Control system

Abstract

A control system controls a vehicle capable of traveling without a driver, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires step information related to a specific step, the specific step being a step that is set in advance as a step that the vehicle should climb among steps present on a travel path of the vehicle; a detection unit that detects a case where the specific step is present on a travel path of the vehicle using the step information; and a control unit that increases drive torque of the vehicle when the detection unit detects the case where the specific step is present on the travel path of the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to control systems. Background Technology

[0002] Technology is known to enable vehicles to drive autonomously within a vehicle manufacturing plant (Japan Special Table 2017-538619). Summary of the Invention

[0003] When there is a step in the vehicle's path that the vehicle should be able to cross, sometimes the vehicle is unable to cross the step if the driving torque of the vehicle is maintained so as not to change relative to when it is traveling outside the step.

[0004] This disclosure can be implemented in the following ways.

[0005] (1) A control system is provided according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

[0006] The control system controls vehicles capable of autonomous driving and possesses the following features:

[0007] The acquisition unit acquires step information related to a specific step, which is a step that exists in the vehicle's travel path and is a step that is pre-defined as a step that the vehicle should cross.

[0008] The detection unit uses the step information to detect situations where a specific step exists in the path the vehicle is traveling on; and

[0009] The control unit increases the driving torque of the vehicle when the detection unit detects the presence of the specific step in the path the vehicle is traveling.

[0010] According to this method, the control system can increase the vehicle's driving torque when it detects a specific step in the vehicle's path. This allows the vehicle to overcome the step.

[0011] (2) In the above methods, it is also possible to be,

[0012] The step information includes object position information representing the position of the object that generates the specific step.

[0013] The acquiring unit also acquires vehicle location information indicating the location of the vehicle.

[0014] When the distance between the object and the vehicle, determined using the object location information and the vehicle location information, is within a preset distance, the detection unit detects the presence of the specific step in the path the vehicle is traveling on.

[0015] According to this method, it is possible to detect situations where there are specific steps in the path of a vehicle, based on the distance between the object that creates the specific steps and the vehicle.

[0016] (3) In the above methods, it is also possible to be,

[0017] The step information includes step procedure information indicating the work procedures performed in the work area where the specific steps exist.

[0018] The acquisition unit also acquires execution process information indicating the work process being performed on the vehicle.

[0019] When the operation procedure determined based on the execution procedure information is consistent with the operation procedure determined based on the step procedure information, the detection unit detects the existence of the specific step in the path of the vehicle.

[0020] According to this method, it is possible to detect when a vehicle approaches a specific step by taking advantage of the fact that the work process of creating the object that produces the specific step is known.

[0021] (4) In the above methods, it is also possible to be,

[0022] The acquiring unit also acquires information related to the dimensions of the specific step.

[0023] The control unit determines the amount of increase in the driving torque based on the dimensions of the specific step.

[0024] This method allows the increase in driving torque to be determined based on the specific size of the step. This enables the vehicle to reliably traverse specific steps. Furthermore, it prevents excessive increase in driving torque when the vehicle traverses a particular step.

[0025] (5) In the above methods, it is also possible to be,

[0026] The acquiring unit also acquires information related to the shape of the specific step.

[0027] The control unit determines the amount of increase in the driving torque based on the shape of the specific step.

[0028] This method allows the increase in driving torque to be determined based on the shape of a specific step. This enables the vehicle to reliably traverse specific steps. Furthermore, it prevents excessive increase in driving torque when the vehicle traverses a specific step.

[0029] This disclosure can be implemented in various ways other than the control system described above. For example, it can be implemented as a vehicle, a server, or a vehicle control method based on the control system, capable of performing at least a portion of the functions of the control system. Furthermore, it can be implemented as a computer program implementing the control method, or a non-transitory recording medium on which the computer program is recorded. Attached Figure Description

[0030] The features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals denote the same elements, wherein:

[0031] Figure 1 This is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the control system in the first embodiment.

[0032] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system in the first embodiment.

[0033] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow of vehicle driving control in the first embodiment.

[0034] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the control method in the first embodiment.

[0035] Figure 5 This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system in the second embodiment.

[0036] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the control method in the second embodiment.

[0037] Figure 7 This is an explanatory diagram showing the general configuration of the control system in the third embodiment.

[0038] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating the vehicle driving control process in the third embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0039] A. First Implementation Method

[0040] Figure 1 This is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the control system 50 in the first embodiment. The control system 50 includes one or more vehicles 100, a server 200, and one or more external sensors 300.

[0041] Vehicles can be either wheeled or tracked, such as passenger cars, trucks, buses, two-wheeled vehicles, four-wheeled vehicles, and construction vehicles. Vehicles include battery electric vehicles (BEVs), gasoline vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and fuel cell electric vehicles.

[0042] Vehicle 100 is configured to operate autonomously. "Autonomous driving" refers to driving without relying on passenger-operated actions. Driving actions refer to actions related to at least one of "driving," "steering," or "stopping" of vehicle 100. Autonomous driving is achieved through automatic or manual remote control using devices located outside vehicle 100, or through autonomous control of vehicle 100. Passengers who do not perform driving operations may also ride in the autonomously operating vehicle 100. Passengers who do not perform driving operations include, for example, people who simply sit in the seats of vehicle 100, or people who perform tasks different from driving operations such as assembly, inspection, or switching operations while riding in vehicle 100. Furthermore, driving based on passenger-operated actions is sometimes referred to as "manned driving."

[0043] In this specification, "remote control" includes "fully remote control," where all actions of vehicle 100 are completely determined from outside the vehicle 100, and "partially remote control," where only a portion of the actions of vehicle 100 are determined from outside the vehicle 100. Additionally, "autonomous control" includes "fully autonomous control" and "partially autonomous control." In "fully autonomous control," vehicle 100 autonomously controls its own actions without receiving any information from external devices. In "partially autonomous control," vehicle 100 autonomously controls its own actions using information received from external devices.

[0044] In this embodiment, the control system 50 is used in a factory FC that performs multiple manufacturing processes to manufacture a vehicle 100. The reference coordinate system of the factory FC is the global coordinate system GC, and any position within the factory FC can be represented by the X, Y, and Z coordinates in the global coordinate system GC. The factory FC has a first location PL1 and a second location PL2. At the first location PL1 and the second location PL2, one or more actual processes, such as assembly and inspection processes, are performed, respectively, among the multiple manufacturing processes. The first location PL1 and the second location PL2 are connected by a travel path TR through which the vehicle 100 can travel. The vehicle 100 moves from the first location PL1 to the second location PL2 via the travel path TR in an unmanned manner. On the travel path TR, for example, a transport process, such as transporting the vehicle 100 from the first location PL1 to the second location PL2, is performed among the multiple manufacturing processes. Furthermore, the configuration of the factory FC is not limited to the above.

[0045] In the factory FC, multiple external sensors 300 are installed along the driving road TR. The positions of each external sensor 300 in the factory FC are pre-adjusted. The external sensors 300 are sensors located outside the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the external sensors 300 are sensors that capture images of the vehicle 100 from the outside. The external sensors 300 are equipped with a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with other devices such as the server 200 via wired or wireless communication. Specifically, the external sensors 300 are composed of cameras. The camera, which is the external sensor 300, takes pictures of the vehicle 100 and outputs the captured images as detection results.

[0046] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the control system 50 in the first embodiment. The vehicle 100 includes a vehicle control device 110 for controlling various parts of the vehicle 100. Furthermore, the vehicle 100 includes an actuator assembly 120 containing one or more actuators, driven under the control of the vehicle control device 110, and a communication device 130 for communicating with external devices such as a server 200 via wireless communication. The actuator assembly 120 includes actuators for a drive mechanism to accelerate the vehicle 100, actuators for a steering mechanism to change the direction of travel of the vehicle 100, and actuators for a braking mechanism to decelerate the vehicle 100.

[0047] The vehicle control unit 110 comprises a computer having a processor 111, a memory 112, an input / output interface 113, and an internal bus 114. The processor 111, memory 112, and input / output interface 113 are connected via the internal bus 114 in a bidirectional communication manner. An actuator assembly 120 and a communication device 130 are connected to the input / output interface 113. The processor 111 executes the program PG1 stored in the memory 112 to perform various functions, including those of the vehicle control unit 115.

[0048] The vehicle control unit 115 drives the vehicle 100 by controlling the actuator assembly 120. The vehicle control unit 115 can use a driving control signal received from the server 200 to control the actuator assembly 120, thereby driving the vehicle 100. The driving control signal is a control signal used to drive the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the driving control signal includes the acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 100 as parameters. In other embodiments, the driving control signal may include the speed of the vehicle 100 as a parameter instead of the acceleration of the vehicle 100, or it may include the speed of the vehicle 100 as a parameter in addition to the acceleration of the vehicle 100. Furthermore, the vehicle control unit 115 can use the control signal received from the server 200 to control the actuator assembly 120, thereby changing the driving torque of the vehicle 100.

[0049] Server 200 is a computer comprising a processor 201, a memory 202, an input / output interface 203, and an internal bus 204. The processor 201, memory 202, and input / output interface 203 are connected via the internal bus 204 in a bidirectional communication manner. A communication device 205 is connected to the input / output interface 203 for communicating with various external devices of server 200. The communication device 205 can communicate wirelessly with vehicle 100 and can communicate with various external sensors 300 via wired or wireless communication. The processor 201 executes the program PG2 stored in memory 202, performing various functions including those of an acquisition unit 211, a detection unit 212, and a remote control unit 213.

[0050] The acquisition unit 211 acquires various information, including step information. Step information is information related to a specific step ST that is pre-defined as a step that the vehicle 100 should traverse, existing on the path of the vehicle 100. A specific step ST is, for example, a step generated by an object installed at the manufacturing sites PL1, PL2, and TR where the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100 is performed. The object generating the specific step ST can be either a fixed object fixed to the road surface or a movable object whose configuration relative to the road surface can be appropriately changed. For example... Figure 1As shown, the object that generates a specific step ST is, for example, a conveying device 800 such as a slat conveyor installed on the travel road TR. In this case, the specific step ST is a step generated at the boundary between the road surface and the conveying device 800. Alternatively, the object that generates a specific step ST can also be an inspection device 900 such as a drum tester or a brake tester roller installed at the second location PL2. In this case, the specific step ST is a step generated at the boundary between the road surface and the inspection device 900. Furthermore, the specific step ST is not limited to the above.

[0051] In this embodiment, Figure 2 The acquisition unit 211 shown acquires step information, which includes object position information indicating the position of the object that generates the specific step ST, and vehicle position information indicating the position of the vehicle 100. The acquisition unit 211 acquires the object position information, for example, by referring to a map MP pre-stored in memory 202 that represents the positions of each object within the factory FC using a global coordinate system GC. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 211 acquires the vehicle position information, for example, using the detection results of an external sensor 300. The acquisition unit 211 can acquire the object position information using the detection results of the external sensor 300, or it can acquire the object position information and vehicle position information using the detection results of internal sensors mounted on the vehicle 100.

[0052] The detection unit 212 uses step information to detect situations where a specific step ST exists on the path of the vehicle 100's forward or backward movement, i.e., the path the vehicle 100 is traveling. In this embodiment, the detection unit 212 uses object position information and vehicle position information to determine the distance between the object generating the specific step ST and the vehicle 100. Furthermore, the detection unit 212 detects the existence of a specific step ST on the path the vehicle 100 is traveling if the determined distance is within a preset distance.

[0053] The remote control unit 213 acquires the detection results from the sensors and uses these results to generate a driving control signal for controlling the actuator assembly 120 of the vehicle 100. The remote control unit 213 sends the driving control signal to the vehicle 100, thereby enabling the vehicle 100 to move remotely. During such remote control, there may be a situation where the detection unit 212 detects a specific step ST in the path traveled by the vehicle 100. In such a case, the remote control unit 213 increases the driving torque of the vehicle 100 to a level sufficient to overcome the specific step ST. Furthermore, there may be a situation where a specific step ST is detected in the path traveled by the vehicle 100. In such a case, if a maximum permissible torque is preset, the remote control unit 213 can temporarily increase the maximum permissible torque or temporarily remove the limit based on the maximum permissible torque. The maximum permissible torque refers to the maximum value of the allowed driving torque.

[0054] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow of the vehicle 100's driving control in the first embodiment. Figure 3 In the processing flow, the processor 201 of the server 200 functions as a remote control unit 213 by executing program PG2. Additionally, the processor 111 of the vehicle 100 functions as a vehicle control unit 115 by executing program PG1.

[0055] In S1, the processor 201 of the server 200 uses the detection results output from the external sensor 300 to obtain vehicle position information. This vehicle position information is the basis for generating driving control signals. In this embodiment, the vehicle position information includes the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 in the global coordinate system GC of the factory FC. Specifically, in S1, the processor 201 uses captured images obtained from a camera, which is the external sensor 300, to obtain the vehicle position information.

[0056] In detail, in S1, the processor 201 detects the shape of the vehicle 100 from the captured image, for example. Then, the processor 201 calculates the coordinates of the vehicle 100's location points in the local coordinate system of the captured image. Then, the processor 201 obtains the position of the vehicle 100 by transforming the calculated coordinates into coordinates in the global coordinate system GC. The shape of the vehicle 100 contained in the captured image can be detected, for example, by inputting the captured image into a detection model DM that utilizes artificial intelligence. The detection model DM is prepared, for example, within or outside the control system 50, and pre-stored in the memory 202 of the server 200. As the detection model DM, for example, a learned machine learning model that has been trained to achieve either semantic segmentation or instance segmentation can be used. As this machine learning model, for example, a convolutional neural network (hereinafter, CNN) trained using supervised learning with a learning dataset can be used. The learning dataset, for example, has multiple training images containing the vehicle 100, and labels indicating which region in the training images represents the vehicle 100 and which region outside the vehicle 100. During CNN learning, it is preferable to update the CNN parameters through backpropagation (error backpropagation method) to reduce the error between the output of the detection model DM and the label. Furthermore, the processor 201 uses, for example, optical flow to estimate the orientation of the vehicle 100 based on the positional changes of feature points of the vehicle 100 between frames of the captured images. Thus, the processor 201 is able to obtain the orientation of the vehicle 100.

[0057] In step S2, the processor 201 of the server 200 determines the next target location that the vehicle 100 should go to. In this embodiment, the target location is represented by the X, Y, and Z coordinates in the global coordinate system GC. The memory 202 of the server 200 pre-stores the path that the vehicle 100 should travel, i.e., the reference path RR. The path is represented by nodes indicating the origin, nodes indicating the waypoints, nodes indicating the destination, and links connecting the nodes. The processor 201 uses the vehicle location information and the reference path RR to determine the next target location that the vehicle 100 should go to. The processor 201 determines the target location on the reference path RR that is earlier than the current location of the vehicle 100.

[0058] In S3, the processor 201 of the server 200 generates a driving control signal to move the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. The processor 201 calculates the vehicle 100's speed based on its position change and compares the calculated speed with the target speed. Generally, when the speed is lower than the target speed, the processor 201 determines acceleration to make the vehicle 100 accelerate; when the speed is higher than the target speed, it determines acceleration to make the vehicle 100 decelerate. Furthermore, when the vehicle 100 is on the reference path RR, the processor 201 determines the steering angle and acceleration to prevent the vehicle 100 from leaving the reference path RR. When the vehicle 100 is not on the reference path RR, in other words, when the vehicle 100 has left the reference path RR, the processor 201 determines the steering angle and acceleration to bring the vehicle 100 back onto the reference path RR.

[0059] In S4, the processor 201 of the server 200 sends the generated driving control signal to the vehicle 100. The processor 201 repeatedly performs tasks such as acquiring vehicle position information, determining target position, generating driving control signals, and sending driving control signals at predetermined intervals.

[0060] In S5, the processor 111 of vehicle 100 receives a driving control signal sent from server 200. In S6, the processor 111 of vehicle 100 uses the received driving control signal to control actuator assembly 120, thereby causing vehicle 100 to travel at the acceleration and steering angle represented by the driving control signal. The processor 111 repeatedly receives the driving control signal and controls actuator assembly 120 at a predetermined cycle. According to the control system 50 of this embodiment, vehicle 100 can be driven remotely, and vehicle 100 can be moved without using conveying equipment 800 such as cranes or conveyors.

[0061] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the control method in the first embodiment. Figure 4The illustrated process, for example, starts from the point when vehicle 100 begins autonomous driving and is repeatedly executed at a pre-set time period. In S101, the acquisition unit 211 of server 200 acquires step information and vehicle position information, including object position information. In S102, the detection unit 212 of server 200 uses the object position information and vehicle position information to determine the distance between the object generating the specific step ST and vehicle 100. If the determined distance, i.e., the distance between the object generating the specific step ST and vehicle 100, is not within a pre-set predetermined distance (S103: No), server 200 terminates this process. If the distance between the object generating the specific step ST and vehicle 100 is within the predetermined distance (S103: Yes), in S104, the detection unit 212 detects the existence of the specific step ST in the path traveled by vehicle 100. When the detection unit 212 detects a specific step ST in the path of the vehicle 100, in S105, the remote control unit 213 of the server 200 generates a control signal to increase the drive torque of the vehicle 100. In S106, the remote control unit 213 sends the generated control signal to the vehicle 100. In S107, the vehicle control unit 115 of the vehicle 100 uses the received control signal to control the actuator assembly 120, thereby increasing the drive torque of the vehicle 100. This causes the vehicle 100 to overcome the specific step ST.

[0062] According to the first embodiment described above, when the control system 50 detects a specific step ST in the path of the vehicle 100, it can increase the driving torque of the vehicle 100 via remote control. In this way, the vehicle 100 can be made to cross the specific step ST via remote control.

[0063] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment described above, the control system 50 can determine the distance between the object generating the specific step ST and the vehicle 100 by acquiring object position information and vehicle position information. Moreover, the control system 50 can detect situations where a specific step ST exists on the path traveled by the vehicle 100 based on the distance between the object generating the specific step ST and the vehicle 100. In this manner, by utilizing the fact that the position of the object generating the specific step ST in the factory FC is known, it is possible to detect situations where the vehicle 100 approaches the specific step ST, thereby increasing the driving torque of the vehicle 100. Thus, the vehicle 100 can pass over the specific step ST.

[0064] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment described above, the control system 50 can control the driving torque of the vehicle 100 based on the distance between the object generating the specific step ST and the vehicle 100. In this manner, after temporarily increasing the driving torque of the vehicle 100 to allow it to pass the specific step ST, the driving torque of the vehicle 100 can be returned to its original state before the increase. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the driving torque of the vehicle 100 remaining in an increased state after the vehicle 100 has passed the specific step ST.

[0065] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment described above, in the control system 50, a map MP representing the position of each object within the factory FC and a reference path RR are stored in the memory 202. In this manner, the coordinates on the map MP located within a predetermined distance from the object generating the specific step ST can be predetermined, and the coordinates of the location indicating the increase in the driving torque of the vehicle 100 can be pre-registered on the map MP. Therefore, when the coordinates represented by the vehicle position information correspond to the coordinates pre-registered on the map MP, the driving torque of the vehicle 100 can be increased. That is, the location where the driving torque of the vehicle 100 is increased can be specified using the coordinates on the map MP.

[0066] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment described above, the control system 50, when a maximum permissible torque is preset, can temporarily increase the maximum permissible torque or temporarily remove the limitation based on the maximum permissible torque. In this manner, after the vehicle 100's drive torque is temporarily increased to allow it to pass a specific step ST, the drive torque of the vehicle 100 can be returned to its original state before the increase. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the vehicle 100's drive torque remaining in an increased state after it has passed the specific step ST.

[0067] B. Second Implementation Method

[0068] Figure 5This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the control system 50a in the second embodiment. The control system 50a includes one or more vehicles 100, a server 200a, and one or more external sensors 300. In this embodiment, the processor 201a of the server 200a executes the program PG2 stored in the memory 202a, implementing various functions, including those of an acquisition unit 211a, a detection unit 212a, and a remote control unit 213. The acquisition unit 211a acquires step information and execution process information, which include step process information. The step process information indicates the manufacturing process performed at manufacturing sites PL1, PL2, and TR where a specific step ST exists. The execution process information indicates the manufacturing process currently being performed on the vehicle 100. The acquisition unit 211a acquires the step process information, for example, by referring to a database DB pre-stored in the memory 202a. In addition, the acquisition unit 211a acquires the execution process information, for example, by communicating with various devices such as manufacturing equipment (not shown), inspection equipment 900, and external sensors 300 installed at manufacturing sites PL1 and PL2. When the manufacturing process determined based on the execution process information matches the manufacturing process determined based on the step process information, the detection unit 212a detects the presence of a specific step ST in the path traveled by the vehicle 100. Furthermore, the remote control unit 213 functions the same as in the first embodiment. The same reference numerals are used for components identical to those in the first embodiment, and descriptions are omitted.

[0069] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the control method in the second embodiment. Figure 6The process shown, for example, starts from the point when vehicle 100 begins autonomous driving and is repeatedly executed at a pre-set time cycle. In S201, the acquisition unit 211a of server 200a acquires step information and execution process information, which include step process information. If the manufacturing process determined based on the execution process information is inconsistent with the manufacturing process determined based on the step process information (S202: No), server 200a terminates this process. If the manufacturing process determined based on the execution process information is consistent with the manufacturing process determined based on the step process information (S202: Yes), the process proceeds to S203. In S203, the detection unit 212a of server 200a detects the presence of a specific step ST in the path traveled by vehicle 100. If the detection unit 212a detects the presence of a specific step ST in the path traveled by vehicle 100, in S204, the remote control unit 213 of server 200a generates a control signal to increase the driving torque of vehicle 100. In S205, the remote control unit 213 sends the generated control signal to the vehicle 100. In S206, the vehicle control unit 115 of the vehicle 100 uses the received control signal to control the actuator assembly 120, thereby increasing the driving torque of the vehicle 100. As a result, the vehicle 100 passes over a specific step ST.

[0070] According to the second embodiment described above, the control system 50a can detect the presence of a specific step ST in the path of the vehicle 100 based on the manufacturing process being performed on the vehicle 100. In this manner, it is possible to detect the vehicle 100 approaching the specific step ST by utilizing the fact that the manufacturing process in the factory FC is known to produce an object that generates the specific step ST, thereby increasing the driving torque of the vehicle 100. This allows the vehicle 100 to overcome the specific step ST.

[0071] C. Third Implementation Method

[0072] Figure 7 This is an explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of the control system 50v in the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the control system 50v differs from the first embodiment in that it does not include the server 200. Furthermore, the vehicle 100v in this embodiment is capable of autonomous operation through its own control. Other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0073] In this embodiment, the processor 111v of the vehicle control device 110v functions as the vehicle control unit 115v, the acquisition unit 116, and the detection unit 117 by executing the program PG1 stored in the memory 112v. The acquisition unit 116 acquires various information, including step information. The detection unit 117 uses the step information to detect the presence of a specific step ST on the path traveled by the vehicle 100v. The vehicle control unit 115v acquires the output results of the sensors, uses the output results to generate a driving control signal, and outputs the generated driving control signal to activate the actuator assembly 120, thereby enabling the vehicle 100v to drive autonomously. In this embodiment, in addition to the program PG1, the memory 112v also stores a detection model DM and a reference path RR in advance. During the execution of such autonomous control, the detection unit 117 detects a specific step ST on the path traveled by the vehicle 100v. In this case, the vehicle control unit 115v increases the driving torque of the vehicle 100v to a level that allows it to overcome the specific step ST.

[0074] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow of the vehicle 100V driving control in the third embodiment. Figure 8 In the processing flow, the processor 111v of the vehicle 100v functions as the vehicle control unit 115v by executing program PG1.

[0075] In S901, the processor 111v of the vehicle control device 110v obtains vehicle position information using detection results output from the camera, which is an external sensor 300. In S902, the processor 111v determines the target position that the vehicle 100v should go to next. In S903, the processor 111v generates a driving control signal to make the vehicle 100v move towards the determined target position. In S904, the processor 111v uses the generated driving control signal to control the actuator group 120, thereby making the vehicle 100v move according to the parameters represented by the driving control signal. The processor 111v repeatedly performs the acquisition of vehicle position information, determination of target position, generation of driving control signal, and control of actuators at a predetermined cycle. According to the control system 50v in this embodiment, the vehicle 100v can be driven autonomously without remote control via the server 200.

[0076] According to the third embodiment described above, when the control system 50v detects a specific step ST in the path of the vehicle 100, it can increase the driving torque of the vehicle 100v through autonomous control. In this way, the vehicle 100v can overcome the specific step ST through autonomous control.

[0077] D. Other implementation methods

[0078] (D1) There is a correlation between the driving torque and acceleration of vehicle 100. Therefore, the term "driving torque" in this disclosure can be appropriately replaced with "acceleration". That is, when the detection units 117, 212, 212a detect a specific step ST in the path of vehicles 100 and 100v, the control units 115v and 213 can increase the acceleration of vehicles 100 and 100v to a level that allows them to overcome the specific step ST. In this case, the control units 115v and 213 may, for example, set the acceleration included as a parameter in the driving control signal to be greater than that of the previously sent driving control signal. Even in this manner, vehicles 100 and 100v can overcome the specific step ST. Furthermore, when a specific step ST is detected in the path of vehicles 100 and 100v, there is a case where a maximum permissible acceleration is preset. In this case, the control units 115v and 213 can temporarily increase the maximum permissible acceleration or temporarily remove the limitation based on the maximum permissible acceleration. Maximum permissible acceleration refers to the maximum allowed acceleration. In this manner, it is possible to temporarily increase the acceleration of vehicle 100 and 100v to allow them to pass a specific step ST, and then return their acceleration to its original state before the increase. This prevents vehicle 100 and 100v from continuing to accelerate after passing the specific step ST.

[0079] (D2) Acquisition units 116, 211, and 211a can further acquire information related to dimensions such as the height and width of a specific step ST. In this case, control units 115v and 213 can also determine the increase in driving torque based on the dimensions of the specific step ST. For example, the greater the height of the specific step ST, i.e., the greater the height difference between the object generating the specific step ST and the road surface, the greater the increase in driving torque determined by control units 115v and 213. In this way, the increase in driving torque can be determined based on the dimensions of the specific step ST. As a result, vehicles 100 and 100v can more reliably cross the specific step ST. In addition, it is possible to prevent excessive increase in driving torque and excessive acceleration of vehicles 100 and 100v when they cross the specific step ST.

[0080] (D3) Acquisition units 116, 211, and 211a can further acquire information related to the shape of a specific step ST. In this case, control units 115v and 213 can also determine the amount of increase in drive torque based on the shape of the specific step ST. In this way, the amount of increase in drive torque can be determined based on the shape of the specific step ST. As a result, vehicles 100 and 100v can more reliably cross the specific step ST. In addition, it is possible to prevent excessive increase in drive torque and excessive acceleration of vehicles 100 and 100v when they cross the specific step ST.

[0081] (D4) Acquisition units 116, 211, and 211a can further acquire information related to the surrounding environment of vehicles 100 and 100v. In this case, control units 115v and 213 can also determine the increase in drive torque based on the surrounding environment of vehicles 100 and 100v. For example, in locations with high frequencies of movement of personnel or other moving objects, control units 115v and 213 can determine a smaller increase in drive torque. In this way, the increase in drive torque can be determined based on the surrounding environment of vehicles 100 and 100v. This prevents problems such as vehicles 100 and 100v coming into contact with other moving objects when crossing a specific step ST.

[0082] (D5) Control systems 50, 50a, and 50v can also be used outside the factory FC where vehicles 100 and 100v are manufactured. That is, control systems 50, 50a, and 50v can also control vehicles 100 and 100v after shipment. When control systems 50, 50a, and 50v are used outside the factory FC, the term "manufacturing" in this disclosure can be appropriately replaced with "operation." In this case, vehicles 100 and 100v can cross specific steps ST in operation locations outside the factory FC, such as urban areas or vehicle inspection stations.

[0083] (D6) At least some of the functions of servers 200 and 200a can also be functions of vehicle control devices 110 and 110v, or functions of other devices such as external sensor 300. If this is the case, the configuration of control systems 50, 50a, and 50v can be appropriately modified.

[0084] (D7) In the above embodiments, the external sensor 300 is not limited to a camera, but may also be, for example, a ranging device. The ranging device may be, for example, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). In this case, the detection result output by the external sensor 300 may also be three-dimensional point cloud data representing vehicles 100 and 100v. In this case, the server 200 and vehicles 100 and 100v may also obtain vehicle position information by using template matching performed between the three-dimensional point cloud data as the detection result and pre-prepared reference point cloud data.

[0085] (D8) In the first and second embodiments described above, the server 200, 200a performs the process from obtaining vehicle location information to generating a driving control signal. In contrast, the vehicle 100 may also perform at least a portion of the process from obtaining vehicle location information to generating a driving control signal. For example, it may be in the manner described in (1) to (3) below.

[0086] (1) Servers 200 and 200a can also obtain vehicle location information, determine the target location that vehicle 100 should go to next, and generate a path from the current location of vehicle 100 to the target location as indicated by the obtained vehicle location information. Servers 200 and 200a can generate a path to the target location between the current location and the destination, or a path to the destination. Servers 200 and 200a can also send the generated path to vehicle 100. Vehicle 100 can also generate a driving control signal to make vehicle 100 travel on the path received from servers 200 and 200a, and use the generated driving control signal to control actuator group 120.

[0087] (2) Servers 200 and 200a can also obtain vehicle location information and send the obtained vehicle location information to vehicle 100. Vehicle 100 can also determine the target location that vehicle 100 should go to next and generate a path from the current location of vehicle 100 represented by the received vehicle location information to the target location. Vehicle 100 can also generate a driving control signal in a way that makes vehicle 100 travel on the generated path, and use the generated driving control signal to control actuator group 120.

[0088] (3) In the methods described in (1) and (2) above, the vehicle 100 may be equipped with internal sensors, and the detection results output from the internal sensors may be used in at least one of the path generation and driving control signal generation. The internal sensors are sensors mounted on the vehicle 100. The internal sensors may include, for example, sensors that detect the motion state of the vehicle 100, sensors that detect the motion state of various parts of the vehicle 100, and sensors that detect the surrounding environment of the vehicle 100. Specifically, the internal sensors may include, for example, cameras, LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic sensors, GPS sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc. For example, in the method described in (1) above, the servers 200 and 200a may obtain the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the path when generating the path. In the method described in (1) above, the vehicle 100 may obtain the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal. In the above-described (2) method, the vehicle 100 may also obtain the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the path when generating the path. In the above-described (2) method, the vehicle 100 may also obtain the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0089] (D9) In the third embodiment described above, the vehicle 100v may also be equipped with an internal sensor, and the detection results output from the internal sensor may be used in at least one of the path generation and driving control signal generation. For example, the vehicle 100v may acquire the detection results from the internal sensor and reflect the detection results of the internal sensor in the path when generating the path. Alternatively, the vehicle 100v may acquire the detection results from the internal sensor and reflect the detection results of the internal sensor in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0090] (D10) In the third embodiment described above, vehicle 100v uses the detection results of external sensor 300 to obtain vehicle position information. Alternatively, vehicle 100v may be equipped with internal sensors. Vehicle 100v uses the detection results of the internal sensors to obtain vehicle position information and determines the target location that vehicle 100v should go to next. Then, vehicle 100v generates a path from its current location, as indicated by the obtained vehicle position information, to the target location. Vehicle 100v generates a driving control signal for traveling on the generated path and uses the generated driving control signal to control the actuator assembly 120. In this case, vehicle 100v can travel without using the detection results of external sensor 300 at all. Furthermore, vehicle 100v may also obtain the target arrival time and / or congestion information from outside vehicle 100v, reflecting the target arrival time and / or congestion information in at least one of the path and driving control signal. Additionally, the entire functional configuration of control system 50v may be provided within vehicle 100v. That is, the processing implemented by the control system 50v in this disclosure can also be implemented by the vehicle 100v alone.

[0091] (D11) In the first and second embodiments described above, servers 200 and 200a automatically generate driving control signals to be sent to vehicle 100. Alternatively, servers 200 and 200a can also generate driving control signals to be sent to vehicle 100 according to the operation of an external operator located outside vehicle 100. For example, the external operator can operate a display showing images captured from external sensors 300, a steering wheel for remotely operating vehicle 100, an accelerator pedal, and a brake pedal. Furthermore, the external operator can also operate a control device equipped with a communication device for communicating with servers 200 and 200a via wired or wireless communication. Furthermore, servers 200 and 200a can also generate driving control signals corresponding to the operations applied to the control device.

[0092] (D12) In the above embodiments, vehicles 100 and 100v only need to have a configuration that enables them to move autonomously. For example, they can also be in the form of a test bench with the configuration described below. Specifically, in order to perform the three functions of "driving," "steering," and "stopping" autonomously, vehicles 100 and 100v only need to have at least vehicle control devices 110 and 110v and actuator assembly 120. When vehicles 100 and 100v obtain information from the outside for autonomous driving, they also need to have a communication device 130. That is, vehicles 100 and 100v that can move autonomously may not be equipped with at least some of the interior components such as the driver's seat and dashboard. Moreover, vehicles 100 and 100v may not be equipped with at least some of the exterior components such as bumpers and mudguards, and may not be equipped with a body shell. In this case, the remaining components such as the body shell can be assembled into vehicles 100 and 100v until they are shipped from the factory FC. Alternatively, after vehicles 100 and 100v are shipped from the factory FC with the remaining body shell and other components not yet assembled, the remaining components can be assembled onto vehicles 100 and 100v. Each component can be assembled from any direction on the vehicle 100 or 100v, such as the top, bottom, front, rear, right, or left side; they can be assembled from the same direction or from different directions. Furthermore, the form of the test bench can be determined in the same way as that of vehicles 100 and 100v in the first embodiment.

[0093] (D13) Vehicles 100 and 100v can also be manufactured by combining multiple modules. A module refers to a unit composed of one or more parts according to the structure and function of vehicles 100 and 100v. For example, the chassis of vehicles 100 and 100v can also be manufactured by combining a front module, a central module, and a rear module. The front module constitutes the front part of the chassis. The central module constitutes the central part of the chassis. The rear module constitutes the rear part of the chassis. In addition, the number of modules constituting the chassis is not limited to three, and can be two or less or four or more. It is also possible to modularize parts of vehicles 100 and 100v that are different from the chassis, or to modularize parts of vehicles 100 and 100v that are different from the chassis instead of the chassis. In addition, various modules can also include any exterior parts such as bumpers and grilles, and any interior parts such as seats and consoles. Such modules can be manufactured, for example, by joining multiple parts using welding, fasteners, etc., or by casting at least a part of the module into a single component. A molding method that integrally molds at least a portion of a module into a single component is also known as Giga-casting or Mega-casting. By using Giga-casting, it is possible to form the various parts of a vehicle 100, 100v, which were previously formed by joining multiple components, into a single component. For example, the aforementioned front module, central module, and rear module can also be manufactured using Giga-casting.

[0094] (D14) Transporting vehicles 100 and 100v using the movement of driverless vehicles 100 and 100v is also called "autonomous transport". Furthermore, the configuration used to achieve autonomous transport is also called a "vehicle remote-controlled autonomous driving transport system". Additionally, the production method that utilizes autonomous transport to produce vehicles 100 and 100v is also called "autonomous production". In autonomous production, for example, in factory FC that manufactures vehicles 100 and 100v, at least a portion of the transport of vehicles 100 and 100v is achieved through autonomous transport.

[0095] (D15) In the above embodiments, some or all of the functions and processes implemented in software can also be implemented in hardware. Conversely, some or all of the functions and processes implemented in hardware can also be implemented in software. As the hardware for implementing the various functions in the above embodiments, various circuits such as integrated circuits and discrete circuits can also be used.

[0096] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from its spirit. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in the various embodiments described in the "Summary of the Invention" section can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or to achieve some or all of the above-described effects. In addition, such technical features can be appropriately deleted as long as they are not described as essential parts in this specification.

Claims

1. A control system for controlling a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, comprising: The acquisition unit acquires step information related to a specific step, which is a step that exists in the vehicle's travel path and is a step that is pre-defined as a step that the vehicle should cross. The detection unit uses the step information to detect situations where a specific step exists in the path the vehicle is traveling on; as well as The control unit increases the driving torque of the vehicle when the detection unit detects the presence of the specific step in the path the vehicle is traveling.

2. The control system according to claim 1, wherein, The step information includes object position information representing the position of the object that generates the specific step. The acquiring unit also acquires vehicle location information indicating the location of the vehicle. When the distance between the object and the vehicle, determined using the object location information and the vehicle location information, is within a preset distance, the detection unit detects the presence of the specific step in the path the vehicle is traveling on.

3. The control system according to claim 1, wherein, The step information includes step procedure information indicating the work procedures performed in the work area where the specific steps exist. The acquisition unit also acquires execution process information indicating the work process being performed on the vehicle. When the operation procedure determined based on the execution procedure information is consistent with the operation procedure determined based on the step procedure information, the detection unit detects the existence of the specific step in the path of the vehicle.

4. The control system according to claim 1, wherein, The acquiring unit also acquires information related to the dimensions of the specific step. The control unit determines the amount of increase in the driving torque based on the dimensions of the specific step.

5. The control system according to claim 1, wherein, The acquiring unit also acquires information related to the shape of the specific step. The control unit determines the amount of increase in the driving torque based on the shape of the specific step.

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