Guiding a mobile body

Abstract

This invention provides a guiding mobile body. It improves the practicality of guiding mobile bodies for electronically traction vehicles. In a guiding mobile body 10 capable of autonomous movement on lane 40 and maneuvering a vehicle as a following vehicle 20 via wireless communication to follow itself, width-direction position change control is performed, altering the position (PlmC, PlmL, PlmR, PfvC, PfvL) of at least one of the guiding mobile body and the maneuvering following vehicle in the width direction of the lane. This width-direction position change is meaningful in situations where it might obstruct the movement of oncoming vehicles, following vehicles attempting to overtake, or other vehicles.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a guide moving body for electronic traction of vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] Conventional remote control devices, such as those disclosed in Patent Document 1, are known. These devices are mounted on an autonomously moving guide vehicle and provide remote operation to guide the vehicle, which acts as a follower, along the path traversed by the guide vehicle. In other words, the guide vehicle has the function of wirelessly manipulating the vehicle to follow it.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 7424535 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The remote control device mounted on the guiding mobile body, in addition to having the function of remotely controlling following vehicles to move in tandem with the guiding mobile body (i.e., electronic traction), also has other functions, thereby improving the practicality of the guiding mobile body. In view of the above, the object of the present invention is to provide a highly practical guiding mobile body.

[0007] To address the aforementioned problems, the guiding mobile body of the present invention can move autonomously within a lane and can control vehicles as following vehicles via wireless communication to follow itself.

[0008] The guiding mobile body is configured to perform width-direction position change control, which changes the position of at least one of the following vehicles in the lane width direction.

[0009] The guide mobile body of the present invention is configured to perform the above-described width direction position change control, for example, in the presence of oncoming vehicles, vehicles attempting to overtake the guide mobile body, and at least one of the following vehicles, i.e., in the case where there is a possibility of obstructing other vehicles from traveling in the lane, appropriate handling can be performed.

[0010] "Guiding moving bodies" is not limited to vehicles, but can be applied to various moving bodies such as drones. "Lane" can be considered as the road division for guiding moving bodies, following vehicles, and other vehicles. This road can consist of only one lane, or it can have multiple lanes such as opposing lanes and parallel lanes.

[0011] "Width-direction position change control" can be control that changes only the position of the guide moving body, or only the position of the following vehicle, or both. Additionally, width-direction position change control can also be control that changes the relative positions of these guide moving bodies and following vehicles.

[0012] As described above, width-direction position change control can also be performed when at least one of the guiding moving body and the following vehicle is likely to obstruct other vehicles such as oncoming vehicles or following vehicles from traveling in the lane. Specifically, for example, it can be performed when there is a following vehicle attempting to overtake the guiding moving body or both the guiding moving body and the following vehicle.

[0013] Width-direction position change control can also be performed, for example, by changing the position of at least one of the guiding moving body and the following vehicle from the center of the lane, which is the standard position, to a position closer to the edge of the lane.

[0014] Width-direction position change control can also be performed based on the detection of lane edges. "Lane edges" can be identified, for example, by lane marking lines (white lines, etc.) or curb stones on road shoulders. Lane edge recognition is meaningful when the width-direction position is determined based on the lane edges. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the electronic traction of a following vehicle based on a guide moving body in this embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional diagram used to illustrate the guiding movement of the object.

[0017] Figure 3 This is the main view used to illustrate the guiding moving object.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a top view used to illustrate the guiding moving object.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a side view used to illustrate the guiding moving body.

[0020] Figure 6 This diagram illustrates the various devices mounted on the guiding mobile body.

[0021] Figure 7 It is a block diagram used to illustrate the functional structure of a remote control device.

[0022] Figure 8 It is a block diagram used to illustrate the functional structure of the driving control device.

[0023] Figure 9It is a diagram showing the width direction of the lane in which the guiding moving body and the following vehicle travel.

[0024] Figure 10 It is a diagram showing the width direction position of a separate lane for guiding moving objects.

[0025] Figure 11 It is a diagram showing the width of the guide vehicle's position in the lane it follows when it may obstruct the movement of other vehicles.

[0026] Figure 12 This is a flowchart of the width-direction position change procedure executed in the guiding moving body. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Hereinafter, the guide mobile body according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition to the embodiments described below, the guide mobile body of the present disclosure can also be implemented in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0028] [A] Structure of the guiding moving body

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the guide mobile body 10 is configured to be capable of autonomous driving (autonomous movement) and to electronically pull a following vehicle 20 (a "following vehicle") to its destination by means of maintaining a specific positional relationship through remote operation via wireless communication. Here, the guide mobile body 10 can be exemplified by a vehicle traveling on a road, a drone, or other flying object in the air. In this embodiment, the case where the guide mobile body 10 is a vehicle will be described.

[0030] like Figure 2 , 3 As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the guide vehicle 10 of this embodiment includes a pair of left and right drive wheels 11 and driven wheels 12 for autonomous driving. The left and right drive wheels 11 are each driven independently by a pair of left and right driving electric motors (not shown), which are powered by a battery (not shown) mounted on the vehicle body of the guide vehicle 10. Therefore, for example, by applying a difference in rotational speed (left and right driving force difference) to the left and right drive wheels 11, the guide vehicle 10 can rotate about a rotation axis in the vertical direction. Thus, even without a separate steering device to turn the left and right drive wheels 11 about a steering axis, the guide vehicle 10 can perform left and right turns, direction changes, and rotations (including in-situ turning) while autonomously driving. In the following description, left and right turns, direction changes, and rotations are sometimes collectively referred to as "left and right turns, etc."

[0031] In the guided mobile body 10, the drive wheels 11 (more specifically, the driving electric motor) can be controlled by the automatic driving control unit 116 of the remote control device 100 (see below). Figure 7 The regenerative control executed generates regenerative braking force. Thus, the guided moving body 10 can stop by the regenerative braking force.

[0032] Additionally, friction braking devices (drum brakes or disc brakes, not shown in the diagram) are assembled on each drive wheel 11. Therefore, in the stationary guide vehicle 10, the friction braking devices also function as parking brakes by generating braking force due to friction. Furthermore, as friction braking devices, there are, for example, so-called electric brakes that use an electric motor to press the brake shoes against the drum or the brake pads against the disc.

[0033] Driven wheel 12 is positioned rearward of drive wheel 11 in the longitudinal direction of guide body 10. In this embodiment, driven wheel 12 is in the form of a free caster and is configured to have a rotation axis extending vertically in approximately the central portion of the guide body 10 in the vehicle width direction (lateral direction). Thus, driven wheel 12 can freely rotate around the rotation axis in the direction of travel accompanying the left and right turns, for example, when the guide body 10 is moving while turning left or right due to the difference in rotational speed (driving force difference) of drive wheel 11, thereby freely turning.

[0034] like Figure 6 As shown, the guide vehicle 10 includes a self-propelled detector 13, a position detector 14, and a vehicle detector 15 housed in the upper part 10U of the vehicle. When the guide vehicle 10 travels autonomously, the self-propelled detector 13 detects the relative positional relationship between the guide vehicle 10 and objects such as obstacles (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "detection objects") present in the direction of travel; specifically, it detects the relative distance.

[0035] Therefore, in this embodiment, the detector 13 includes a ranging device such as a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) 13A and a camera 13B. The LiDAR 13A acquires three-dimensional point group data showing the three-dimensional position of a point group representing the detected object with high precision. The camera 13B can be, for example, a stereo camera, a monocular camera, or an RGBD camera (depth camera), and acquires image data indicating the presence direction, size, etc., of the detected object. Alternatively, a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor can be used instead of the LiDAR 13A and the camera 13B.

[0036] The detector 13 automatically outputs the acquired data, namely the 3D point cluster data and the camera data, to the remote control device 100, which will be described later. Then, as described later, the remote control device 100 uses the acquired 3D point cluster data and camera data to simultaneously perform self-position estimation and environment map creation (SLAM) for guiding the autonomous movement of the mobile body 10.

[0037] The position detector 14, for example, has a Global Position Generation System (GNSS) receiver, which detects the position of the guided mobile body 10 based on the received signal. In this embodiment, two position detectors 14 are arranged on the upper part of the vehicle body 10U at left and right positions in the vehicle width direction, that is, at the positions on the left and right sides of the upper part of the vehicle body 10U, forming a left-right pair. In addition, regarding the number of position detectors 14, only one can be arranged on the upper part of the vehicle body 10U, or more than three can be arranged on the upper part of the vehicle body 10U.

[0038] Furthermore, the guide vehicle 10 is configured to include a vehicle detector 15 to detect following vehicles 20. The vehicle detector 15 is a device for measuring various data used to infer the relative position (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "relative position") of the following vehicle 20 relative to the guide vehicle 10. Here, the relative position includes the relative orientation and posture (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "relative posture") of the following vehicle 20 relative to the guide vehicle 10.

[0039] In the vehicle detector 15, a LiDAR is installed as a main structural component. The LiDAR measures three-dimensional point group data of the following vehicle 20, which is electronically traction-guided by the guide moving body 10. Here, in the remote control device 100, which will be described later, for example, only the relative position of the following vehicle 20 detected by the vehicle detector 15 (i.e., the LiDAR) can be acquired. Based on the intermittently acquired relative position, the changes of the following vehicle 20 over time can be understood, thereby inferring the relative posture and driving direction of the following vehicle 20.

[0040] Furthermore, the guiding mobile body 10 includes a remote control device 100, which functions as a controller, for remotely operating the following vehicle 20. The remote control device 100 performs driving control remotely, enabling the following vehicle 20 to maintain a specific positional relationship relative to the guiding mobile body 10.

[0041] [B] Structure and basic functions of remote control devices

[0042] like Figure 7As shown, the remote control device 100 includes a CPU 110, a storage device 120, an interface circuit 130, and a remote communication device 140. The CPU 110, storage device 120, and interface circuit 130 are connected via an internal bus in a bidirectional communication manner. The remote communication device 140 communicates wirelessly with the following vehicle 20 via a network or the like.

[0043] To implement at least a portion of the functions provided in this embodiment, the CPU 110 executes a computer program stored in the storage device 120. Furthermore, the CPU 110 executes this computer program, such as... Figure 7 As shown, it functions as a remote control unit 111, a point group data acquisition unit 112, a position determination unit 113, a relative position estimation unit 114, a SLAM unit 115, an automatic driving control unit 116, and a special control unit 117. However, some or all of these functions may also be constituted by hardware circuitry.

[0044] The remote control unit 111 maintains a specific positional relationship between the following vehicle 20 and the guide mobile body 10, and follows the guide mobile body 10. That is, it generates control commands for remote control in a manner that makes the guide mobile body 10 appear to be pulling the following vehicle 20 with a rope, and sends the control commands to the following vehicle 20 via wireless communication. Here, the state in which the following vehicle 20 appears to be pulled with a rope, based on the control commands sent wirelessly by the remote control unit 111 of the remote control device 100 mounted on the guide mobile body 10 using the remote communication device 140, is "electronic traction".

[0045] Furthermore, the remote control unit 111 can generate control commands, for example, including commands for driving force or braking force and steering angle. Alternatively, the remote controller 111 can generate control commands including the position and orientation of the following vehicle 20, as well as the future driving route. Thus, as described below, the following vehicle 20 follows the guide vehicle 10 by receiving control commands for remote control.

[0046] The dot group data acquisition unit 112 acquires the three-dimensional dot group data (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "vehicle dot group data VP") measured by the vehicle detector 15. The position determination unit 113 determines the starting position for matching the vehicle dot group data VP with the three-dimensional dot group data around the guide vehicle 10 acquired by the LiDAR 13A of the traffic detector 13. From the viewpoint of completing template matching early, the starting position for starting matching is preferably at the position of the following vehicle 20 of the detected object in the three-dimensional dot group data or at a position next to the following vehicle 20.

[0047] Here, the vehicle point group data VP functions as a template point group for inferring at least one of the position and orientation (posture) of the following vehicle 20. The vehicle point group data VP can include information for determining the orientation (posture) of the following vehicle 20. Thus, the position determination unit 113 and the relative position estimation unit 114 can infer the position and orientation (posture) of the following vehicle 20 in the surrounding three-dimensional point group data with high accuracy by using template matching of the vehicle point group data VP.

[0048] In this embodiment, the position determination unit 113 uses information related to the position of the following vehicle 20 in the three-dimensional point group data (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "position-related information") to determine the starting position for template matching. Here, the position-related information is data used to infer the position of the following vehicle 20 in the three-dimensional point group data and / or the position near the following vehicle 20. In addition, in order to speed up the template matching process, the position-related information is preferably a small amount of data or data obtained through simple processing, such as GNSS signals.

[0049] The relative position estimation unit 114 estimates the relative position, which includes the relative orientation (posture) or relative posture of the following vehicle 20 relative to the guiding mobile body 10 in the acquired three-dimensional point group data. Here, examples of relative position include: the relative distance between the following vehicle 20 and the guiding mobile body 10 in the direction of travel, the offset of the following vehicle 20 from the guiding mobile body 10 in the vehicle width direction, and the relative rotation posture (right turn or left turn posture) of the following vehicle 20 relative to the guiding mobile body 10, based on the position and posture of the guiding mobile body 10.

[0050] In this embodiment, the relative position estimation unit 114 estimates the relative position of the following unit 20 in the three-dimensional point group data by performing template matching on the three-dimensional point group data using vehicle point group data VP. Regarding the template matching of the vehicle point group data VP with the three-dimensional point group data performed by the position determination unit 113 and the relative position estimation unit 114, for example, known algorithms such as the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm and the Normal Distribution Transform (NDT) algorithm can be used.

[0051] The SLAM unit 115 performs SLAM using data (camera data, 3D point group data) detected by the autonomous detector 13 to generate a map used by the guided mobile body 10 during autonomous driving. The autonomous driving control unit 116 controls the operation of actuators 150, such as the drive motors for driving the drive wheels 11 mounted on the guided mobile body 10 and the electric motors constituting the friction braking device, thereby enabling the guided mobile body 10 to drive autonomously. Specifically, the autonomous driving control unit 116 controls the operation of the actuators 150 to use the map generated by the SLAM unit 115, for example, to enable the guided mobile body 10 to drive autonomously along the guide vehicle route GR (a type of autonomous movement) to the set destination TP. When enabling the guided mobile body 10 to drive autonomously, the autonomous driving control unit 116 detects the position of the guided mobile body 10 based on the GNSS signal received by the position detector 15.

[0052] The special control unit 117 is a functional unit used to implement special functions in the guided moving body 10. Details regarding this special control unit 117 will be described in detail later.

[0053] Storage device 120 may include, for example, RAM, ROM, HDD, and SSD. In the readable and writable area of ​​storage device 120, vehicle point group data VP, guiding vehicle route GR, destination TP, actuator drive history AC, and last matching position BM are stored.

[0054] Here, the guide vehicle route GR is a target route that can be determined to make the guide mobile body 10 travel. The destination TP is arbitrarily set, and the guide mobile body 10 is the destination. When the automatic driving controller 116 enables the guide mobile body 10 to drive autonomously using a map generated by SLAM 115 based on data output from the autonomous driving detector 13, the guide vehicle route GR can be omitted. However, in this case, the automatic driving control unit 116 generates, for example, a driving route to the set destination TP, and makes the guide mobile body 10 travel along the generated driving route.

[0055] The actuator drive history AC is the history of the input and output values ​​of each actuator 220 of the following vehicle 20, which will be described later. The actuator drive history AC can be referred to as, for example, the history of control command values ​​transmitted from the remote control device 100 to the following vehicle 20. As the actuator drive history AC, it can be, for example, measured values ​​of the following vehicle 20's speed, steering angle, braking force, and turning angle detected by detectors of the following vehicle 20. The last matched position BM is the coordinate value of the position where template matching was completed between the three-dimensional point group data and the vehicle point group data VP last executed by the relative position estimation unit 114 of the aforementioned remote control device 100.

[0056] [C] The structure of the following vehicle

[0057] Examples of the following vehicle 20 include passenger cars, trucks, buses, construction vehicles, and two-wheeled vehicles. In this embodiment, the following vehicle 20 is exemplified as a battery electric vehicle (BEV), which is a passenger car. However, the term "passenger car" is not limited to electric vehicles; for example, it could also be a vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) powered by both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), or a vehicle equipped with a fuel cell and an electric motor (FCEV).

[0058] like Figure 1 As shown, the following vehicle 20 includes a driving control device 200. (As indicated...) Figure 8 As shown, the driving control device 200 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 210. The ECU 210 is a microcomputer with a CPU 211, a storage device 212, and an interface circuit 213 as its main components. The CPU 211, storage device 212, and interface circuit 213 are connected via an internal bus in a bidirectional communication manner. An actuator 220 and a vehicle communication device 230 are connected to the interface circuit 213. The vehicle communication device 230 wirelessly communicates with the remote communication device 140 of the remote control device 100 mounted on the guide vehicle 10 via a network or directly.

[0059] CPU 211 implements the function of controlling the driving of the following vehicle 20 by executing a computer program stored in the read / write area of ​​storage device 212. Here, for example, driving control is used to adjust the acceleration, deceleration, speed, steering angle, etc. of the following vehicle 20, that is, various controls used to drive the actuator 220 to perform the functions of "driving", "turning" and "stopping" of the following vehicle 20.

[0060] In this embodiment, although not shown in the figures, the actuator 220 may include an actuator such as a driving electric motor that constitutes a drive device for accelerating or decelerating the following vehicle 20, an actuator such as an electric motor that constitutes a braking device for decelerating the following vehicle 20, and an actuator such as a steering motor (electric motor) that constitutes a steering device for changing the direction of travel of the following vehicle 20. The actuator 220 is driven by electricity supplied from a battery (not shown) mounted on the following vehicle 20.

[0061] When the driver is riding in the following vehicle 20, the CPU 211 can control the operation of the actuator 220 to make the following vehicle 20 move according to the driver's operation. Regardless of whether the driver is riding in the following vehicle 20, the CPU 211 can control the operation of the actuator 220 in response to control commands sent from the remote control device 100 mounted on the guide mobile body 10, so as to make the following vehicle 20 follow and move in a way that maintains a specific positional relationship with the guide mobile body 10.

[0062] [D] Remote operation based on guided moving bodies

[0063] The following describes the remote operation of the following vehicle 20 by the guide mobile body 10. The remote control device 100, mounted on the guide mobile body 10, acquires information about the electronically towed following vehicle 20 in advance, such as vehicle length, width, minimum turning radius, wheelbase, acceleration performance, and braking performance—information related to the following vehicle 20's "driving," "turning," and "stopping." Furthermore, while the remote control device 100 autonomously drives according to the guide vehicle route GR stored in the storage device 120, the electronically towed following vehicle 20 acquires this information. That is, the remote control device 100 causes the following vehicle 20 to follow the guide mobile body 100 in a manner similar to using a rope to tow the following vehicle 20.

[0064] Therefore, in order to maintain a specific positional relationship between the guide vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20, specifically, the remote control device 100 causes the following vehicle 20 to follow the guide vehicle 10 along its track while maintaining a specific distance between it and the guide vehicle 10. Here, electronic traction is specifically explained, for example, when the guide vehicle 10 turns left at an intersection. Incidentally, when the guide vehicle 10 moves in a straight line, the following vehicle 20 maintains a specific distance while moving in a straight line.

[0065] When a vehicle turns left at an intersection, the remote control unit 111 of the remote control device 100 predicts the future driving state (including speed and trajectory) of the following vehicle 20 based on the relative position (including relative posture) of the following vehicle 20 predicted by the relative position estimation unit 114. Subsequently, the remote control unit 111 remotely operates the following vehicle 20 to eliminate the difference between the current driving state (including speed and trajectory) of the guiding vehicle 10 and the predicted driving state of the following vehicle 20, that is, the following vehicle 20 maintains a specific inter-vehicle distance (e.g., the distance along the turning trajectory in the case of a left turn, etc.) along the driving trajectory of the guiding vehicle 10.

[0066] Therefore, the remote control unit 111 determines the acceleration (or deceleration) of the following vehicle 20 based on the inter-vehicle distance between the guiding mobile body 10 and the following vehicle 20. Furthermore, the remote control unit 111 determines the steering angle (or steering amount) of the following vehicle 20 based on the driving trajectory of the guiding mobile body 10, and more specifically, the turning trajectory of the guiding mobile body 10. Then, the remote control device 100 sends speed-related information representing the determined acceleration (or deceleration) and steering-related information representing the determined steering angle (or steering amount) as control commands to the communication device 230 of the following vehicle 20 via the communication device 140.

[0067] In the following vehicle 20, the driving control device 200 enables the following vehicle 20 to move according to control commands sent from the remote control device 100 of the guiding mobile body 10, namely, speed-related information and steering-related information. Specifically, the CPU 211 of the ECU 210 obtains the speed-related information and steering-related information via the communication device 230.

[0068] Furthermore, based on speed-related information, the CPU 211 supplies power to the driving electric motor constituting the actuator 220 to generate driving force when the following vehicle 20 accelerates, and cuts off the power supply to the driving electric motor to perform regenerative braking when the following vehicle 20 decelerates. The CPU 211 supplies power to the steering electric motor constituting the actuator 220 based on steering-related information to generate an electric motor rotation angle corresponding to the steering angle (steering amount), causing the following vehicle 20 to turn left. Thus, the following vehicle 20 turns left at the intersection to maintain a specific positional relationship relative to the guide moving body 10 turning left at the intersection.

[0069] As can be understood from the above description, according to the guide mobile body 10 of this embodiment, the remote control device 100, which is the controller, can enable the guide mobile body 10 to drive autonomously and maintain a specific positional relationship with respect to the guide mobile body 10. In other words, the following vehicle 20 is remotely operated as if the following vehicle 20 were actually being pulled by a rope, so that the following vehicle 20 follows the guide mobile body 10.

[0070] [E] Width Direction Position Change Control

[0071] The guide mobile body 10 of this embodiment has the function of changing its own position during movement and the position of the following vehicle 20 during remote operation in the width direction of the lane (which can be considered as the same direction as the vehicle width direction). This function is implemented by the special control unit 117 described above, and the control performed in association with this function is the width direction position change control.

[0072] like Figure 9 , Figure 10As shown, within lane 40, regardless of whether the following vehicle 20 is towed, for the moving guide vehicle 10, the center position PlmC, the shoulder position PlmL, and the opposite side position PlmR are set as set positions. For the towed following vehicle 20, the center position PfvC and the shoulder position PfvL are set as set positions. Additionally, Figure 9 The lane 40 shown has a width of more than enough to accommodate two following vehicles 20. In left-hand traffic, the following vehicles 20 traveling in opposite directions are staggered from each other, and vehicles behind the following vehicles 20 traveling in the same direction can overtake the vehicles in front from the right.

[0073] The specific positions of the aforementioned guiding mobile body 10 and the following vehicle 20 are described in detail. Figure 9 (a) shows the state in which the guiding mobile body 10 and the following vehicle 20 are both traveling at the center positions P1mC and PfvC. Figure 9 (b) shows the state in which the guide vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 are both traveling at the shoulder position PlmL and the shoulder position PfvL. Figure 9 (c) shows the state where the guide vehicle 10 is traveling at the opposite side position P1mR and the following vehicle 20 is traveling at the center position PfvC. Figure 9 (d) shows the state where the guide vehicle 10 is traveling at the center position P1mC and the following vehicle 20 is traveling at the shoulder position PfvL. Figure 10 (a) shows the state in which the guided mobile body 10 travels alone at the central position PlmC. Figure 10 (b) shows the state in which the guide vehicle 10 travels alone at the shoulder position PlmL.

[0074] The positions of the guide vehicle 10 are set based on the data detected by the self-propelled detector 13. Specifically, the center position PlmC is set to the center of lane 40, the shoulder position PlmL is set at a distance LlmL from the left edge 40L, and the opposite position PlmR is set at a distance LlmR from the right edge 40R. The positions of the following vehicle 20 are also set based on the data detected by the self-propelled detector 13. Specifically, the center position PfvC is set to the center of lane 40, and the shoulder position PfvL is set at a distance LfvL from the left edge 40L. Because there is a difference in width between the guide vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20, the set distances LlmL and LfvL are different values. That is, even if both the guide vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 are located at shoulder positions PlmL and PfvL, their positions in the width direction of lane 40 are different.

[0075] Since the positions are set as described above, the setting of the shoulder-side position PlmL and the opposite side position PlmR for the guide vehicle 10, and the shoulder-side position PfvL for the following vehicle 20, is based on the premise that the edges 40L and 40R of the lane 40 are detected. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the edges 40L and 40R of the lane 40 are not detected, the guide vehicle 10 cannot travel at the shoulder-side position PlmL and the opposite side position PlmR, and the following vehicle 20 cannot travel at the shoulder-side position PfvL. Incidentally, the edges 40L and 40R of the lane 40 can be determined based on the curb of the shoulder, the white lines dividing the lane 40, or other dividing lines.

[0076] The above description pertains to a roadway with one lane 40 where two opposing vehicles can pass each other. However, this embodiment can also be applied to roadways with one or more lanes that cannot be passed each other. In this case, the above description uses names such as shoulder position P1mL, opposite side position P1mR, and shoulder position PfvL, assuming the left side of lane 40 is a shoulder. However, on roadways with multiple lanes, for example, names such as left position P1mL, right position P1mR, and left position PfvL can also be used for these designated positions.

[0077] In this embodiment, regarding the width direction position change control, three modes selectable by the remote control device 100 are set for the driving positions of the guide moving body 10 and the following vehicle 20.

[0078] One of the three modes is the "default mode." The default mode is the mode used when the other two modes are not selected; it can be called the standard mode. In this mode, when the electronically guided moving body 10 follows the vehicle 20, such as... Figure 9 As shown in (a), both the guiding mobile body 10 and the following vehicle 20 travel at the center positions P1mC and PfvC, and when the guiding mobile body 10 does not electronically traction the following vehicle 20, as... Figure 10 As shown in (a), the guided mobile body 10 travels alone at the central position PlmC.

[0079] Another of the three modes is the "non-obstruction mode." This mode is selected when there are many vehicles traveling in lane 40, and is designed to minimize obstruction of other vehicles. In this mode, when the guiding vehicle 10 tows the following vehicle 20, such as... Figure 9 As shown in (b), both the guide vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 are traveling at positions P1mL and PfvL near the shoulder, respectively. When the guide vehicle 10 does not electronically tow the following vehicle 20, as... Figure 10 As shown in (b), the guide vehicle 10 travels alone at the shoulder position PlmL.

[0080] Another of the three modes is the "rear visual recognition mode." This mode is used to maintain good visual recognition when the vehicle detector 15 of the guiding vehicle 10 detects the situation behind it, in the case where the guiding vehicle 10 is towing the following vehicle 20. In this mode, such as Figure 9 As shown in (c), the guide vehicle 10 travels at the opposite side position PlmR, while the following vehicle 20 travels at the center position PfvC. According to this mode, the area where the following vehicle 20 cannot be visually recognized due to being its shadow can be reduced. Even when the rear visual recognition mode is selected, if the guide vehicle 10 is not electronically traction-guided by the following vehicle 20, as... Figure 10 As shown in (a), the guide vehicle 10 will also travel independently at the central position PlmC.

[0081] Since lane 40 is the width through which vehicles can pass each other, the guide vehicle 10 and following vehicle 20 may obstruct the movement of other vehicles when passing each other. Furthermore, since the guide vehicle 10 also remotely controls the electronic towing of the following vehicle 20 in addition to autonomous driving, the guide vehicle 10 travels at a relatively low speed. Therefore, for example, it is anticipated that other following vehicles may attempt to overtake the guide vehicle 10 or both the guide vehicle 10 and the towing following vehicle 20. In such cases, there is also a possibility of obstructing the movement of other following vehicles.

[0082] Considering the above, in this embodiment, if the "rear visual recognition mode" or "default mode" is selected, the guiding mobile body 10 changes its own position and the position of at least one of the following vehicles 20 being towed in the width direction when it detects an oncoming vehicle or a following vehicle attempting to overtake it. In other words, the detection is used as a trigger.

[0083] More specifically, for example, such as Figure 11 As shown in (a), when the standard vehicle (a regular passenger car with the same size as the following vehicle 20, which can be considered a relatively large vehicle) 30A is detected as an oncoming vehicle, or as... Figure 11 (b) shows that when the standard vehicle 30A attempts to overtake the guiding vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20, both the guiding vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 are traveling at shoulder positions P1mL and PfvL, respectively. On the other hand, for example, as... Figure 11 As shown in (c), when another vehicle 30 detects a small vehicle (which can be considered as a relatively narrow vehicle such as an autonomous two-wheeler) 30B as an oncoming vehicle, or as... Figure 11 As shown in (d), when a small vehicle 30B attempts to overtake the guide vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20, the guide vehicle 10 travels at the center position PlmC, and the following vehicle 20 travels at the shoulder position PlvL. Incidentally, when the following vehicle 20 is not towed, only the guide vehicle 10 travels at either the shoulder position PlmL or the center position PlmC. The aforementioned change in width position when the guide vehicle 10 tows the following vehicle 20 can be interpreted as a change in the relative position of the guide vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 in the width direction.

[0084] The above description pertains to roads with a single lane where vehicles can pass each other. However, even on roads with multiple lanes side-by-side where vehicles travel in the same direction, width-direction position change control is effective. For example, if the guide vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 are positioned in the leftmost lane among these multiple lanes, even at widths where multiple vehicles cannot travel side-by-side, by positioning the guide vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 at shoulder positions P1mL and PfvL, respectively, the obstruction to the movement of other vehicles attempting to cross the lane and overtake the guide vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 can be significantly reduced.

[0085] The aforementioned width-direction position change control is repeatedly executed by the special control unit 117 at short time intervals (e.g., tens of milliseconds). Figure 12 The width-direction position change procedure is performed as shown in the flowchart. The following is a brief explanation of the control process according to this procedure.

[0086] In the process of changing the position in the width direction, firstly, in step 1 (hereinafter referred to as "S1", and the other steps are the same), regardless of whether the electronically traction following vehicle 20 is actually used, the center positions of the guide moving body 10, the following vehicle 20, and the center position PfvC are set. In the next step, S2, it is determined whether the edges 40L and 40R of the lane 40 are detected. If these edges 40L and 40R are detected, in S3, the shoulder-side position PlmL and the opposite-side position PlmR of the guide moving body 10, and the shoulder-side position PfvL of the following vehicle 20 are set. Incidentally, even if one of the two edges 40L and 40R of the lane 40 is detected, it is possible to set the shoulder-side position PlmL, the opposite-side position PlmR, or the shoulder-side position PfvL, but here, for the sake of understanding the explanation of this control, it is determined whether both the left-side edge 40L (i.e., the shoulder side) and the opposite-side edge 40R are detected. In the absence of detected edges 40L and 40R, in S4, the width direction positions, i.e., the driving positions, of the guiding moving body 10 and the following vehicle 20 are determined as center positions PlmC and PfvC, respectively.

[0087] In S5, it is determined whether the non-obstruction mode is selected for the driving position of the guiding mobile body 10 and the following vehicle 20. If the non-obstruction mode is selected, in S6, the driving positions of the guiding mobile body 10 and the following vehicle 20 are determined to be positions near the road shoulder, PlmL and PfvL, respectively.

[0088] If the non-obstruction mode is not selected, in S7, it is determined whether the rear visual recognition mode is selected. If the rear visual recognition mode is selected, in S8, it is determined whether the guiding vehicle 10 is electronically towing the following vehicle 20. If it is being towed, in S9, it is determined whether there is a possibility of obstructing the movement of other vehicles, such as oncoming vehicles or following vehicles attempting to overtake. If it is impossible to obstruct the movement of other vehicles, in S10, the driving positions of the guiding vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 are determined as opposite side position P1mR and center position PfvC, respectively.

[0089] If in S7 it is determined that the rear visual recognition mode is not selected, that is, if it is determined that the default mode is selected, and in S8 it is determined that it is not in electronic traction, then in S11 it is determined, in the same way as S9, whether there is a possibility of obstructing the movement of other vehicles. If it is impossible to obstruct the movement of other vehicles, in S4, the driving positions of the guiding moving body 10 and the following vehicle 20 are determined as center positions P1mC and PfvC, respectively.

[0090] If, in S9 or S11, it is determined that there is a possibility of obstructing the movement of other vehicles 30, then in S12, it is determined whether the other vehicle 30 is a small vehicle 30B, such as an autonomous two-wheeled vehicle. If it is determined that the other vehicle 30 is a small vehicle 30B, then in S13, the driving positions of the guiding vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 are determined to be the center position PlmC and the shoulder position PfvL, respectively. On the other hand, if it is determined that the other vehicle 30 is not a small vehicle 30B, that is, a standard vehicle 30A, then in S6, the driving positions of the guiding vehicle 10 and the following vehicle 20 are determined to be the shoulder positions PlmC and PfvL, respectively.

[0091] Although the driving positions of the guiding mobile body 10 and the following vehicle 20 are determined in steps S4, S6, S10 and S13, only the driving position of the guiding mobile body 10 is used when the guiding mobile body 10 is not electronically traction-guided by the following vehicle 20.

[0092] Information regarding the driving positions of the guided mobile body 10 and the following vehicle 20, as determined above, is transmitted from the specific control unit 117 to the automatic driving control unit 116 and the remote control unit 111. Although not described in detail, based on these determined driving positions, the automatic driving control unit 116 and the remote control unit 111 perform autonomous driving of the guided mobile body 10 and remote operation of the following vehicle 20, as described above.

[0093] In summary, the aforementioned width-direction position change control is a control for changing the position of at least one of the guiding mobile body 10 and the remotely operated following vehicle 20 in the width direction of lane 40, including control for changing the relative position of the guiding mobile body 10 and the following vehicle 20 in the width direction of lane 40. Furthermore, in this control, if at least one of the guiding mobile body 10 and the following vehicle 20 obstructs the movement of other vehicles 30, the position of at least one of them in the width direction of lane 40 is changed. Specifically, if there are other vehicles 30 attempting to overtake the guiding mobile body 10 or both the guiding mobile body 10 and the following vehicle 20, the position of at least one of them in the width direction of lane 40 is changed.

[0094] Symbol Explanation

[0095] 10: Guide vehicle 20: Following vehicle 30: Other vehicles 30A: Standard vehicle (ordinary passenger car) 30B: Small vehicle (autonomous two-wheeler) 40: Lane 40L: Left edge 40R: Right edge 100: Remote control device 111: Remote control unit 116: Autopilot control unit 117: Special control unit Plm: Width direction position of guide vehicle PlmC: Center position PlmL: Shoulder position PlmR: Opposite side position Pfv: Width direction position of following vehicle PfvC: Center position PfvL: Shoulder position

Claims

1. A guided mobile body capable of autonomous movement within a lane, and capable of controlling vehicles as following vehicles via wireless communication to follow itself, wherein, The guiding mobile body is configured to perform width-direction position change control, which changes the position of at least one of the following vehicles in the lane width direction.

2. The guiding moving body according to claim 1, wherein, The width-direction position change control is performed by changing the relative position of itself and the following vehicle being manipulated in the width direction of the lane.

3. The guiding moving body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The width-direction position change control is performed when either the vehicle itself or at least one of the following vehicles may obstruct the movement of other vehicles.

4. The guiding moving body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The width-direction position change control is performed in the event that a vehicle attempts to overtake itself or a vehicle following it.

5. The guiding moving body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The width-direction position change control is executed on the premise that the edge of the lane is detected.

6. The guiding moving body according to claim 5, wherein, The width-direction position change control is performed in such a way that at least one of itself and the following vehicle moves closer to the edge of the lane.

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