Conveying method switching device, conveyance switching method and moving body

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of suppressing or preventing reduction of productivity due to a delay of detachment of a moving body by movement from a conveyance device or the like.SOLUTION: A conveying method switching device includes: a conveyance information obtaining unit that obtains a conveyance state information indicating a conveyance state of a moving body which is conveyed by a conveyance device capable of conveying, in a predefined conveyance section, the moving body in a state where movement control of the moving body movable by unmanned drive is stopped; a movement control determining unit that determines, using the obtained conveyance state information, whether or not to start the movement control on the moving body conveyed by the conveyance device; and a command generating unit that generates and outputs a control command to move the moving body from the conveyance section and detached by the movement control when the movement control determining unit determines to start the movement control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a transportation method switching device, a transportation method switching method, and a moving body. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which, in a manufacturing system for producing vehicles, vehicles are transported along an assembly line using belts, and from the end of the assembly line, the vehicles are driven using remote control to be transported to a parking lot of the manufacturing system. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2017-538619 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Since the conveying method using the belt and the conveying method using the vehicle traveling by remote control are different conveying methods, it is desirable to be able to switch between the conveying methods smoothly. If the conveying method cannot be switched smoothly, for example, the vehicle may not be able to leave the belt at the appropriate time, which may result in reduced productivity or abnormalities. This problem is common to conveying methods using any conveying device capable of conveying a vehicle, such as a lifter, not limited to belts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms.

[0006] (1) According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a transport method switching device, which includes: a transport information acquisition unit that acquires transport status information indicating a transport status of a moving body that is transported by a transport device capable of transporting a moving body in a predetermined transport section in a state where the movement control of the moving body that can be moved by an unmanned operation is stopped, a movement control determination unit that uses the acquired transport status information to determine whether or not to start the movement control for the moving body transported by the transport device, and a command generation unit that generates and outputs a control command for moving the moving body from the transport section by the movement control when it is determined by the movement control determination unit to start the movement control. According to this conveying method switching device, the stopped movement control can be started at an appropriate timing based on the conveying status of the moving object by the conveying device, and therefore it is possible to suppress or prevent a decrease in productivity or the occurrence of an abnormality caused by a delay in the release of the moving object from the conveying device. (2) In the conveyance method switching device of the above aspect, the conveyance information acquisition unit may acquire a position of a moving object in the conveyance section as the conveyance status information, and the movement control determination unit may determine whether to start the movement control using the acquired position of the moving object. According to this conveying method switching device, the stopped movement control can be restarted at an appropriate timing based on the position of the moving body in the conveying section. (3) In the transport method switching device of the above-described embodiment, the movement control determination unit may determine to start the movement control when the acquired moving body position is a predetermined distance upstream from the end point of the transport section. This conveying method switching device allows the moving body to be detached from the conveying device before the end of the conveying section, thereby suppressing or preventing the problem of the moving body passing the end point and stopping in a state where it cannot be conveyed. (4) In the transport method switching device of the above aspect, the movement control determination unit may determine to start the movement control when at least a portion of the acquired moving body position has passed an end point of the transport section. According to this transport method switching device, it is possible to determine whether or not the moving body has reached the transport start position by the simple method of determining whether or not the moving body has passed the end point of the transport section. (5) In the conveying method switching device of the above aspect, the conveying information acquisition unit may acquire a conveying speed of the moving object by the conveying device as the conveying status information. The movement control determination unit may further determine a timing to start the movement control using the acquired conveying speed and determine whether to start the movement control at the determined timing. According to this transport method switching device, even when the transport speed of the transport device is switched, the stopped movement control can be restarted at an appropriate timing based on the transport speed. (6) In the conveying method switching device of the above aspect, when the acquired conveying speed is faster than a predetermined reference speed, the movement control determination unit may determine the timing to start the movement control to be earlier than when the conveying speed is the reference speed. According to this transport method switching device, even when the transport speed of the transport device is increased, it is possible to start the movement control at an appropriate timing. (7) The conveying method switching device of the above embodiment may further include a conveying instruction unit that outputs an instruction to reduce the conveying speed of the moving body by the conveying device or an instruction to stop conveying the moving body by the conveying device when movement of the moving body is not detected after the control command is sent to the moving body by the command generating unit. According to this transport method switching device, when the moving body cannot be moved by the movement control, the transport by the transport device is stopped, thereby making it possible to secure time to execute an abnormality measure. (8) In the conveying method switching device of the above-described form, the conveying instruction unit may output an instruction to return the reduced conveying speed to the original conveying speed or to operate the conveying device that has been stopped when abnormality measures have been completed for the moving body for which no movement has been detected. According to this transport method switching device, by continuously performing abnormality measures and recovery, it is possible to quickly recover the transport device from the abnormality measures. (9) The transport method switching device of the above aspect may further include a notification unit that issues a notification when movement of the moving body is not detected after the control command is transmitted to the moving body by the command generation unit. According to this transport method switching device, it is possible to prompt the user to take measures to deal with the abnormality of the transport device by issuing a notification, and it is possible to promptly restore the transport device. (10) The conveying method switching device of the above aspect may further include a position estimation unit that estimates a position of the moving body using moving body information detected by a moving body detector that detects at least one of an image of the moving body and three-dimensional point cloud data of the moving body. The command generation unit may generate and output a control command for moving the moving body by the movement control using the estimated position of the moving body. According to this transportation method switching device, the position of a moving object can be estimated with high accuracy by using three-dimensional point cloud data. The present disclosure can also be realized in various forms other than the transport method switching device, such as a remote control device, a moving body, a transport device, a transport system, a method for transporting a moving body, a method for controlling a transport device, a method for controlling a transport system, a computer program for realizing these control methods, a non-transitory recording medium on which the computer program is recorded, and the like. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a transport system including a remote control device as a transport method switching device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the remote control device and the vehicle. [Figure 3A] 4 is a flowchart showing a vehicle driving method implemented by the remote control device. [Figure 3B] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal functional configuration of a transport control device. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a vehicle transportation switching method according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5]10 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of a remote control start process. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a preparation start position for remote control that is set when the conveying speed is equal to or lower than a reference speed. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a remote control preparation start position that is set when the transport speed is faster than a reference speed. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of a remote control start process in a transport method according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a remote control preparation start position in a remote control start process of a transport method according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an ECU in a vehicle according to a third embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing a vehicle running method according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] A. First embodiment: 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conveying system 600 including a remote control device 300 as a conveying method switching device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The conveying system 600 is used, for example, in a factory that manufactures vehicles 100. The conveying target of the conveying system 600 is the vehicle 100 that can run by remote control. The conveying system 600 is used, for example, in an inspection process of the vehicle 100 or an assembly process of the vehicle 100, and conveys the vehicle 100 over a predetermined conveying section in the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100. The conveying system 600 includes the remote control device 300, a vehicle detector 80, and a conveying device 500.

[0009] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the remote control device 300 and the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 is, for example, a passenger car, a truck, a bus, and a construction vehicle. In this embodiment, the vehicle 100 is an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle) that can run by unmanned driving. "Unmanned driving" means driving without the driving operation of a passenger. Driving operation means at least one operation of the vehicle, such as "running", "turning", and "stopping". Unmanned driving is realized by automatic or manual remote control using a device provided outside the vehicle, or autonomous control of the vehicle. A passenger who does not perform driving operation may be on board a vehicle that runs by unmanned driving. Passengers who do not perform driving operation include, for example, a person who simply sits in the seat of the vehicle, and a person who performs work other than driving operation, such as assembly, inspection, and operation of switches, while riding in the vehicle. Driving by a passenger's driving operation is sometimes called "manned driving". The vehicle 100 includes a vehicle communication device 190, an actuator 140, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 200.

[0010] The ECU 200 is mounted on the vehicle 100 and executes various controls of the vehicle 100. The ECU 200 includes a storage device 220 such as an HDD (hard disk drive), an SSD (solid state drive), an optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory, a CPU 210 as a central processing unit, and an interface circuit 230. The CPU 210, the storage device 220, and the interface circuit 230 are connected via an internal bus so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally. The actuator 140 and the vehicle communication device 190 are connected to the interface circuit 230. The vehicle communication device 190 performs wireless communication with devices outside the vehicle 100 connected to a network, such as a remote control device 300, via an access point in a factory or the like.

[0011] Computer programs for implementing at least some of the functions provided in this embodiment are stored in the storage device 220. The CPU 210 executes various computer programs stored in the memory to implement functions such as the operation control unit 212.

[0012] The driving control unit 212 executes driving control of the vehicle 100. The "driving control" refers to various controls for driving each actuator 140 that performs the functions of "running", "turning" and "stopping" of the vehicle 100, such as adjusting acceleration, speed and steering angle. If the vehicle 100 is replaced by a moving body, it may be called "movement control" instead of "driving control". In this embodiment, the actuator 140 includes an actuator of a driving device for accelerating the vehicle 100, an actuator of a steering device for changing the traveling direction of the vehicle 100, and an actuator of a braking device for decelerating the vehicle 100. The driving device includes a battery, a driving motor driven by the battery power, and a driving wheel rotated by the driving motor. The actuator of the driving device includes a driving motor. The actuator 140 may further include an actuator for swinging the wipers of the vehicle 100, an actuator for opening and closing the power window of the vehicle 100, and the like.

[0013] When a driver is on board the vehicle 100, the driving control unit 212 controls the actuator 140 in response to an operation by the driver, thereby allowing the vehicle 100 to travel. In addition, the driving control unit 212 can also control the actuator 140 in response to a control command transmitted from the remote control device 300, thereby allowing the vehicle 100 to travel, regardless of whether a driver is on board the vehicle 100 or not.

[0014] The vehicle detector 80 is a device for measuring vehicle information. The "vehicle information" is information used to estimate at least one of the position of the vehicle 100 and the orientation of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the vehicle detector 80 uses a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) which is a distance measuring device. The vehicle detector 80 measures three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle 100 as the vehicle information. The three-dimensional point cloud data is data indicating the three-dimensional position of a point cloud. By using the LiDAR, it is possible to obtain highly accurate three-dimensional point cloud data. Note that the orientation and running direction of the vehicle 100 may be estimated by obtaining only the position of the vehicle 100 by the vehicle detector 80 and obtaining the position change of the vehicle 100 over time, etc.

[0015] The vehicle detector 80 is communicatively connected to the remote control device 300 via wireless or wired communication. The remote control device 300 can acquire the relative position and orientation of the vehicle 100 with respect to the target route in real time by acquiring three-dimensional point cloud data from the vehicle detector 80. The position of the vehicle detector 80 is fixed near the travel route SR along which the vehicle 100 is scheduled to travel and the conveyance device 500.

[0016] 2, the remote control device 300 generates a control command for automatically driving the vehicle 100 by remote control, transmits the control command to the vehicle 100, and executes the driving control of the vehicle 100 by remote control. For example, the remote control device 300 transports the vehicle 100 in a transport section in a factory by automatically driving the vehicle 100 by remote control. In this embodiment, the remote control device 300 also functions as a transport method switching device that determines whether to start the driving control of the vehicle 100 by remote control using transport status information that indicates the transport status of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500, as will be described later.

[0017] The remote control device 300 includes a CPU 310 as a central processing unit, a storage device 340, an interface circuit 350, and a remote communication device 390. The CPU 310, the storage device 340, and the interface circuit 350 are connected to each other via an internal bus so as to be able to communicate in both directions. The interface circuit 350 is connected to the remote communication device 390. The remote communication device 390 communicates with the vehicle 100 and the transportation control device 400 via a network or the like.

[0018] The storage device 340 is, for example, a RAM, a ROM, a HDD, an SSD, etc. A reference speed SV is stored in a readable / writable area of ​​the storage device 340. The reference speed SV is a conveying speed set in normal times among the variable conveying speeds at which the conveying device 500 conveys the vehicle 100. The "conveying speed set in normal times" is, for example, a conveying speed that is set in advance to achieve a target manufacturing time. The target manufacturing time is a manufacturing time set in a process to manufacture one vehicle 100. The target manufacturing time is sometimes called a "takt time." The reference speed SV functions as a threshold value for determining the timing to remove the vehicle 100 from the conveying device 500, as described later.

[0019] A computer program for realizing at least a part of the functions provided in this embodiment is stored in the storage device 340. When the computer program stored in the storage device 340 is executed by the CPU 310, the CPU 310 functions as a remote control unit 312, a position estimation unit 314, a remote control determination unit 316, a transportation information acquisition unit 318, a transportation instruction unit 322, a notification unit 324, a subsequent instruction unit 326, and a vehicle information acquisition unit 328. However, some or all of these functions may be configured by hardware circuits.

[0020] The position estimation unit 314 acquires vehicle information from the vehicle detector 80 and estimates the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 using the acquired vehicle information. In this embodiment, the position estimation unit 314 uses three-dimensional point cloud data measured by the vehicle detector 80 as the vehicle information. The position estimation unit 314 estimates the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 in the acquired three-dimensional point cloud data. Specifically, the position estimation unit 314 executes template matching on the three-dimensional point cloud data using the vehicle point cloud data stored in advance in the storage device 340. Therefore, the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 in the three-dimensional point cloud data can be estimated with high accuracy. For example, the three-dimensional CAD data of the vehicle 100 can be used as the template of the vehicle point cloud data. The vehicle point cloud data may include information for identifying the orientation of the vehicle 100. For example, an ICP (Iterative Closest Point) algorithm or an NDT (Normal Distribution Transform) algorithm can be used for template matching of the vehicle point cloud data with the three-dimensional point cloud data.

[0021] The remote control unit 312 functions as a command generating unit that generates control commands for causing the vehicle 100 to perform various operations and outputs the control commands to the vehicle 100. For example, the remote control unit 312 generates a control command for remote control using the estimated position and orientation of the vehicle 100 and transmits the control command to the vehicle 100. This control command is a command for causing the vehicle 100 to travel along a target route stored in the storage device 340. The control command can be generated as a command including a driving force or braking force and a steering angle. Alternatively, the control command may be generated as a command including at least one of the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 and a future travel route. When the vehicle 100 receives a request for remote control, the driving control is realized by the driving control unit 212 of the ECU 200, and as a result, the vehicle 100 travels automatically.

[0022] 3A is a flowchart showing a method for driving the vehicle 100 realized by the remote control device 300. The remote control unit 312 acquires the estimation results of the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 by the position estimation unit 314 (step S1). In this embodiment, the position of the vehicle 100 includes X, Y, and Z coordinates in the global coordinate system of the factory. The position of the vehicle detector 80 is adjusted in advance. The remote control unit 312 detects the position of the vehicle 100 from the vehicle information acquired from the vehicle detector 80, and acquires the position of the vehicle 100 in the factory from the detected position of the vehicle 100.

[0023] The remote control unit 312 determines a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head (step S2). In this embodiment, the target position is represented by X, Y, and Z coordinates in the global coordinate system of the factory. An ideal route, which is a route along which the vehicle 100 should travel, is stored in advance in the storage device 340 of the remote control device 300. The route is represented by nodes indicating the starting point, nodes indicating passing points, nodes indicating the destination, and links connecting the nodes. The remote control unit 312 uses the position of the vehicle 100 and the ideal route to determine a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head. The remote control unit 312 determines a target position on the ideal route that is ahead of the current position of the vehicle 100.

[0024] The remote control unit 312 generates a travel control signal for driving the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position (step S3). In this embodiment, the travel control signal includes the acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 100 as parameters. The remote control unit 312 calculates the travel speed of the vehicle 100 from the transition of the position of the vehicle 100, and compares the calculated travel speed with a predetermined target speed of the vehicle 100. When the travel speed is lower than the target speed, the remote control unit 312 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 accelerates, and when the travel speed is higher than the target speed, the remote control unit 312 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 decelerates. When the vehicle 100 is located on the ideal route, the remote control unit 312 determines the steering angle so that the vehicle 100 does not deviate from the ideal route, and when the vehicle 100 is not located on the ideal route, in other words, when the vehicle 100 deviates from the ideal route, the remote control unit 312 determines the steering angle so that the vehicle 100 returns to the ideal route.

[0025] The remote control unit 312 transmits the generated driving control signal to the vehicle 100 (step S4). The remote control unit 312 repeats, at a predetermined cycle, obtaining the position of the vehicle 100, determining the target position, generating the driving control signal, and transmitting the driving control signal.

[0026] The driving control unit 212 of the vehicle 100 receives the driving control signal from the remote control unit 312 (step S5), and controls the actuator 140 using the received driving control signal to make the vehicle 100 drive at the acceleration and steering angle indicated in the driving control signal (step S6). The driving control unit 212 repeats receiving the driving control signal and controlling the actuator 140 at a predetermined cycle. As described above, by making the vehicle 100 drive by remote control, it is possible to move the vehicle 100 without using transportation equipment such as a crane or a conveyor.

[0027] Returning to Fig. 2, the remote control determination unit 316 determines whether or not to start automatic traveling by remote control for the vehicle 100 transported by the transport device 500. The remote control determination unit 316 is an example of a movement control determination unit that determines whether or not to start movement control for a moving body transported by the transport device 500. The remote control determination unit 316 uses the transportation status of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500 to determine whether or not to start remote control, as described later.

[0028] The conveyance information acquisition unit 318 acquires conveyance status information indicating the conveyance status of the vehicle 100. The "conveyance status information" is the vehicle position and conveyance speed. The "vehicle position" is the position of the vehicle 100 in the conveyance section of the conveyance device 500. The vehicle position may be the overall position of the vehicle 100, or may be the position of at least a part of the vehicle 100. The conveyance information acquisition unit 318 acquires the vehicle position VP stored in the storage device 440 from the conveyance control device 400, or acquires the position of the vehicle 100 on the conveyor unit 510 from the vehicle detector 80 if it is possible to acquire it from the vehicle detector 80. The conveyance information acquisition unit 318 may acquire the vehicle position directly from the conveyance position detector 526.

[0029] The "conveying speed" is the speed at which the vehicle 100 is transported by the transport device 500. In this embodiment, the transport information acquisition unit 318 acquires the transporting speed CV stored in the storage device 440 from the transport control device 400. The transport information acquisition unit 318 may acquire the transporting speed directly from the transporting speed detector 524.

[0030] The transport instruction unit 322 outputs an instruction to the transport control device 400 regarding the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500. For example, when an abnormality occurs in the traveling of the vehicle 100 by remote control, the transport instruction unit 322 outputs an instruction to reduce the transport speed CV of the vehicle 100 or an instruction to stop the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500. Note that the transport instruction unit 322 may output an instruction to increase the transport speed CV or start transport, in addition to an instruction to reduce the transport speed CV or stop transport.

[0031] The notification unit 324 notifies the user of an abnormality when an abnormality occurs in the driving of the vehicle 100 under remote control. For example, the notification unit 324 notifies the user of the abnormality when the autonomous driving of the vehicle 100 is not detected after a control command for executing remote control is transmitted to the vehicle 100.

[0032] The following instruction unit 326 outputs an instruction to delay the timing at which the following vehicle arrives at the transport device 500 when, for example, there is an abnormality in the traveling of the vehicle 100 by remote control. The "following vehicle" is a vehicle that is scheduled to be transported by the transport device 500 after the vehicle 100. The following instruction unit 326 outputs an instruction to delay the timing at which the following vehicle arrives at the transport device 500 when, for example, the automatic traveling of the vehicle 100 is not detected after a control command for executing remote control is transmitted to the vehicle 100, or the vehicle 100 is not transported by the transport device 500.

[0033] The vehicle information acquisition unit 328 acquires vehicle identification information of the vehicle 100 to be transported by the transport device 500 from a production management device or the like. The "vehicle identification information" refers to various information that can individually identify the vehicle 100. The vehicle identification information includes, for example, ID information given to each vehicle 100, such as a vehicle identification number (VIN: Vehicle Identification Number), and a serial number of the vehicle 100 used for production management. The vehicle identification information may further include specification information of the vehicle 100, such as the model, color, and shape. The vehicle identification information is not limited to information for identifying a single vehicle 100, and may include information for identifying a plurality of vehicles 100 for each predetermined unit, such as a lot number. The vehicle identification information can be acquired, for example, from a radio frequency identification (RF-ID: Radio Frequency Identification) tag attached to the vehicle 100 via short-range wireless communication or the like. The vehicle identification information may be acquired by reading a two-dimensional code attached to the vehicle 100 with a camera or the like.

[0034] 1, the transport device 500 includes a conveyor unit 510, a motor 522, a transport speed detector 524, a plurality of transport position detectors 526, and the transport control device 400. The motor 522 is controlled by the transport control device 400 to drive the conveyor unit 510.

[0035] The conveyor unit 510 conveys the vehicle 100, which is the object of conveyance, in the conveying direction DR. In this embodiment, the conveyor unit 510 is a belt conveyor having a circular endless belt, and conveys the vehicle 100 in a state where it is grounded on the endless belt. The conveyor unit 510 is not limited to only a belt conveyor, and may be various conveyors capable of conveying the vehicle 100, such as a roller conveyor and a chain conveyor. The conveyor unit 510 is continuously driven regardless of whether the vehicle 100 is on the conveyor unit 510 or not. However, the conveyor unit 510 may be driven only in a state where the vehicle 100 is placed on the conveyor unit 510. The object of conveyance conveyed by the conveyor unit 510 is not limited to only the vehicle 100, and for example, a worker who performs processing on the vehicle 100, a part of the vehicle 100, etc. may be conveyed together with the vehicle 100. In addition, it is not necessary for all the wheels of the vehicle 100 to be in contact with the conveyor unit 510 when conveyed, and the vehicle 100 may be conveyed in a state where only the wheels on either one side in the vehicle width direction are in contact with the conveyor unit 510. The conveyor unit 510 is not limited to a device that transports the vehicle 100 in a grounded state, but may also be a device that transports the vehicle 100 in an ungrounded state, such as a so-called lifter, on the premise that the vehicle 100 is brought into a drivable state by remote control when the transport by the conveyor unit 510 begins and ends.

[0036] The conveying speed detector 524 detects the conveying speed of the vehicle 100 by the conveyor unit 510. The conveying position detector 526 detects the presence or absence of the vehicle 100 on the conveyor unit 510. The conveying position detector 526 is, for example, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar, or other detector capable of detecting the presence or absence of a target. There are a plurality of conveying position detectors 526, and the presence or absence of the vehicle 100 in each conveying section can be detected by installing the plurality of conveying position detectors 526 for each predetermined conveying section by the conveying system 600. In other words, the conveying position detector 526 can detect the vehicle position of the vehicle 100 in the conveying section of the conveying device 500. The detection results by the conveying speed detector 524 and the conveying position detector 526 are output to the conveying control device 400.

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a transport section of the vehicle 100 from a range AR1 to a range AR5. FIG. 1 shows vehicles 100p, 100q, 100r, 100s, and 100t, which are examples of the vehicle 100, and vehicle detectors 80p and 80t, which are examples of the vehicle detector 80. The ranges AR1 and AR5 are transport sections in which the vehicle 100 automatically travels by remote control. In the range AR1, the vehicle 100p, which has started traveling from the previous process, travels to the transport device 500 by remote control using the vehicle information acquired from the vehicle detector 80p. The range AR5 is a transport section in which the vehicle 100t, which has left the transport system 600, travels to the next process or the like by remote control using the vehicle information acquired from the vehicle detector 80p.

[0038] The range AR2 to the range AR4 is a transport section of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500. The range AR2 is an area where the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500 starts. In the range AR2, the transport method of the vehicle 100 is switched from self-propelled transport by remote control to conveyor transport by the transport device 500. In this embodiment, the range AR2 is set in advance as a range from the start point SP to a predetermined distance. This "predetermined distance" is determined, for example, based on the range in which the vehicle detector 80p can detect the vehicle 100q. As shown in FIG. 1, when the vehicle 100p traveling by remote control passes over the start point SP on one end side of the conveyor unit 510 and enters the range AR2, it becomes in a state where it can be transported by the conveyor unit 510.

[0039] The range AR3 is an area where a predetermined process such as an inspection process is performed on the vehicle 100r being transported by the transport device 500. In this embodiment, the range AR3 is outside the detection range of the vehicle detector 80, and the vehicle 100r is not automatically driven by remote control. However, in the range AR3, the vehicle 100r may be in a state where it can wirelessly communicate with the remote control device 300, and remote control without using vehicle information, such as turning on and off the power of the vehicle 100 and each part, may be performed. However, the range AR3 may be set within the detection range of the vehicle detector 80, and remote control using vehicle information may be performed in the range AR as well.

[0040] The range AR4 is an area where the transportation of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500 is completed. In the range AR4, the processing of the vehicle 100 in the range AR3 is completed, and the vehicle 100s can be detected by the vehicle detector 80t. That is, in the range AR4, the vehicle 100s is in a state where self-propelled transportation by remote control is possible, and the vehicle 100s can be driven to leave the conveyor unit 510. In this embodiment, the range AR4 is set in advance as a range from the end point EP on the other end side of the conveyor unit 510 to a predetermined distance. This "predetermined distance" is determined, for example, based on the range in which the vehicle detector 80t can detect the vehicle 100t. However, the range AR4 can also be set as a range from the position where the processing for the vehicle 100r in the range AR3 is completed to the end point EP. In this case, the size of the range AR4 is variable depending on the progress of the processing for the vehicle 100 in the range AR3.

[0041] 3B is a block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the transportation control device 400. The transportation control device 400 includes a CPU 410 as a central processing unit, a storage device 440, an interface circuit 450, and a transportation communication device 490. The CPU 410, the storage device 440, and the interface circuit 450 are connected via an internal bus so as to be able to communicate in both directions. The interface circuit 450 is connected to the transportation communication device 490. The transportation communication device 490 communicates with the remote control device 300 and the vehicle 100 via a network or the like.

[0042] The storage device 440 is, for example, a RAM, a ROM, a HDD, or an SSD. A transport speed CV detected by the transport speed detector 524 and a vehicle position VP detected by the transport position detector 526 are stored in a readable / writable area of ​​the storage device 440. A program for realizing at least a part of the functions provided in this embodiment is stored in the storage device 440. The CPU 410 executes the program to function as a conveyor control unit 412 and a transport status acquisition unit 414.

[0043] The conveyor control unit 412 drives the motor 522 to control the on / off and conveying speed of the conveyor unit 510. The conveying status acquisition unit 414 acquires conveying status information. Specifically, the conveying status acquisition unit 414 acquires the position of the vehicle 100 in the conveying section of the conveying device 500, i.e., the vehicle position, from the conveying position detector 526 and stores it as the vehicle position VP in the storage device 440. The position of the vehicle 100 in the conveying section may be acquired using the vehicle detector 80. The conveying status acquisition unit 414 acquires the conveying speed CV of the vehicle 100 by the conveying device 500 from the conveying speed detector 524 and stores it as the conveying speed CV in the storage device 440.

[0044] 4 is a flowchart showing a conveyance switching method for the vehicle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. This flow starts when the vehicle 100, which has completed processing in the previous process, obtains permission to start traveling toward the conveyance device 500. In the following, in order to facilitate understanding of the technique, the description will be made with reference to FIG. 1 as appropriate.

[0045] In step S10, the remote control unit 312 remotely controls the vehicle 100p that has departed from the previous process to automatically travel toward the conveyance device 500, as shown in the range AR1 in Fig. 1. More specifically, the remote control unit 312 uses the position and orientation of the vehicle 100p estimated by the position estimation unit 314 to generate a control command for remote control and transmits the control command to the vehicle 100p.

[0046] In step S20, the remote control unit 312 automatically drives the vehicle 100p by remote control to arrive at the transport device 500. The transport control device 400 may acquire vehicle identification information from the vehicle 100p that has arrived at the transport device 500, and check whether it matches the vehicle identification information of the vehicle 100p that is the transport target for production management.

[0047] In step S30, as shown in Fig. 1, the remote control unit 312 causes the vehicle 100p to automatically travel by remote control using vehicle information acquired from the vehicle detector 80p. The vehicle 100p automatically travels past the start point SP of the conveyor unit 510 and enters the range AR2. As a result, the vehicle 100q becomes ready to be transported by the conveyor unit 510. The arrival of the vehicle 100p into the range AR2 is detected as a transport status by the transport information acquisition unit 318.

[0048] In step S40, when the arrival of the vehicle 100p in the range AR2 is detected, the remote control determination unit 316 determines that the automatic driving of the vehicle 100q by remote control is to be stopped. The automatic driving of the vehicle 100q by remote control can be stopped by stopping the generation of control commands by the remote control device 300, stopping the transmission of control commands to the vehicle 100q, turning off the power supply of the vehicle 100q, etc. During the transportation by the transportation device 500, the power consumption of the transportation system 600 in the remote control can be suppressed, and the processing load of the transportation system 600 and the vehicle 100q in the remote control can be reduced. In addition, by turning off the power supply or engine of the vehicle 100q, for example, an inspection of the electrical system, engine room, etc. of the vehicle 100q can be performed by an operator.

[0049] In step S50, the transport control device 400 controls the motor 522 to drive the conveyor unit 510, and starts transporting the vehicle 100q. In step S100, the remote control device 300 executes a remote control start process. The "remote control start process" refers to a process of starting automatic traveling by remote control for the vehicle 100 being transported by the transport device 500, or the vehicle 100 whose transportation by the transport device 500 has been completed. In step S200, as shown in the range AR4 in FIG. 1, the remote control unit 312 starts automatic traveling of the vehicle 100s by remote control using the vehicle information acquired from the vehicle detector 80t, and causes the vehicle 100s to leave the conveyor unit 510, and ends this flow.

[0050] 5 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of the remote control start processing. In this embodiment, when the remote control determination unit 316 determines to start the remote control of the vehicle 100, the remote control determination unit 316 further determines the timing to start the remote control of the vehicle 100 by using the transport speed CV, which is an example of the transport status.

[0051] In step S110, the transport information acquisition unit 318 acquires the current transport speed of the transport device 500. In this embodiment, the transport information acquisition unit 318 acquires the transport speed CV stored in the transport control device 400 as the current transport speed of the transport device 500. In step S120, the remote control determination unit 316 checks whether the acquired transport speed CV is faster than the reference speed SV stored in the storage device 340.

[0052] If the conveying speed CV is equal to or lower than the reference speed SV (S120: equal to or lower than reference speed), the remote control determination unit 316 shifts the process to step S122. In step S122, the remote control determination unit 316 sets the preparation start position of the remote control to a position at a predetermined reference distance from the end point EP. The "preparation start position" is a position at which preparation is started to enable remote control to be executed at a predetermined position. In this embodiment, the "prescribed position" is any position within the range AR4. The "reference distance" is a preparation start position that is set in advance to achieve the target manufacturing time with the conveying device 500 whose conveying speed is the reference speed SV. Examples of preparation for remote control include powering on the vehicle 100 and each part of the vehicle 100, completion of starting the ECU 200 and the vehicle detector 80, and completion of preparation for making the vehicle 100 and the remote control device 300 communicable.

[0053] If the conveying speed CV is faster than the reference speed SV (S120: Faster than reference speed), the remote control determination unit 316 transitions the process to step S124. In step S124, the remote control determination unit 316 sets the remote control preparation start position to a position on the upstream side closer to the start point SP than the reference distance.

[0054] In step S130, the vehicle 100 is transported by the transport device 500 and arrives at a remote control preparation start position for each transport speed. The fact that the vehicle 100 has arrived at the preparation start position can be detected by the transport position detector 526 provided in the range AR3. If the vehicle detector 80 is provided in the range AR3, it may be detected by the vehicle detector 80. In step S140, the remote control unit 312 and the remote control determination unit 316 start controlling each unit of the vehicle 100 and the remote control device 300 to start preparation for remote control.

[0055] In step S150, the remote control unit 312 detects whether the vehicle 100 has reached a remotely controllable area, such as the range AR4 shown in Fig. 1. Whether the vehicle 100 has reached a remotely controllable area can be detected from vehicle information acquired by the transport position detector 526 provided in the range AR4 shown in Fig. 1 or the vehicle detector 80t. If the vehicle 100s in the range AR4 is detected (S150: YES), the remote control determination unit 316 transitions the process to step S160.

[0056] In step S160, the remote control unit 312 executes remote control of the vehicle 100s using the vehicle detector 80t. Specifically, the remote control device 300 generates a control command for automatically driving the vehicle 100s by remote control, transmits the control command to the vehicle 100s, and drives the vehicle 100s to leave the conveyance device 500. The detached vehicle 100s is delivered to the next process by automatically driving.

[0057] Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a remote control preparation start position that is set when the transport speed CV is equal to or lower than the reference speed SV. In the example of Fig. 6, the transport speed CV is set to a speed V1 that is the same as the reference speed SV. The reference start position is set at a position that is a reference distance D1 from the end point EP so that remote control can be started at the timing when the vehicle 100 transported at the speed V1 reaches the range AR4.

[0058] As shown by vehicle 100R1 in Fig. 6, when vehicle 100R1 reaches a position of reference distance D1, preparation for starting remote control is started. In the example of Fig. 6, reference distance D1 is the same as the distance that defines range AR4. That is, the remote control preparation start position is the end position of range AR3. Preparation for starting remote control is started following completion of transportation in range AR3, and is completed by the time vehicle 100R1 enters range AR4.

[0059] As shown by vehicle 100S1 in Fig. 6, when the vehicle 100S1 is ready for remote control, it travels by remote control using vehicle information acquired from the vehicle detector 80t, and leaves the transport device 500. By completing the preparation for remote control before the vehicle 100S1 reaches the range AR4 where remote control is possible, it is possible to suppress or prevent a malfunction in which the timing at which the vehicle 100 starts traveling by remote control is delayed even if the remote control is stopped during transport in the range AR3. In addition, by completing the advance preparation for remote control in advance, it is possible to reduce the range AR4 where remote control is possible.

[0060] Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a remote control preparation start position that is set when the transport speed CV is faster than the reference speed SV. In the example of Fig. 7, the transport speed CV is set to a speed V2 that is faster than the reference speed SV. The reference start position is set at a position at a distance D2 that is longer than the reference distance D1 from the end point EP so that remote control can be started at the timing when the vehicle 100 transported at the speed V2 reaches the range AR4.

[0061] As shown by vehicle 100R2 in FIG. 7, when vehicle 100R2 reaches a position at distance D2, preparation for starting remote control is started. Preparation for starting remote control is completed by the time vehicle 100R2 enters range AR4. Vehicle 100S2 that has entered range AR4 automatically travels by remote control and leaves the conveying device 500. In this way, when the conveying speed CV of the conveying device 500 is faster than normal, preparation for remote control is started at an earlier timing than normal. Therefore, even if the conveying speed CV is configured to be switchable, it is possible to suppress or prevent a malfunction in which the timing at which the vehicle 100 starts traveling by remote control is delayed.

[0062] Returning to FIG. 5, in step S170, it is confirmed whether or not the vehicle 100 has moved by remote control after the control command of the remote control unit 312 has been transmitted. That is, it is checked whether or not there is an abnormality in the running of the vehicle 100 by remote control. Whether or not the vehicle 100 has moved can be detected, for example, by the presence or absence of the vehicle 100 detected by the transport position detector 526 provided in the range AR4, or by vehicle information detected by the vehicle detector 80t. If the movement of the vehicle 100 is detected (S170: YES), the remote control unit 312 exits the process to end and ends this flow. If the movement of the vehicle 100 is not detected (S170: NO), the remote control unit 312 transitions the process to step S172 and executes various abnormality measures. Note that steps S172 to S176 may be executed in any order or simultaneously.

[0063] In step S172, the transport instruction unit 322 outputs an instruction to stop the transport device 500 to the transport control device 400 as an example of an abnormality measure. The transport control device 400 that has received the stop instruction stops the conveyor unit 510 by stopping the motor 522, etc., and stops the transport of the vehicle 100. In cases where the abnormality can be resolved quickly, the transport instruction unit 322 may output an instruction to reduce the transport speed CV of the vehicle 100 instead of stopping the transport device 500.

[0064] In step S174, the notification unit 324 notifies the fact that movement of the vehicle 100 has not been detected, that an abnormality measure has been taken, etc. The notification unit 324 notifies, for example, a worker who performs work on the vehicle 100 on the conveyor unit 510, a manager of the process, or a manager of the transport system 600.

[0065] In step S176, the following instruction unit 326 outputs an instruction to delay the timing at which the following vehicle arrives at the conveying device 500. The following instruction unit 326 can output the instruction to, for example, a process management device for a previous process, a production management device that manages each process, a remote control device that drives the following vehicle by remote control, and the like. The following instruction unit 326 delays the timing at which the following vehicle arrives according to, for example, a delay time with respect to a target production time. By configuring in this way, it is possible to suppress the following vehicle from arriving at the conveying device 500 before recovery from an abnormality in conveying by the conveying device 500, suppress or prevent an increase in work-in-progress waiting to be conveyed by the conveying device 500, and suppress a decrease in production efficiency.

[0066] In step S180, when the abnormality measures from step S172 to step S176 are completed, the transport instruction unit 322 outputs an instruction to the transport control device 400 to operate the stopped transport device 500. As a result, the transport of the vehicle 100 is resumed, and the process ends and this flow ends. If an instruction to reduce the transport speed CV of the vehicle 100 is output instead of stopping the transport device 500, the transport instruction unit 322 outputs an instruction to the transport control device 400 to return the reduced transport speed CV to the original transport speed CV. In this case, in order to eliminate the delay with respect to the target manufacturing time, the transport speed CV may be set to a transport speed faster than the transport speed before the restart. In addition, the following instruction unit 326 restores the traveling of the delayed following vehicle to normal traveling.

[0067] As described above, the remote control device 300 of this embodiment includes a remote control determination unit 316 that determines whether to start remote control of the vehicle 100 whose operation control has been stopped due to the stop of remote control, using the transportation status of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500. According to the remote control device 300 of this embodiment, the stopped remote control can be started at an appropriate timing based on the transportation status of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500, and the vehicle 100 can be detached from the transport device 500 at an appropriate timing. Therefore, it is possible to suppress or prevent a decrease in productivity and the occurrence of abnormalities due to a delay in detachment of the vehicle 100 from the transport device 500.

[0068] The remote control device 300 of this embodiment further includes a transport information acquisition unit 318 that acquires a vehicle position VP in the transport section from the transport control device 400. The remote control determination unit 316 uses the acquired vehicle position VP as a transport status to determine whether or not to start remote control of the vehicle 100. According to the remote control device 300 of this embodiment, it is possible to detach the vehicle 100 from the transport device 500 at an appropriate timing based on the position of the vehicle 100 in the transport section.

[0069] According to the remote control device 300 of this embodiment, the remote control determination unit 316 determines to start remote control when the acquired position of the vehicle 100 is a predetermined reference distance D1 upstream from the end point EP of the transport section. Therefore, the vehicle 100 can be detached from the transport device 500 before the end point EP of the transport section, and a malfunction in which the vehicle 100 passes the end point EP from the transport device 500 and stops in a state in which transport is not possible can be suppressed or prevented.

[0070] The remote control device 300 of this embodiment further includes a transportation information acquisition unit 318 that acquires the transportation speed CV of the vehicle 100 by the transportation device 500. The remote control determination unit 316 further uses the acquired transportation speed CV as a transportation status to determine the timing to start remote control of the vehicle 100. Therefore, even when the transportation speed CV of the transportation device 500 is switched, the stopped remote control can be started at an appropriate timing based on the transportation speed CV, and the vehicle 100 can be separated from the transportation device 500 at an appropriate timing.

[0071] According to the remote control device 300 of this embodiment, when the acquired conveying speed CV is faster than a predetermined reference speed SV, the remote control determination unit 316 determines the timing to start remote control of the vehicle 100 to be earlier than when the conveying speed CV is the reference speed SV. Therefore, even when the conveying speed CV of the conveying device 500 is increased, it is possible to start at an appropriate timing based on the conveying speed CV.

[0072] The remote control device 300 of this embodiment further includes a transport instruction unit 322 that outputs an instruction to stop the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500 when the movement of the vehicle 100 is not detected after the control command is transmitted to the vehicle 100 by the remote control unit 312. When the vehicle 100 cannot be moved by remote control, the transport by the transport device 500 is stopped, thereby ensuring time to execute abnormality measures.

[0073] In the remote control device 300 of this embodiment, the transport instruction unit 322 outputs an instruction to operate the stopped transport device 500 when the abnormality measures for the vehicle 100 in which no movement is detected are completed. Therefore, by continuously performing the abnormality measures until recovery, the transport device 500 can be quickly restored from the abnormality measures.

[0074] The remote control device 300 of this embodiment further includes a notification unit 324 that issues a notification when the movement of the vehicle 100 is not detected after the control command is transmitted to the vehicle 100 by the remote control unit 312. The notification can prompt the transport device 500 to take measures against an abnormality and prompt the transport device 500 to recover quickly.

[0075] The remote control device 300 of this embodiment further includes a position estimation unit 314 that estimates the position of the vehicle 100 by using the three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle 100 detected by the vehicle detector 80 as vehicle information. The remote control unit 312 moves the vehicle 100 by remote control using the position of the vehicle 100 estimated using the three-dimensional point cloud data. By using the three-dimensional point cloud data, the position of the vehicle 100 can be estimated with high accuracy.

[0076] B. Second embodiment: FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of a remote control start process in a conveying method according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. The remote control start process of this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it does not include the processes from step S170 to step S180 of the remote control start process. Specifically, in the above-described first embodiment, an example was shown in which an abnormality measure is executed when the movement of the vehicle 100 is not detected after the control command of the remote control unit 312 is transmitted. In contrast, as in this embodiment, these abnormality measures may not be executed. However, any one of abnormality measures such as stopping the conveying device 500, an alarm by the alarm unit 324, and output of an instruction to delay the arrival timing of the following vehicle, or an arbitrary combination of these abnormality measures may be executed.

[0077] Moreover, the remote control start process of this embodiment does not include the processes from step S110 to step S124 of the remote control start process shown in the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, an example was shown in which both the transport status of the transport position and the transport speed are used to determine whether to start remote control. In contrast, as in this embodiment, the remote control determination unit 316 may use only the acquired transport position of the vehicle 100 without using the transport speed. In this case, as in this embodiment, it may be determined whether to start remote control of the vehicle 100 by using as the transport status whether at least a part of the vehicle position has passed the end point EP of the transport section.

[0078] The remote control start process of this embodiment includes step S150b instead of step S150 of the remote control start process shown in the first embodiment. In steps S130 and S140, as in the first embodiment, preparation for remote control is started when the vehicle 100 reaches the remote control preparation start position of the transport device 500. In step S150b, the process waits until at least a part of the vehicle 100 for which preparation for remote control has been started passes the end point EP. When the vehicle 100 passes the end point EP (S150b: YES), the remote control unit 312 transitions the process to step S160 and starts automatic traveling of the vehicle 100 by remote control using the vehicle detector 80.

[0079] 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a remote control preparation start position in the remote control start process of the transportation method according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, when the vehicle 100S3 is transported in the transportation direction DR by the transportation device 500, a part of the vehicle 100S3, such as the front FA of the vehicle 100S3, passes the end point EP of the transportation section of the transportation device 500. When the vehicle detector 80t or the transportation position detector 526 detects that the front FA has passed the end point EP, the remote control determination unit 316 determines to start remote control. When the remote control unit 312 receives the determination result, it executes remote control of the vehicle 100S3 using the vehicle detector 80t, and causes the vehicle 100S3 to leave the transportation device 500.

[0080] As described above, the remote control determination unit 316 determines to start remote control when at least a part of the acquired vehicle position has passed the end point EP of the transport section. Whether the vehicle 100 has reached the transport start position can be determined by the simple method of whether the end point EP of the transport section has been passed. Furthermore, by starting remote control at the timing when the end point EP has been passed, it becomes easy to leave the transport device 500. Furthermore, since remote control can be started at the timing when the end point EP has been passed, the range AR4 can be reduced or omitted.

[0081] C. Third embodiment: 10 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an ECU 200c in a vehicle 100 according to the third embodiment. In this embodiment, a conveyance system 600 differs from the first embodiment in that it does not include a remote control device 300. Specifically, it differs from the first embodiment in that an ECU 200c provided in the vehicle 100 has a function as a conveyance method switching device instead of the remote control device 300. The other configurations of the conveyance system 600 are the same as those of the first embodiment unless otherwise described.

[0082] 10, the ECU 200c differs from the ECU 200 shown in the first embodiment in that the ECU 200c includes a CPU 210c instead of the CPU 210 and a storage device 220c instead of the storage device 220. Specifically, the storage device 220c stores a program for implementing functions corresponding to the position estimation unit 314, the remote control determination unit 316, the transport information acquisition unit 318, the transport instruction unit 322, the notification unit 324, the subsequent instruction unit 326, and the vehicle information acquisition unit 328 included in the remote control device 300 shown in the first embodiment, in addition to the functions of the CPU 210 shown in the first embodiment. As a result, the CPU 210c further functions as the position estimation unit 214, the driving control determination unit 216, the transport information acquisition unit 218, the transport instruction unit 222, the notification unit 224, the subsequent instruction unit 226, and the vehicle information acquisition unit 228 corresponding to these functions. The storage device 220c also stores the reference speed SV stored in the remote control device 300. In this embodiment, the driving control determination unit 216 determines whether or not to start automatic driving by driving control for the vehicle 100 transported by the transport device 500. The driving control determination unit 216 is an example of a movement control determination unit that determines whether or not to start movement control for the moving body transported by the transport device 500. In addition, when it is determined that automatic driving by driving control is to be started, the driving control determination unit 216 functions as a command generation unit that generates a control command for automatically driving the vehicle 100 by driving control to leave the transport section and outputs it to the driving control unit 212. According to the vehicle 100 configured in this manner, since the vehicle 100 has the function of a transport method switching device, it is possible to start the stopped driving control at an appropriate timing based on the transport situation of the vehicle 100 by the transport device without using a device separate from the vehicle 100, such as the remote control device 300.

[0083] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a driving method of the vehicle 100 according to the present embodiment. The position estimation unit 214 acquires the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 using the vehicle information output from the vehicle detector 80 (step S210). The driving control unit 212 determines the target position to which the vehicle 100 should next move (step S220). In the present embodiment, an ideal route is stored in advance in the storage device 220c of the ECU 200c. The driving control unit 212 generates a driving control signal for driving the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position (step S230). The driving control unit 212 controls the actuator 140 using the generated driving control signal to drive the vehicle 100 at the acceleration and steering angle represented by the driving control signal (step S240). The driving control unit 212 repeats the acquisition of the position and orientation of the vehicle 100, the determination of the target position, the generation of the driving control signal, and the control of the actuator 140 at a predetermined cycle. According to the vehicle 100 of this embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be caused to run under autonomous control without remotely controlling the vehicle 100 using the remote control device 300.

[0084] D. Other embodiments: (D1) In each of the above embodiments, the transport speed of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500 or the transport position of the vehicle 100 is used as the transport status. However, instead of the transport speed or the transport position, the transport status may be the transport time from the start of transport of the vehicle 100.

[0085] (D2) In the first embodiment, the remote control determination unit 316 and the driving control determination unit 216 determine to start remote control when the acquired position of the vehicle 100 is a predetermined distance D2 upstream from the end point EP of the transport section. In contrast, the remote control determination unit 316 and the driving control determination unit 216 may determine to start remote control when the position of the vehicle 100 is a predetermined distance downstream from the start point SP of the transport section. Even in this case, the same effect can be obtained.

[0086] (D3) In the above first embodiment, an example was shown in which both the transport position and the transport speed are used to determine whether to start remote control. In contrast, only the transport speed may be acquired without acquiring the transport position. In this case, the preparation for remote control can be started using the acquired transport speed. For example, when the vehicle 100 is transported at the acquired transport speed, the preparation for remote control can be started when a predetermined time corresponding to the speed has elapsed since the transportation of the vehicle 100 started. Even in this case, as in the first embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be separated from the transport device 500 at an appropriate timing, and a decrease in productivity or the occurrence of the above in the transport system 600 can be suppressed or prevented.

[0087] Also, only the transport position may be acquired without acquiring the transport speed. In this case, for example, regardless of the transport speed, preparation for remote control can be started when the transported vehicle 100 reaches a position at a predetermined distance from the end point EP, or when the vehicle 100 is transported a predetermined distance from the start point SP. Even in this case, as in the first embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be separated from the transport device 500 at an appropriate timing, and a decrease in productivity or the occurrence of the above in the transport system 600 can be suppressed or prevented.

[0088] (D4) In the above first embodiment, when the conveying speed CV is slower than the reference speed SV, the preparation for remote control is started at the same timing as when the conveying speed CV is the reference speed SV. In contrast, when the conveying speed CV is slower than the reference speed SV, the preparation for remote control may be started at a later timing than when the conveying speed CV is the reference speed SV.

[0089] (D5) In the above embodiment, an example in which the vehicle detector 80 is a LiDAR was shown. In contrast, instead of or together with the LiDAR, an external camera provided at a location different from the vehicle 100 can be used as the vehicle detector 80. In this case, the vehicle detector 80 acquires an image of the vehicle 100 as vehicle information. The position estimation unit 314 and the position estimation unit 214 can estimate the position of the vehicle 100 and the orientation of the vehicle 100 using the captured image acquired by the external camera. The position of the vehicle 100 can be acquired, for example, by calculating the coordinates of the positioning point of the vehicle 100 in the image coordinate system using the outer shape of the vehicle 100 detected from the captured image, and converting the calculated coordinates into coordinates in the global coordinate system. The orientation of the vehicle 100 can be estimated based on the orientation of the movement vector of the vehicle 100 calculated from the position change of the feature point of the vehicle 100 between frames of the captured image, for example, using an optical flow method. The orientation of the vehicle 100 may be calculated, for example, using the output result of a yaw rate sensor or the like mounted on the vehicle 100.

[0090] The outer shape of the vehicle 100 included in the captured image can be detected, for example, by inputting the captured image into a detection model that utilizes artificial intelligence. As the detection model, for example, a trained machine learning model that has been trained to realize either semantic segmentation or instance segmentation can be used. As this machine learning model, for example, a convolutional neural network (hereinafter, CNN) trained by supervised learning using a training dataset can be used. The training dataset has, for example, a plurality of training images including the vehicle 100, and a correct answer label indicating whether each area in the training image is an area indicating the vehicle 100 or an area indicating something other than the vehicle 100. During training of the CNN, it is preferable that the parameters of the CNN are updated by backpropagation (error backpropagation method) so as to reduce an error between the output result of the detection model and the correct answer label.

[0091] (D6) In the above embodiments, examples have been given in which the vehicle 100 is a passenger car, a truck, a bus, a construction vehicle, and the like. However, the vehicle 100 may be various moving bodies. The term "moving body" refers to an object that can move, such as a vehicle or an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (a so-called flying car). The vehicle may be a vehicle that runs on wheels or a vehicle that runs on caterpillar tracks, such as a two-wheeled vehicle, a four-wheeled vehicle, or a tank. The vehicle includes an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle), a gasoline vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and a fuel cell vehicle. When the moving body is other than a vehicle, the expressions "vehicle" and "car" in this disclosure may be appropriately replaced with "moving body", and the expression "running" may be appropriately replaced with "movement".

[0092] (D7) The vehicle 100 may have a configuration capable of moving by unmanned driving. For example, the vehicle 100 may be in the form of a platform having the configuration described below. Specifically, the vehicle 100 may have at least the ECU 200, a drive device, a steering device, and a braking device in order to perform the three functions of "running," "turning," and "stopping" by unmanned driving. When the vehicle 100 acquires information from the outside for unmanned driving, the vehicle 100 may further have a vehicle communication device 190. That is, the vehicle 100 capable of moving by unmanned driving may not have at least a part of interior parts such as a driver's seat and a dashboard, may not have at least a part of exterior parts such as a bumper and a fender, and may not have a body shell. In this case, the remaining parts such as a body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100 before the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory, or the remaining parts such as a body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100 after the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory in a state in which the remaining parts such as the body shell are not attached to the vehicle 100. Each part may be attached from any direction, such as the upper side, lower side, front side, rear side, right side, or left side of the vehicle 100, and may be attached from the same direction or from different directions. Note that the position of the platform shape may be determined in the same manner as the vehicle 100 in the first embodiment.

[0093] (D8) The vehicle 100 may be manufactured by any manufacturing method. For example, the vehicle 100 may be manufactured by combining a plurality of modules. A module means a unit composed of a plurality of parts grouped according to the location or function of the vehicle 100. For example, the platform of the vehicle 100 may be manufactured by combining a front module that constitutes the front part of the platform, a central module that constitutes the central part of the platform, and a rear module that constitutes the rear part of the platform. The number of modules that constitute the platform is not limited to three, and may be two or less, or four or more. In addition to or instead of the parts that constitute the platform, parts that constitute parts of the vehicle 100 that are different from the platform may be modularized. The various modules may include any exterior parts such as a bumper or a grille, or any interior parts such as a seat or a console. In addition, not limited to the vehicle 100, any type of moving body may be manufactured by combining a plurality of modules. Such a module may be manufactured, for example, by joining a plurality of parts by welding or a fastener, or may be manufactured by integrally molding at least a part of the parts that constitute the module as one part by casting. The molding method for integrally molding a single component, particularly a relatively large component, is also called gigacast or megacast. For example, the front module, the center module, and the rear module may be manufactured using gigacast.

[0094] (D9) In the above first embodiment, an example was shown in which the remote control device 300 executes the processes from acquiring the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 to generating the driving control signal. However, at least a part of the processes from acquiring the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 to generating the driving control signal may be executed by the vehicle 100. For example, the following forms (1) to (3) may be used.

[0095] (1) The remote control device 300 may acquire the position and orientation of the vehicle 100, determine a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head, and generate a route from the current location of the vehicle 100, which is indicated in the acquired position, to the target position. The remote control device 300 may generate a route to a target position between the current location and the destination, or may generate a route to the destination. The remote control device 300 may transmit the generated route to the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 may generate a travel control signal so that the vehicle 100 travels on the route received from the remote control device 300, and control the actuator 140 using the generated travel control signal.

[0096] (2) The remote control device 300 may acquire the position and orientation of the vehicle 100, and transmit the acquired position and orientation to the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 may determine a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head, generate a route from the current location of the vehicle 100 indicated in the received position to the target position, generate a driving control signal so that the vehicle 100 travels along the generated route, and control the actuator 140 using the generated driving control signal.

[0097] (3) In the above embodiments (1) to (2), the vehicle 100 may be equipped with an internal sensor, and a detection result output from the internal sensor may be used for at least one of generating a route and generating a driving control signal. The internal sensor may include, for example, a camera, a LiDAR, a millimeter wave radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a GPS sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor. For example, in the above embodiment (1), the remote control device 300 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor, and when generating a route, may reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the route. In the above embodiment (1), the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor, and when generating a driving control signal, may reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the driving control signal. In the above embodiment (2), the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor, and when generating a route, may reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the route. In the above embodiment (2), the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor, and when generating a route, may reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the driving control signal.

[0098] (D10) In the above second embodiment, an internal sensor may be mounted on the vehicle 100, and a detection result output from the internal sensor may be used for at least one of generating a route and generating a driving control signal. For example, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor, and when generating a route, may reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the route. The vehicle 100 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor, and when generating a driving control signal, may reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the driving control signal.

[0099] (D11) In the second embodiment, the vehicle 100 acquires the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 using the detection result of the vehicle detector 80. In contrast, the vehicle 100 may be equipped with an internal sensor, and the vehicle 100 may acquire the position and orientation using the detection result of the internal sensor, determine the target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head, generate a route from the current location of the vehicle 100 represented by the acquired position and orientation to the target position, generate a travel control signal for traveling the generated route, and control the actuator 140 using the generated travel control signal. In this case, the vehicle 100 can travel without using any of the detection results of the vehicle detector 80. The vehicle 100 may acquire the target arrival time and traffic congestion information from outside the vehicle 100, and reflect the target arrival time and traffic congestion information in at least one of the route and the travel control signal. In addition, the configuration of the transport system 600 and the functional configuration of the remote control device 300 may all be provided in the vehicle 100. In other words, the processes performed by the conveying system 600 and the remote control device 300 shown in the present disclosure, such as the process of switching at least one device provided in the vehicle 100 from a standby state to an operating state, may be performed by the vehicle 100 alone.

[0100] (D12) In the above first embodiment, the remote control device 300 automatically generates a driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 100. In contrast, the remote control device 300 may generate a driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 100 in accordance with the operation of an operator located outside the vehicle 100. For example, the operator may operate a control device including a display for displaying an image output from the vehicle detector 80, a steering wheel for remotely operating the vehicle 100, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a communication device for communicating with the remote control device 300 by wired communication or wireless communication, and the remote control device 300 may generate a driving control signal in accordance with the operation applied to the control device.

[0101] (D13) Transporting a vehicle using unmanned vehicle driving is also called "self-propelled transport." Also, a configuration for realizing self-propelled transport is also called a "vehicle remote-controlled autonomous driving transport system." Also, a production method for producing vehicles using self-propelled transport is also called "self-propelled production." In self-propelled production, for example, at a factory where vehicles are manufactured, at least a part of the transportation of the vehicles is realized by self-propelled transport.

[0102] (D14) Some or all of the functions of the conveyor control unit 412 and the like realized by the transport control device 400 shown in each of the above embodiments may be realized by the remote control device 300. In other words, the transport system 600 may be configured by the remote control device 300 alone.

[0103] The control and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by a special-purpose computer provided by configuring a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the control unit and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by a special-purpose computer provided by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control unit and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by one or more special-purpose computers configured by a combination of a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions and a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. In addition, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible recording medium as instructions executed by a computer.

[0104] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention column can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems or to achieve some or all of the above-mentioned effects. Furthermore, if the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 80, 80p, 80t...vehicle detector, 100, 100R1, 100R2, 100S1, 100S2, 100S3, 100p, 100q, 100r, 100s, 100t...vehicle, 140...actuator, 190...vehicle communication device, 200, 200c...ECU, 210, 210c...CPU, 212...driving control unit, 214...position estimation unit, 216...driving control determination unit, 218...transport information acquisition unit, 220, 220c...storage device, 222...transport instruction unit, 224...notification unit, 226...following instruction unit, 228...vehicle information acquisition unit, 230...interface circuit, 300...remote control device, 310...CPU, 312...remote control unit, 314...position estimation unit, 316 ...Remote control judgment unit, 318...Transportation information acquisition unit, 322...Transportation instruction unit, 324...Notification unit, 326...Subsequent instruction unit, 328...Vehicle information acquisition unit, 340...Storage device, 350...Interface circuit, 390...Remote communication device, 400...Transportation control device, 410...CPU, 412...Conveyor control unit, 414...Transportation status acquisition unit, 440...Storage device, 450...Interface circuit, 490...Transportation communication device, 500...Transportation device, 510...Conveyor unit, 522...Motor, 524...Transportation speed detector, 526...Transportation position detector, 600...Transportation system, CV...Transportation speed, EP...End point, FA...Front, SP...Start point, SR...Travel path, SV...Reference speed, VP...Vehicle position

Claims

1. A conveying method switching device, a transport information acquisition unit that acquires transport status information indicating a transport status of a moving body that is capable of moving by unmanned operation and is transported by a transport device capable of transporting the moving body in a predetermined transport section in a state where the movement control of the moving body that can be moved by unmanned operation is stopped; a movement control determination unit that determines whether or not to start the movement control for the moving object transported by the transport device using the acquired transport status information; and a command generating unit configured to generate and output a control command for moving the moving body from the transport section by the movement control when the movement control determining unit determines that the movement control is to be started. Transport method switching device.

2. The conveying method switching device according to claim 1, the transport information acquisition unit acquires a position of a moving object in the transport section as the transport status information; The movement control determination unit determines whether or not to start the movement control by using the acquired moving object position. Transport method switching device.

3. The conveying method switching device according to claim 2 , wherein the movement control determination unit determines to start the movement control when the acquired moving body position is a predetermined distance upstream from an end point of the conveying section.

4. The conveying method switching device according to claim 2 , wherein the movement control determination unit determines to start the movement control when at least a part of the acquired moving body position has passed an end point of the conveying section.

5. The conveying method switching device according to claim 1, the transport information acquisition unit acquires a transport speed of the moving object by the transport device as the transport status information; The movement control determination unit further determines a timing to start the movement control using the acquired transport speed, and determines whether or not to start the movement control at the determined timing. Transport method switching device.

6. The conveying method switching device according to claim 5, When the acquired conveying speed is faster than a predetermined reference speed, the movement control determination unit determines the timing to start the movement control to be earlier than when the conveying speed is the reference speed. Transport method switching device.

7. The conveying method switching device according to claim 1, and a transport instruction unit that outputs an instruction to reduce a transport speed of the moving body by the transport device or an instruction to stop transport of the moving body by the transport device when movement of the moving body is not detected after the control instruction is transmitted to the moving body by the instruction generation unit. Transport method switching device.

8. The conveying method switching device according to claim 7, wherein the conveying instruction unit outputs an instruction to return the reduced conveying speed to an original conveying speed or to operate the conveying device that has been stopped when abnormality measures have been completed for the moving body for which no movement has been detected.

9. The conveying method switching device according to claim 1, The control device further includes a notification unit that performs a notification when movement of the moving body is not detected after the control command is transmitted to the moving body by the command generation unit. Transport method switching device.

10. The conveying method switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, The method further includes a position estimation unit that estimates a position of the moving object by using moving object information detected by a moving object detector that detects at least one of an image of the moving object and three-dimensional point cloud data of the moving object, The command generation unit generates and outputs a control command for moving the moving object by the movement control using the estimated position of the moving object. Transport method switching device.

11. A transportation switching method, comprising: transporting the moving body, the movement control of which has been stopped, in a predetermined transport section using a transport device; Acquire transport status information of the moving object being transported; Using the acquired transport status information, it is determined whether or not to start the movement control for the moving object being transported; When it is determined that the movement control should be started, the moving object is moved out of the transport section by the movement control. Transport switching method.

12. A mobile body capable of moving by unmanned operation, a transport information acquisition unit that acquires transport status information indicating a transport status of the moving body, the moving body being transported by a transport device capable of transporting the moving body in a predetermined transport section, in a state where the movement control is stopped; a movement control determination unit that determines whether or not to start the movement control for the moving object transported by the transport device using the acquired transport status information; and a command generating unit configured to generate and output a control command for moving the moving body from the transport section by the movement control when the movement control determining unit determines that the movement control is to be started. Mobile body.

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