Vehicle control device and vehicle management system

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device that can prevent a shortage of electricity of a work vehicle in the entire scheduled route in which the work vehicle runs and that can suppress a decrease in working efficiency.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device 110 includes a section information acquisition unit 111 and a travel control unit 112. The section information acquisition unit 111 acquires section information including information on one or more charging sections where a power supply device 40 is disposed in the entire scheduled route of a work vehicle and information on one or more non-charging sections where the power supply device 40 is not disposed. The travel control unit 112 controls a travel device 18 such that the amount of charge power of a charging device 17 at an end point of each of the charging sections is larger than the amount of consumed power of the travel device 18 in the non-charging section having the end point as a starting point thereof.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device and a vehicle management system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known an invention relating to a control device for an electric vehicle (see Patent Document 1 below). In this conventional control device for an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle is configured to store supplied power in a storage battery while traveling along a power supply lane, which is a roadway where contactless power supply is possible. This conventional control device for an electric vehicle includes a target setting unit that sets in advance an exit target power storage amount that is a target value for the amount of power stored in the storage battery at the time when the electric vehicle reaches the exit of the power supply lane, and a vehicle speed control unit that controls the vehicle speed of the electric vehicle. This vehicle speed control unit controls the vehicle speed so that the amount of power stored at the time when the electric vehicle reaches the exit of the power supply lane becomes the exit target power storage amount (Patent Document 1, paragraph 0008, claim 1, abstract, figure 4).

[0003] In such a control device, the vehicle speed unit controls the vehicle speed of the electric vehicle traveling in the power supply lane so that the amount of stored power when the electric vehicle reaches the exit of the power supply lane, i.e., the amount of stored power when contactless power supply is completed, matches the exit target amount of stored power previously set by the target setting unit. As the exit target amount of stored power, for example, an amount of stored power that enables the vehicle to travel to the next place where charging is possible (such as a power supply lane or a charging station) or an amount of stored power that fully charges the power storage device is set. By controlling in the above manner, it becomes possible to appropriately charge the electric vehicle (Patent Document 1, paragraph 0009). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-068500 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The conventional electric vehicle control device described above is capable of driving the electric vehicle to the next charging location. However, when such an electric vehicle control device is applied to a work vehicle that repeatedly performs a series of tasks such as loading, transporting, and unloading at a work site such as a mine or construction site, the work vehicle may run out of power depending on the conditions, which may reduce the work efficiency of the entire work site.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a vehicle control device and a vehicle management system that can prevent a work vehicle from running out of power over the entire planned route that the work vehicle travels and suppress a decrease in work efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device mounted on a work vehicle that includes a power receiving device that receives power from an external power supplying device, a power storage device that is charged with power supplied from the power receiving device, and a traveling device that generates driving force using power supplied from the power storage device or the power receiving device, and is characterized in that the vehicle control device includes a section information acquisition unit that acquires section information including information on one or more charging sections where the power supplying device is installed and information on one or more non-charging sections where the power supplying device is not installed throughout the planned route of the work vehicle, and a traveling control unit that controls the traveling device so that the amount of charged power of the power storage device at the end point of each of the charging sections is greater than the amount of power consumed by the traveling device in the non-charging section that starts from the end point. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the above aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a vehicle control device that can prevent a work vehicle from running out of power over the entire planned route that the work vehicle is to travel, and can suppress a decrease in work efficiency. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a work site illustrating a first embodiment of a vehicle management system according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of a vehicle management system according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 1 is a functional block diagram showing a first embodiment of a vehicle control device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 4 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the vehicle control device shown in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating the details of a process for controlling the traveling device shown in FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a flowchart showing details of a process for calculating a target speed shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a vehicle management device of a vehicle control system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a location where a power supply device of a vehicle management system according to a second embodiment is installed. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the vehicle control system according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a speed adjustment section in a planned route of a work vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, a vehicle control device and a vehicle management system according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [Embodiment 1] 1 and 2 are respectively a schematic diagram of a work site WS and a block diagram of a vehicle management system 100, showing a first embodiment of a vehicle management system according to the present disclosure. Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle control device 110 of Fig. 2, which is an embodiment of the vehicle control device according to the present disclosure.

[0012] The vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment is a system that is operated at a work site WS such as a mine, for example, and manages the operation of multiple work vehicles 10 such as dump trucks. The vehicle management system 100 includes, for example, a vehicle control device 110 mounted on each of the multiple work vehicles 10, and a vehicle management device 120 that is installed outside the work vehicles 10 and configured to be able to communicate with the multiple vehicle control devices 110.

[0013] 2 shows only one work vehicle 10 and one vehicle control device 110 mounted on the work vehicle 10 for convenience of illustration, but in reality the vehicle management device 120 is configured to be able to communicate with multiple vehicle control devices 110 mounted on multiple work vehicles 10. The vehicle management device 120 is configured by a server 21 installed, for example, at the work site WS of the work vehicle 10 or in a vehicle management center 20 separated from the work site WS of the work vehicle 10.

[0014] A plurality of vehicle control devices 110 mounted on each work vehicle 10 and a vehicle management device 120 installed outside the work vehicle 10 are connected to be able to communicate information via, for example, a wireless communication line. More specifically, the work vehicle 10 is equipped with a communication device 11 which is a wireless communication device, and a communication device 22 which is a wireless communication device or a wired communication device is installed in the vehicle management center 20. In addition, a plurality of wireless base stations 1, for example, are installed in the work site WS of the work vehicle 10.

[0015] The vehicle control device 110 transmits information to the vehicle management device 120, for example, via the communication device 11 of the work vehicle 10, the wireless base station 1 at the work site, and the communication device 22 of the vehicle management center 20. In addition, the vehicle management device 120 transmits information to the vehicle control device 110 via the communication device 22 of the vehicle management center 20, the wireless base station 1 at the work site, and the communication device 11 of the work vehicle 10. The communication line between the vehicle control device 110 and the vehicle management device 120 may include a wired communication line or a satellite communication line.

[0016] The work site WS includes a planned route PR along which multiple work vehicles 10 travel. Each work vehicle 10 travels around the planned route PR, for example. The planned route PR is, for example, a transport route along which the work vehicles 10 transport loads, and includes an upward gradient AS, a downward gradient DS, a flat road FR, and a work point OS. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the oncoming lane of the upward gradient AS is a downward gradient DS, and the oncoming lane of the downward gradient DS is an upward gradient AS. The work point OS also includes, for example, loading areas OS1 and OS3 and collection areas OS2 and OS4.

[0017] The work vehicle 10 performs loading work in cooperation with a work machine 30 such as a hydraulic excavator at loading sites OS1 and OS3, which are work points OS. In loading work, the work vehicle 10 stops at a predetermined position at the loading sites OS1 and OS3, and the work machine 30 loads cargo such as ore, crushed stone, or earth and sand onto the body of the work vehicle 10. In addition, the work vehicle 10 performs unloading work at collection sites OS2 and OS4, which are work points OS, by, for example, raising the front end of the body carrying the cargo and dropping the cargo from the body.

[0018] Furthermore, the planned route PR of the work site WS includes one or more charging sections CS where the power supply device 40 is installed, and one or more non-charging sections NCS where the power supply device 40 is not installed. The power supply device 40 includes, for example, a trolley wire that is connected to a substation and can transmit power from a power generation plant. The work vehicle 10 is supplied with power from the power supply device 40 when traveling in the charging section CS of the planned route PR.

[0019] 2, the work vehicle 10 is equipped with, for example, a communication device 11, a position sensor 12, a speed sensor 13, an operation device 14, and a human machine interface (HMI) 15. The work vehicle 10 is also equipped with, for example, a power receiving device 16, a power storage device 17, and a traveling device 18. Furthermore, the work vehicle 10 is equipped with, for example, a vehicle control device 110 and a storage device 130.

[0020] The communication device 11 is, for example, a wireless communication device mounted on the work vehicle 10, connected to the vehicle control device 110, and communicates with a communication device 22 of the vehicle management center 20 via a wireless communication line. The position sensor 12 includes, for example, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver and an inertial measurement unit (IMU), receives radio waves from multiple positioning satellites PS, detects the position of the work vehicle 10, and outputs it to the vehicle control device 110. Note that the position sensor 12 may perform positioning using radio waves from a ground station.

[0021] The speed sensor 13 detects the speed of the work vehicle 10 and outputs it to the vehicle control device 110. The speed sensor 13 includes, for example, a wheel speed sensor that detects the rotational speed of the wheels of the work vehicle 10, a GNSS receiver, an IMU, or a combination of these. The operation device 14 includes, for example, a steering wheel, an operation lever, an operation button, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, etc., and outputs a signal according to the operation of the operator of the work vehicle 10 to the vehicle control device 110.

[0022] The HMI 15 includes, for example, a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, a keyboard, etc. The HMI 15 notifies the operator of the work vehicle 10 of information based on a signal input from the vehicle control device 110, for example, and accepts input of information from the operator of the work vehicle 10 and inputs the information to the vehicle control device 110.

[0023] The power receiving device 16 includes, for example, an extendable pantograph. The power receiving device 16 is extended, for example, by manual operation of the operation device 14 by the operator of the work vehicle 10, or automatically extended by a control signal input from the vehicle control device 110, to be connected to the power feeding device 40 and receive power from the power feeding device 40. The power receiving device 16 supplies the power supplied from the power feeding device 40 to at least one of the power storage device 17 and the traveling device 18 based on the control signal input from the vehicle control device 110.

[0024] The power storage device 17 is charged, for example, by power supplied from the power supply device 40 via the power receiving device 16 in the charging section CS, and supplies power to the traveling device 18 in the non-charging section NCS. The power storage device 17 is also charged, for example, by regenerative power supplied from the traveling motor of the traveling device 18 when the work vehicle 10 is braked. The power storage device 17 includes, for example, multiple lithium ion secondary batteries and a battery management system (BMS), and outputs various information including the charging state to the vehicle control device 110.

[0025] The traveling device 18 includes, for example, a motor for traveling the work vehicle 10, a motor for steering the work vehicle 10, a transmission, and a braking device. For example, in the charging section CS, the traveling device 18 drives the traveling motor with power supplied from the power supply device 40 via the power receiving device 16 to travel the work vehicle 10. Also, in the non-charging section NCS, the traveling device 18 drives the traveling motor with power supplied from the power storage device 17 to travel the work vehicle 10.

[0026] When the work vehicle 10 is being manually driven, the traveling gear 18 operates the traveling motor, the steering motor, the transmission, and the brakes based on control signals input from the vehicle control device 110 in response to the operation of the operation device 14 by the operator, to drive the work vehicle 10. When the work vehicle 10 is being automatically driven, the traveling gear 18 operates the traveling motor, the steering motor, the transmission, and the brakes based on control signals input from the vehicle control device 110, to drive the work vehicle 10.

[0027] The vehicle control device 110 is configured, for example, by one or more microcontrollers including a central processing unit (CPU), memories such as RAM and ROM, a timer, and an input / output unit. As described above, the vehicle control device 110 configures a part of the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment. The storage device 130 is, for example, a non-volatile storage medium connected to the vehicle control device 110 and capable of recording and reading information.

[0028] The storage device 130 stores, for example, an operating system (OS), various control programs, application programs, databases, etc. The storage device 130 also stores, for example, map information of a planned route PR of a work site WS, and section information including information on one or more charging sections CS and information on one or more non-charging sections NCS. The vehicle management system 100 may include, for example, the storage device 130.

[0029] As described above, the vehicle management center 20 is installed at the work site WS of the work vehicle 10 or at a location away from the work site WS. The vehicle management center 20 includes, for example, a server 21, a communication device 22, and an HMI 23. The server 21 includes, for example, a vehicle management device 120 and a storage device 140. The vehicle management device 120 is, for example, configured by one or more microcontrollers, similar to the vehicle control device 110.

[0030] The storage device 140 is connected to the vehicle management device 120 and is a non-volatile storage medium capable of recording and reading information. Similar to the storage device 130, the storage device 140 stores an OS, a control program, an application program, a database, and the like. Similar to the storage device 130, the storage device 140 stores, for example, map information of the planned route PR of the work site WS, and section information including information on one or more charging sections CS and information on one or more non-charging sections NCS. The storage device 140 also stores, for example, route information for each work vehicle 10. The vehicle management system 100 may include, for example, the storage device 140.

[0031] Table 1 below shows an example of route information RI for each work vehicle 10 stored in the storage device 140 of the vehicle management center 20. The route information RI is, for example, in a tabular format as shown in Table 1, and includes vehicle identification information and a planned route PR for each work vehicle 10. The planned route PR is, for example, a driving route from one work point OS to another work point OS. More specifically, the planned route PR is, for example, a route from loading points OS1, OS3 to collection points OS2, OS4 or from collection points OS2, OS4 to loading points OS1, OS3.

[0032] [Table 1]

[0033] Moreover, the following Table 2 shows an example of the section information SI stored in the storage device 130 of the work vehicle 10 and the storage device 140 of the vehicle management center 20. The section information SI is in a tabular format, for example, as shown in Table 2, and includes information such as a section ID, distance, standard speed, standard power consumption, the presence or absence of a power supply device 40, and a coordinate point sequence. A section ID is assigned to each section into which the planned route PR is divided. In other words, the section information SI includes information on one or more charging sections CS where a power supply device 40 is installed, and information on one or more non-charging sections NCS where a power supply device 40 is not installed.

[0034] [Table 2]

[0035] The communication device 22 is connected to the wireless base station 1 via, for example, a wired communication line. The communication device 22 may also be a wireless communication device that is installed in the vehicle management center 20 and connected to the wireless base station 1 via a wireless communication line. The communication device 22 is connected to the communication device 11 of the work vehicle 10 via a wired communication line and / or a wireless communication line so as to be able to communicate information. The HMI 23 includes, for example, a display device, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, and a speaker. The HMI 23 notifies the user of information input from the vehicle management device 120, and also accepts information input by the user and outputs the input information to the vehicle management device 120.

[0036] Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle control device 110 mounted on the work vehicle 10 shown in Fig. 2. The vehicle control device 110 includes, for example, a section information acquisition unit 111 and a travel control unit 112. The vehicle control device 110 further includes, for example, a target speed calculation unit 113 and a section determination unit 114. The vehicle control device 110 may also include, for example, a power reception control unit 115, a power storage control unit 116, and an information update unit 117. Each of these units of the vehicle control device 110 represents each function of the vehicle control device 110 that is realized by, for example, executing a program stored in the memory or storage device 130 by a CPU.

[0037] The operation of the vehicle control device 110 mounted on each work vehicle 10 will be described below with reference to Figures 4 to 6. Figure 4 is a flow diagram explaining the operation of the vehicle control device 110 of this embodiment. The vehicle control device 110 mounted on each work vehicle 10 first performs process P1 to acquire section information SI. In this process P1, the section information acquisition unit 111 of the vehicle control device 110 acquires, via the communication device 11 of the work vehicle 10, the section information SI transmitted from the vehicle management device 120 of the vehicle management center 20 via the communication device 22.

[0038] Here, the section information SI acquired by the section information acquisition unit 111 of the vehicle control device 110 includes, for example, the section ID, distance, target speed, power consumption, and information on the presence or absence of a power supply device for each section divided into the planned route PR of the work vehicle 10 on which the vehicle control device 110 is mounted, as shown in the above-mentioned Table 2. Furthermore, if the section information SI acquired via the communication device 11 is not stored in the storage device 130, the information update unit 117 newly stores the acquired section information SI in the storage device 130.

[0039] Furthermore, when the section information SI stored in the storage device 130 differs from the newly acquired section information SI, the information update unit 117 updates the past section information SI stored in the storage device 130 to the newly acquired latest section information SI. Furthermore, the information update unit 117 acquires route information RI of the work vehicle 10 to be controlled as shown in Table 1, for example, via the communication device 11, and stores it in the storage device 130, or updates the route information RI stored in the storage device 130. Note that the information update unit 117 may acquire the section information SI and route information RI input by the operator of the work vehicle 10 via the HMI 15, for example, and store them in the storage device 130.

[0040] Next, the vehicle control device 110 executes process P2 to control the traveling device 18. In this process P2, the traveling control unit 112 controls the traveling device 18 so that the amount of charged power in the power storage device 17 at the end point of each charging section CS on the planned route PR of the work vehicle 10 is greater than the amount of power consumed by the traveling device 18 in a non-charging section NCS starting from the end point of the charging section CS.

[0041] Here, the amount of electricity E [kWh] charged to the power storage device 17 in each charging section CS can be calculated, for example, by the following equation (1) where the charging speed to the power storage device 17 is cr [kWh / s], the distance of each charging section CS is L [m], and the speed of the work vehicle 10 traveling in each charging section CS is V [m / s].

[0042] E = cr × L / V (1)

[0043] Therefore, if the power consumption in the non-charging section NCS is Ed [kWh], then if E>Ed is satisfied, the amount of charged energy E of the power storage device 17 in the charging section CS immediately before the non-charging section NCS will be greater than the power consumption Ed in the non-charging section NCS. As a result, it is possible to prevent the work vehicle 10 from running out of power in the non-charging section NCS.

[0044] If the work vehicle 10 runs out of power in the non-charging section NCS, the work vehicle 10 will be unable to move on its own and will need to be towed by another work vehicle 10 or charged using a mobile charging device, reducing the productivity of the work site WS. In order to satisfy the above-mentioned charge power amount E>power consumption amount Ed and prevent the work vehicle 10 from running out of power, it is necessary to ensure a charging time Tc=L / V in the charging section CS, taking into account the charging speed cr in the charging section CS.

[0045] The charging time Tc can be increased as the distance L of the charging section CS is longer and as the speed V of the work vehicle 10 traveling in the charging section CS is lower. In other words, to increase the time spent in the charging section CS, it is necessary to increase the distance L of the charging section CS or to decrease the speed V of the work vehicle 10 traveling in the charging section CS. However, to increase the distance L of the charging section CS, it is necessary to increase the installation distance of the power supply device 40, which is a factor in increasing costs. Furthermore, if the speed V of the work vehicle 10 is reduced more than necessary, the productivity of the work site WS decreases.

[0046] Fig. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating the details of process P2 for controlling the traveling device 18 shown in Fig. 4. When the vehicle control device 110 starts process P2 shown in Fig. 5, it first executes process P21 for calculating a target speed. In this process P21, the target speed calculation unit 113 calculates the target speed of the work vehicle 10 in each charging section CS and each non-charging section NCS based on, for example, section information SI acquired from the section information acquisition unit 111 so that the amount of charged power in the power storage device 17 at the end point of the charging section CS is greater than the amount of power consumed by the traveling device 18 when traveling in the non-charging section NCS starting from the end point of the charging section CS.

[0047] For example, if the target speeds of the charging section CS and the non-charging section NCS are set as the speed limit for each section, the amount of charged power in the power storage device 17 at the end point of the charging section CS is assumed to be less than the amount of power consumed by the traveling device 18 when traveling in the non-charging section NCS starting from the end point of the charging section CS. In this case, the target speed of the work vehicle 10 is made lower than the speed limit in at least one of the charging section CS or the non-charging section NCS. This makes the amount of charged power in the power storage device 17 at the end point of the charging section CS greater than the amount of power consumed by the traveling device 18 when traveling in the non-charging section NCS starting from the end point of the charging section CS, thereby preventing the work vehicle 10 from running out of power.

[0048] Fig. 6 is a flow diagram showing details of process P21 for calculating the target speed shown in Fig. 5. When the target speed calculation unit 113 starts process P21 shown in Fig. 6, it first executes process P211 for calculating the amount of power consumption of the traveling device 18 consumed when traveling in each charging section CS and each non-charging section NCS. In this process P211, the target speed calculation unit 113 calculates the amount of power consumption of the traveling device 18 in each section based on, for example, the coordinate point sequence of each section, the standard speed, and the weight of the work vehicle 10 including the load.

[0049] More specifically, the amount of power consumed by the traveling device 18 can be calculated as the sum of the change in potential energy of the work vehicle 10, the change in kinetic energy of the work vehicle 10, and other power consumption. Here, the change in potential energy of the work vehicle 10 depends on the weight of the work vehicle 10 including the load, the travel distance of the work vehicle 10, and the gradient of the travel route of the work vehicle 10, while the change in kinetic energy depends on the weight of the work vehicle 10 including the load and the speed of the work vehicle 10. In addition, the other power consumption is calculated by multiplying the power consumption of auxiliary equipment such as the radiator by time.

[0050] Next, the target speed calculation unit 113 executes a process P212 to calculate the required charging time in each charging section CS. More specifically, the target speed calculation unit 113 calculates the charging time Tc required in each charging section CS, for example, by the following formula (2). In the following formula (2), Ed is the power consumption of the traveling device 18 in each non-charging section NCS, and cr is the charging speed in each charging section CS.

[0051] Tc=Ed / cr (2)

[0052] The charging rate cr from the power supply device 40 to the power storage device 17 in each charging section CS, i.e., the charging amount per unit time, varies depending on the power supply of the power supply device 40 and the charging / discharging performance of the power storage device 17. Specifically, the power supply device 40 supplies power transmitted from a power generation plant to the power storage device 17 via the power receiving device 16. For this reason, for example, when a power generation plant generates power using renewable energy such as solar or wind power, the amount of power generation is limited depending on the weather and time of day. In such a case, the charging rate cr can be estimated based on a predicted value of the amount of power supply by the power supply device 40.

[0053] By satisfying the above formula (2), it becomes possible for the power consumption of the traveling device 18 in each non-charging section NCS to be covered by the amount of charging power in the charging section CS immediately preceding the non-charging section NCS. Next, the target speed calculation unit 113 executes, for example, process P213 for calculating the target speed for each charging section CS. In this process P213, the target speed calculation unit 113 calculates the target speed Vc of the work vehicle 10 in each charging section CS, for example, by the following formula (3). In the following formula (3), L is the distance of each charging section CS, and Tc is the charging time calculated by the above formula (2).

[0054] Vc = L / Tc (3)

[0055] Here, the target speed calculation unit 113 may, for example, calculate a target speed that minimizes the travel time of the work vehicle 10 traveling along the planned route PR. Specifically, the target speed calculation unit 113 may set the maximum speed at which the charging time Tc can be ensured as the target speed Vc for the charging section CS. Furthermore, the target speed calculation unit 113 may, for example, increase the target speed of the work vehicle 10 in each non-charging section NCS within a range that does not exceed the amount of charged power in the charging section CS immediately preceding each non-charging section NCS. This can improve the productivity of the transportation work of the work vehicle 10.

[0056] Furthermore, the target speed calculation unit 113 may increase the target speed of the work vehicle 10 within a range in which the amount of charged power, i.e., the state of charge, of the power storage device 17 does not fall below a predetermined value, so as to minimize the travel time of the work vehicle 10 traveling along the planned route PR. For example, even if the amount of power consumed in a certain non-charging section NCS exceeds the amount of charged power in the charging section CS immediately preceding it, the amount of power that is insufficient there may be charged to the power storage device 17 in the charging sections CS before and after these sections, thereby avoiding a state in which the work vehicle 10 runs out of power along the entire planned route PR.

[0057] This completes process P21 for calculating the target speed shown in Figures 5 and 6. After completing process P21, the vehicle control device 110 executes process P22 for determining the section in which the work vehicle 10 is traveling, as shown in Figure 5, for example. In process P22, the section determination unit 114 acquires position information of the work vehicle 10 input from the position sensor 12 mounted on the work vehicle 10, and section information SI input from the section information acquisition unit 111. Furthermore, based on the position information of the work vehicle 10 and the section information SI, the section determination unit 114 determines whether the section in which the work vehicle 10 is traveling is one or more charging sections CS or one or more non-charging sections NCS.

[0058] Next, the vehicle control device 110 executes process P23 for determining the target speed. In this process P23, the traveling control unit 112 acquires the speed of the work vehicle 10 from the speed sensor 13 mounted on the work vehicle 10. The traveling control unit 112 also determines, from among the target speeds calculated by the target speed calculation unit 113, the target speed corresponding to the charging section CS or non-charging section NCS determined by the section determination unit 114 as the target speed of the work vehicle 10.

[0059] Next, the vehicle control device 110 executes process P24 to control the traveling device 18. In this process P24, the traveling control unit 112 controls the traveling device 18 so as to make the work vehicle 10 travel at the target speed determined in the previous process P23. For example, when the work vehicle 10 is driven automatically by the vehicle control device 110, the traveling control unit 112 controls the traveling device 18 so as to bring the deviation between the speed of the work vehicle 10 acquired by the speed sensor 13 and the target speed closer to zero.

[0060] Furthermore, when the operator manually drives the work vehicle 10, the travel control unit 112, for example, controls the travel control unit 112 to limit the upper limit of the speed of the work vehicle 10 in each charging section CS to the target speed Vc in each charging section CS. Furthermore, the travel control unit 112 urges the operator to travel the work vehicle 10 at the target speed, for example, by displaying the target speed on a display device constituting the HMI 15 or outputting sound from a speaker constituting the HMI 15.

[0061] For example, when the section determination unit 114 determines that the work vehicle 10 is traveling in a charging section CS, the power receiving control unit 115 extends the power receiving device 16 to contact the power supply device 40. Also, for example, when the section determination unit 114 determines that the work vehicle 10 is traveling in a non-charging section NCS, the power receiving control unit 115 contracts the power receiving device 16. Note that the power receiving control unit 115 may extend or contract the power receiving device 16 based on an operation by the operator of the work vehicle 10.

[0062] For example, when the section determination unit 114 determines that the work vehicle 10 is traveling in a charging section CS, the power storage control unit 116 controls the power storage device 17 to charge the secondary battery of the power storage device 17 with power supplied from the power supply device 40. In addition, when the section determination unit 114 determines that the work vehicle 10 is traveling in a non-charging section NCS, the power storage control unit 116 controls the power storage device 17 to supply the power charged in the secondary battery of the power storage device 17 to the traveling device 18.

[0063] The power storage control unit 116 may switch between charging and discharging the secondary battery of the power storage device 17, for example, based on the operation of the power receiving device 16. With the above, the process P2 shown in Figures 4 and 5 ends, and the operation of the vehicle control device 110 shown in Figure 4 ends.

[0064] The operation of the vehicle control device 110 of this embodiment will be described below.

[0065] For example, ultra-large dump trucks that operate at work sites such as open-cut mines are commonly powered by a diesel engine mounted on the vehicle body and run on a motor. However, because the energy required for transporting ores and other materials is very large, this method has the problem of increasing greenhouse gas emissions. For this reason, development is underway to develop dump trucks that use an electric storage device mounted on the vehicle body to drive the motor instead of generating electricity with a diesel engine.

[0066] However, since the capacity of a power storage device using a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion secondary battery is insufficient for the amount of energy required for the transport work, the work vehicle needs to be frequently charged. Therefore, for example, when charging at a charging station installed at a parking area, the transport work needs to be interrupted frequently. On the other hand, in order to achieve high productivity at a work site such as a mine, the work machine needs to be continuously loaded onto the work vehicle. Considering that the work vehicle will be interrupted for charging, it is necessary to deploy more work vehicles than before for one work machine in order to prevent the work machine loading work from being interrupted, which is a factor that increases costs.

[0067] The electric vehicle described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is configured to store the supplied power in a storage battery while traveling on a power supply lane, which is a roadway that allows contactless power supply. However, depending on the specifications of the power supply lane, the charging speed of the storage battery may be insufficient to fully charge the storage battery, and the electric vehicle may run out of power during work such as transportation work. In addition, if the speed of the electric vehicle traveling on the power supply lane is reduced in order to prevent the electric vehicle from running out of power, the work efficiency of the entire work site may decrease.

[0068] In contrast, the vehicle control device 110 of this embodiment is an on-board control device mounted on the work vehicle 10. The work vehicle 10 includes a power receiving device 16 that receives power from an external power supply device 40, a power storage device 17 that is charged with power supplied from the power receiving device 16, and a traveling device 18 that generates driving force with power supplied from the power storage device 17 or the power receiving device 16. The vehicle control device 110 includes a section information acquisition unit 111 and a traveling control unit 112. The section information acquisition unit 111 acquires section information SI including information on one or more charging sections CS in which a power supply device 40 is installed and information on one or more non-charging sections NCS in which a power supply device 40 is not installed throughout the planned route PR of the work vehicle 10. The traveling control unit 112 controls the traveling device 18 so that the amount of charged power of the power storage device 17 at the end point of each charging section CS is greater than the amount of power consumed by the traveling device 18 in a non-charging section NCS starting from the end point of the charging section CS.

[0069] With this configuration, the vehicle control device 110 of this embodiment can store in the power storage device 17 an amount of power that is greater than the amount of power consumed by the traveling device 18 in the non-charging section NCS next to the charging section CS. This makes it possible to prevent the work vehicle 10 from running out of power along the entire planned route PR along which the work vehicle 10 travels. Furthermore, by preventing the work vehicle 10 from running out of power, a decrease in work efficiency at the work site WS can be suppressed.

[0070] As described above, the vehicle control device 110 of this embodiment further includes a target speed calculation unit 113 and a section determination unit 114. The target speed calculation unit 113 calculates a target speed of the work vehicle 10 in each charging section CS and each non-charging section NCS based on the section information SI acquired from the section information acquisition unit 111 so that the amount of charged power in the power storage device 17 is greater than the amount of power consumed by the traveling device 18. The section information acquisition unit 111 determines whether the section in which the work vehicle 10 is traveling is one or more charging sections CS or one or more non-charging sections NCS, based on the position information of the work vehicle 10 input from the position sensor 12 mounted on the work vehicle 10 and the section information SI input from the section information acquisition unit 111. The traveling control unit 112 acquires the speed of the work vehicle 10 from the speed sensor 13 mounted on the work vehicle 10. In addition, the driving control unit 112 controls the driving control unit 112 to drive the work vehicle 10 at a target speed corresponding to the charging section CS or non-charging section NCS determined by the section determination unit 114, among the target speeds calculated by the target speed calculation unit 113.

[0071] With this configuration, the vehicle control device 110 of this embodiment can control the traveling device 18 by the traveling control unit 112 to cause the work vehicle 10 to travel at a target speed corresponding to each of the charging sections CS and non-charging sections NCS. As a result, the amount of charged power in the power storage device 17 at the end point of each charging section CS becomes greater than the amount of power consumed by the traveling device 18 in the non-charging section NCS starting from the end point of that charging section CS. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the work vehicle 10 from running out of power over the entire planned route PR along which the work vehicle 10 travels, and to suppress a decrease in work efficiency at the work site WS.

[0072] Furthermore, in the vehicle control device 110 of this embodiment, the target speed calculation unit 113 calculates a target speed that minimizes the travel time of the work vehicle 10 traveling along the planned route PR. With this configuration, the vehicle control device 110 of this embodiment can improve the productivity of the transport work by the work vehicle 10 and improve the work efficiency at the work site WS.

[0073] Furthermore, in the vehicle control device 110 of this embodiment, the target speed calculation unit 113 calculates the target speed in each charging section CS based on the charging speed cr from the power supply device 40 to the power storage device 17 in each charging section CS. With this configuration, the vehicle control device 110 of this embodiment makes it possible to charge a sufficient amount of power to the power storage device 17 without reducing the speed of the work vehicle 10 more than necessary. Furthermore, even if the amount of power that the power supply device 40 can supply fluctuates, it is possible to prevent the work vehicle 10 from running out of power.

[0074] Furthermore, in the vehicle control device 110 of this embodiment, the travel control unit 112 limits the upper limit of the speed of the work vehicle 10 in each charging section CS to the target speed in each charging section CS. With this configuration, the vehicle control device 110 of this embodiment can prevent, for example, the work vehicle 10 from exceeding the target speed in the charging section CS during manual driving of the work vehicle 10, causing a shortage of the charged power amount of the power storage device 17.

[0075] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a vehicle control device 110 that can prevent the work vehicle 10 from running out of power along the entire planned route PR along which the work vehicle 10 travels, and can suppress a decrease in work efficiency.

[0076] [Embodiment 2] An embodiment of a vehicle management system according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 3, 7 and 8. Figure 7 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle management device 120 constituting a vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment. As in the above-described first embodiment, the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment includes a vehicle control device 110 mounted on each of a plurality of work vehicles 10, and a vehicle management device 120 installed outside the plurality of work vehicles 10 and configured to be able to communicate with the plurality of vehicle control devices 110.

[0077] The vehicle control device 110 constituting the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment has the same configuration as the vehicle control device 110 of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, except that it does not have the target speed calculation unit 113 shown in Fig. 3. Moreover, the vehicle management device 120 constituting the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment includes a section information transmission unit 121 and a target speed calculation unit 122 as shown in Fig. 7.

[0078] The vehicle management device 120 also includes, for example, a map information update unit 123 and a power consumption calculation unit 124. Each unit of the vehicle management device 120 represents each function of the vehicle management device 120 that is realized by, for example, a CPU constituting the vehicle management device 120 executing a program stored in the memory or the storage device 140.

[0079] The section information transmission unit 121 transmits, for example, section information SI such as that shown in Table 2 of the above-mentioned first embodiment to the vehicle control device 110 of each work vehicle 10 via the communication device 22. The target speed calculation unit 122 has, for example, the same function as the target speed calculation unit 113 of the vehicle control device 110 in the above-mentioned first embodiment. That is, the target speed calculation unit 122 calculates the target speed of each work vehicle 10 and transmits it to the vehicle control device 110 of each work vehicle 10.

[0080] Here, the target speed calculation unit 122 acquires, for example, section information SI from the section information transmission unit 121. Then, based on the acquired section information SI, the target speed calculation unit 122 calculates a target speed of the work vehicle 10 in each charging section CS and each non-charging section NCS so that the amount of charged power in the power storage device 17 at the end point of each charging section CS is greater than the amount of power consumed by the traveling device 18 in a non-charging section NCS that starts from the end point of the charging section CS.

[0081] The map information update unit 123 updates the map information stored in the storage device 140, for example, based on information input via the HMI 23 or information received from the work vehicle 10 via the communication device 22. More specifically, for example, when the shape of the planned route PR, the loading site OS1, or the accumulation site OS2 changes due to the mining work of the work machine 30 and the transport work of the work vehicle 10, the map information update unit 123 updates the map data stored in the storage device 140 based on the information input by the operator via the HMI 23 so as to reflect the actual shape. In addition, the map information update unit 123 updates the information on the power consumption amount of each section in the map data, for example, based on the change in the amount of charged power of the power storage device 17 received from the work vehicle 10 via the communication device 22.

[0082] The power consumption calculation unit 124 calculates the amount of power consumption of the work vehicle 10 in each section of the planned route PR including the charging section CS and the non-charging section NCS based on changes in potential energy and kinetic energy, using, for example, the gradient of the planned route PR, the weight and speed of the work vehicle 10 including the load, etc. Furthermore, the power consumption calculation unit 124 may estimate the power consumption of the work vehicle 10 based on information such as the weight of the work vehicle 10 including the load, the position and speed of the work vehicle 10, and the history of the amount of charged power of the power storage device 17 of the work vehicle 10.

[0083] The vehicle control device 110 mounted on each work vehicle 10 includes a section determination unit 114, similar to embodiment 1. The section determination unit 114 determines whether the section in which the work vehicle 10 is traveling is one or more charging sections CS or one or more non-charging sections NCS, based on position information of the work vehicle 10 input from a position sensor 12 mounted on the work vehicle 10 and section information SI acquired by a section information acquisition unit 111.

[0084] Furthermore, the driving control unit 112 of the vehicle control device 110 acquires the speed of the work vehicle 10 from the speed sensor 12 mounted on the work vehicle 10. Furthermore, the driving control unit 112 controls the traveling device 18 to make the work vehicle 10 travel at a target speed corresponding to the charging section CS or non-charging section NCS determined by the section determination unit 114 from the target speeds of the work vehicle 10 received from the vehicle management device 120.

[0085] Furthermore, the vehicle control device 110 mounted on each work vehicle 10 includes a power storage control unit 116, similar to the first embodiment. The power storage control unit 116, for example, transmits the amount of charged power in the power storage device 17 to a vehicle management device 120 in the vehicle management center 20 via the communication device 11. Then, the power consumption calculation unit 124 of the vehicle management device 120 calculates the amount of power consumed by the work vehicle 10 in the non-charging section NCS based on the amount of charged power received from the vehicle control device 110 when the work vehicle 10 passes the start point and the end point of the non-charging section NCS.

[0086] 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a location where the power supply device 40 is installed in the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment. The vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment may further include, for example, one or more power supply devices 40. In this case, the power supply device 40 is installed, for example, in a low speed section LSS or a low power consumption section LES of the planned route PR of the work vehicle 10.

[0087] The low speed section LSS includes, for example, as shown in Fig. 8, a curve or bent portion of the planned route PR with a predetermined radius of curvature or less where the work vehicle 10 needs to travel at a low speed, and an uphill gradient AS where the speed of the work vehicle 10 is slower than in other portions, and the portion immediately thereafter. Also, the low power consumption section LES includes, for example, as shown in Fig. 8, a downhill gradient DS where the travelling gear 18 of the work vehicle 10 generates electricity by regenerative braking, and the portions before and after it.

[0088] The operation of the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment will be described below.

[0089] As described above, the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment includes a vehicle control device 110 mounted on each of the multiple work vehicles 10, and a vehicle management device 120 that is installed outside the multiple work vehicles 10 and configured to be able to communicate with the multiple vehicle control devices 110. The vehicle management device 120 includes a section information transmission unit 121 that transmits section information SI to the vehicle control device 110, and a target speed calculation unit 122 that calculates the target speed of the work vehicle 10 in each charging section CS and each non-charging section NCS based on the section information SI so that the charging power amount is greater than the power consumption amount, and transmits the target speed to the vehicle control device 110. The vehicle control device 110 includes a section determination unit 114 that determines whether the section in which the vehicle control device 110 is traveling is one or more charging sections CS or one or more non-charging sections NCS, based on the position information of the work vehicle 10 input from the position sensor 12 mounted on the work vehicle 10 and the section information SI acquired by the section information acquisition unit 111. The driving control unit 112 of the vehicle control device 110 acquires the speed of the work vehicle 10 from the speed sensor 13 mounted on the work vehicle 10, and controls the driving device 18 to make the work vehicle 10 travel at a target speed corresponding to the charging section CS or non-charging section NCS determined by the section determination unit 114 among the target speeds received from the vehicle management device 120.

[0090] With this configuration, the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment can achieve the same effects as the vehicle control device 110 of the first embodiment described above. That is, the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment can store, in each charging section CS, an amount of power in the power storage device 17 of the work vehicle 10 that is greater than the amount of power consumed by the traveling device 18 in the non-charging section NCS next to the charging section CS. This makes it possible to prevent the work vehicle 10 from running out of power over the entire planned route PR along which the work vehicle 10 travels. Furthermore, by preventing the work vehicle 10 from running out of power, a decrease in work efficiency at the work site WS can be suppressed.

[0091] Furthermore, in the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment, the vehicle control device 110 is equipped with a power storage control unit 116 that transmits the amount of charged power in the power storage device 17 to the vehicle management device 120. The vehicle management device 120 is equipped with a power consumption calculation unit 124 that calculates the amount of power consumed by the work vehicle 10 in the non-charging section NCS based on the amount of charged power received from the vehicle control device 110 when the work vehicle 10 passes the start point and end point of the non-charging section NCS. With this configuration, the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment can easily and accurately determine the amount of power consumed by the traveling devices 18 of each work vehicle 10 in the non-charging section NCS.

[0092] The vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment further includes a power supply device 40. The power supply device 40 is installed in a low speed section LSS where the speed of each work vehicle 10 is lower than the average speed of the multiple work vehicles 10 traveling on the planned route PR. Alternatively, the power supply device 40 is installed in a low power consumption section LES where the power consumption of each work vehicle 10 is lower than the average power consumption of the multiple work vehicles 10 traveling on the planned route PR.

[0093] With this configuration, the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment can lengthen the charging time of the power storage device 17 in the charging section CS while suppressing a decrease in productivity at the work site WS by installing the power supply device 40 in the low speed section LSS where the work vehicle 10 travels at a low speed. Also, by installing the power supply device 40 in the low speed section LSS, the distance of the charging section CS can be reduced, thereby reducing costs. Also, by installing the power supply device 40 in the low power consumption section LES where the amount of power consumed by the work vehicle 10 is small, more power can be supplied from the power supply device 40 to the power storage device 17, thereby increasing the charging speed cr.

[0094] Note that on the downward gradient DS and immediately before it or at the curve, a speed limit is set according to the gradient and the radius of curvature, for example, to brake the work vehicle 10 using regenerative braking. Therefore, the downward gradient DS is not only a low power consumption section LES but also a low speed section LSS, and the curve is not only a low speed section LSS but also a low power consumption section LES. Note that the low speed section LSS may be a section on the planned route PR where a lower speed limit is set than in other parts due to reasons such as the traffic volume of the work vehicle 10, the distance from buildings and facilities, and the condition of the road surface.

[0095] [Embodiment 3] Hereinafter, a third embodiment of a vehicle management system according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3, 7, 9, and 10. Figure 9 is a flow diagram explaining the operation of the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment. Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a speed adjustment section VAS in a planned route PR of a work vehicle 10.

[0096] The vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment differs from the vehicle management system 100 of the above-described embodiment 2 in the operation of the target speed calculation unit 122 of the vehicle management device 120 shown in Fig. 7. The other configuration of the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment is similar to that of the vehicle management system 100 of the above-described embodiment 2, so similar parts are given the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0097] As described above, the planned route PR of the work vehicle 10 at the work site WS includes work points OS where the work vehicle 10 stops to load and unload cargo, such as a loading area OS1 and a collection area OS2. When the vehicle management system 100 starts the process flow shown in Fig. 9, it executes process P1 to determine whether the work vehicle 10 that is the target of speed adjustment has reached the start point of the speed adjustment section VAS.

[0098] The work vehicle 10 that is the target of speed adjustment in process P1 is, for example, a following work vehicle 10 traveling behind a preceding work vehicle 10 traveling toward the same work point OS, as shown in Fig. 10. The speed adjustment section VAS is set adjacent to the charging section CS, for example, in a non-charging section NCS before the charging section CS, and the end point of the speed adjustment section VAS coincides with the start point of the charging section CS. Note that the charging section CS and the speed adjustment section VAS may be separated from each other.

[0099] In this process P1, the target speed calculation unit 122 of the vehicle management device 120 installed in the vehicle management center 20 receives position information from each work vehicle 10 via the communication device 22, for example, and determines whether the target following work vehicle 10 has reached the start point of the speed adjustment section VAS. When the target speed calculation unit 122 determines that the target work vehicle 10 has not reached the speed adjustment section VAS (NO), the vehicle management system 100 ends the process flow shown in Fig. 9. Thereafter, the vehicle management system 100 repeatedly executes the process flow shown in Fig. 9 at a predetermined cycle.

[0100] On the other hand, when the target speed calculation unit 122 determines in process P1 that the target work vehicle 10 has reached the speed adjustment section VAS (YES), the vehicle management system 100 executes the next process P2. In this process P2, the target speed calculation unit 122 predicts the time interval from when the leading work vehicle 10 reaches the work point OS to when the trailing work vehicle 10 reaches the work point OS, for example, based on the speed of each work vehicle 10 and the distance to the work point OS.

[0101] Next, the vehicle management system 100 executes a process P3 to determine whether or not the work machine 30 will have to wait until the following work vehicle 10 arrives at the work point OS. If the work point OS is a loading site OS1, when the preceding work vehicle 10 arrives at the work point OS, the work machine 30 loads a cargo onto the work vehicle 10. This loading operation by the work machine 30 takes a certain amount of time, but if the arrival of the following work vehicle 10 at the work point OS is delayed, a waiting time will occur during which the work machine 30 waits for the arrival of the following work vehicle 10.

[0102] More specifically, whether or not a waiting time will occur for the work machine 30 can be determined based on, for example, the following formula (4). In the following formula (4), TI is the time interval from when the leading work vehicle 10 arrives at the work point OS to when the following work vehicle 10 arrives. WTs is the standard waiting time for the following work vehicle 10. LT is the loading time required for the work machine 30 to load a load onto the work vehicle 10.

[0103] TI>LT+WTs (4)

[0104] The standard waiting time WTs of the following work vehicle 10 is set to prevent a decrease in productivity at the work site WS due to waiting time occurring in the work machine 30. The time interval TI between the leading work vehicle 10 and the following work vehicle 10 varies due to, for example, changes in speed caused by the operator's driving when the work vehicle 10 is manually driven, waiting time at intersections, avoidance of collisions with other work vehicles 10, etc. Therefore, if the loading time LT and the standard waiting time WTs are constant values, a waiting time will occur in the work machine 30 if the time interval TI satisfies the above formula (4).

[0105] Furthermore, the standby time WTm of the work machine 30 can be calculated, for example, by the following formula (5). However, in the following formula (5), the standby time WTm of the work machine 30 is set to a value equal to or greater than zero, and if the standby time WTm is a negative value, the standby time WTm is set to 0.

[0106] WTm = TI - LT + WTs (5)

[0107] In process P3 shown in Figure 9, the target speed calculation unit 122 of the vehicle management device 120 determines that a waiting time WTm will occur in the work machine 30 (YES), for example, when the above formula (4) is satisfied, or when the waiting time WTm of the work machine 30 based on the above formula (5) is greater than zero.

[0108] In this case, the vehicle management system 100 executes the next process P4. In this process P4, the target speed calculation unit 122 of the vehicle management device 120 predicts the amount of charged energy in the power storage device 17 at the start point of the charging section CS of the following work vehicle 10, as shown in Fig. 10. More specifically, the target speed calculation unit 122 acquires the current amount of charged energy and position information of the power storage device 17 from the target following work vehicle 10 via the communication device 22, for example.

[0109] Also, for example, based on the position information of the target work vehicle 10 and the position information of the charging section CS, the target speed calculation unit 122 acquires the amount of power consumption when the work vehicle 10 travels from its current position to the start point of the charging section CS from the power consumption calculation unit 124. Furthermore, based on the current amount of charged power in the power storage device 17 of the target work vehicle 10 and the amount of power consumption up to the charging section CS, the target speed calculation unit 122 predicts the amount of charged power E of the power storage device 17 when the work vehicle 10 reaches the start point of the charging section CS.

[0110] Next, the vehicle management system 100 executes process P5 for increasing the target speed of the target following work vehicle 10. In this process P5, the target speed calculation unit 122 of the vehicle management device 120 increases the target speed of the target work vehicle 10 in the speed adjustment section VAS. Here, the target speed calculation unit 122 increases the target speed of the work vehicle 10 within a range in which the increase ΔE in power consumption of the work vehicle 10 in the speed adjustment section VAS is equal to or less than the charged energy E of the power storage device 17 at the start point of the charging section CS predicted in the previous process P4.

[0111] The increase ΔE in the power consumption of the work vehicle 10 in the speed adjustment section VAS can be calculated based on, for example, the speed of the work vehicle 10, the weight including the load, the gradient of the speed adjustment section VAS, etc. After that, the vehicle management system 100 executes a process P6 in which the target speed increased in the previous process P5 is transmitted from the vehicle management device 120 to the target work vehicle 10. This allows the speed to be increased in the speed adjustment section VAS without causing the target work vehicle 10 to run out of power, and the standby time WTm of the work machine 30 at the work point OS can be reduced or set to zero. After that, the vehicle management system 100 ends the process flow shown in FIG. 9 and executes it repeatedly at a predetermined cycle.

[0112] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned process P3, if the target speed calculation unit 122 of the vehicle management device 120 determines that the waiting time WTm of the work machine 30 will not occur (NO), the vehicle management system 100 executes process P7 to predict the waiting time WTv of the following work vehicle 10. That is, if the above formula (4) is not satisfied and the waiting time WTm of the work machine 30 becomes zero, the waiting time WTv of the following work vehicle 10 will occur until loading of the cargo onto the preceding work vehicle 10 is completed. The target speed calculation unit 122 calculates the waiting time WTv of the following work vehicle 10 based on the above-mentioned loading time LT, standard waiting time WTs, and time interval TI, for example, using the following formula (6).

[0113] WTv = LT + WTs - TI (6)

[0114] However, the waiting time WTv is a value equal to or greater than zero, and if the waiting time WTv is a negative value, the waiting time WTv = 0. Furthermore, the waiting time WTv of the work vehicle 10 and the waiting time WTm of the work vehicle 10 will not be positive values ​​at the same time. That is, either the waiting time WTm occurs only in the work machine 30, or the waiting time WTv occurs only in the work vehicle 10, and the waiting time WTm of the work machine 30 and the waiting time WTv of the work vehicle 10 will not occur at the same time.

[0115] Next, the vehicle management system 100 executes a process P8 for predicting the amount of charged energy in the power storage device 17 at the end point of the charging section CS of the subsequent work vehicle 10 that has reached the speed adjustment section VAS. In this process P8, the target speed calculation unit 122 of the vehicle management device 120 acquires, for example, the current speed and the current amount of charged energy in the power storage device 17 from the target work vehicle 10 via the communication device 22. In addition, the target speed calculation unit 122 calculates the amount of charged energy in the power storage device 17 to be charged in the charging section CS based on, for example, the target speed of the work vehicle 10 and the charging speed cr of the power supply device 40.

[0116] Furthermore, the target speed calculation unit 122 acquires, for example, the amount of power consumption in the speed adjustment section VAS corresponding to the current speed of the work vehicle 10 and the amount of power consumption in the charging section CS from the power consumption calculation unit 124. Then, the target speed calculation unit 122 predicts the amount of charge energy of the power storage device 17 at the end point of the charging section CS based on the current amount of charge energy of the power storage device 17, the amount of charge energy charged to the power storage device 17 in the charging section CS, and the amounts of power consumption in the speed adjustment section VAS and the charging section CS.

[0117] Next, the vehicle management system 100, for example, uses the target speed calculation unit 122 to predict a shortage Es of the amount of charging power predicted in the previous process P8 relative to the full charge amount of the power storage device 17 of the target work vehicle 10. The full charge amount of the power storage device 17 may change due to deterioration of the secondary battery, etc., but by acquiring a history of the amount of charging power of the power storage device 17 from the work vehicle 10, it is possible to estimate the most recent full charge amount of the power storage device 17.

[0118] Next, the vehicle management system 100 executes process P10 to determine whether the standby time WTv of the target following work vehicle 10 has occurred and whether the shortage amount Es of the power storage device 17 of the target work vehicle 10 with respect to the full charge amount at the end point of the charging section CS is positive. In this process P10, when the target speed calculation unit 122 determines that, for example, the standby time WTv of the work vehicle 10 has occurred and the shortage amount Es of the power storage device 17 with respect to the full charge amount at the end point of the charging section CS is positive (YES), it executes process P11 to reduce the target speed of the work vehicle 10.

[0119] In this process P11, the target speed calculation unit 122 reduces the target speed of the work vehicle 10 in the charging section CS so that the increase ΔT in the travel time of the work vehicle 10 in the charging section CS does not exceed the standby time WTv of the work vehicle 10 predicted in the above-mentioned process P7. Thereafter, the target speed calculation unit 122 executes process P6 to transmit the reduced target speed to the target subsequent work vehicle 10 via the communication device 22. As a result, it is possible to reduce the standby time WTv of the target work vehicle 10 and increase the amount of charged power in the power storage device 17 without causing a standby time WTm for the work machine 30 at the work point OS.

[0120] Thereafter, the vehicle management system 100 ends the process flow shown in Fig. 9 and executes it repeatedly at a predetermined cycle. On the other hand, in the above-mentioned process P10, if the target speed calculation unit 122 determines that the standby time WTv of the work vehicle 10 will not occur or that the shortage amount Es with respect to the full charge amount of the power storage device 17 is zero (NO), the vehicle management system 100 ends the process flow shown in Fig. 9 and executes it repeatedly at a predetermined cycle.

[0121] 9 has been described as an example in which the occurrence of the waiting time WTm of the work machine 30 and the waiting time WTv of the following work vehicle 10 is suppressed by correcting the target speed of the following work vehicle 10 out of the leading work vehicle 10 and the following work vehicle 10. However, in the vehicle management system 100, it is also possible to suppress the occurrence of the waiting time WTm of the work machine 30 and the waiting time WTv of the following work vehicle 10 by correcting the target speed of the leading work vehicle 10.

[0122] The operation of the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment will be described below.

[0123] In the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment, the planned route PR of the work vehicle 10 includes a work point OS where the work vehicle 10 stops and performs work. The vehicle control device 110 further includes a power storage control unit 116 that transmits the amount of charged power of the power storage device 17 to the vehicle management device 120. The target speed calculation unit 122 of the vehicle management device 120 predicts a time interval TI from when the leading work vehicle 10, of the two work vehicles 10 traveling in front and behind, reaches the work point OS until the trailing work vehicle 10 reaches the work point OS. Furthermore, the target speed calculation unit 122 corrects the target speed of the trailing work vehicle 10 based on the time interval TI and the amount of charged power received from the vehicle control device 110 of the trailing work vehicle 10.

[0124] With such a configuration, according to the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment, the target speed calculation unit 122 can predict the occurrence of a delay time, which is the time from when the preceding work vehicle 10 leaves the work point OS until the following work vehicle 10 arrives, based on the above-mentioned time interval TI. Furthermore, the target speed calculation unit 122 can predict the occurrence of a waiting time WTv of the following work vehicle 10 caused by the following work vehicle 10 arriving at the work point OS before the preceding work vehicle 10 leaves the work point OS, based on the above-mentioned time interval TI. Furthermore, when the occurrence of the above-mentioned delay time is predicted, the target speed calculation unit 122 can increase the speed of the following work vehicle 10 within a range in which the work vehicle 10 does not run out of power. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of a delay time of the work machine 30 and improve the productivity of the work site WS. Furthermore, when the occurrence of the above-mentioned waiting time WTv is predicted, the target speed calculation unit 122 can reduce the target speed of the following work vehicle 10 in the charging section CS just before the work point OS to increase the amount of charged power of the power storage device 17.

[0125] Furthermore, in the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment, the planned route PR of the work vehicle 10 includes a work point OS where the work vehicle 10 stops and performs work. The target speed calculation unit 122 of the vehicle management device 120 corrects the target speed of the following work vehicle 10 when a delay is predicted, for example, when a waiting time WTm of the work machine 30 occurs at the work point OS. That is, when a delay is predicted to occur between the time when the leading work vehicle 10 of two work vehicles 10 traveling in front and behind finishes work at the work point OS and the time when the trailing work vehicle 10 reaches the work point OS, the target speed calculation unit 122 corrects the target speed of the leading work vehicle 10 or the trailing work vehicle 10 so as to reduce the delay.

[0126] With this configuration, the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment can prevent the work vehicle 10 from running out of power along the entire planned route PR along which the work vehicle 10 travels, and can suppress the occurrence of waiting time WTv and delay time for the work vehicle 10, thereby suppressing a decrease in work efficiency. The waiting time WTv for the work vehicle 10 at the work site OS can occur not only at the loading site OS1, but also at the collection site OS2 where the work vehicles 10 unload cargo one by one. Similarly, the delay time for the work vehicle 10 at the work site OS can occur not only at the loading site OS1, but also at the collection site OS2 where the work vehicles 10 unload cargo into the crusher, as waiting time for the crusher.

[0127] Furthermore, in the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment, the planned route PR of the work vehicle 10 includes a work point OS where the work vehicle 10 will stop and perform work. When it is predicted that a waiting time WTv will occur in which the leading work vehicle 10 of two work vehicles 10 traveling one behind the other will stop at the work point OS and the following work vehicle 10 will wait in front of the work point OS, the target speed calculation unit 122 of the vehicle management device 120 corrects the target speed of the leading work vehicle 10 or the following work vehicle 10 so as to reduce the waiting time WTv.

[0128] With this configuration, the vehicle management system 100 of this embodiment can increase the speed of the leading work vehicle 10 just before the work point OS, within a range that does not cause the work vehicle 10 to run out of power. This can suppress the occurrence of the waiting time WTv of the following work vehicle 10, improving the productivity of the work site WS. In addition, the target speed of the following work vehicle 10 in the charging section CS just before the work point OS can be reduced to suppress the occurrence of the waiting time WTv of that work vehicle 10, and the amount of charged power in the power storage device 17 of that work vehicle 10 can be increased.

[0129] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a vehicle management system 100 that can prevent the work vehicle 10 from running out of power along the entire planned route PR traveled by the work vehicle 10 and suppress a decrease in work efficiency.

[0130] The above describes in detail the embodiments of the vehicle control device and vehicle management system according to the present disclosure using the drawings, but the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and even if there are design changes, etc., that do not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure, they are included in the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0131] 10 Work vehicles 12 Position Sensor 13 Speed ​​Sensor 16 Power receiving device 17 Energy storage device 18 Running gear 40 Power Supply Device 100 Vehicle Management System 110 Vehicle control device 111 Section information acquisition unit 112 Driving control unit 113 Target speed calculation section 114 Section Determination Unit 116 Power storage control unit 120 Vehicle management device 121 Section information transmission unit 122 Target speed calculation section 124 Power consumption calculation section cr charging speed CS charging section LES Low power consumption section LSS Low Speed ​​Section NCS non-charging section OS work site PR Planned Route SI Section Information

Claims

1. A vehicle control device is mounted on a work vehicle including a power receiving device that receives power from an external power supply device, a power storage device that is charged by the power supplied from the power receiving device, and a traveling device that generates a driving force by the power supplied from the power storage device or the power receiving device, a section information acquisition unit that acquires section information including information on one or more charging sections in which the power supply device is installed and information on one or more non-charging sections in which the power supply device is not installed within a planned route of the work vehicle; A vehicle control device comprising: a driving control unit that controls the traveling device so that the amount of charged power of the storage device at the end point of the charging section is greater than the amount of power consumed by the traveling device in the non-charging section starting from the end point.

2. a target speed calculation unit that calculates a target speed of the work vehicle in the charging section and the non-charging section based on the section information acquired from the section information acquisition unit so that the charging energy amount is greater than the power consumption amount; a section determination unit that determines whether the section in which the work vehicle is traveling is one or more of the charging sections or one or more of the non-charging sections, based on position information of the work vehicle input from a position sensor mounted on the work vehicle and the section information input from the section information acquisition unit, The vehicle control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving control unit acquires the speed of the work vehicle from a speed sensor mounted on the work vehicle, and controls the driving device so as to drive the work vehicle at the target speed calculated by the target speed calculation unit, the target speed corresponding to the charging section or the non-charging section determined by the section determination unit.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2 , wherein the target speed calculation unit calculates the target speed at which a travel time of the work vehicle traveling along the planned route is shortest.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 2 , wherein the target speed calculation unit calculates the target speed in the charging section based on a charging rate from the power supply device to the power storage device in the charging section.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 2 , wherein the travel control unit limits an upper limit of a speed of the work vehicle in the charging section to the target speed in the charging section.

6. A vehicle management system including the vehicle control device according to claim 1 mounted on each of the plurality of work vehicles, and a vehicle management device installed outside the plurality of work vehicles and configured to be able to communicate with the plurality of vehicle control devices, The vehicle management device includes a section information transmission unit that transmits the section information to the vehicle control device, and a target speed calculation unit that calculates a target speed of the work vehicle in the charging section and the non-charging section based on the section information so that the charging power amount is greater than the power consumption amount, and transmits the target speed to the vehicle control device; The vehicle control device further includes a section determination unit that determines whether a section in which the work vehicle is traveling is one or more of the charging sections or one or more of the non-charging sections, based on position information of the work vehicle input from a position sensor mounted on the work vehicle and the section information acquired by the section information acquisition unit, A vehicle management system characterized in that the driving control unit of the vehicle control device acquires the speed of the work vehicle from a speed sensor mounted on the work vehicle, and controls the driving device so as to drive the work vehicle at the target speed corresponding to the charging section or the non-charging section determined by the section determination unit among the target speeds received from the vehicle management device.

7. The vehicle control device further includes a power storage control unit that transmits the amount of charged power of the power storage device to the vehicle management device, The vehicle management system described in claim 6, characterized in that the vehicle management device further includes a power consumption calculation unit that calculates the amount of power consumed by the work vehicle in the non-charging section based on the amount of charging power received from the vehicle control device when the work vehicle passes the start and end points of the non-charging section.

8. 7. The vehicle management system according to claim 6, further comprising a power supply device installed in a low speed section where the speed of each of the work vehicles is slower than the average speed of the plurality of work vehicles traveling on the planned route, or in a low power consumption section where the power consumption of each of the work vehicles is smaller than the average power consumption of the plurality of work vehicles traveling on the planned route.

9. The planned route includes a work point where the work vehicle stops and performs work, The vehicle control device further includes a power storage control unit that transmits the amount of charged power of the power storage device to the vehicle management device, The vehicle management system described in claim 6, characterized in that the target speed calculation unit of the vehicle management device predicts the time interval between when the leading work vehicle of two work vehicles traveling in front and behind reaches the work point and when the trailing work vehicle reaches the work point, and corrects the target speed of the trailing work vehicle based on the time interval and the amount of charged power received from the vehicle control device of the trailing work vehicle.

10. The planned route includes a work point where the work vehicle stops and performs work, The vehicle management system according to claim 6, characterized in that the target speed calculation unit of the vehicle management device, when it is predicted that a delay time will occur between the time when the leading work vehicle of two work vehicles traveling in front and behind finishes work at the work point and the time when the trailing work vehicle reaches the work point, corrects the target speed of the leading work vehicle or the trailing work vehicle so as to reduce the delay time.

11. The planned route includes a work point where the work vehicle stops and performs work, The vehicle management system according to claim 6, characterized in that the target speed calculation unit of the vehicle management device, when it is predicted that a waiting time will occur in which the leading work vehicle of two work vehicles traveling in front and behind will stop at the work point and the trailing work vehicle will wait in front of the work point, corrects the target speed of the leading work vehicle or the trailing work vehicle so as to reduce the waiting time.

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