Control device, control method, and control program product

Abstract

A control device, a control method, and a control program product capable of flexibly performing movement control for moving a moving body to a warehouse-out position. Route information relating to a movement route when the host vehicle (V1) moves from the entry start position to the stop position is stored, and movement control for moving the host vehicle to the exit position (76) is performed on the basis of the outside identification data and the route information. When it is detected that the host vehicle is stopped at a first parking position (73) identical to the stop position indicated by the stop position data, a first generation process is performed for a garage exit path from the first parking position to the garage exit position, which is executed on the basis of the movement path data and the stop position data. When it is detected that the host vehicle is stopped at a second parking position (78) different from the parking position indicated by the parking position data, a second generation process is performed for a parking exit path (80) from the second parking position to the parking exit position, which is executed on the basis of the movement path data and the surrounding environment data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a control method and a control program product. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, efforts to provide sustainable transportation systems that take into account vulnerable individuals, particularly those in traffic, have intensified. To achieve this goal, research and development related to autonomous driving technology is being pursued to further improve transportation safety and convenience.

[0003] Conventionally, there is known a remote parking system that uses a smartphone to remotely operate a vehicle to park the vehicle in a designated parking space or to move the vehicle out of the parking space.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a parking assistance device that identifies landmark information representing a characteristic object at a location where the vehicle is to be parked based on sensing information from surrounding monitoring sensors. The device stores path information in advance in the form of a surrounding map, such as a home map including landmark information for automatic parking, as well as a parking path during automatic parking. The device uses the path information including the landmarks when estimating the vehicle's position.

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-184506 Summary of the Invention

[0008] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0009] However, conventional remote parking systems only store information about the movement path and surrounding environment of the vehicle's parking location. Therefore, if, for example, the vehicle is parked at a different parking location than the stored one, it is not possible to unpark the vehicle from that different parking location or call the vehicle. Patent Document 1 describes storing path information including landmark information as described above, but does not describe unparking or calling the vehicle from a parking location different from the stored one.

[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a control device, a control method, and a control program product that can flexibly control the movement of a movable body to a delivery position, thereby contributing to the development of a sustainable transportation system.

[0011] Solutions to Problems

[0012] The present invention is a control device for a mobile object, comprising:

[0013] An external recognition unit, configured to obtain external recognition data of the mobile object;

[0014] a storage unit configured to store path information related to a movement path of the mobile body when the mobile body moves from a storage start position to a stop position; and

[0015] a movement control unit for controlling the movement of the moving body to a storage exit position based on the external recognition data and the path information;

[0016] The path information includes path data indicating the movement path, stop position data indicating the stop position, and surrounding environment data indicating features of the surrounding environment of the movement path and the stop position obtained based on the external environment recognition data.

[0017] When the movement control unit detects that the moving body has stopped at a first stop position that is the same as the stop position indicated by the stop position data, the movement control unit performs a first generation process of a delivery path from the first stop position to the delivery position based on the path data and the stop position data.

[0018] When the movement control unit detects that the moving body stops at a second stop position different from the stop position indicated by the stop position data, the movement control unit performs a second generation process of a delivery route from the second stop position to the delivery position based on the route data and the surrounding environment data.

[0019] The present invention is a control method for a control device for a mobile object, wherein the control device includes: an external recognition unit for acquiring external recognition data of the mobile object; a storage unit for storing path information related to a movement path of the mobile object when moving from a storage start position to a stop position; and a movement control unit for performing movement control to move the mobile object to a storage exit position based on the external recognition data and the path information.

[0020] The path information includes path data indicating the movement path, stop position data indicating the stop position, and surrounding environment data indicating features of the surrounding environment of the movement path and the stop position obtained based on the external environment recognition data.

[0021] When the movement control unit detects that the moving body has stopped at a first stop position that is the same as the stop position indicated by the stop position data, the movement control unit performs a first generation process of a delivery path from the first stop position to the delivery position based on the path data and the stop position data.

[0022] The control method causes the movement control unit to perform the following processing:

[0023] When it is detected that the moving body has stopped at a second stop position different from the stop position indicated by the stop position data, a second generation process of a delivery route from the second stop position to the delivery position is performed based on the route data and the surrounding environment data.

[0024] The present invention is a control program product comprising a control program for a control device for a mobile object, wherein the control device comprises: an external recognition unit for acquiring external recognition data of the mobile object; a storage unit for storing path information related to a movement path of the mobile object when moving from a storage start position to a stop position; and a movement control unit for performing movement control to move the mobile object to a storage exit position based on the external recognition data and the path information.

[0025] The path information includes path data indicating the movement path, stop position data indicating the stop position, and surrounding environment data indicating features of the surrounding environment of the movement path and the stop position obtained based on the external environment recognition data.

[0026] The control program causes the movement control unit to execute the following processing:

[0027] When it is detected that the moving body has stopped at a first stop position that is the same as the stop position indicated by the stop position data, a first generation process of a delivery path from the first stop position to the delivery position is performed based on the path data and the stop position data.

[0028] When it is detected that the moving body has stopped at a second stop position different from the stop position indicated by the stop position data, a second generation process of a delivery route from the second stop position to the delivery position is performed based on the route data and the surrounding environment data.

[0029] Effects of the Invention

[0030] The present invention can provide a control device, a control method, and a control program product that can flexibly control the movement of a movable body to a storage delivery position. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 It is a side view showing an example of a vehicle 10 equipped with the control device of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A top view of vehicle 10 is shown.

[0033] Figure 3 Yes Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal structure of the vehicle 10 .

[0034] Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information terminal 60 owned by a user of the vehicle 10 .

[0035] Figure 5 This is a flowchart (part 1) showing movement control of the control ECU 20 when the vehicle 10 enters a garage.

[0036] Figure 6 This is a flowchart (part 2) showing the movement control of the control ECU 20 when the vehicle 10 enters a garage.

[0037] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing movement control of the control ECU 20 when the vehicle 10 leaves the garage.

[0038] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of a notification that a call can be made.

[0039] Figure 9 This is a diagram showing an example of a notification indicating that a call cannot be made.

[0040] Figure 10 This is a diagram showing an example of a remote delivery screen displayed on the information terminal 60 .

[0041] Figure 11 This is a diagram showing an example of a parking lot where users enter and exit their vehicles.

[0042] Figure 12 1 is a diagram showing an example of a user parking the host vehicle V1 in a parking space of a parking lot 70 .

[0043] Figure 13 1 is a diagram showing an example of a host vehicle V1 parked in a parking lot 70 by a user.

[0044] Figure 14 This is a diagram showing an example of updating the departure route of the host vehicle V1.

[0045] Figure 15 Yes Figure 13 1 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a call to the own vehicle V1 is completed.

[0046] Figure 16 This diagram shows an example in which the host vehicle V1 is parked in a parking space different from the previous parking space due to the driving of the user U1.

[0047] Figure 17 This is a diagram showing an example of generating a departure route for the host vehicle V1.

[0048] Figure 18 This is a diagram showing an example of a call when the host vehicle V1 is parked in a parking space different from the previous parking space.

[0049] Figure 19 Yes Figure 17 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of updating of the delivery route 80 shown.

[0050] Figure 20 Yes Figure 18 1 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a call to the own vehicle V1 is completed.

[0051] Figure 21 This is a flowchart showing a first modified example of the movement control of the control ECU 20 when the vehicle 10 enters a garage.

[0052] Figure 22 This is a diagram showing an example of receiving a notification that a call is possible and a call execution instruction.

[0053] Figure 23 This is a flowchart showing a second modified example of the movement control of the control ECU 20 when the vehicle 10 enters a garage.

[0054] Figure 24 This is a diagram showing an example of a notification urging the vehicle to park at another parking space.

[0055] Description of reference numerals:

[0056] 10 Vehicle (mobile object)

[0057] 20 Control ECU (control unit)

[0058] 54 Storage

[0059] 55 External Identification Department

[0060] 57 Mobile Control Department

[0061] 60 Information terminals. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the control device, control method, and control program of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings. In addition, the accompanying drawings are viewed along the directions of the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification, etc., in order to make the description simple and clear, the directions of front and back, left and right, and up and down are as follows: Figure 1 and Figure 2 The directions are described based on the direction viewed from the driver of the illustrated vehicle 10. In the drawings, the front of the vehicle 10 is represented as Fr, the rear as Rr, the left as L, the right as R, the top as U, and the bottom as D.

[0063] <Vehicle 10 Equipped with Control Device of the Present Invention>

[0064] Figure 1 1 is a side view showing an example of a vehicle 10 equipped with the control device of the present invention. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a top view of a vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 is an example of a "mobile object" in the present invention.

[0065] The vehicle 10 is an automobile having a drive source (not shown) and wheels including drive wheels driven by the power of the drive source and steerable wheels. In the present embodiment, the vehicle 10 is a four-wheeled automobile having a pair of left and right front wheels and a pair of left and right rear wheels. The drive source of the vehicle 10 is, for example, an electric motor. Alternatively, the drive source of the vehicle 10 may be an internal combustion engine such as a gasoline engine or a diesel engine, or a combination of an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. Furthermore, the drive source of the vehicle 10 may drive a pair of left and right front wheels, a pair of left and right rear wheels, or four wheels comprising a pair of left and right front wheels and a pair of left and right rear wheels. The front wheels and the rear wheels may both be steerable wheels, or either one may be a steerable wheel.

[0066] The vehicle 10 also includes side mirrors 11L and 11R. These mirrors are located outside the front doors of the vehicle 10 and are used by the driver to check the rear and side areas (rearview mirrors). Each mirror 11L and 11R is fixed to the main body of the vehicle 10 via a vertically extending rotation axis and can be opened and closed by rotating about the rotation axis.

[0067] The vehicle 10 also includes a front camera 12Fr, a rear camera 12Rr, a left camera 12L, and a right camera 12R. The front camera 12Fr is an imaging device (e.g., a digital camera) installed in front of the vehicle 10 and captures images of the front of the vehicle 10. The rear camera 12Rr is a digital camera installed in the rear of the vehicle 10 and captures images of the rear of the vehicle 10. The left camera 12L is a digital camera installed in the left rearview mirror 11L of the vehicle 10 and captures images of the left side of the vehicle 10. The right camera 12R is a digital camera installed in the right rearview mirror 11R of the vehicle 10 and captures images of the right side of the vehicle 10.

[0068] <Internal Structure of Vehicle 10>

[0069] Figure 3 Yes Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal structure of the vehicle 10. Figure 3As shown, the vehicle 10 includes a sensor group 16 , a navigation device 18 , an electronic control unit (ECU) 20 , an EPS (Electric Power Steering) system 22 , and a communication unit 24 . The vehicle 10 also includes a driving force control system 26 and a braking force control system 28 .

[0070] The sensor group 16 acquires various detection values ​​used to control the ECU 20. The sensor group 16 includes a front camera 12Fr, a rear camera 12Rr, a left camera 12L, and a right camera 12R. Furthermore, the sensor group 16 includes a front sonar group 32a, a rear sonar group 32b, a left sonar group 32c, and a right sonar group 32d. Furthermore, the sensor group 16 includes wheel sensors 34a and 34b, a vehicle speed sensor 36, and an operation detection unit 38.

[0071] The front camera 12Fr, rear camera 12Rr, left camera 12L, and right camera 12R capture images of the vehicle 10's surroundings, thereby acquiring external world recognition data (e.g., peripheral images) used to identify the outside world of the vehicle 10. The images of the vehicle 10's surroundings captured by the front camera 12Fr, rear camera 12Rr, left camera 12L, and right camera 12R are referred to as the front image, rear image, left image, and right image, respectively. An image composed of the left and right images may also be referred to as a side image. An image of the vehicle 10 and its surroundings, generated by synthesizing the images captured by the front camera 12Fr, rear camera 12Rr, left camera 12L, and right camera 12R, is referred to as a bird's-eye view image of the vehicle 10.

[0072] The front sonar group 32a, rear sonar group 32b, left sonar group 32c, and right sonar group 32d transmit sound waves around the vehicle 10 and receive reflected sound from other objects. The front sonar group 32a, for example, includes four sonars. The sonars that make up the front sonar group 32a are located at the diagonally front left, front left, front right, and diagonally front right of the vehicle 10. The rear sonar group 32b, for example, includes four sonars. The sonars that make up the rear sonar group 32b are located at the diagonally rear left, rear left, rear right, and diagonally rear right of the vehicle 10. The left sonar group 32c, for example, includes two sonars. The sonars that make up the left sonar group 32c are located at the front and rear left sides of the vehicle 10. The right sonar group 32d, for example, includes two sonars. The sonars that make up the right sonar group 32d are located at the front and rear right sides of the vehicle 10.

[0073] Wheel sensors 34a and 34b detect the rotation angles of the wheels of vehicle 10. Wheel sensors 34a and 34b can be configured as angle sensors or displacement sensors. Wheel sensors 34a and 34b output detection pulses each time the wheels rotate a predetermined angle. The detection pulses output from wheel sensors 34a and 34b are used to calculate the wheel rotation angles and wheel rotation speeds. Based on the wheel rotation angles, the travel distance of vehicle 10 is calculated. For example, wheel sensor 34a detects the rotation angle θa of the left rear wheel. Wheel sensor 34b detects the rotation angle θb of the right rear wheel.

[0074] The vehicle speed sensor 36 detects the speed of the vehicle 10, that is, the vehicle speed V, and outputs the detected vehicle speed V to the control ECU 20. The vehicle speed sensor 36 detects the vehicle speed V based on, for example, the rotation of the counter shaft of the transmission.

[0075] The operation detection unit 38 detects the content of a user's operation performed using the operation input unit 14 and outputs the detected content of the operation to the control ECU 20. The operation input unit 14 includes various user interfaces such as a side mirror switch for switching the open and closed states of the side mirrors 11L and 11R and a shift lever (selector).

[0076] The navigation device 18 detects the current location of the vehicle 10 using, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) and guides the user on a route to their destination. The navigation device 18 includes a storage device (not shown) that contains a map information database. The navigation device 18 also includes a touch panel 42 and a speaker 44. The touch panel 42 functions as an input device and a display device for the control ECU 20. The speaker 44 outputs various guidance information to the user of the vehicle 10 via voice.

[0077] The touch panel 42 is configured to input various commands to the control ECU 20. For example, the user can input commands related to vehicle 10 maneuvering assistance via the touch panel 42. Maneuvering assistance includes parking assistance and exit assistance for the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the touch panel 42 is configured to display various screens related to the control contents of the control ECU 20. For example, screens related to vehicle 10 maneuvering assistance are displayed on the touch panel 42. Specifically, the touch panel 42 displays a parking assistance button for requesting parking assistance for the vehicle 10 and an exit assistance button for requesting exit assistance. The parking assistance buttons include a remote parking button for requesting parking assistance based on the automatic steering of the control ECU 20 and an assisted parking button for requesting parking assistance via user operation. The exit assistance buttons include a remote exit button for requesting exit assistance based on the automatic steering of the control ECU 20 and an assisted exit button for requesting exit assistance via user operation. Alternatively, components other than the touch panel 42, such as information terminals such as smartphones and tablets, may be used as input devices or display devices.

[0078] Furthermore, "parking" is synonymous with "parking." For example, "parking" refers to stopping for passengers to board or exit the vehicle, and does not include temporary stops at traffic signals, etc. Furthermore, a "parking position" refers to a position where a moving object (vehicle 10) is stopped, i.e., a parking position.

[0079] The control ECU 20 includes an input / output unit 50, a computing unit 52, and a storage unit 54. The computing unit 52 is comprised of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The computing unit 52 controls various components based on programs stored in the storage unit 54, thereby performing various controls. Furthermore, the computing unit 52 inputs and outputs signals to and from various components connected to the control ECU 20 via the input / output unit 50. The control ECU 20 is an example of a "control device" according to the present invention.

[0080] In addition, the storage unit 54 stores information related to the remote movement of the vehicle 10. The storage unit 54 stores, for example, path information related to the movement path of the vehicle 10 when it moves from the parking start position to the stop position. The stop position refers to the parking position of the vehicle 10, hereinafter referred to as the parking position. Moving to the parking position refers to moving to the parking position by the user's driving (which may also be driving with movement assistance). The parking start position refers to the position of the vehicle 10 at the moment the user starts parking, and includes, for example, the position of the vehicle 10 when the user presses the parking assist button to activate the parking assist function, the position of the vehicle 10 when the vehicle 10 enters the specified parking area, and the position of the vehicle 10 when it arrives at the vicinity of the destination indicated by the navigation device 18. The path information includes path data representing the movement path, parking position data representing the parking position, and surrounding environment data representing the characteristics of the surrounding environment of the movement path and the parking position obtained based on the external recognition data.

[0081] The calculation unit 52 includes an outside recognition unit 55 that recognizes an outside recognition image of the vehicle 10 , a movement control unit 57 that performs control related to remote movement of the vehicle 10 , and a notification unit 59 that notifies movement information of the vehicle 10 .

[0082] The outside world recognition unit 55 acquires outside world recognition data indicating recognition results of the outside of the vehicle 10 captured by the front camera 12Fr, the rear camera 12Rr, the left camera 12L, and the right camera 12R from each camera.

[0083] The movement control unit 57 performs remote parking assistance and remote exit assistance for the vehicle 10 using automatic steering. This automatic steering automatically operates the steering device 110 under the control of the movement control unit 57. During remote parking assistance and remote exit assistance, the accelerator pedal (not shown), brake pedal (not shown), and operation input unit 14 are automatically operated. Furthermore, the movement control unit 57 performs assisted parking assistance and assisted exit assistance when the user (driver) operates the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, and operation input unit 14 to manually park or exit the vehicle 10. During remote parking assistance and remote exit assistance, the user can be either seated in the vehicle 10 or outside (not seated).

[0084] For example, the movement control unit 57 performs movement control to move the vehicle 10 based on the external recognition data of the vehicle 10 acquired by the front camera 12Fr, rear camera 12Rr, left camera 12L, and right camera 12R, and a specified parking space designated by the user. Movement control includes parking control, which remotely parks the vehicle 10 in a specified parking space (parking position), and unloading control, which remotely unloads the vehicle 10 from a parking space to a specified target location (unloading position). The movement control unit 57 can perform parking control and unloading control based on instruction signals input via the input / output unit 50. These input instruction signals include instruction signals transmitted via wireless communication from an information terminal, etc., which can be carried by the user of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the movement control unit 57 can transmit information related to parking control and unloading control to the information terminal, etc., via the input / output unit 50. Movement control involves moving the vehicle 10 based on instructions from an information terminal, etc., carried by the user of the vehicle 10.

[0085] Specifically, the movement control unit 57 controls the movement of the vehicle 10 to the exit location based on external recognition data acquired by a camera or the like and the path information stored in the storage unit 54. The exit location is the target location of the call, and can be, for example, the same location as the entry start location or a location different from the entry start location. A location different from the entry start location can also be, for example, the entrance or exit of a facility used by the user.

[0086] When the movement control unit 57 detects that the vehicle 10 has stopped at the same first parking position as the parking position data indicated by the path information, it performs a first process for generating a removal route from the first parking position to the removal position based on the path data and the parking position data of the path information. Furthermore, when the movement control unit 57 detects that the vehicle 10 has stopped at a second parking position different from the parking position indicated by the path information, it performs a second process for generating a removal route from the second parking position to the removal position based on the path data and the surrounding environment data of the path information. The term "same first parking position" does not strictly mean stopping at the same position; for example, it may mean stopping within the same parking space. Detecting that the vehicle 10 has stopped refers to, for example, detecting that the vehicle 10 has stopped at the parking position due to the user's driving, or detecting that the user intends to park and the parking position can be estimated. "Based on parking position data" means that the parking position data is primarily used. Surrounding environment data may also be used as a supplement. "Based on surrounding environment data" means that the surrounding environment data is primarily used.

[0087] In the second generation process, when the vehicle 10 is detected to have stopped at a second parking position different from the parking position indicated by the parking position data, the movement control unit 57 estimates the position of the vehicle 10 by estimating its own position based on surrounding environment data acquired by a camera, etc., and generates an exit path from the estimated position of the vehicle 10 to the exit position, merging with the path corresponding to the movement path indicated by the path data. The path corresponding to the movement path is a path that is the opposite of the movement path taken by the user during parking. Estimating the own position involves comparing the feature points (surrounding environment data) detected in the current external recognition data with the feature points (surrounding environment data) of the registered parking position to identify the current relative position of the vehicle 10 relative to the registered parking position.

[0088] The movement control unit 57 determines whether the vehicle 10 has stopped at the first parking position based on a comparison between the movement path of the vehicle 10 represented by the path data stored in the storage unit 54 and the current movement path of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the movement control unit 57 determines whether the vehicle 10 has stopped at the first parking position based on a comparison between the parking position data stored in the storage unit 54 and the current parking position of the vehicle 10.

[0089] When a delivery route to the delivery position is generated by the first generation process or the second generation process, the movement control unit 57 controls the movement of the vehicle 10 based on the delivery route.

[0090] When vehicle 10 is stopped at a parking position, movement control unit 57 performs the first generation process or the second generation process. When a removal route to the removal position is generated by the first generation process or the second generation process, movement control unit 57 notifies the user of vehicle 10 via notification unit 59 that movement control can be performed to move vehicle 10 from the current parking position to the removal position (the called target position), and stores the generated removal route in storage unit 54. Vehicle 10 being stopped refers to, for example, when vehicle 10 is stopped at a parking position by the user, or when it is detected that the user intends to park and the parking position can be estimated.

[0091] When a call is received from a user and the movement control unit 57 is controlling the movement of the vehicle 10 based on the outbound route stored in the storage unit 54, the movement control unit 57 updates the outbound route based on the current external recognition data acquired by a camera, etc., and controls the movement of the vehicle 10 based on the updated outbound route. If there is no significant change in the external recognition data, the data is not updated.

[0092] After notifying the user of vehicle 10 that movement control of vehicle 10 based on the outbound path is possible, movement control unit 57 stores the outbound path in storage unit 54 upon receiving an instruction from the user to execute movement control based on the outbound path. Receiving the instruction from the user may be, for example, via navigation device 18 of vehicle 10 or via the user's information terminal. Movement control unit 57 controls movement of vehicle 10 based on the outbound path based on the instruction from the user of vehicle 10. If no instruction is received from the user, the outbound path is not stored and movement control based on the outbound path is not executed.

[0093] When the movement control unit 57 detects that the vehicle 10 has stopped at the second parking position and the second generation process fails to generate a removal route to the removal position, the notification unit 59 issues a notification urging the vehicle 10 to stop at the first parking position.

[0094] For example, if the parking position where the user has parked vehicle 10 is a position where vehicle 10 can be moved to the exit position by movement control unit 57, notification unit 59 notifies the user of vehicle 10 of this fact. This notification can be made, for example, using navigation device 18 of vehicle 10 or by sending a message to the user's information terminal. Furthermore, if a second generation process of movement control unit 57 fails to generate an exit path to the exit position, notification unit 59 can also notify the user that movement control based on the exit path is not possible at the parking position where vehicle 10 is currently parked.

[0095] The EPS system 22 includes a steering angle sensor 100 , a torque sensor 102 , an EPS motor 104 , a resolver 106 , and an EPS ECU 108 . The steering angle sensor 100 detects a steering angle θst of a steering device 110 . The torque sensor 102 detects a torque TQ applied to the steering device 110 .

[0096] The EPS motor 104 applies a driving force or a reaction force to a steering column 112 connected to the steering system 110, thereby assisting the occupant in steering the vehicle 110 and performing automatic steering for parking assistance. The resolver 106 detects the rotation angle θm of the EPS motor 104. The EPS ECU 108 is responsible for overall control of the EPS system 22. The EPS ECU 108 includes an input / output unit (not shown), a computing unit (not shown), and a storage unit (not shown).

[0097] The communication unit 24 is capable of wireless communication with other communication devices 120. Other communication devices 120 include base stations, communication devices in other vehicles, and information terminals 60 such as smartphones and tablet computers that can be carried by users of the vehicle 10. For example, the communication unit 24 includes a UWB (Ultra Wide Band) interface that enables UWB communication with the information terminal 60.

[0098] The driving force control system 26 includes a driving ECU 130 . The driving force control system 26 controls the driving force of the vehicle 10 . The driving ECU 130 controls the driving force of the vehicle 10 by controlling an engine (not shown) and the like based on user operation of an accelerator pedal (not shown).

[0099] The braking force control system 28 includes a brake ECU 132. The braking force control system 28 controls the braking force of the vehicle 10. The brake ECU 132 controls the braking force of the vehicle 10 by controlling a brake mechanism (not shown) and the like based on user operation of a brake pedal (not shown).

[0100] <Hardware Configuration of User's Information Terminal 60>

[0101] Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information terminal 60 owned by a user of the vehicle 10. The information terminal 60 includes a processor 61, a memory 62, a communication interface 63, and a user interface 64. The processor 61, the memory 62, the communication interface 63, and the user interface 64 are connected via a bus 65, for example.

[0102] The processor 61 is a circuit that performs signal processing, and is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) responsible for overall control of the information terminal 60. Alternatively, the processor 61 may be implemented using other digital circuits, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Furthermore, the processor 61 may be implemented by combining multiple digital circuits.

[0103] The memory 62 includes, for example, a main memory and an auxiliary memory. The main memory is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory). The main memory is used as a work area for the processor 61 .

[0104] The auxiliary memory is a non-volatile memory such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or a flash memory. Various programs for operating the information terminal 60 are stored in the auxiliary memory. The programs stored in the auxiliary memory are loaded into the main memory and executed by the processor 61.

[0105] Furthermore, the auxiliary memory may include a portable memory that is detachable from the information terminal 60. Portable memories include USB (Universal Serial Bus) flash drives, memory cards such as SD (Secure Digital) memory cards, and external hard disk drives.

[0106] The communication interface 63 is a communication interface for wireless communication with the outside of the information terminal 60 (eg, the communication unit 24 of the vehicle 10 ). For example, the communication interface 63 includes a UWB interface for UWB communication with the vehicle 10 . The communication interface 63 is controlled by the processor 61 .

[0107] The user interface 64 includes, for example, an input device for receiving user input and an output device for outputting information to the user. The input device can be implemented, for example, by a touch panel. The output device can be implemented, for example, by a display, a speaker, etc. The user interface 64 is controlled by the processor 61.

[0108] Processor 61 controls the movement of vehicle 10. For example, processor 61 controls the movement of vehicle 10 (including parking and unloading) based on specific user operations on the terminal screen of information terminal 60. Specific operations include, for example, tap operations for instructing parking and unloading (calling) of vehicle 10, and slide operations for moving vehicle 10. Slide operations include continuous position indication operations (e.g., swipe operations), rotation indication operations in a specified rotation direction (e.g., rotational swipe operations), and the like. Processor 61 also controls the generation of a guidance image that prompts the user to perform instructional operations on the terminal screen of information terminal 60, and displays the generated guidance image on the terminal screen.

[0109] Processor 61 transmits a parking instruction for remote parking of vehicle 10 and a remote unloading instruction for remote unloading of vehicle 10 to vehicle 10 based on a specific operation performed on the terminal screen of information terminal 60. Information terminal 60 is installed with an application that can control the movement of vehicle 10 (remote parking, remote unloading) by transmitting and receiving information related to the movement control of vehicle 10 to and from vehicle 10.

[0110] <Control Example of Control ECU 20>

[0111] Next, refer to Figures 5 to 7 Next, the movement control of the control ECU 20 when the vehicle 10 enters or leaves the garage will be described. Figure 5 This is a flowchart (part 1) showing movement control of the control ECU 20 when the vehicle 10 enters a garage.

[0112] First, the control ECU 20 determines whether the user has started parking the vehicle 10 (step S11). Parking of the vehicle 10 by the user can be determined to have started, for example, by the user pressing a parking assist button to activate the parking assist function, by the vehicle 10 entering a designated parking area, or by the vehicle 10 reaching the vicinity of a destination indicated by the navigation device 18. The following describes a case where the user presses the parking assist button after the vehicle 10 arrives at a parking lot at a shopping mall.

[0113] If the user has not started parking vehicle 10 in step S11 (step S11: No), control ECU 20 repeats the determination process of step S11. If the user has started parking vehicle 10 in step S11 (step S11: Yes), control ECU 20 begins acquiring path data representing the path the user took when moving vehicle 10 to the parking position, and surrounding environment data representing the characteristics of the movement path of vehicle 10 and the surrounding environment of the parking position (step S12).

[0114] Next, the control ECU 20 determines whether there is parking location data surrounding the parking lot where the user currently intends to park the vehicle 10 (step S13). The surrounding parking location data may, for example, refer to parking location data for the same parking lot as the current parking lot. In other words, this data indicates whether the user has previously used the parking lot. Alternatively, the surrounding parking location data may include parking location data that is close to the current parking location of the vehicle 10, parking location data at the same destination as the current parking lot, or parking location data in the same region.

[0115] If, in step S13, there is no surrounding parking position data (step S13: No), control ECU 20 determines whether the user's parking of vehicle 10, which was started in step S11, is complete (step S14). The absence of surrounding parking position data may be, for example, when the parking lot at the shopping mall is visited for the first time.

[0116] If the user has not completed parking of vehicle 10 in step S14 (step S14: No), control ECU 20 repeats the determination process of step S14 until it is completed. If the user has completed parking of vehicle 10 in step S14 (step S14: Yes), control ECU 20 acquires parking position data indicating the current parking position of vehicle 10 based on the external recognition data (step S15).

[0117] Next, the control ECU 20 stores the route data and the surrounding environment data acquired in step S12 and the parking position data acquired in step S15 in the storage unit 54 (step S16 ).

[0118] Next, the control ECU 20 performs processing for generating a delivery route from the current parking position of the vehicle 10 to the delivery position to which the vehicle 10 is called, based on the route data and parking position data stored in step S16 (step S17 ).

[0119] Next, the control ECU 20 notifies the user that the current parking position of the vehicle 10 is a parking position where the vehicle 10 can be called to the exit position (step S18). The notification can be made using the navigation device 18 or by sending information to the user's information terminal 60. Figure 8 Describe the notification.

[0120] Next, the control ECU 20 stores the delivery route to the delivery position generated in step S17 in the storage unit 54 (step S19 ).

[0121] Furthermore, in the above processing, the control ECU 20 is described as starting to acquire route data and surrounding environment data upon the user's initiation of parking. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control ECU 20 may also be constantly acquiring route data and surrounding environment data in advance, and upon completion of parking, store only the route data and surrounding environment data acquired immediately before the completion of parking.

[0122] On the other hand, in step S13, if there is peripheral parking position data (step S13: Yes), the control ECU 20 enters Figure 6 The processing shown. Figure 6 This is a flowchart (part 2) showing the movement control of the control ECU 20 when the vehicle 10 enters a garage.

[0123] The control ECU 20 determines whether the user's parking of the vehicle 10 started in step S11 is complete (step S21 ). The determination in step S21 may be, for example, whether it is detected that the user intends to park the vehicle 10 and the parking position is estimated.

[0124] If the user has not completed parking of vehicle 10 in step S21 (step S21: No), control ECU 20 repeats the determination process of step S21 until it is completed. If the user has completed parking of vehicle 10 in step S21 (step S21: Yes), control ECU 20 determines whether the parking position in which the user has parked vehicle 10 is the same as the parking position in the surrounding parking position data determined to exist in step S13 (step S22). In other words, control ECU 20 determines whether the user intends to park vehicle 10 in the parking lot of a shopping mall they have visited at the same parking position as the last time they visited the mall.

[0125] In step S22, if the parking position is the same as the parking position data (step S22: YES), the control ECU 20 performs a first generation process (step S23) to generate a departure path from the parking position to the departure position based on the path data acquired in step S12 and the surrounding parking position data determined to exist in step S13. Furthermore, the control ECU 20 may also acquire surrounding environment data for the current parking situation and perform the first generation process taking that surrounding environment into account. Furthermore, if stored data for a previous departure path is available, that path may be used.

[0126] On the other hand, if the parking position is not the same as the parking position data in step S22 (step S22: No), the control ECU 20 performs a second generation process (step S24) to generate a removal path from the parking position to the removal position based on the path data and surrounding environment data acquired in step S12. Specifically, the current parking position is estimated based on the feature points in the surrounding environment data, and a removal path is generated from the parking position to the removal position that converges with a path that is opposite to the path indicated by the path data during entry. Furthermore, the control ECU 20 may also store the path data, parking position data, and surrounding environment data for the current parking situation in the storage unit 54.

[0127] Next, the control ECU 20 determines whether or not a delivery route to the delivery position can be generated in the process of step S23 or step S24 (step S25 ).

[0128] In step S25, if the outbound path is generated (step S25: Yes), the control ECU 20 notifies the user that the current parking position where the vehicle 10 is parked is a parking position where the vehicle 10 can be called to the outbound position (step S26). Figure 8 Describe the notification.

[0129] Next, the control ECU 20 stores the delivery route to the delivery position generated in step S23 or step S24 in the storage unit 54 (step S27 ).

[0130] On the other hand, in step S25, if the outbound path cannot be generated (step S25: No), the control ECU 20 notifies the user that the current parking position where the vehicle 10 is parked is a parking position where the vehicle 10 cannot be called to the outbound position (step S28). Figure 9 If the delivery route cannot be generated, the process ends without saving the delivery route.

[0131] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing movement control of the control ECU 20 when the vehicle 10 leaves the garage.

[0132] The control ECU 20 determines whether there is a call from the user's vehicle 10 (step S31 ). The call from the user is, for example, a call based on a specific operation of the user on the information terminal 60 , and is the reception of a call (departure) instruction signal from the information terminal 60 .

[0133] If there is no user call in step S31 (step S31: No), control ECU 20 repeats the determination process of step S31. If there is a user call in step S31 (step S31: Yes), control ECU 20 determines whether the unloading path from the parking position of vehicle 10 to the unloading position corresponding to the call instruction signal from information terminal 60 has been stored in storage unit 54 (step S32).

[0134] In step S32 , if the delivery route is stored (step S32 : Yes), the control ECU 20 updates the delivery route to the delivery position of the vehicle 10 based on the current surrounding environment based on the outside world recognition data (step S33 ).

[0135] Next, the control ECU 20 controls the movement of the vehicle 10 to the departure location where the call from the user exists, based on the departure route updated in step S33 (step S34 ).

[0136] On the other hand, in step S32, if the outbound route is not saved (step S32: No), the control ECU 20 notifies the user that the call to the vehicle 10 cannot be made (step S35). Figure 9 Describe the notification.

[0137] <Notification screen>

[0138] Next, notification of whether or not the vehicle 10 can be called will be described.

[0139] Figure 8 : is a diagram showing an example of a notification that can be called. Figure 8 As shown, the notification that the call function is available is displayed on, for example, the touch panel 42 of the navigation device 18. On the touch panel 42, a message 42a is displayed to inform the user that the parking position where the vehicle 10 is parked is a position where the vehicle 10 can be called to the outbound position when leaving the garage, for example, "The call function can be used when leaving the garage.". The message 42a is displayed, for example, on the touch panel 42. Figure 5 Step S18 and Figure 6 In this example, the message 42a is displayed on the navigation device 18, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the message 42a may be displayed on the user's information terminal 60.

[0140] Figure 9 : is a diagram showing an example of a notification that a call cannot be made. Figure 9 As shown, the notification that the call cannot be made is displayed on the touch panel 42 of the navigation device 18, for example. On the touch panel 42, a message 42b is displayed to inform the user that the parking position where the vehicle 10 is parked is a position where the vehicle 10 cannot be called to the exit position when leaving the garage, for example, "The call function cannot be used when leaving the garage.". The message 42b is displayed, for example, on the touch panel 42. Figure 6 Step S28 and Figure 7 In addition, as the message notified in step S35. Figure 7 The message notified in step S35 may be displayed as, for example, "Since the outbound data is not saved, the call function cannot be used." In addition, in this example, the case where the message 42b is displayed on the navigation device 18 is described, but this is not limited to this, and for example, it may be displayed on the user's information terminal 60.

[0141] Remote delivery operation

[0142] Next, the operation of calling the vehicle 10 to the delivery position will be described. Figure 10 1 is a diagram showing an example of a remote delivery screen displayed on the information terminal 60. Figure 10 As shown, if the application for remote outbound transportation of the vehicle 10 installed on the information terminal 60 is started, a remote outbound transportation screen 64a that allows calling the vehicle 10 is displayed on the information terminal 60. On the remote outbound transportation screen 64a, for example, a message such as "Do you want to call the vehicle?" is displayed, and a "Call" button 65a and a "Don't Call" button 65b for selecting whether to call are displayed. When the "Call" button 65a is pressed, Figure 7 The answer to the question “Is there a call from the user?” in step S31 is “Yes”.

[0143] <Entering and exiting the parking lot>

[0144] Next, refer to Figures 11 to 20 , the entry and exit of the vehicle based on the movement control of the control ECU 20 will be described. Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of a parking lot where a user enters and exits a vehicle. Figure 11 As shown, a user driving a host vehicle V1 arrives at a parking lot 70 at a shopping mall. Several other vehicles V2 are parked in the parking lot 70. Furthermore, a pedestrian M (an obstacle) is walking in the parking lot 70. The user wants to park the host vehicle V1 in a parking space in the parking lot 70.

[0145] Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of parking the vehicle V1 in a parking space of the parking lot 70 by the user. Figure 12The position of the vehicle V1 shown is that the parking assist button is pressed to activate the parking assist function. The position at the time of pressing the parking assist button is the parking start position 71 of the vehicle V1, for example Figure 5 The user moves the vehicle V1 along the movement path 72 indicated by the solid arrow, and parks the vehicle V1 in the parking lot 70, for example, at the first parking position 73.

[0146] At this time, the control ECU 20 obtains the path data, parking position data and surrounding environment data when the vehicle 10 moves from the warehousing start position 71 to the first parking position 73. The path data is the data of the moving path 72. The parking position data is the data of the first parking position 73. The surrounding environment data is the data representing the characteristics of the surrounding environment 74 of the moving path 72 and the first parking position 73. The characteristics of the surrounding environment 74 in this example include the parking area (the range surrounded by the dotted line) located around the moving path 72 and the first parking position 73, the vacant parking spaces and parked spaces in the parking area, the presence or absence of obstacles and their positions, etc. In addition, the moving path 72 is a path that bends in the area where the pedestrian M is located in order to avoid the pedestrian M. These processes are equivalent to, for example, Figure 5 The processing of step S12 and step S15.

[0147] Figure 13 1 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle V1 parked in a parking lot 70 by a user. Figure 13 As shown, user U1 starts the remote outbound application in the information terminal 60 and performs a specific operation to call the vehicle V1. Figure 12 As described in the previous section, after parking the vehicle V1 at the first parking position 73, for example, after finishing shopping at a shopping mall, the user U1 calls the vehicle V1. In this example, the calling position of the user U1 is near the storage start position 71, but it is not limited to this position. In addition, the surrounding environment data at the time of the call is compared with the surrounding environment data at the time of the call. Figure 12 Compared with the surrounding environment data of the vehicle V1 when it is parked as described in the above, the pedestrian M in the parking lot 70 disappears. Figure 7 The moment when the determination of “Is there a call from the user?” in step S31 is “Yes”.

[0148] Figure 14 : is a diagram showing an example of updating the outbound route of the vehicle V1. Figure 13As described in , when there is a call to the vehicle V1, the control ECU 20 determines whether the outbound path from the parking position 75 of the vehicle V1 to the called outbound position 76 corresponding to the call instruction signal from the user U1 (information terminal 60) has been stored in the storage unit 54. In this case, the parking position 75 of the vehicle V1 is the same as the outbound path 76 in the example. Figure 12 The first parking position 73 of the middle parking is the same, so the outbound path to the outbound position 76 is saved. When the control ECU 20 determines that the corresponding outbound path is saved, it obtains the current external identification data and determines whether there is a significant difference between the obtained current external identification data and the external identification data used in the generation of the saved outbound path. The significant difference between the two external identification data is, for example, the difference that affects the optimal outbound path. As an example, the presence or absence of a significant difference between the two external identification data is determined based on whether there are obstacles around the current outbound path 77. However, the method for determining whether there is a significant difference between the two external identification data is not limited to this, and it can be determined by various methods. For example, it can also be determined that there is a significant difference between the two external identification data when the sum of the difference (absolute value) between the two external identification data exceeds a threshold. When the control ECU 20 determines that there is a significant difference, it generates an outbound path 77 from the parking position 75 to the outbound position 76 based on the surrounding environment based on the current external identification data, and updates the outbound path stored in the storage unit 54 to the outbound path 77. As Figure 14 The updated outbound path 77 is the same as that in Figure 12 Compared with the outbound route generated when the vehicle is entering the warehouse, since there is no pedestrian M in the middle of the outbound route, it becomes a correspondingly changed (non-curved, straight) outbound route.

[0149] In this example, the outbound position 76 of the vehicle V1 called by the user U1 is around the entry start position 71, but it can also be a different position. In the case of different positions, the common path portion of the outbound path is the same as the path portion of the vehicle V1. Figure 14 The delivery route 77 shown is the same, and the different route portion becomes the delivery route generated based on the current external recognition data and is updated.

[0150] Figure 15 Yes Figure 13 FIG is an example of a state in which a call to the vehicle V1 is completed. Figure 15 As shown, the vehicle V1, for example, follows Figure 14 The outbound path 77 generated in the process moves to the outbound location 76 called by user U1.

[0151] Figure 16This diagram shows an example of user U1 parking his vehicle V1 in a different parking space than the previous one. For example, assume that user U1 visits the same shopping mall later and parks his vehicle V1 in a parking space in parking lot 70 that is different from the previous first parking position 73.

[0152] Figure 17 : is a diagram showing an example of generating a delivery route for the vehicle V1. Figure 17 As shown, it is assumed that the parking space where the user U1 parks the vehicle V1 is the second parking space 78 of the parking lot 70. This second parking space 78 is a different parking space from the first parking space 73 of the parking lot 70 where the vehicle V1 was parked the last time the user U1 visited the same shopping mall, but it is assumed that the second parking space 78 is a parking space in the same surrounding environment 74 as the last time.

[0153] In this case, the parking position data of the vehicle V1 when it is parked in the first parking position 73 of the parking lot 70 is stored as the previous parking position data. Furthermore, the second parking position 78 of this time is different from the first parking position 73 of the stored parking position data. Therefore, the control ECU 20 estimates the current parking position (the second parking position 78) based on the feature points of the surrounding environment data, and generates a movement path 72 (refer to the previous path data) from the second parking position 78 to the exit position 76 toward the parking entry. Figure 12 ) The reverse moving path 79 (dashed arrow) merges with the outbound path 80 (solid arrow). These processes are equivalent to, for example, Figure 5 Steps S13 to Figure 6 The processing of steps S21, S22, and S24.

[0154] Figure 18 : is a diagram showing an example of a call when the vehicle V1 is parked in a parking space different from the previous one. Figure 18 As shown, the user U1 parks the vehicle V1 at the second parking position 78 (see Figure 17 ), for example, after finishing shopping at a shopping mall, at the storage start position 71 (refer to Figure 12 ) is near the vehicle V1. In addition, the time of the operation of the call is, for example, Figure 7 The moment when the determination of “Is there a call from the user?” in step S31 is “Yes”.

[0155] Figure 19 Yes Figure 17 An example of updating the outbound route 80 is shown in FIG. Figure 18As described in , when there is a call to the host vehicle V1, the control ECU 20 determines whether the outbound path from the second parking position 78 of the host vehicle V1 to the called outbound position 76 corresponding to the call instruction signal from the user U1 (information terminal 60) has been stored in the storage unit 54. In this case, the outbound path from the second parking position 78 is stored in Figure 17 The control ECU 20 obtains the current external identification data and determines whether there is a significant difference between the obtained current external identification data and the external identification data used in the generation of the stored outbound path. If the control ECU 20 determines that there is a significant difference, it generates an outbound path 81 from the second parking position 78 to the outbound position 76 based on the surrounding environment based on the current external identification data, and updates the outbound path stored in the storage unit 54 to the outbound path 81. Figure 19 The updated outbound path 81 is shown as Figure 17 Compared with the outbound path 80, since there is no obstacle in the middle of the outbound path, it becomes a straight outbound path 81 without bending.

[0156] Figure 20 Yes Figure 18 FIG is an example of a state in which a call of the vehicle V1 is completed. Figure 20 As shown, the vehicle V1, for example, follows Figure 19 The outbound path 81 generated in the process moves to the outbound location 76 called by the user U1.

[0157] As described above, in the present embodiment, when the user U1 previously parked the host vehicle V1 (vehicle 10) at the first parking position 73 of the parking lot 70 and is currently parked at the same first parking position 73, the control ECU 20 performs a first process for generating a departure route 77 from the first parking position 73 to the departure position 76 based on the first parking position 73 and the movement path 72 of the host vehicle V1 the previous time the host vehicle V1 was parked at the first parking position 73. On the other hand, when the host vehicle V1 is currently parked at a second parking position 78 different from the first parking position 73, the control ECU 20 performs a second process for generating a departure route 81 from the second parking position 78 to the departure position 76 based on the surrounding environment data of the second parking position 78 and the movement path 72 of the host vehicle V1 the previous time the host vehicle V1 was parked at the first parking position 73. Therefore, even when the vehicle V1 is parked at a position different from the last time, it is not necessary to store the path information related to the movement path during parking each time. The last movement path can be used to generate an outbound path to the outbound position, so the movement control of the vehicle V1 from the outbound position can be flexibly performed.

[0158] Furthermore, when parking the host vehicle V1 at a second parking position 78 different from the previous first parking position 73, the control ECU 20 estimates the second parking position 78 in relation to the first parking position 73 based on the surrounding environment data of the host vehicle V1 at the current second parking position 78. The control ECU 20 then generates an exit path 80 from the estimated second parking position 78 to the exit position 76, merging with a movement path 79 that is the opposite direction of the movement path 72 used during the previous parking entry. Consequently, the control ECU 20 can flexibly control the exit of the host vehicle V1 to the exit position 76 using the previous movement path 72.

[0159] Furthermore, when parking the host vehicle V1 at one of its parking positions (first parking position 73, second parking position 78), the control ECU 20 performs processing (first generation processing, second generation processing) to generate a route from the parking position to the exit position 76. If a call to the exit position 76 is possible for the host vehicle V1, the control ECU 20 notifies the user U1 of this fact while the vehicle V1 is parked. This allows the user U1 to know whether a call to the exit position 76 of the host vehicle V1 is possible at the moment the vehicle V1 is parked, thereby improving the usability of calling the exit position 76 of the host vehicle V1.

[0160] <First Modification of Control by Control ECU 20>

[0161] Figure 21 This is a flowchart showing a first modified example of the movement control of the control ECU 20 when the vehicle 10 enters the garage. Figure 5 and Figure 6 The flow chart of the movement control described in Figure 6 The processing after step S21 is as follows. Figure 21 As shown, the processing of steps S21 to S25 and the processing of step S28 are the same as Figure 6 The respective processes of steps S21 to S25 of the movement control described in are the same as the process of step S28.

[0162] If the outbound route is generated in step S25 (step S25: Yes), the control ECU 20 notifies the user that the current parking position where the vehicle 10 is parked is a parking position where the vehicle 10 can be called to the outbound position, and receives a call execution instruction from the user for executing the movement control of the vehicle 10 based on the generated outbound route (step S26). Figure 22 To be discussed later.

[0163] Next, the control ECU 20 determines whether a call execution instruction is issued by the user (step S41 ).

[0164] If a call execution instruction has been issued in step S41 (step S41: Yes), the control ECU 20 saves the unloading route to the unloading location generated in step S23 or step S24 in the storage unit 54 (step S27) and then terminates this process. On the other hand, if a call execution instruction has not been issued in step S41 (step S41: No), the control ECU 20 does not save the unloading route and terminates this process. Therefore, if no call execution instruction has been issued from the user, movement control based on the unloading route generated in step S23 or step S24 is not executed.

[0165] <Notification and Receiving Screen>

[0166] Figure 22 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of receiving a notification that a call is possible and a call execution instruction. Figure 22 As shown, the notification that a call can be made and the reception of a call execution instruction are displayed on the touch panel 42 of the navigation device 18, for example. A message 42c is displayed on the touch panel 42, which is used to inform that the parking position where the vehicle 10 is parked is a position where the vehicle 10 can be called to the outbound position when leaving the warehouse, for example, "The call function can be used when leaving the warehouse." It is also used to inform instructions for receiving a call, for example, "Do you want to use the call function?". In addition, a "Use" button 42d and a "Do not use" button 42e for receiving a call instruction are displayed on the touch panel 42. The message 42c is displayed, for example, Figure 21 In addition, whether Figure 21 The call execution instruction in step S41 is determined by whether the "use" button 42d is pressed. In addition, the message 42c and the buttons 42d and 42e can also be displayed on the user's information terminal 60, for example.

[0167] In the first modified example, when the control ECU 20 notifies the user that movement control based on the unloading path from the parking position of the vehicle 10 to the unloading position is possible, the control ECU 20 receives from the user whether to execute the movement control. If there is an instruction to execute the movement control, the control ECU 20 stores the generated unloading path in the storage unit 54. Therefore, if there is no instruction to execute the movement control from the user, the unloading path is not stored and movement control based on the unloading path is not executed, thereby enabling efficient processing of path information related to the unloading path.

[0168] <Second Modification of Control by Control ECU 20>

[0169] Figure 23 This is a flowchart showing a second modified example of the movement control of the control ECU 20 when the vehicle 10 enters the garage. Figure 5 and Figure 6 The flow chart of the movement control described in Figure 6 The processing after step S21 is as follows. Figure 23 As shown, the processing of steps S21 to S28 is the same as Figure 6 The processes of steps S21 to S28 of the movement control described in are the same.

[0170] After notifying in step S28 that the call to the vehicle 10 cannot be made, the control ECU 20 determines whether the generation of the delivery route based on the second generation process that could not be generated in step S25 is the one that cannot be generated (step S51 ).

[0171] In step S51, when the generation of the delivery route is based on the second generation process (step S51: Yes), the control ECU 20 urges the vehicle 10 to move to the delivery route in step S13 (see step S51). Figure 5 ) is judged to exist in the surrounding parking position data parking notification (step S52). Figure 24 On the other hand, in step S51 , if the generation of the delivery route is not based on the second generation process (step S51 : No), the control ECU 20 ends this process.

[0172] <Notification screen>

[0173] Figure 24 FIG is a diagram showing an example of a notification urging the vehicle to park at another parking position. Figure 24 As shown, the notification prompting the driver to park at another parking location is displayed on the touch panel 42 of the navigation device 18. A message 42f is displayed on the touch panel 42 to inform the driver that if the parking location of the vehicle 10 is changed, a call to the exit location can be made, for example, "If you park at the location where you parked on 0 / 0 / 20, you can use the call function when exiting the garage. Please consider changing the parking location." This message 42f is displayed on the touch panel 42, for example. Figure 23 In this case, the location of the changed parking position (for example, the first parking position 73 where the vehicle was parked last time) may be guided by displaying a map or the like. In addition, the message 42f may be displayed on the user's information terminal 60, for example.

[0174] In the second modified example, when the parking position where the vehicle 10 is parked is a position where the vehicle 10 cannot be moved to the unloaded position by movement control, the control ECU 20 issues a notification urging the user to change the parking position to a position where the vehicle 10 can be moved to the unloaded position by movement control. This allows the user who wishes to call the vehicle 10 to the unloaded position to know where to park the vehicle 10, thereby improving the usability of calling the vehicle 10 to the unloaded position.

[0175] In addition, the control method described in the aforementioned embodiment can be implemented by executing a pre-prepared control program by a computer. This control program is recorded in a computer-readable storage medium and is executed by reading it from the storage medium. In addition, this control program can be provided in the form of a non-temporary storage medium such as a flash memory, or can be provided via a network such as the Internet. The computer that executes this control program can be included in a control device, or in an electronic device such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, or personal computer that can communicate with the control device, or in a server device that can communicate with these control devices and electronic devices.

[0176] As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, and it can make deformation|transformation, improvement, etc. as needed.

[0177] In the above embodiments, the mobile object is described as a vehicle (a four-wheeled automobile), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a two-wheeled vehicle, a Segway, or the like may also be used. Furthermore, the concept of the present invention is not limited to vehicles and can also be applied to robots, ships, aircraft, and the like that have a drive source and can be moved by the power of the drive source.

[0178] In addition, at least the following matters are described in this specification: Although corresponding components and the like in the above-mentioned embodiment are shown in brackets, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0179] (1) A control device (control ECU 20) for a mobile object (vehicle 10) includes:

[0180] an external recognition unit (external recognition unit 55 ), configured to obtain external recognition data of the mobile object;

[0181] A storage unit (storage unit 54 ) configured to store path information related to a movement path of the mobile body when the mobile body moves from the storage start position to the stop position; and

[0182] A movement control unit (movement control unit 57) is used to control the movement of the moving body to the outbound position based on the external recognition data and the path information.

[0183] The path information includes path data indicating the movement path, stop position data indicating the stop position, and surrounding environment data indicating features of the surrounding environment of the movement path and the stop position obtained based on the external environment recognition data.

[0184] When the movement control unit detects that the moving body has stopped at a first stop position that is the same as the stop position indicated by the stop position data, the movement control unit performs a first generation process of a delivery path from the first stop position to the delivery position based on the path data and the stop position data.

[0185] When the movement control unit detects that the moving body stops at a second stop position different from the stop position indicated by the stop position data, the movement control unit performs a second generation process of a delivery route from the second stop position to the delivery position based on the route data and the surrounding environment data.

[0186] According to (1), when the mobile body stops at the same first stop position as the stop position when the mobile body last moved from the storage start position to the stop position, a first generation process of the outbound path to the outbound position is performed based on the first stop position and the last movement path. When the mobile body stops at a second stop position different from the last stop position, a second generation process of the outbound path to the outbound position is performed based on the surrounding environment data of the stop position and the last movement path. Therefore, even when the mobile body stops at a position different from the last stop position, it is not necessary to store the path information related to the movement path at the time of the stop each time the mobile body stops. The outbound path to the outbound position can be generated using the last movement path, so that the movement control of the mobile body to the outbound position can be flexibly performed.

[0187] (2) The control device according to (1), wherein:

[0188] In the second generation process when the movement control unit detects that the moving body stops at the second stop position, the movement control unit generates the outbound path that merges from the position of the moving body estimated by estimating its own position based on the surrounding environment data to the path corresponding to the moving path represented by the path data.

[0189] According to (2), when the mobile body stops at a second stop position different from the previous stop position, the second stop position is estimated based on the surrounding environment data, and an outbound path is generated from the estimated second stop position to the outbound position, merging with the path corresponding to the previous movement path. Therefore, movement control can be flexibly performed to move the mobile body to the outbound position using the previous movement path.

[0190] (3) The control device according to (1) or (2), wherein:

[0191] The movement control unit determines whether the stop of the moving object is a stop at the first stop position based on a comparison between the movement path indicated by the path data and the movement path of the moving object.

[0192] According to (3), the moving path when the moving body was stopped last time is compared with the moving path of the moving body this time, and it is determined whether the stopping position of the moving body is the same first stopping position as the last stopping position, thereby accurately detecting the stopping position of the moving body.

[0193] (4) The control device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein:

[0194] The movement control unit determines whether the stop of the moving body is at the first stop position based on a comparison between the stop position indicated by the stop position data and the stop position of the moving body.

[0195] According to (4), the stopping position of the moving body when it was stopped last time is compared with the stopping position of the moving body this time, and it is determined whether the stopping position of the moving body is the same first stopping position as the stopping position last time, thereby accurately detecting the stopping position of the moving body.

[0196] (5) The control device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein:

[0197] The movement control unit performs the movement control based on the delivery route when the delivery route is generated by the first generation process or the second generation process.

[0198] According to (5), based on the delivery route generated in the first generation process or the second generation process, the movable body can be accurately moved to the delivery position by movement control.

[0199] (6) The control device according to (5), wherein:

[0200] The movement control unit performs the first generation process or the second generation process when the moving body stops.

[0201] When the delivery route is generated by the first generation process or the second generation process, the movement control unit notifies a user of the movable body that the movement control based on the delivery route is possible, and stores the delivery route.

[0202] According to (6), the process of generating a delivery route is performed when the moving body stops, and when a call to the delivery position is possible, the user is notified of this fact, thereby improving the usability related to the call to the delivery position of the moving body.

[0203] (7) The control device according to (6), wherein:

[0204] When performing the movement control based on the delivery route, the movement control unit updates the delivery route based on the outside world identification data and performs the movement control based on the updated delivery route.

[0205] According to (7), when there is a call for the mobile body, the movement of the mobile body is controlled based on the delivery route updated based on the external identification data at the time of the call, so that the movement control can be performed more accurately and flexibly.

[0206] (8) The control device according to (6) or (7), wherein:

[0207] After notifying a user of the mobile object that the movement control based on the delivery route is possible, the movement control unit saves the delivery route when receiving an instruction from the user to execute the movement control based on the delivery route.

[0208] According to (8), when an instruction to execute the shipment of the mobile body is received from the user, the generated shipment route is saved, thereby making it possible to efficiently process the route information related to the shipment route.

[0209] (9) The control device according to any one of (5) to (8), wherein:

[0210] The movement control unit performs the movement control based on the delivery route based on an instruction from a user of the moving object.

[0211] According to (9), the movable body can be appropriately moved to the delivery position based on an instruction from the user.

[0212] (10) The control device according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein:

[0213] The movement control unit issues a notification urging the moving body to stop at the first stop position when detecting that the moving body has stopped at the second stop position and the delivery route cannot be generated by the second generation process.

[0214] According to (10), when the movable body is stopped at a second stop position different from the last stop position and the stop position is a position where the movable body cannot be moved to the outbound position by movement control, the availability related to calling the movable body to the outbound position can be further improved by urging the movable body to move to the first stop position where it can be moved to the outbound position.

[0215] (11) The control device according to any one of (1) to (10), wherein:

[0216] The movement control is performed based on an instruction from an information terminal held by a user of the moving object.

[0217] According to (11), the outbound movement of the mobile body can be instructed from the user's information terminal, and thus the usability associated with calling the mobile body to the outbound position can be improved.

[0218] (12) A control method executed by a control device for a mobile object, wherein:

[0219] The control device includes: an external recognition unit for acquiring external recognition data of the mobile body; a storage unit for storing path information related to a movement path of the mobile body when moving from a storage start position to a stop position; and a movement control unit for performing movement control to move the mobile body to a storage exit position based on the external recognition data and the path information.

[0220] The path information includes path data indicating the movement path, stop position data indicating the stop position, and surrounding environment data indicating features of the surrounding environment of the movement path and the stop position obtained based on the external environment recognition data.

[0221] The control method causes the movement control unit to perform the following processing:

[0222] When it is detected that the moving body has stopped at a first stop position that is the same as the stop position indicated by the stop position data, a first generation process of a delivery path from the first stop position to the delivery position is performed based on the path data and the stop position data.

[0223] When it is detected that the moving body has stopped at a second stop position different from the stop position indicated by the stop position data, a second generation process of a delivery route from the second stop position to the delivery position is performed based on the route data and the surrounding environment data.

[0224] According to (12), when the mobile body stops at the same first stop position as the stop position when the mobile body last moved from the storage start position to the stop position, a first generation process of the outbound path to the outbound position is performed based on the first stop position and the last movement path. When the mobile body stops at a second stop position different from the last stop position, a second generation process of the outbound path to the outbound position is performed based on the surrounding environment data of the stop position and the last movement path. Therefore, even when the mobile body stops at a position different from the last stop position, it is not necessary to store the path information related to the movement path at the time of the stop each time the mobile body stops. The outbound path to the outbound position can be generated using the last movement path, so that the movement control of the mobile body to the outbound position can be flexibly performed.

[0225] (13) A control program product comprising a control program executed by a control device of a mobile body, wherein:

[0226] The control device includes: an external recognition unit for acquiring external recognition data of the mobile body; a storage unit for storing path information related to a movement path of the mobile body when moving from a storage start position to a stop position; and a movement control unit for performing movement control to move the mobile body to a storage exit position based on the external recognition data and the path information.

[0227] The path information includes path data indicating the movement path, stop position data indicating the stop position, and surrounding environment data indicating features of the surrounding environment of the movement path and the stop position obtained based on the external environment recognition data.

[0228] The control program causes the movement control unit to execute the following processing:

[0229] When it is detected that the moving body has stopped at a first stop position that is the same as the stop position indicated by the stop position data, a first generation process of a delivery path from the first stop position to the delivery position is performed based on the path data and the stop position data.

[0230] When it is detected that the moving body has stopped at a second stop position different from the stop position indicated by the stop position data, a second generation process of a delivery route from the second stop position to the delivery position is performed based on the route data and the surrounding environment data.

[0231] According to (13), when the mobile body stops at the same first stop position as the stop position when the mobile body last moved from the storage start position to the stop position, a first generation process of the outbound path to the outbound position is performed based on the first stop position and the last movement path. When the mobile body stops at a second stop position different from the last stop position, a second generation process of the outbound path to the outbound position is performed based on the surrounding environment data of the stop position and the last movement path. Therefore, even when the mobile body stops at a position different from the last stop position, it is not necessary to store the path information related to the movement path at the time of the stop each time the mobile body stops. The outbound path to the outbound position can be generated using the last movement path, so that the movement control of the mobile body to the outbound position can be flexibly performed.

Claims

1. A control device, which is a control device for a mobile body, wherein: The control device comprises: An external recognition unit, configured to obtain external recognition data of the mobile object; a storage unit configured to store path information related to a movement path of the mobile body when the mobile body moves from a storage start position to a stop position; and a movement control unit for controlling the movement of the moving body to a storage exit position based on the external recognition data and the path information; The path information includes path data indicating the movement path, stop position data indicating the stop position, and surrounding environment data indicating features of the surrounding environment of the movement path and the stop position obtained based on the external environment recognition data. When the movement control unit detects that the moving body has stopped at a first stop position that is the same as the stop position indicated by the stop position data, the movement control unit performs a first generation process of a delivery path from the first stop position to the delivery position based on the path data and the stop position data. When the movement control unit detects that the moving body stops at a second stop position different from the stop position indicated by the stop position data, the movement control unit performs a second generation process of a delivery route from the second stop position to the delivery position based on the route data and the surrounding environment data.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: In the second generation process when the movement control unit detects that the moving body stops at the second stop position, the movement control unit generates the outbound path that merges from the position of the moving body estimated by estimating its own position based on the surrounding environment data to the path corresponding to the moving path represented by the path data.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The movement control unit determines whether the stop of the moving object is a stop at the first stop position based on a comparison between the movement path indicated by the path data and the movement path of the moving object.

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The movement control unit determines whether the stop of the moving body is at the first stop position based on a comparison between the stop position indicated by the stop position data and the stop position of the moving body.

5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The movement control unit performs the movement control based on the delivery route when the delivery route is generated by the first generation process or the second generation process.

6. The control device according to claim 5, wherein: The movement control unit performs the first generation process or the second generation process when the moving body stops. When the delivery route is generated by the first generation process or the second generation process, the movement control unit notifies a user of the movable body that the movement control based on the delivery route is possible, and stores the delivery route.

7. The control device according to claim 6, wherein: When performing the movement control based on the delivery route, the movement control unit updates the delivery route based on the outside world identification data and performs the movement control based on the updated delivery route.

8. The control device according to claim 6, wherein: After notifying a user of the mobile object that the movement control based on the delivery route is possible, the movement control unit saves the delivery route when receiving an instruction from the user to execute the movement control based on the delivery route.

9. The control device according to claim 5, wherein: The movement control unit performs the movement control based on the delivery route based on an instruction from a user of the moving object.

10. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The movement control unit issues a notification urging the moving body to stop at the first stop position when detecting that the moving body has stopped at the second stop position and the delivery route cannot be generated by the second generation process.

11. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The movement control is performed based on an instruction from an information terminal held by a user of the moving object.

12. A control method, which is a control method performed by a control device of a mobile object, wherein: The control device includes: an external recognition unit for acquiring external recognition data of the mobile body; a storage unit for storing path information related to a movement path of the mobile body when moving from a storage start position to a stop position; and a movement control unit for performing movement control to move the mobile body to a storage exit position based on the external recognition data and the path information. The path information includes path data indicating the movement path, stop position data indicating the stop position, and surrounding environment data indicating features of the surrounding environment of the movement path and the stop position obtained based on the external environment recognition data. The control method causes the movement control unit to perform the following processing: When it is detected that the moving body has stopped at a first stop position that is the same as the stop position indicated by the stop position data, a first generation process of a delivery path from the first stop position to the delivery position is performed based on the path data and the stop position data. When it is detected that the moving body has stopped at a second stop position different from the stop position indicated by the stop position data, a second generation process of a delivery route from the second stop position to the delivery position is performed based on the route data and the surrounding environment data.

13. A control program product comprising a control program executed by a control device of a mobile object, wherein: The control device includes: an external recognition unit for acquiring external recognition data of the mobile body; a storage unit for storing path information related to a movement path of the mobile body when moving from a storage start position to a stop position; and a movement control unit for performing movement control to move the mobile body to a storage exit position based on the external recognition data and the path information. The path information includes path data indicating the movement path, stop position data indicating the stop position, and surrounding environment data indicating features of the surrounding environment of the movement path and the stop position obtained based on the external environment recognition data. The control program causes the movement control unit to execute the following processing: When it is detected that the moving body has stopped at a first stop position that is the same as the stop position indicated by the stop position data, a first generation process of a delivery path from the first stop position to the delivery position is performed based on the path data and the stop position data. When it is detected that the moving body has stopped at a second stop position different from the stop position indicated by the stop position data, a second generation process of a delivery route from the second stop position to the delivery position is performed based on the route data and the surrounding environment data.

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