That is, the conveying system 600 may be constituted by the remote control device 300 alone.

[0099] (D8) In the first embodiment, an example is shown in which the remote control device 300 performs the processing from obtaining the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 to generating the driving control signal. In contrast, at least a part of the processing from obtaining the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 to generating the driving control signal may be performed by the vehicle 100. For example, the following methods (1) to (3) may be used.

[0100] (1) The remote control device 300 can obtain the position and orientation of the vehicle 100, determine the target position to which the vehicle 100 should go next, and generate a path from the current position of the vehicle 100 represented by the obtained position 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 such a way 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 group 140.

[0101] (2) The remote control device 300 may also obtain the position and orientation of the vehicle 100, and transmit the obtained position and orientation 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 position to the target position, generate a travel control signal so that the vehicle 100 travels on the generated path, and control the actuator group 140 using the generated travel control signal.

[0102] (3) In the above-mentioned methods (1) to (2), the vehicle 100 may be equipped with an internal sensor, and the 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 driving control signal. The internal sensor may include, for example, a camera, a 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 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 driving control signal.

[0103] (D9) In the third embodiment, the vehicle 100 may be equipped with an internal sensor, and the 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.

[0104] (D10) In the second 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 the position and direction, determine the target position to which the vehicle 100 should go next, generate a path from the current position of the vehicle 100 represented by the obtained position and direction to the target position, generate a travel control signal for traveling on the generated path, and control the actuator group 140 using the generated travel control signal. 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 all be provided on the vehicle 100. That is, the processing such as the processing of detecting the overrunning of the wheel 166 from the conveying unit 510 shown in the present disclosure, which is implemented by the conveying system 600 and the remote control device 300 , may also be implemented by the vehicle 100 alone.

[0105] (D11) In the first embodiment described above, the remote control device 300 automatically generates a travel control signal to be sent to the vehicle 100. In contrast, the remote control device 300 may generate a travel control signal to be sent to the vehicle 100 in accordance with an operation of an operator located outside the vehicle 100. For example, the operator may operate an operating device including a display for displaying an 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 travel control signal corresponding to the operation applied to the operating device.

[0106] (D12) 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.

[0107] 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 vehicle detection device, comprising: A detection unit detects a situation in which at least one wheel of the vehicle protrudes from a conveying portion of a conveying device having a conveying portion capable of conveying the vehicle, using at least any one of status information indicating a status of the vehicle obtained from a detector provided on the vehicle capable of unmanned driving, an image of the vehicle, three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle, and position information of the vehicle, and outputs a detection result.

2. The vehicle detection device according to claim 1, further comprising: A command generating unit generates and outputs a control command for causing the protruding wheel to be in a state where it can idle with a force weaker than that before the protruding wheel is detected, when the protruding wheel is detected.

3. The vehicle detection device according to claim 2, wherein: The state in which the excess wheels are able to idle refers to at least any one of a state in which the excess wheels are able to idle by not transmitting power from the prime mover of the vehicle to the excess wheels, and a state in which the excess wheels are able to idle by weakening the braking force applied to the excess wheels compared to the braking force applied before the excess.

4. The vehicle detection device according to claim 2, wherein: A wheel identifying unit is provided, which uses the at least any one of the information to identify which wheel is out of the way, The command generation unit generates and outputs a control command for setting only the protruding wheel to a state capable of idling when the protruding wheel is detected.

5. The vehicle detection device according to claim 1, further comprising: A position estimating unit estimates the position of the vehicle using the vehicle information obtained by a vehicle detector that obtains at least one of the image of the vehicle and the three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle.

6. The vehicle detection device according to claim 5, further comprising: A command generating unit generates and outputs a control command for moving the vehicle toward the conveying unit using the position of the vehicle estimated by the position estimating unit when the wheel is detected to have exceeded the limit.

7. The vehicle detection device according to claim 1, further comprising: a wheel information acquisition unit that acquires wheel information indicating a state of the exceeding wheel using the acquired at least any one of the information; and The transport instruction unit outputs an instruction to stop transport by the transport device when the acquired state of the exceeding wheel satisfies a predetermined stop condition.

8. The vehicle detection device according to claim 7, wherein: The wheel information includes at least any one of information related to the orientation of the protruding wheel relative to the conveying direction of the vehicle conveyed by the conveying device, information related to the distance from the conveying unit to the protruding wheel, and information related to the height difference between the conveying unit and the protruding wheel.

9. The vehicle detection device according to claim 1, further comprising: A command generating unit generates and outputs a control signal for activating at least one of a light and a horn provided in the vehicle when the wheel is detected to be out of range.

10. A vehicle capable of unmanned driving, comprising: at least one wheel; and A command generating unit generates and outputs a control command for causing the wheel that has protruded beyond the conveying portion of a conveying device having a conveying portion capable of conveying the vehicle to be in a state where it can idle with a force weaker than that before the wheel protrudes beyond the conveying portion is detected.

11. A vehicle detection method, comprising: Acquiring at least one of status information indicating a status of the vehicle, an image of the vehicle, three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle, and position information of the vehicle obtained from a detector provided on the vehicle capable of unmanned driving; and Using the at least any one of the acquired information, it is detected that at least one wheel of the vehicle has protruded from a conveyance unit of a conveyance device having a conveyance unit capable of conveying the vehicle, and a detection result is output.

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