Vehicle detecting device and vehicle

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of detecting whether or not a vehicle is appropriately arranged at a carrying portion when the vehicle is arranged at the carrying portion of a carrier.SOLUTION: A vehicle detecting device includes a detecting unit which detects that, using at least any one of state information indicating a state of a vehicle obtained from a detector provided on the vehicle that can travel by unmanned driving, an image of the vehicle, three-dimensional point group data on the vehicle, and positional information on the vehicle, at least a wheel of the vehicle is out of a carrying portion of a carrier that has the carrying portion capable of carrying the vehicle, and outputs a detection result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle detection device and a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which, in a manufacturing system for manufacturing vehicles, both vehicle transport methods are used: transporting vehicles using belts, and transporting vehicles by using remote-controlled running. [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] However, in the past, only a configuration has been considered in which a vehicle is transported using a belt, and then transported using remote-controlled vehicle movement, but no configuration has been considered in which a vehicle is transported using a belt after transport using remote-controlled vehicle movement. If a vehicle is not placed in an appropriate position on a transport device using a belt, the vehicle may be damaged during transport by the transport device. [Means for solving the problem]

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

[0006] (1) According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle detection device, the vehicle detection device including a detection unit that detects that at least one wheel provided on a vehicle has protruded beyond a transport unit of a transport device having a transport unit capable of transporting the vehicle, using at least one of status information indicating a status of the vehicle obtained from a detector provided on the vehicle that can travel by unmanned driving, an image of the vehicle, three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle, and position information of the vehicle, and outputs a detection result. According to the vehicle detection device of this embodiment, when a vehicle is placed on the transport section of the transport device, it is possible to detect whether or not the wheels are protruding from the transport section, and therefore whether or not the vehicle is appropriately placed on the transport section. (2) The vehicle detection device of the above embodiment may further include a command generating unit that generates and outputs a control command, when it is detected that the wheel has protruded, to cause the protruding wheel to be placed in a state in which it can spin with a weaker force than before it was detected that the wheel had protruded. According to this form of vehicle detection device, the protruding wheels are rendered rotatable, thereby suppressing or preventing damage to the protruding wheels from contacting objects other than the conveying section. (3) In the vehicle detection device of the above form, the state in which the protruding wheel is able to spin may be at least one of a state in which the protruding wheel is able to spin by not transmitting power from the prime mover of the vehicle to the protruding wheel, and a state in which the protruding wheel is able to spin by applying a braking force to the protruding wheel that is weaker than the braking force applied before the protruding wheel became protruding. According to the vehicle detection device of this aspect, a vehicle with its wheels protruding can be switched to a state in which it can be transported by the transport device by the simple method of switching the state of the vehicle. (4) The vehicle detection device of the above aspect may further include a wheel identification unit that identifies which wheel has protruded using at least one of the pieces of information. When it is detected that the wheel has protruded, the command generation unit may generate and output a control command for making only the protruding wheel capable of spinning. According to this form of vehicle detection device, only the protruding wheels can be switched to a state in which they can spin freely, thereby suppressing or preventing the rotation of the other wheels on the conveying section and suppressing or preventing the vehicle from moving on the conveying section. (5) In the vehicle detection device of the above embodiment, the device may further include a position estimation unit that estimates a position of the vehicle using vehicle information acquired by a vehicle detector that acquires vehicle information, the vehicle information being at least one of an image of the vehicle and three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle. According to the vehicle detection device of this aspect, it is possible to improve the accuracy of estimating the position of the vehicle. (6) The vehicle detection device of the above embodiment may further include a command generation unit that, when it is detected that the wheels have protruded, generates and outputs a control command for moving the vehicle to the conveying unit using the position of the vehicle estimated by the position estimation unit. According to the vehicle detection device of this embodiment, a vehicle with its wheels protruding can be restored to a normal state by the simple method of driving the vehicle. (7) The vehicle detection device of the above embodiment may further include a wheel information acquisition unit that acquires wheel information indicating a state of the protruding wheel using at least one of the acquired information, and a transport instruction unit that outputs an instruction to stop transport by the transport device when the acquired state of the protruding wheel satisfies a predetermined stopping condition. According to the vehicle detection device of this aspect, by determining whether or not to transport the vehicle based on the state of the wheels, damage to the wheels and drive unit due to transportation of the transportation device can be more reliably prevented. (8) In the vehicle detection device of the above form, the wheel information may include at least one of information regarding the orientation of the protruding wheel relative to the conveying direction in which the conveying device conveys the vehicle, information regarding the distance from the conveying section to the protruding wheel, and information regarding the difference in elevation between the conveying section and the protruding wheel. (9) The vehicle detection device of the above embodiment may further include a command generating unit that generates and outputs a control signal for activating at least one of a lamp and a horn provided on the vehicle when it is detected that the wheel has protruded beyond the limit. According to the vehicle detection device of this aspect, it is possible to notify those around the vehicle by a simple method using a device provided in the vehicle. (10) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle capable of traveling in an unmanned driving mode, the vehicle including at least one wheel, a detector for acquiring status information indicating a status of the vehicle, and a command generating unit for generating and outputting a control command for causing the protruding wheel to be in a state in which it can spin with a weaker force than before it was detected that the wheel had protruded, when a detection result is acquired that detects that the at least one wheel has protruded from a transport unit of a transport device having a transport unit capable of transporting the vehicle, using at least one of an image of the vehicle, three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle, the status information, and position information of the vehicle. When the vehicle is placed on the transport section of the transport device, the vehicle can detect whether the wheels are protruding from the transport section and detect whether the vehicle is appropriately placed on the transport section. By making the protruding wheels rotatable, the vehicle can suppress or prevent damage to the protruding wheels from contacting objects other than the transport section. The present disclosure may also be realized in various forms other than a vehicle detection device or a vehicle, such as a remote control device, a transport device, a transport system, a vehicle detection system, a vehicle transport method, a vehicle detection method, a transport device control method, a transport system control method, a vehicle detection system control method, 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 vehicle detection device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal functional configuration of a vehicle. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal functional configuration of a transport control device. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of a remote control device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 5A] 4 is a flowchart showing a vehicle driving method implemented by the remote control device. [Figure 5B] 4 is a flowchart showing a vehicle transport method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of a vehicle location confirmation process in the transport method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a top view of the vehicle normally positioned at the transfer start position. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a vehicle protruding from the transport section as viewed from above. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a vehicle protruding from the transport section as viewed from the front. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a top view of the vehicle in a state where a stop condition is not satisfied. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of a vehicle location confirmation process in the transport method according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a vehicle according to a third embodiment. [Figure 13]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 conveyance system 600 including a remote control device 300 as a vehicle detection device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The conveyance system 600 is used, for example, in a factory that manufactures vehicles 100. The conveyance system 600 conveys the vehicle 100, which can run by remote control. The conveyance system 600 is used, for example, in the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100, such as an inspection process or an assembly process of the vehicle 100, and conveys the vehicle 100 over a predetermined conveyance section in the manufacturing process. During the conveyance, the vehicle 100 is subjected to processes such as inspection and assembly by workers, equipment, etc.

[0009] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal functional configuration of 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 group 140, a sensor group 180, 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 interface circuit 230 is connected to the actuator group 140, the sensor group 180, and the vehicle communication device 190. 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] Status information VI is stored in a readable / writable area of ​​the storage device 220. The "status information" is information indicating the status of the vehicle 100 obtained from the sensor group 180 of the vehicle 100, such as the inclination of the vehicle 100 and the rotation state of the wheels 166. The status information is used to detect protrusion of the vehicle 100 from the conveyor unit 510, as described later.

[0012] 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.

[0013] The driving control unit 212 executes driving control of the vehicle 100. The "driving control" refers to various controls for driving the actuator group 140 that exerts the functions of "running," "turning," and "stopping" of the vehicle 100, such as adjusting the acceleration, speed, and steering angle. In this embodiment, the actuator group 140 includes an actuator of the drive device 160 for accelerating the vehicle 100, an actuator of the braking device 170 for decelerating the vehicle 100, and an actuator of a steering device (not shown) for changing the traveling direction of the vehicle 100.

[0014] The actuator group 140 may further include an actuator for turning on and off lamps 142 of the vehicle 100 and an actuator for sounding a horn 144. The lamps 142 include various lamps whose lighting state can be seen from outside the vehicle 100, such as headlights, turn signals, width lights, brake lights, and tail lights. Lamps provided inside the vehicle 100, such as room lights, may also be included as long as they are visible from outside the vehicle 100. The actuator group 140 may also include an actuator for swinging wipers of the vehicle 100, an actuator for opening and closing power windows of the vehicle 100, and the like.

[0015] The actuator of the drive device 160 includes a driving battery (not shown), a driving motor 168 driven by power from the driving battery, four wheels 166, a transmission unit 162, and a lock unit 164. The driving motor 168 is an example of a prime mover. The wheels 166 rotate by power transmitted from the driving motor 168. Instead of the driving motor 168, another type of prime mover such as an internal combustion engine or an external combustion engine may be provided.

[0016] The transmission unit 162 includes a transmission mechanism such as gears and shafts, and transmits power from the traveling motor 168 to the wheels 166. The lock unit 164 switches between a fixed state in which the transmission mechanism of the transmission unit 162 is locked and an unlocked state. In this embodiment, the lock unit 164 is an electric parking brake (EPB) that can be operated by remote control. When the function of the transmission unit 162 is switched to the "P range" by remote control of the remote control device 300 or by a lever operation by an occupant of the vehicle 100, the lock unit 164 is switched to the fixed state, and the wheels 166 are locked and do not rotate. When the function is switched to the "N range", the gears and the like in the transmission mechanism of the transmission unit 162 are not connected, and the power from the traveling motor 168 is not transmitted to the wheels 166. In the N range, the wheels 166 are in a state in which they can spin freely. "Spinning freely" means a state in which the wheels 166 can spin freely. During spinning, even if the wheels 166 are rotated, the vehicle 100 does not advance a distance corresponding to the amount of rotation of the wheels 166. The "D range" is a state in which the lock unit 164 is in an unlocked state, and the gears of the transmission mechanism of the transmission unit 162 are connected. In the D range, the power from the driving motor 168 is transmitted to the wheels 166 by the transmission unit 162, and the vehicle 100 is capable of traveling.

[0017] When a driver is on board the vehicle 100, the driving control unit 212 can control the actuator group 140 in response to an operation by the driver to drive the vehicle 100. In addition, the driving control unit 212 can also drive the vehicle 100 by controlling the actuator group 140 in response to a control command transmitted from the remote control device 300, regardless of whether a driver is on board the vehicle 100 or not.

[0018] The sensor group 180 is a general type of sensor used for driving control of the vehicle 100. The sensor group 180 includes, for example, an acceleration sensor 182 that detects an impact on the vehicle 100, a wheel speed sensor 184 that measures the rotation speed of the wheels 166, and a steering angle sensor 186 that measures the steering angle of each wheel 166. In this specification, the "steering angle" means the average steering angle of the two front wheels of the vehicle 100. The acceleration sensor 182 is also capable of detecting the inclination of the vehicle 100 with respect to a horizontal plane or the like. The measurement results by the sensor group 180 are transmitted to the ECU 200.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the conveying system 600 includes a vehicle detector 80, a conveying device 500, and a remote control device 300. FIG. 1 shows vehicle detectors 80p and 80t, which are examples of the vehicle detector 80. 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 and the orientation of the vehicle 100, such as an image of the vehicle 100 or three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle 100. The "three-dimensional point cloud data" is data indicating the three-dimensional position of a point cloud. In this embodiment, the vehicle detector 80 uses LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), which is a distance measuring device. The vehicle detector 80 measures the three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle 100 as the vehicle information. By using LiDAR, high-precision three-dimensional point cloud data can be acquired.

[0020] 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 vehicle information from the vehicle detector 80.

[0021] The transport device 500 includes a motor 522, a transport section 510, a plurality of transport position detectors 526, and a transport control device 400. The motor 522 is controlled by the transport control device 400 to drive the transport section 510.

[0022] The conveying unit 510 conveys the vehicle 100, which is the object of conveyance, in the conveying direction DR. In this embodiment, the conveying 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 vehicle 100 on the conveying unit 510 can be removed from the conveying unit 510 at any timing by remote control of the remote control device 300. In this embodiment, the conveying unit 510 is continuously driven regardless of whether the vehicle 100 is on the conveying unit 510 or not. The conveying unit 510 can move the vehicle 100 over a predetermined conveying section without remote control or operation control of the vehicle 100. The conveying unit 510 is not limited to a belt conveyor, and may be various conveyors capable of conveying the vehicle 100, such as a roller conveyor or a chain conveyor. The conveying unit 510 may be configured to be driven only when the vehicle 100 is placed on the conveying unit 510, not limited to the case where it is driven continuously. The transport unit 510 is not limited to transporting only the vehicle 100, and may transport, together with the vehicle 100, for example, workers who perform processing on the vehicle 100, parts of the vehicle 100, and the like.

[0023] The transport position detector 526 is, for example, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a millimeter wave radar, or other various detectors capable of detecting the presence or absence of a target. The transport position detector 526 detects the vehicle 100 on the transport unit 510. In this embodiment, there are a plurality of transport position detectors 526, and a plurality of transport position acquisition units 324 are installed for each predetermined transport section in the transport device 500. This makes it possible to detect the presence or absence of the vehicle 100 for each transport section, in other words, the position of the vehicle 100 in the transport section. Information regarding the position of the vehicle 100 detected by the transport position detector 526 and the outside transport detection unit 528 described later is also called "position information". The detection result by the transport position detector 526 is output to the transport control device 400.

[0024] 3 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.

[0025] The storage device 440 is, for example, a RAM, a ROM, a HDD, or an SSD. A transport position VP detected by the transport position detector 526 is stored in a readable / writable area of ​​the storage device 440. The storage device 440 also stores a program for implementing at least a part of the functions provided in this embodiment. The CPU 410 executes the program to function as a conveyor control unit 412 and a transport position acquisition unit 414. The conveyor control unit 412 drives a motor 522 to control the on / off state and transport speed of the transport unit 510.

[0026] The transport position acquisition unit 414 acquires the transport position of the vehicle 100 from the transport position detector 526, and stores the acquired transport position as the transport position VP in the storage device 440. The position of the vehicle 100 in the transport section may be acquired using the vehicle detector 80. In cases such as when the transport position of the vehicle 100 is detected by the vehicle detector 80, the transport position detector 526 may be omitted.

[0027] 4 is a block diagram showing an internal functional configuration of the remote control device 300 according to the first embodiment. 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 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 vehicle detection device that detects that at least one wheel 166 provided on the vehicle 100 protrudes from the transport section 510 of the transport device 500, as described later.

[0028] 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.

[0029] The storage device 340 is, for example, a RAM, a ROM, a HDD, or an SSD. The wheel information WI and the estimated position VL are stored in a readable / writable area of ​​the storage device 340. The storage device 340 also stores a computer program for implementing at least a part of the functions provided in this embodiment. 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 detection unit 316, a wheel identification unit 318, a wheel information acquisition unit 320, a remote control determination unit 322, a transport position acquisition unit 324, a transport instruction unit 326, a notification unit 328, a subsequent instruction unit 330, and a vehicle information acquisition unit 332. However, some or all of these functions may be configured by hardware circuits.

[0030] 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 using vehicle point cloud data stored in advance in the storage device 340 for the three-dimensional point cloud data. Therefore, the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 in the three-dimensional point cloud data can be estimated with high accuracy. The estimated position and orientation of the vehicle 100 are stored in the storage device 340 as an estimated position VL. For example, three-dimensional CAD data of the vehicle 100 can be used as the vehicle point cloud data as a template. The vehicle point cloud data includes information for identifying the orientation of the vehicle 100. Template matching of the vehicle point cloud data to the 3D point cloud data can be performed using, for example, an Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm, a Normal Distribution Transform (NDT) algorithm, etc. Note that template matching does not need to be performed when the position of the vehicle 100 can be estimated with high accuracy from the 3D point cloud data.

[0031] 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 automatically driving the vehicle 100 by remote control using the estimated position and orientation of the vehicle 100, i.e., the estimated position VL, and transmits the control command to the vehicle 100. The control command is, for example, a command for driving the vehicle 100 according to 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. 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 automatically drives. In this embodiment, the remote control unit 312 can also generate a control command for driving the actuator group 140 that does not directly contribute to the driving control of the vehicle 100, such as the lamps 142 and the horn 144.

[0032] 5A 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 S110). 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.

[0033] The remote control unit 312 determines a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head (step S120). 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.

[0034] The remote control unit 312 generates a travel control signal for driving the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position (step S130). 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.

[0035] The remote control unit 312 transmits the generated driving control signal to the vehicle 100 (step S140). 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.

[0036] The driving control unit 212 of the vehicle 100 receives the driving control signal from the remote control unit 312 (step S150) and controls the actuator group 140 using the received driving control signal to cause the vehicle 100 to drive at the acceleration and steering angle represented by the driving control signal (step S160). The driving control unit 212 repeats receiving the driving control signal and controlling the actuator group 140 at a predetermined cycle. As described above, by causing the vehicle 100 to drive by remote control, it is possible to move the vehicle 100 without using transportation equipment such as a crane or a conveyor.

[0037] The detection unit 316 detects the protrusion of the wheels 166 from the conveying unit 510 of the conveying device 500. The state in which the wheels 166 protrude from the conveying unit 510 is sometimes called "wheel derailment." The protrusion of the wheels 166 from the conveying unit 510 can be detected using the position information of the vehicle 100, the three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle 100, and the status information VI. For example, when the detection result of the vehicle detector 80 is used as the vehicle information, such as the three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle 100 or an image of the vehicle 100, it is possible to detect whether the vehicle 100 protrudes from the conveying unit 510 by detecting the relative position of the vehicle 100 with respect to the conveying unit 510. In addition, when the status information VI is used, it is possible to detect that the vehicle 100 protrudes from the conveying unit 510 by using, for example, the inclination of the vehicle 100 with respect to the horizontal plane obtained from the acceleration sensor 182, the rotation of the wheels 166 detected by the wheel speed sensor 184, and the like. The detection result by the detection unit 316 is output to the remote control unit 312 and the wheel identification unit 318. The detection result by the detection unit 316 may be output to a display device such as a display connected to the transport control device 400 or the remote control device 300.

[0038] The wheel identification unit 318 identifies which of the four wheels 166 provided on the vehicle 100 is protruding. In this embodiment, the wheel identification unit 318 analyzes the estimated position VL stored in the storage device 340 to identify an area of ​​the vehicle 100 that is protruding from the conveyance unit 510, and identifies the wheels 166 included in the area as the protruding wheels 166. Note that the wheel identification unit 318 is not limited to identifying only a single wheel 166, and may identify multiple wheels 166. In addition, for example, the wheel identification unit 318 may identify which wheel 166 is protruding by using a predetermined range that includes the protruding wheel 166, such as the drive wheel, the front wheel, the rear wheel, the right side in the width direction, and the left side in the width direction.

[0039] The wheel identification unit 318 may acquire status information VI from the vehicle 100, not limited to the position information, the estimated position VL, and the vehicle information, and may identify which wheel 166 is protruding by using the acquired status information VI. As an example of using the status information VI, the wheel 166 that is lower than the other wheels 166 can be identified as the protruding wheel 166 by using the inclination of the vehicle 100 detected by the acceleration sensor 182. In addition, when the vehicle 100 is transported on the transport unit 510 with the wheels 166 not rotating, the rotation of the wheels 166 detected by the wheel speed sensor 184 can be used. For example, by acquiring the wheels 166 that are rotating or about to rotate from the wheel speed sensor 184, it can be estimated that the identified wheel 166 has come into contact with the road surface outside the transport unit 510 and is protruding from the transport unit 510. Note that, when only whether the vehicle 100 is protruding or not is detected and the protruding wheel 166 is not identified, the wheel identification unit 318 may be omitted. Additionally, the wheel identification unit 318 may identify which wheel 166 is protruding by using any combination of the position information, the estimated position VL, the vehicle information, and the status information VI.

[0040] The wheel information acquisition unit 320 acquires wheel information WI using at least one of the acquired position information of the vehicle 100, the vehicle information or the estimated position VL, and the status information VI acquired from the vehicle 100. The "wheel information" is information indicating the status of the protruding wheel 166. The "status of the protruding wheel 166" includes, for example, at least one of the orientation of the wheel 166 with respect to the conveying direction DR of the vehicle 100 by the conveying device 500, the distance between the protruding wheel 166 and the conveying unit 510, and the height difference between the protruding wheel 166 and the conveying unit 510. The wheel information acquisition unit 320 stores the acquired wheel information WI in the storage device 340.

[0041] The remote control determination unit 322 determines whether to stop or start the remote control. Specifically, the remote control determination unit 322 determines whether to stop or start the remote control based on whether the transport position of the vehicle 100 has reached the transport start position and the transport end position of the vehicle 100 in the transport section of the transport device 500. The remote control determination unit 322 determines to stop the remote control when the vehicle 100 reaches the transport start position on the transport unit 510 and becomes ready for transport by the transport device 500. "Stopping the remote control" includes, for example, stopping the generation of a control command for remotely controlling the vehicle 100 by the remote control unit 312 and stopping the transmission of a control command generated in the remote control device 300 to the vehicle 100. By stopping the remote control during the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500, it is possible to suppress power consumption of the remote control device 300 or devices other than the remote control device 300. Other embodiments of stopping the remote control include turning off the power supply and communication function of the remote control device 300, turning off the power supply and communication function of the vehicle 100, and the like. In addition, if the remote control of the vehicle 100 is not stopped while the transportation device 500 is transporting the vehicle 100, the remote control determination unit 322 does not need to be provided.

[0042] The "transport start position" is a position included in the transport section of the transport device 500, where the transport of the vehicle 100 is started by the transport device 500. The "transport end position" is a position included in the transport section of the transport device 500, where the transport of the vehicle 100 is ended by the transport device 500. The "transport position" is the position of the vehicle 100 in the transport section of the transport device 500. The transport position may include information indicating whether the vehicle 100 protrudes from the transport section 510. The transport position may be the overall position of the vehicle 100, or may be a position of a part of the vehicle 100. The "overall position of the vehicle 100" may be, for example, the positions of the ends of the vehicle 100 in the length direction, width direction, and height direction, a position representative of the vehicle 100, such as the center of gravity of the vehicle 100, or a set of the positions of each part of the vehicle 100.

[0043] The transport position acquisition unit 324 acquires the transport position of the vehicle 100 during transport by the transport device 500. The transport position acquisition unit 324 acquires the transport position VP stored in the storage device 440 from the transport control device 400, or acquires the transport position from the vehicle detector 80 if the position of the vehicle 100 on the transport unit 510 can be acquired by the vehicle detector 80. The transport position acquisition unit 324 may acquire the vehicle position directly from the transport position detector 526.

[0044] The transport instruction unit 326 outputs instructions to the transport control device 400 regarding the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500, such as stopping / starting transport and switching the transport speed. For example, when an abnormality occurs in the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500, the transport instruction unit 326 outputs an instruction to stop the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500.

[0045] The notification unit 328 issues a notification when, for example, an abnormality occurs in the transportation of the vehicle 100 by the transportation device 500. The following instruction unit 330 outputs an instruction to delay the timing at which the following vehicle arrives at the transportation device 500 when, for example, an abnormality occurs in the transportation of the vehicle 100 by the transportation device 500. The "following vehicle" is a vehicle that is scheduled to be transported by the transportation device 500 after the vehicle 100 or thereafter.

[0046] The vehicle information acquisition unit 332 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 is used to check whether the vehicle 100 is a target for transport by the transport device 500. 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.

[0047] A method of conveying the vehicle 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a conveying section of the vehicle 100 from a range AR1 to a range AR5. FIG. 1 also 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 conveying sections based on the automatic travel of the vehicle 100 by remote control. In the range AR1, the vehicle 100p automatically travels to the conveying device 500 by remote control using the vehicle information acquired from the vehicle detector 80p. In the range AR5, the vehicle 100t, which has left the conveying system 600, travels to the next process or the like by remote control using the vehicle information acquired from the vehicle detector 80p.

[0048] 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 example of a transport start position where transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500 starts. In the range AR2, remote control is stopped, and the transport method of the vehicle 100 is switched from self-propelled transport by remote control to transport by the transport device 500. The vehicle 100p traveling by remote control passes over the start point SP on one end side of the transport unit 510 and enters the range AR2. The vehicle 100q that has reached the range AR2 becomes available for transport by the transport unit 510.

[0049] In the range AR3, the vehicle 100r is transported by the transport device 500 and undergoes a predetermined process such as an inspection process. In this embodiment, the range AR3 is an area outside the detection range of the vehicle 100 by the vehicle detector 80, and in the range AR3, the vehicle 100r is not automatically driven by remote control. However, the vehicle 100r in the range AR3 may be in a state capable of wireless communication with the remote control device 300, and remote control may be executed to perform operations other than the driving of the vehicle 100, such as turning on and off the power of the vehicle 100 or each part. The range AR3 may also be set within the detection range of the vehicle detector 80, and in this case, the automatic driving by remote control may also be executed in the range AR3.

[0050] The range AR4 is an example of a transport end position where the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500 ends. The vehicle 100 reaches the range AR4 after the process in the range AR3 is completed. In the range AR4, the vehicle 100s can be detected by the vehicle detector 80t, and the vehicle 100s can be automatically driven by remote control to leave the transport 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 transport 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 any range from the position where the process for the vehicle 100r in the range AR3 is completed to the end point EP, assuming that the vehicle detector 80t can detect the vehicle 100t. In this case, the size of the range AR4 is variable depending on the progress of the process for the vehicle 100 in the range AR3.

[0051] 5B is a flowchart showing a method for transporting the vehicle 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. This flow starts when the vehicle 100 starts traveling toward the transport 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.

[0052] In step S10, the remote control unit 312 automatically drives the vehicle 100 toward the conveying device 500 by remote control. More specifically, as shown in the range AR1 in FIG. 1, the remote control unit 312 generates a control command for remote control using the position and orientation of the vehicle 100p estimated by the position estimation unit 314, and transmits the control command to the vehicle 100p. Note that, before the conveying device 500 starts conveying, the conveying control device 400 acquires vehicle identification information from the vehicle 100p that has arrived at the conveying device 500, and checks whether the vehicle identification information matches the vehicle identification information of the conveying target in production management. However, the check may be omitted, and when the vehicle identification information is not used, the vehicle information acquisition unit 332 may be omitted.

[0053] In step S20, the remote control unit 312 automatically drives the vehicle 100 by remote control, and moves it to the transfer start position on the transfer unit 510. In the example of Fig. 1, when the vehicle 100p arrives at the transfer device 500, the remote control unit 312 drives the vehicle 100p to pass over the start point SP of the transfer unit 510 and moves it to the range AR2 by remote control using the vehicle information acquired from the vehicle detector 80p. As shown by the vehicle 100q in Fig. 1, when the estimated position of the vehicle 100q reaches the transfer start position, the remote control determination unit 322 determines to stop the remote control.

[0054] In step S30, a vehicle location confirmation process is executed. In the "vehicle location confirmation process," it is confirmed whether the vehicle 100 to be transported protrudes from the transport section 510, and if the vehicle 100 protrudes from the transport section 510, a predetermined abnormality measure is executed.

[0055] In step S40, the remote control unit 312 stops the remote control of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the remote control of the vehicle 100 is stopped by stopping the generation of a control command by the remote control device 300 or by stopping the transmission of a control command to the vehicle 100. By stopping the remote control of the vehicle 100 during transportation by the transportation device 500, it is possible to reduce the power consumption and processing load of the devices mounted on the vehicle 100, such as the remote control device 300 and other control devices. In addition, by stopping the traveling of the vehicle 100, for example, an inspection of the electrical system, engine room, etc. of the vehicle 100 can be smoothly performed by an operator during transportation of the vehicle 100.

[0056] In step S50, the transport control device 400 controls the motor 522 to drive the transport unit 510, and starts transporting the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the transport unit 510 is continuously driven, and S50 is executed in parallel with S30, S40, etc. In step S60, the remote control unit 312 detects that the vehicle 100 has reached an area where the vehicle can be transported by remote control. Whether the vehicle 100 has reached an area where the vehicle can be transported by remote control can be detected, for example, from the transport position detector 526 provided in the range AR4 shown in FIG. 1 or the position of the vehicle 100 acquired by the vehicle detector 80t.

[0057] In step S70, the remote control unit 312 starts remote control of the vehicle 100. In step S80, the remote control unit 312 switches the function of the transmission unit 162 from the P range to the D range, which will be described later, by remote control, and starts running the vehicle 100 by remote control. Specifically, the remote control unit 312 puts the transmission unit 162 in a connected state, drives the lock unit 164, and switches the fixed transmission mechanism of the transmission unit 162 to an unlocked state, thereby switching the vehicle 100 to a state in which it can run. As shown in the range AR4 of FIG. 1, the remote control device 300 uses the vehicle information acquired from the vehicle detector 80t to generate a control command for automatically running the vehicle 100s and transmits it to the vehicle 100s. In step S90, the remote control unit 312 remotely controls the vehicle 100s to be separated from the transport unit 510, and ends this flow. The vehicle 100t that has been separated from the transport device 500 is sent to the next process by automatic running.

[0058] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of a vehicle arrangement confirmation process in the transportation method according to the first embodiment. In step S302, the detection unit 316 acquires the estimated position of the vehicle 100 from the position estimation unit 314, and confirms the acquired estimated position VL of the vehicle 100. In step S303, the detection unit 316 confirms the position information of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the detection unit 316 confirms the detection results of the vehicle 100 by the transportation position detector 526 and the outside transportation detection unit 528 as the position information of the vehicle 100. In step S304, the detection unit 316 acquires and confirms the status information VI from the vehicle 100. In step S306, the detection unit 316 uses the acquired estimated position VL, position information, and status information VI of the vehicle 100 to confirm whether the wheels 166 protrude from the transportation unit 510.

[0059] When the detection unit 316 determines that the wheel 166 does not protrude from the transport unit 510 (S306: NO), the process proceeds to step S322. In step S322, the remote control unit 312 drives the lock unit 164 of the vehicle 100 by remote control, and switches the function of the transmission unit 162 to the P range. The remote control unit 312 may switch the function of the transmission unit 162 to the N range instead of the P range. In this case, it is preferable that the remote control unit 312 switches the lock unit 164 of the vehicle 100 to a fixed state by remote control, or fixes the wheel 166 on the transport unit 510 by a predetermined fixture or the like, thereby reliably stopping the vehicle 100. As a result, the transmission mechanism of the transmission unit 162 is fixed, the wheel 166 is in a state where it does not rotate, and the vehicle 100 is in a state where it cannot run. When the remote control unit 312 switches to the P range, this flow ends.

[0060] When the detection unit 316 determines that the wheel 166 protrudes from the conveying unit 510 (S306: YES), the process proceeds to step S308. In step S308, the wheel information acquisition unit 320 acquires wheel information WI. Specifically, the wheel information acquisition unit 320 acquires at least one of information on the orientation of the wheel 166 with respect to the conveying direction DR of the vehicle 100 by the conveying device 500, information on the distance between the protruding wheel 166 and the conveying unit 510, and information on the height difference between the protruding wheel 166 and the conveying unit 510. The wheel information acquisition unit 320 stores the acquired wheel information WI in the storage device 340.

[0061] In step S310, the transport instruction unit 326 checks the acquired wheel information WI and determines whether or not the stop condition is satisfied. The "stop condition" is a condition for determining the degree of abnormality of the wheel 166 protruding from the transport unit 510, and is used to determine whether or not to stop the transport device 500. When the wheel information satisfies the stop condition, the transport instruction unit 326 stops the transport device 500 to suppress or prevent damage to the wheel 166 and the drive unit 160 of the vehicle 100. However, even if the stop condition is satisfied, the stop condition may be eliminated by, for example, executing remote control by the remote control unit 312 to eliminate the stop condition before stopping the transport device 500.

[0062] If the stop condition is satisfied (S310: YES), the process proceeds to step S312, and an abnormality measure is taken. The abnormality measures from step S312 to step S316 below may be taken in any order or simultaneously. In step S312, the transport instruction unit 326 outputs an instruction to the transport control device 400 to stop the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500, as an example of an abnormality measure. The transport control device 400 that has received the stop instruction stops the transport unit 510 by stopping the motor 522, etc. Note that, for example, in a case where the abnormality can be resolved quickly, such as when the vehicle 100 can be moved to the transport unit 510 quickly, the transport instruction unit 326 may output an instruction to reduce the transport speed of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500 instead of stopping the transport device 500.

[0063] In step S314, the notification unit 328 notifies the fact that the vehicle 100 protrudes from the transport unit 510, that an emergency measure has been taken, etc. The notification unit 328 notifies, for example, a worker who performs work on the vehicle 100 on the transport unit 510, a manager of the process, or a manager of the transport system 600.

[0064] In step S316, the following instruction unit 330 outputs an instruction to delay the timing at which the following vehicle arrives at the conveying device 500. The following instruction unit 330 outputs 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. As a result, the timing at which the following vehicle arrives at the conveying device 500 is delayed. At this time, the following instruction unit 330 delays the timing at which the following vehicle arrives according to, for example, a delay time with respect to the target production time. By delaying the arrival of the following vehicle based on the target production time, it is possible to suppress the following vehicle from arriving at the conveying device 500 before the conveying device 500 is restored, 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.

[0065] In step S318, the abnormality is resolved. In this embodiment, the abnormality is resolved, for example, by moving the vehicle 100 in the protruding state to the transfer start position CP of the transfer section 510 by manual operation of an operator. The abnormality may also be resolved by removing the vehicle 100 from the transfer section 510. In this case, this flow ends without shifting the process to S322.

[0066] In step S320, the transport instruction unit 326 outputs an instruction to the transport control device 400 to operate the stopped transport device 500, and the process proceeds to step S322. As a result, the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500 is resumed. If the transport speed of the vehicle 100 is reduced instead of stopping the transport device 500, the transport instruction unit 326 outputs an instruction to the transport control device 400 to return the transport speed to the original speed. In addition, in order to eliminate a delay in production relative to the target production time, the transport speed may be set to a speed faster than the transport speed before the restart. In addition, the following instruction unit 330 switches the traveling of the delayed following vehicle to normal traveling.

[0067] If the stop condition is not satisfied (S310: NO), the process proceeds to step S330, and preparations are made to transport the vehicle 100 in a protruding state. In step S330, the wheel identification unit 318 identifies which of the four wheels 166 has protruded, using at least one of the estimated position VL, the position information, and the status information VI. In step S332, the remote control unit 312 switches only the identified wheel 166 of the vehicle 100 to a state in which the wheel 166 can spin with a force weaker than the force applied to the wheel 166 before it was detected that the wheel 166 had protruded, and ends this flow. As a result, even if the protruding wheel 166 is in contact with the ground or the like other than the conveying section 510 when being conveyed by the conveying device 500, the force applied to the protruding wheel 166 from the ground or the like that it is contacting can be released by the wheel 166 spinning freely, and damage to the protruding wheel 166, the transmission section 162, etc., caused by the force from the ground or the like can be suppressed or prevented.

[0068] The wheel information and the stop conditions will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 7 to Fig. 10. Fig. 7 to Fig. 10 show the vehicle 100 in the vicinity of the range AR2 shown in Fig. 1, i.e., in the vicinity of the transfer start position, as viewed from above. In each of Figs. 7 to 10, the vehicle 100 and the two front wheels of the vehicle 100 are illustrated in a schematic manner to facilitate understanding of the technology. Figs. 7, 8 and 10 also show the transfer direction DR of the vehicle 100 by the transfer device 500 and the orientations VD1, VD2, and VD3 of the two front wheels of the vehicle 100. The orientations VD1, VD2, and VD3 of the two front wheels coincide with the traveling direction of the vehicle 100.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 8, and FIG. 10, in this embodiment, the conveying device 500 further includes a non-conveying detection unit 528. The non-conveying detection unit 528 is disposed around the conveying unit 510. The non-conveying detection unit 528 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, and can detect the vehicle 100 protruding from the conveying unit 510. In other words, the non-conveying detection unit 528 can detect the position of the vehicle 100 outside the conveying unit 510. The position of the vehicle 100 detected by the non-conveying detection unit 528 is an example of position information. The detection result by the non-conveying detection unit 528 is output to the conveying control device 400. However, when the protrusion of the wheels 166 can be detected by the state information of the vehicle 100, the position of the vehicle 100 detected by the vehicle detector 80, or the estimated position of the vehicle 100 by the position estimation unit 314, the non-conveying detection unit 528 may be omitted.

[0070] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the vehicle 100 in a top view in a state where it is normally arranged at the transfer start position of the transfer section 510. FIG. 7 shows the transfer start position CP in a schematic manner. In the example of FIG. 7, the vehicle 100 is arranged in the transfer start position CP in a state where the direction VD1 of the wheels 166 and the transfer direction DR are aligned with each other. The transfer start position CP is not limited to a specific position, and can be set using a predetermined range. The transfer start position CP can be set using any range included in the transfer section of the transfer device 500, for example, on the premise that the vehicle 100 can be arranged by remote-controlled automatic traveling. "The vehicle 100 has reached the transfer start position CP" means that the vehicle 100 is in a state where it can be transferred by the transfer device 500, and for example, the entire vehicle 100 does not have to be included in the transfer start position CP, and for example, a part of the rear side of the vehicle 100 may be out of the transfer start position CP. The transfer start position CP may be set using a range wider than these ranges, taking into account an error in the stop position of the vehicle 100 due to remote control, etc. However, it is preferable that the range of the transfer start position CP is small from the viewpoint of miniaturization of the transfer unit 510. In addition, the transfer start position CP may be set individually for each individual vehicle corresponding to the vehicle identification information, taking into consideration the difference in vehicle body size for each vehicle type.

[0071] 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a top view of the vehicle 100 protruding from the conveying section 510. In the example of FIG. 8, the right front wheel 166R of the two front wheels of the vehicle 100 protrudes from the conveying section 510. In this case, the detection unit 316 detects that the front wheel 166R protrudes from the conveying section 510 using at least one of the vehicle information acquired from the vehicle detector 80p, the estimated position of the vehicle 100 estimated by the position estimation unit 314 using the vehicle information, the position of the vehicle 100 detected by the outside conveying detection unit 528, and the status information VI of the vehicle 100. The detection unit 316 may detect using the vehicle information acquired from the vehicle detector 80p.

[0072] Next, the wheel information acquisition unit 320 acquires wheel information. In this embodiment, the wheel information acquisition unit 320 acquires an angle θ1 between the conveying direction DR of the vehicle 100 by the conveying device 500 and the orientation VD2 of the wheel 166 as the wheel information. The conveying instruction unit 326 judges whether the acquired angle θ1 satisfies the stop condition. In this embodiment, the stop condition is set using a predetermined threshold value, such as 30 degrees or 45 degrees, that can suppress damage to the protruding wheel 166 due to the conveying of the conveying device 500. The conveying instruction unit 326 judges that the acquired angle θ1 does not satisfy the stop condition if it is equal to or less than the threshold degree, and that the stop condition is satisfied if it is greater than the threshold degree.

[0073] 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the vehicle 100 in a front view in a state where it protrudes from the conveying section 510. As shown in FIG. 9, when there is a step between the conveying section 510 and the road surface GR other than the conveying section 510, the wheel information acquisition section 320 can detect the inclination of the vehicle 100 with respect to the conveying section 510 or the inclination angle θ2 as the state information by, for example, the acceleration sensor 182. In this case, the conveying instruction section 326 can detect that the vehicle 100 has protruded from the conveying section 510 based on the occurrence of the inclination angle θ2. That is, by detecting an inclination that does not occur during conveying in the conveying section 510, it is detected that the vehicle 100 has protruded from the conveying section 510.

[0074] Furthermore, the wheel information acquisition unit 320 may acquire a distance DT to the wheel 166L protruding from the transport unit 510 as the wheel information. In this case, the transport instruction unit 326 judges whether or not the acquired distance DT satisfies the stop condition. In this case, the stop condition is set using a different threshold value for each vehicle 100, such as a distance half the vehicle width of the vehicle 100. However, any fixed value, such as 100 centimeters or 80 centimeters, may be set as the stop condition. The transport instruction unit 326 judges that the acquired distance DT does not satisfy the stop condition if it is equal to or less than the threshold value, and that the stop condition is satisfied if it is greater than the threshold value.

[0075] The wheel information acquisition unit 320 may also acquire the height difference HL between the transport unit 510 and the protruding wheel 166L as the wheel information. In this case, the transport instruction unit 326 determines whether the acquired height difference HL satisfies the stop condition. In this case, the stop condition may be, for example, a threshold value for each vehicle 100, such as the radius of the wheel 166, or an arbitrary fixed value such as 20 centimeters. Note that it is not necessary to acquire all of the information on the distance DT, the height difference HL, and the inclination angle θ2, and any one of them may be acquired, or information in which these information are arbitrarily combined may be acquired.

[0076] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a vehicle 100 in a state where the stop condition is not satisfied, as viewed from above. In FIG. 10, the right front wheel 166R of the two front wheels of the vehicle 100 protrudes from the transport unit 510. The wheel information acquisition unit 320 acquires, as the wheel information, an angle θ3 between the transport direction DR of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500 and the direction VD3 of the front wheel 166R. In the example of FIG. 10, the transport direction DR and the direction VD3 are approximately the same, and the angle θ3 is approximately zero. The transport instruction unit 326 determines that the stop condition is not satisfied because the acquired angle θ3 is equal to or less than the threshold value. In this case, the remote control unit 312 switches the transmission unit 162 of the vehicle 100 to the N range and switches the lock unit 164 to the non-fixed state by remote control. As a result, the protruding front wheel 166R is in a state where it can spin with a weaker force than before the protrusion of the front wheel 166R was detected. That is, the protruding front wheel 166R can rotate even when it is in contact with the ground or the like other than the transport unit 510. Unlike the case where the vehicle 100 is transported with the P range, the force applied to the protruding front wheel 166R from the ground or the like can be used to rotate the wheel 166, and damage to the wheel 166, the transmission unit 162, and the like can be suppressed or prevented. Note that, during the transport of the vehicle 100 by the transport device 500, in place of or in addition to the control of the drive device 160 such as the transmission unit 162 and the lock unit 164, when the rotation of the front wheel 166R is restricted by the braking force of the braking device 170 such as a brake, the braking force applied to the protruding front wheel 166R may be weakened from the braking force applied to the front wheel 166R before the protruding, thereby making the protruding wheel 166 rotatable. Even in this case, the same effect can be obtained.

[0077] As described above, the remote control device 300 of this embodiment includes the detection unit 316 that detects whether the wheels 166 have protruded from the conveyance unit 510 by using the position information of the vehicle 100 and the status information VI indicating the status of the vehicle 100 obtained from the sensor group 180 provided on the vehicle 100, and functions as a vehicle detection device. According to the remote control device 300 of this embodiment, when the vehicle 100 is placed on the conveyance unit 510 of the conveyance device 500 by remote control, it is possible to detect whether the wheels 166 have protruded from the conveyance unit 510. Therefore, it is possible to detect whether the vehicle 100 is appropriately placed on the conveyance unit 510.

[0078] According to the remote control device 300 of this embodiment, the remote control unit 312 functions as a command generating unit that, when it is detected that the wheel 166 has protruded, generates a control command to switch to the N range, which allows the protruding wheel 166 to spin with a weaker force than before it was detected that the wheel 166 had protruded, and transmits the control command to the vehicle 100. Therefore, unlike when the vehicle 100 is transported in the P range, it is possible to suppress or prevent damage to the protruding wheel 166 caused by a force applied from the ground or the like other than the transport unit 510.

[0079] According to the remote control device 300 of this embodiment, the state in which the protruding wheels 166 can spin freely is a state in which the state of the transmission unit 162 of the vehicle 100 is switched to the N range and the lock unit 164 is switched to the unlocked state, so that the power from the driving motor 168 is not transmitted to the protruding wheels 166 and the protruding wheels 166 can spin freely. Therefore, by a simple method of switching the function of the transmission unit 162 by the remote control unit 312, the vehicle 100 with the protruding wheels 166 can be switched to a transportable state.

[0080] The remote control device 300 of this embodiment includes a wheel identification unit 318 that identifies which of the four wheels 166 has protruded using at least one of the position information of the vehicle 100, the vehicle information, the estimated position VL obtained using the vehicle information, and the status information VI. When the remote control unit 312 detects that a wheel 166 has protruded, it generates a control command for switching only the protruding wheel 166 to a state in which it can spin, and transmits the control command to the vehicle 100. Since only the protruding wheel 166 can be switched to a state in which it can spin, it is possible to suppress or prevent the other wheels 166 on the conveyor unit 510 from rotating, and to suppress or prevent the vehicle 100 from moving on the conveyor unit 510.

[0081] The remote control device 300 of this embodiment further includes a wheel information acquisition unit 320 that acquires wheel information WI indicating the state of the protruding wheel 166 using at least one of the acquired position information, vehicle information, the estimated position VL obtained using the vehicle information, and the state information VI, and a transport instruction unit 326 that outputs an instruction to stop transport by the transport device 500 when the state of the protruding wheel 166 satisfies a predetermined stop condition. By determining whether or not to transport the vehicle 100 based on the state of the wheel 166, damage to the wheel 166 and the drive device 160 due to transport by the transport device 500 can be more reliably prevented.

[0082] B. Second embodiment: Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of a vehicle location confirmation process in the transportation method according to the second embodiment. The second embodiment differs from the vehicle location confirmation process in the transportation method according to the first embodiment shown in Fig. 6 in that steps S308 to S320 and steps S330 to S332 are replaced with steps S340 to S346, but the rest of the configuration is the same. In this embodiment, when the detection unit 316 detects a protruding wheel 166, the occurrence of an abnormality is notified to the surroundings, and the vehicle 100 is driven by remote control to eliminate the protrusion of the wheel 166.

[0083] In step S340, the remote control unit 312 remotely controls the lamps 142 of the vehicle 100 to light up in order to alert those around the vehicle 100. In this case, the method of lighting the lamps 142 is preferably a method that makes it easy to understand that an abnormality has occurred, such as by alternately turning the lamps on and off, from the viewpoint of quickly notifying workers of the occurrence of an abnormality. In step S342, the remote control unit 312 remotely controls the horn 144 of the vehicle 100 to alert those around the vehicle 100. In this case, the method of operating the horn 144 is preferably a method that makes it easy to understand that an abnormality has occurred, such as by emitting a predetermined number of sounds or a long sound, from the viewpoint of quickly notifying workers of the occurrence of an abnormality.

[0084] In step S346, the remote control unit 312 moves the vehicle 100 to the transport unit 510 by remote control. Specifically, first, the position estimation unit 314 acquires an estimated position of the vehicle 100 that has protruded from the transport unit 510, using vehicle information acquired from the vehicle detector 80. The remote control unit 312 causes the vehicle 100 to travel to the transport start position CP of the transport unit 510 by remote control using the acquired estimated position of the vehicle 100. As a result, the protrusion of the wheels 166 is eliminated, and the vehicle 100 is transported by the transport device 500.

[0085] As described above, according to the remote control device 300 of this embodiment, when it is detected that the wheels 166 have protruded, the remote control unit 312 uses the position of the vehicle 100 estimated by the position estimation unit 314 to generate a control command for moving the vehicle 100 to the transport unit 510 by remote control and transmits the control command to the vehicle 100. Therefore, the vehicle 100 in a state in which the wheels 166 have protruded can be restored to a normal state by remote control. Therefore, the vehicle can be restored to a normal state more smoothly than by manual restoration.

[0086] The remote control device 300 of this embodiment includes a position estimation unit 314 that estimates the position of the vehicle 100 by using vehicle information detected by a vehicle detector 80 that detects three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle 100 as vehicle information. Therefore, the accuracy of estimating the position of the vehicle 100 can be improved.

[0087] According to the remote control device 300 of this embodiment, when it is detected that the wheels 166 have protruded, the remote control unit 312 transmits to the vehicle 100 a control signal for activating at least one of the lamps 142 and the alarm 144 provided on the vehicle 100. Therefore, it is possible to notify the surroundings of the vehicle 100 by a simple method using the devices provided on the vehicle 100.

[0088] C. Third embodiment: 12 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of 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 vehicle detection 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.

[0089] 12, 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 detection unit 316, the wheel identification unit 318, the wheel information acquisition unit 320, the transport position acquisition unit 324, the transport instruction unit 326, the notification unit 328, and the subsequent instruction unit 330 included in the remote control device 300, 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 detection unit 216, the wheel identification unit 218, the wheel information acquisition unit 221, the transport position acquisition unit 224, the transport instruction unit 226, the notification unit 228, and the subsequent instruction unit 231 corresponding to these functions. Further, the storage device 220c stores the wheel information WI and the estimated position VL stored in the remote control device 300 in addition to the state information VI stored in the storage device 220 shown in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, when the detection unit 216 of the vehicle 100 detects that the wheel 166 has protruded from the conveyance unit 510, the detection unit 216 functions as a command generation unit that generates a control command for making the protruding wheel 166 in a state in which the wheel 166 can spin and outputs the control command to the driving control unit 212. The driving control unit 212 that has received the input switches the protruding wheel 166 to a state in which the wheel 166 can spin with a force weaker than the force applied to the wheel 166 before the wheel 166 was detected to have protruded. According to the vehicle 100 configured in this manner, the vehicle 100 is provided with a vehicle detection device, and thus the same effect as the first embodiment can be obtained without using a device separate from the vehicle 100, such as the remote control device 300.

[0090] FIG. 13 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 this embodiment, an ideal route is pre-stored 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 group 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 group 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.

[0091] D. Other embodiments: (D1) In the above embodiment, when it is detected that the wheel 166 has protruded, the remote control unit 312 generates a control command for turning the protruding wheel 166 into a rotatable state and transmits the control command to the vehicle 100. In contrast, when the vehicle 100 with the protruding wheel 166 is not transported by the transport device 500 as in the above second embodiment, it is not necessary to generate a control command for turning the wheel 166 into a rotatable state. In this case, the wheel identification unit 318 may be omitted.

[0092] (D2) In each of the above embodiments, an example has been shown in which the position estimation unit 314 and the position estimation unit 214 are provided. In contrast, for example, in cases where highly accurate position information is not required in the automatic driving of the vehicle 100, the position estimation unit 314 and the position estimation unit 214 may be omitted. In this case, for example, the detection result of a sensor capable of detecting the vehicle 100, such as the conveyance position detector 526 provided in the conveyance device 500, can be used.

[0093] (D3) 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 can estimate the position and 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.

[0094] 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.

[0095] (D4) 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 is not limited to these, and 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-powered 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".

[0096] (D5) 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 a configuration for performing the functions of "running," "turning," and "stopping" by unmanned driving. That is, the "vehicle 100 capable of moving by unmanned driving" may not have at least some of the interior parts such as the driver's seat and dashboard, may not have at least some of the exterior parts such as the bumper and fenders, and may not have a body shell. In this case, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100 before the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory, or the remaining parts such as the 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. It should be noted that for the platform configuration as well, position determination can be performed in the same manner as for the vehicle 100 in the first embodiment.

[0097] (D6) The vehicle 100 may be manufactured by any manufacturing method. For example, the vehicle 100 may be manufactured by combining a plurality of modules. The module means a unit composed of a plurality of parts grouped according to the part 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.

[0098] (D7) Some or all of the functions of the conveyor control unit 412 and the transfer position acquisition unit 414 realized by the transfer control device 400 shown in each of the above embodiments may be realized by the remote control device 300. In other words, the transfer system 600 may be configured by the remote control device 300 alone.

[0099] (D8) 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.

[0100] (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 group 140 using the generated travel control signal.

[0101] (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 group 140 using the generated driving control signal.

[0102] (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.

[0103] (D9) In the above third 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.

[0104] (D10) 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 along the generated route, and control the actuator group 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 conveyance system 600 and the remote control device 300, such as the process of detecting protrusion of the wheels 166 from the conveyance unit 510 described in this disclosure, may be performed by the vehicle 100 alone.

[0105] (D11) 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.

[0106] (D12) 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.

[0107] 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]

[0108] 80, 80p, 80t...vehicle detector, 100, 100p, 100q, 100r, 100s, 100t...vehicle, 140...actuator group, 142...lamp, 144...horn, 160...drive device, 162...transmission unit, 164...lock unit, 166, 166L...wheel, 166R...front wheel, 168...travel motor, 170...braking device, 180...sensor group, 182...acceleration sensor, 184...wheel speed sensor, 186... steering angle sensor, 190... vehicle communication device, 200, 200c... ECU, 210, 210c, 310, 410... CPU, 212... driving control unit, 214... position estimation unit, 216... detection unit, 218... wheel identification unit, 220, 220c, 340, 440... storage device, 221... wheel information acquisition unit, 224... transport position acquisition unit, 226... transport instruction unit, 228... notification unit, 230... interface circuit, 231... subsequent Instructing unit, 300... remote control device, 312... remote control unit, 314... position estimating unit, 316... detection unit, 318... wheel identifying unit, 320... wheel information acquiring unit, 322... remote control judging unit, 324... conveying position acquiring unit, 326... conveying instruction unit, 328... notification unit, 330... subsequent instruction unit, 332... vehicle information acquiring unit, 350... interface circuit, 390... remote communication device, 400... conveying control unit, 412... conveyor control unit, 414...Transportation position acquisition unit, 450...Interface circuit, 490...Transportation communication device, 500...Transportation device, 510...Transportation unit, 522...Motor, 526...Transportation position detector, 528...Outside transport detection unit, 600...Transportation system, CP...Transportation start position, DR...Transportation direction, EP...End point, GR...Road surface, HL...Elevation difference, SP...Start point, SR...Travel path, VI...Status information, VL...Estimated position, VP...Transportation position, WI...Wheel information

Claims

1. A vehicle detection device, comprising: a detection unit that detects that at least one wheel provided on the vehicle has gone outside a transport unit of a transport device having a transport unit capable of transporting the vehicle, using at least one of status information indicating a status of the vehicle obtained from a detector provided on the vehicle that can travel by unmanned driving, an image of the vehicle, three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle, and position information of the vehicle, and outputs a detection result; Vehicle detection device.

2. 2. The vehicle detection device according to claim 1, Further, a command generating unit is provided which, when it is detected that the wheel has protruded from the road, generates and outputs a control command for causing the protruding wheel to be in a state in which it can spin with a weaker force than before it was detected that the wheel has protruded from the road. Vehicle detection device.

3. 3. The vehicle detection device according to claim 2, The state in which the protruding wheel can spin freely is at least one of a state in which the protruding wheel can spin freely by not transmitting power from the prime mover of the vehicle to the protruding wheel and a state in which the protruding wheel can spin freely by applying a braking force to the protruding wheel that is weaker than the braking force applied before the protruding wheel protrudes. Vehicle detection device.

4. 3. The vehicle detection device according to claim 2, a wheel identification unit that identifies which wheel has protruded using at least one of the pieces of information; the command generating unit generates and outputs a control command for putting only the protruding wheel into a spinnable state when it is detected that the wheel protrudes. Vehicle detection device.

5. 2. The vehicle detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a position estimation unit that estimates a position of the vehicle using vehicle information acquired by a vehicle detector that acquires vehicle information, the vehicle information being at least one of an image of the vehicle and three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle.

6. 6. The vehicle detection device according to claim 5, and a command generating unit configured to generate and output a control command for moving the vehicle to the transport unit, using the position of the vehicle estimated by the position estimating unit, when it is detected that the wheels have protruded. Vehicle detection device.

7. 2. The vehicle detection device according to claim 1, a wheel information acquiring unit that acquires wheel information indicating a state of the protruding wheel by using at least one of the acquired information; and a transport instruction unit that outputs an instruction to stop transport by the transport device when the acquired state of the protruding wheel satisfies a predetermined stop condition. Vehicle detection device.

8. 8. The vehicle detection device according to claim 7, The wheel information includes at least one of information regarding a direction of the protruding wheels relative to a transport direction in which the transport device transports the vehicle, information regarding a distance from the transport unit to the protruding wheels, and information regarding a height difference between the transport unit and the protruding wheels. Vehicle detection device.

9. The vehicle detection device according to claim 1 , further comprising a command generating unit that generates and outputs a control signal for activating at least one of a lamp and a horn provided on the vehicle when it is detected that the wheel has protruded beyond the road surface.

10. A vehicle capable of traveling by unmanned driving, At least one wheel; and a command generating unit configured to generate and output a control command for, when the at least one wheel protrudes from a transport unit of a transport device having a transport unit capable of transporting the vehicle, making the protruding wheel capable of freewheeling with a weaker force than before the protrusion of the wheel is detected. vehicle.

Images