Inspection system, server device, and inspection method

Abstract

To provide a technique for properly inspecting a movable moving object using unmanned operation.SOLUTION: An inspection system used for remote or autonomous inspection of a movable moving object by unmanned operation comprises: a command generation unit that generates and outputs a control command to operate the moving object; and an abnormality processing executing unit that executes predetermined abnormality processing when a difference obtained by comparing at least two physical amounts out of (i) a first physical amount related to a motion of the moving object realized by the control command, which is calculated using the control command, (ii) a second physical amount related to a motion, which is calculated using a detection result from an internal sensor mounted on the moving object, and (iii) a third physical amount relating to a motion of the moving object, which is calculated using a detection result from an external sensor located outside the moving object, is not equal to or less than a predetermined reference value, with respect to a target moving object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an inspection system, a server device, and an inspection method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for running a vehicle autonomously or by remote control during the vehicle manufacturing process. [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] There is a demand for technology that can appropriately inspect a moving body that can move autonomously or by remote control, such as the vehicle described in Patent Document 1. [Means for solving the problem]

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

[0006] (1) According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided an inspection system for remotely or autonomously inspecting a mobile body that can move by unmanned driving, the inspection system including: a command generating unit that generates and outputs a control command for operating the mobile body, and an abnormality processing executing unit that executes a predetermined abnormality processing when a difference between at least two of the following physical quantities is not equal to or less than a predetermined reference value: (i) a first physical quantity related to the operation of the mobile body that is calculated using the control command and that is realized by the control command, (ii) a second physical quantity related to the operation that is calculated using a detection result by an internal sensor mounted on the mobile body and detecting a state of the mobile body, and (iii) a third physical quantity related to the operation that is calculated using a detection result by an external sensor located outside the mobile body. According to this form of inspection system, abnormality processing is executed when the difference between at least two of the first physical quantity, the second physical quantity, and the third physical quantity, each relating to the same operation, is not below a reference value, thereby increasing the likelihood that the moving body will be properly inspected by remote or autonomous inspection in the inspection system. (2) In the inspection system of the above form, a server device having the command generating unit and transmitting the control command to the moving body from outside the moving body may be provided, and the abnormality processing may include at least one of a process of determining that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device, the surrounding environment of the moving body performing the operation, the target moving body, and the external sensor, a process of reporting the occurrence of an abnormality, a process of transmitting the control command for braking the target moving body from the server device to the target moving body, a process of stopping the server device, and a process of stopping the external sensor. (3) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the anomaly processing execution unit may execute, as the anomaly processing, a process of determining that an anomaly exists in at least one of the server device, the surrounding environment, and the target moving body when a first difference representing a difference between the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity compared with each other for the target moving body is not equal to or less than a predetermined first reference value. According to the inspection system of this aspect, when a difference between the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity is not equal to or less than a first reference value, it can be determined that an anomaly exists in at least one of the server device, the surrounding environment, and the target moving body. (4) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the anomaly processing execution unit may determine that there is an anomaly in at least one of the surrounding environment and the target moving body when a predetermined first condition regarding the normality of the server device is satisfied and the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value. According to the inspection system of this aspect, when the probability that there is an anomaly in the server device is low and the difference between the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity is not equal to or less than the reference value, it can be determined that there is an anomaly in at least one of the surrounding environment and the target moving body. (5) In the inspection system of the above form, the first condition may include that the number of times that the first difference is not less than the first reference value for a plurality of moving bodies other than the target moving body during a predetermined period is less than a predetermined number of times. (6) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the first condition may include a predetermined operation indicating that there is no abnormality in the server device being executed by a reception unit that receives operations from a user. (7) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the anomaly processing execution unit may determine that there is an anomaly in at least one of the server device and the target moving body when a predetermined second condition regarding the normality of the surrounding environment is satisfied and the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value. According to the inspection system of this aspect, when the probability that there is an anomaly in the surrounding environment is low and the difference between the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity is not equal to or less than the reference value, it can be determined that there is an anomaly in at least one of the server device and the target moving body. (8) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the second condition may include that a predetermined operation for excluding the surrounding environment from targets for abnormality judgment is performed on a reception unit that receives operations from a user. (9) In the inspection system of the above form, the second condition may include that an environment determination unit that determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment using a sensor that detects the surrounding environment has determined that there is no abnormality in the surrounding environment. (10) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the anomaly processing execution unit may determine that there is an anomaly in at least one of the server device and the surrounding environment when a predetermined third condition regarding the normality of the target moving body is satisfied and the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value. According to the inspection system of this aspect, when the probability that there is an anomaly in the target moving body is low and the difference between the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity is not equal to or less than the reference value, it can be determined that there is an anomaly in at least one of the server device and the surrounding environment. (11) In the inspection system of the above form, the third condition may include that a predetermined operation for excluding the target moving body from being subject to abnormality judgment is performed on a reception unit that receives operations from a user. (12) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the anomaly processing execution unit may execute, as the anomaly processing, a process of determining that at least one of the internal sensor and the external sensor mounted on the target moving body has an anomaly when a second difference representing a difference between the second physical quantity and the third physical quantity compared with each other is not equal to or less than a predetermined second reference value. According to the inspection system of this aspect, it can be determined that at least one of the internal sensor and the external sensor has an anomaly when a difference between the second physical quantity and the third physical quantity is not equal to or less than a reference value. (13) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the anomaly processing execution unit may determine that the external sensor is abnormal when a fourth predetermined condition regarding the normality of the internal sensor mounted on the target moving body is satisfied and the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value. According to the inspection system of this aspect, it is possible to determine that the external sensor is abnormal when the probability of the internal sensor being abnormal is low and the difference between the second physical quantity and the third physical quantity is not equal to or less than the reference value. (14) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the fourth condition may include a predetermined operation being performed on a reception unit that receives operations from a user to exclude the internal sensor from being subject to abnormality determination. (15) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the anomaly processing execution unit may determine that the internal sensor is abnormal when a fifth predetermined condition regarding the normality of the external sensor is satisfied and the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value. According to the inspection system of this aspect, it is possible to determine that the internal sensor is abnormal when the probability that the external sensor is abnormal is low and the difference between the second physical quantity and the third physical quantity is not equal to or less than the reference value. (16) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the fifth condition may include a predetermined operation indicating that there is no abnormality in the external sensor being performed on a reception unit that receives operations from a user. (17) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the anomaly processing execution unit may execute, as the anomaly processing, a process of determining that there is an anomaly in at least one of the server device, the surrounding environment, the target moving body, and the external sensor, when a third difference representing a difference between the first physical quantity and the third physical quantity compared with each other is not equal to or less than a predetermined third reference value. According to the inspection system of this aspect, when the difference between the first physical quantity and the third physical quantity is not equal to or less than a reference value, it is possible to identify that there is an anomaly in at least one of the server device, the surrounding environment, the target moving body, and the external sensor. (18) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the anomaly processing execution unit may determine that there is an anomaly in at least one of the surrounding environment, the external sensor, and the target moving body when a predetermined first condition regarding the normality of the server device is satisfied and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value. According to the inspection system of this aspect, when the probability of there being an anomaly in the server device is low and the difference between the first physical quantity and the third physical quantity is not equal to or less than the reference value, it can be determined that there is an anomaly in at least one of the surrounding environment, the external sensor, and the target moving body. (19) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the first condition may include a predetermined operation being performed on a reception unit that receives operations from a user to exclude the server device from being subject to abnormality determination. (20) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the anomaly processing execution unit may determine that there is an anomaly in at least one of the server device, the target moving body, and the external sensor when a predetermined second condition regarding the normality of the surrounding environment is satisfied and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value. According to the inspection system of this aspect, when the probability that there is an anomaly in the surrounding environment is low and the difference between the first physical quantity and the third physical quantity is not equal to or less than the reference value, it can be determined that there is an anomaly in at least one of the server device, the target moving body, and the external sensor. (21) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the second condition may include that a predetermined operation for excluding the surrounding environment from targets for anomaly determination has been executed. (22) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the second condition may include that an environment determination unit that determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment using a sensor that detects the surrounding environment has determined that there is no abnormality in the surrounding environment. (23) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the anomaly processing execution unit may determine that there is an anomaly in at least one of the server device, the surrounding environment, and the external sensor when a predetermined third condition regarding the normality of the target moving body is satisfied and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value. According to the inspection system of this aspect, when the probability that there is an anomaly in the target moving body is low and the difference between the first physical quantity and the third physical quantity is not equal to or less than the reference value, it can be determined that there is an anomaly in at least one of the server device, the moving body, and the external sensor. (24) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the third condition may include that a predetermined operation has been executed to exclude the target moving body from being subject to abnormality determination. (25) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the anomaly processing execution unit may determine that there is an anomaly in at least one of the server device, the surrounding environment, and the target moving body when a predetermined fifth condition regarding the normality of the external sensor is satisfied and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value. According to the inspection system of this aspect, when the probability that there is an anomaly in the external sensor is low and the difference between the first physical quantity and the third physical quantity is not equal to or less than the reference value, it can be determined that there is an anomaly in at least one of the server device, the surrounding environment, and the target moving body. (26) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the fifth condition may include that a predetermined operation for excluding the external sensor from targets for abnormality determination is performed on a reception unit that receives operations from a user. (27) In the inspection system of the above embodiment, the abnormality processing execution unit may perform a process of determining that there is an abnormality in the target moving body if a first difference representing a difference between the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity compared with each other is not equal to or less than a predetermined first reference value, and a second difference representing a difference between the second physical quantity and the third physical quantity compared with each other is not equal to or less than a predetermined second reference value, and a third difference representing a difference between the first physical quantity and the third physical quantity compared with each other is not equal to or less than a predetermined third reference value, and may perform a process of determining that there is an abnormality in the server device if the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value, the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value, and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value, and may perform a process of determining that there is an abnormality in the external sensor if the first difference is equal to or less than the first reference value, the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value, and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value. According to the inspection system of this aspect, it is possible to identify whether an abnormality exists in the server device, the target moving object, or the external sensor, by using the first difference, the second difference, and the third difference. (28) In the inspection system of the above aspect, the external sensor may be an unmanned operation sensor used to move the moving body by unmanned operation. According to the inspection system of this aspect, the unmanned operation sensor can be used as the external sensor for calculating the second physical quantity. In addition to the above-mentioned system form, the present disclosure can be realized in the form of, for example, a server device, an inspection method, a mobile object, a program for implementing the inspection method, a non-transient recording medium on which the program is recorded, a program product, etc. The program product may be provided, for example, as a recording medium on which the program is recorded, or as a program product that can be distributed via a network. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of an inspection system in a first embodiment. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a vehicle moves in an unmanned manner in a factory. [Figure 2B] 11 is a flowchart of a first unmanned operation process. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart of an inspection process in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system in a second embodiment. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart of an inspection process in the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart of an inspection process in the third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart of an inspection process in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart of a difference determination process in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart of a second unmanned operation process. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart of an inspection process in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system in a sixth embodiment. [Figure 15] 13 is a flowchart of an inspection process in the sixth embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system in a seventh embodiment. [Figure 17] 23 is a flowchart of an inspection process in the seventh embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system in an eighth embodiment. [Figure 19] 23 is a flowchart of an inspection process in the eighth embodiment. [Figure 20] 23 is a flowchart of a difference determination process in the eighth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] A. First embodiment: FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system 50 in the first embodiment. The inspection system 50 is used for remote or autonomous inspection of a mobile body that can move by unmanned driving in a factory that manufactures mobile bodies. The remote or autonomous inspection of a mobile body means inspection of a mobile body performed using remote control or autonomous control of the mobile body. Hereinafter, remote inspection of a mobile body, that is, inspection of a mobile body using remote control of the mobile body, is also simply referred to as "remote inspection". Furthermore, autonomous inspection of a mobile body, that is, inspection of a mobile body using autonomous control of the mobile body, is also simply referred to as "autonomous inspection". The inspection system 50 in this embodiment is configured as an unmanned driving system that moves a mobile body by unmanned driving.

[0009] In this embodiment, the moving body is a vehicle 100. More specifically, the vehicle 100 is an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle). The moving body is not limited to an electric vehicle, and may be, for example, a gasoline-powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or a fuel cell vehicle. The moving body may be a vehicle having wheels or a vehicle having tracks, and may be any vehicle, such as a passenger car, a truck, a bus, a two-wheeled vehicle, a four-wheeled vehicle, a tank, or a construction vehicle. The moving body is not limited to a vehicle, and may be an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (a so-called flying car).

[0010] The above-mentioned "unmanned driving" means driving without the driving operation of a passenger. The driving operation means at least one of the operations of "running", "turning" and "stopping" of the vehicle 100. The unmanned driving is realized by automatic or manual remote control using a device provided outside the vehicle 100, or by autonomous control of the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 traveling by unmanned driving may have a passenger who does not perform driving operations on board. The passenger who does not perform driving operations includes, for example, a person who simply sits in the seat of the vehicle 100, and a person who performs work other than driving operations, such as assembly, inspection, and operation of switches, while riding in the vehicle 100. Note that driving by a passenger's driving operation is sometimes called "manned driving".

[0011] The inspection system 50 in this embodiment includes a vehicle 100 capable of being operated by remote control, a server device 200 for remotely controlling the vehicle 100, a group of external sensors 300 installed in a factory, an alarm device 400, and a process control device 500 for controlling the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100 in the factory.

[0012] The vehicle 100 includes a vehicle control device 110 for controlling each part of the vehicle 100, a driving device 120 for accelerating the vehicle 100, a steering device 130 for changing the traveling direction of the vehicle 100, a braking device 140 for decelerating the vehicle 100, a communication device 150 for communicating with the server device 200 by wireless communication, and an internal sensor group 160. In this embodiment, the driving device 120 includes a battery, a running motor driven by the power of the battery, and a driving wheel rotated by the running motor. In addition, the driving device 120, the steering device 130, and the braking device 140 each include an actuator for operating the vehicle 100. Hereinafter, the various actuators provided in the vehicle 100 are also referred to as an actuator group. This group of actuators may include, for example, actuators for swinging wipers provided on vehicle 100, actuators for operating door mirrors provided on vehicle 100, actuators for opening and closing power windows provided on vehicle 100, and actuators for turning on various lamps (e.g., headlamps) provided on vehicle 100.

[0013] The internal sensor group 160 includes at least one internal sensor 161. Note that FIG. 1 illustrates only one internal sensor 161 included in the internal sensor group 160. The internal sensor 161 is a sensor mounted on the vehicle 100. The internal sensor 161 detects the state of the vehicle 100 and the surrounding environment of the vehicle 100. The state of the vehicle 100 is, for example, the physical behavior state of the vehicle 100. The physical behavior state of the vehicle 100 is, for example, the motion state of the vehicle 100, such as a stopped state, a running state, an accelerating state, a decelerating state, a straight running state, or a turning state, and the operating state of each part of the vehicle 100. The internal sensor group 160 in this embodiment includes, as the internal sensor 161, a rotation speed sensor for measuring the rotation speed of the driving motor, an acceleration sensor for measuring the acceleration of the vehicle 100, a vehicle speed sensor for measuring the speed of the vehicle 100, a yaw rate sensor for measuring the yaw axis angular velocity (yaw rate) of the vehicle 100, and a hydraulic sensor for measuring the hydraulic pressure supplied to the brake of the braking device 140. In other embodiments, the internal sensor group 160 may include, for example, a camera or a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) as the internal sensor 161. The camera or LiDAR as the internal sensor 161 may be used, for example, to detect the surrounding environment of the vehicle 100.

[0014] The vehicle control device 110 is configured by a computer including a processor 111, a memory 112, an input / output interface 113, and an internal bus 114. The processor 111, the memory 112, and the input / output interface 113 are connected via the internal bus 114 to enable bidirectional communication. The input / output interface 113 is connected to the drive device 120, the steering device 130, the braking device 140, the communication device 150, and the internal sensor group 160. The memory 112 stores a computer program PG1.

[0015] The processor 111 functions as a vehicle control unit 115 by executing a computer program PG1 stored in the memory 112. The vehicle control unit 115 controls the actuator group. In particular, the vehicle control unit 115 controls the driving device 120, the steering device 130, and the braking device 140 to make the vehicle 100 run. When a driver is on board the vehicle 100, the vehicle control unit 115 controls the driving device 120, the steering device 130, and the braking device 140 in response to the driver's operation to make the vehicle 100 run. Regardless of whether a driver is on board the vehicle 100 or not, the vehicle control unit 115 controls the driving device 120, the steering device 130, and the braking device 140 in response to a running control signal transmitted from the server device 200 to make the vehicle 100 run.

[0016] The server device 200 is configured by a computer including a processor 201, a memory 202, an input / output interface 203, and an internal bus 204. The processor 201, the memory 202, and the input / output interface 203 are connected via the internal bus 204 to enable bidirectional communication. A communication device 205 for communicating with the vehicle 100 by wireless communication is connected to the input / output interface 203. In this embodiment, the communication device 205 can communicate with the external sensor group 300, the notification device 400, and the process management device 500 by wired communication or wireless communication.

[0017] The processor 201 executes a computer program PG2 stored in the memory 202 to function as a remote control unit 210, a first calculation unit 215, a third calculation unit 225, a comparison unit 230, an abnormality processing execution unit 240, and an environment determination unit 250.

[0018] The remote control unit 210 executes remote control of the vehicle 100 using information output from the external sensor group 300. In this embodiment, the remote control unit 210 includes a command generation unit 211. The command generation unit 211 generates and outputs a control command for operating the vehicle 100.

[0019] The first calculation unit 215 calculates the first physical quantity. The third calculation unit 225 calculates the third physical quantity. Details of the first calculation unit 215, the third calculation unit 225, the first physical quantity, and the third physical quantity will be described later. In the following, when there is no distinction between the first physical quantity, the third physical quantity, and the second physical quantity described in the second embodiment, they are also simply referred to as physical quantities.

[0020] The comparison unit 230 performs a comparison between the physical quantities calculated by each calculation unit, and calculates the difference between the physical quantities. The abnormality processing execution unit 240 performs a predetermined abnormality processing when the difference between the physical quantities obtained as a result of the comparison by the comparison unit 230 is not equal to or less than a predetermined reference value. The abnormality processing in this embodiment includes a determination processing for determining that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200, the vehicle 100, the external sensor 301, and the surrounding environment described below, and a notification processing for causing the notification device 400 to notify the occurrence of the abnormality. The details of the determination processing and the notification processing will be described later. The details of the environment determination unit 250 will be described later.

[0021] The external sensor group 300 includes at least one external sensor 301. The external sensor group 300 in this embodiment has a plurality of external sensors 301, but FIG. 1 illustrates only one external sensor 301 included in the external sensor group 300. The external sensor 301 is a sensor located outside the vehicle 100. The external sensor 301 detects the state of the vehicle 100 and the surrounding environment of the vehicle 100 from outside the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, each external sensor 301 is configured by a camera installed in a factory, and captures a captured image including the vehicle 100 from outside the vehicle 100. This captured image is information optically capturing the outer shape of the vehicle 100, and represents the motion state of the vehicle 100 optically detected from outside the vehicle 100. Each external sensor 301 includes a communication device 302 and can communicate with the server device 200 by wired communication or wireless communication. In this embodiment, each external sensor 301 corresponds to an unmanned driving sensor, which is a sensor used for unmanned driving of the vehicle 100, as described later.

[0022] The notification device 400 notifies the user of the inspection system 50 of the occurrence of an abnormality. The notification device 400 in this embodiment is configured as a tablet terminal carried by an administrator, and notifies the user of various information including information regarding the occurrence of an abnormality via a display unit 401 provided in the notification device 400. The display unit 401 in this embodiment is configured as a touch panel (for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display) that can be touched, and also has a function as a reception unit that receives operations from the user. The notification device 400 includes a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with the server device 200 by wired communication or wireless communication. In other embodiments, the notification device 400 may, for example, notify the user of the occurrence of an abnormality via a speaker instead of or in addition to the display unit 401. The notification device 400 may also be, for example, a display panel, a warning buzzer, or a warning lamp provided in a factory, or a display device or a speaker connected to the server device 200.

[0023] The process management device 500 is a device for managing the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100 in a factory. The process management device 500 is configured with at least one computer. The process management device 500 is equipped with a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with the server device 200 and various equipment in the factory by wired communication or wireless communication. By communicating with various equipment in the factory, the process management device 500 grasps when, where, who, and which vehicle 100 are scheduled to perform what work, and when, where, who, and which vehicle 100 have performed what work.

[0024] FIG. 2A is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the vehicle 100 moves in an unmanned manner in a factory FC. The factory FC has a first location PL1 where a first operation is performed, a second location PL2 where a second operation is performed, and an inspection location DP. The first location PL1 and the second location PL2 are connected by a travel path SR on which the vehicle 100 can travel. A plurality of external sensors 301 are provided around the travel path SR. In this embodiment, the first location PL1 is a location where the vehicle 100 is assembled. The second location PL2 is a location where the vehicle 100 is inspected. The vehicle 100 that has passed the inspection at the second location PL2 is shipped from the factory FC. The inspection location DP is a predetermined location provided midway along the travel path SR as a location for inspecting the vehicle 100 by remote inspection or autonomous inspection. Specifically, the inspection location DP in this embodiment is a location for inspecting the braking operation of the vehicle 100 by remote inspection. Each vehicle 100 assembled at the first location PL1 is transported to a predetermined start point at the first location PL1 with the vehicle control device 110, the drive device 120, the steering device 130, the braking device 140, and the communication device 150 attached. That is, each vehicle 100 is placed at the start point at the first location PL1 in a state in which it can run by remote control. Each vehicle 100 runs from the start point at the first location PL1 to a predetermined goal point at the second location PL2 by remote control by the server device 200, passing through the inspection location DP on the way.

[0025] 2B is a flowchart of the unmanned driving process executed in this embodiment. The unmanned driving process is a process for driving the vehicle 100 by unmanned driving. It can also be said that FIG. 2B represents a driving method of the vehicle 100 by unmanned driving in this embodiment.

[0026] In S10, the remote control unit 210 of the server device 200 acquires position information of the vehicle 100 using the detection result output from the external sensor 301. In this embodiment, the position information of the vehicle 100 includes the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 in the global coordinate system of the factory FC. In this embodiment, the external sensor 301 is a camera installed in the factory FC, and in S10, a captured image is output as the detection result. Note that the position and orientation of the external sensor 301 in the factory FC are adjusted in advance. The remote control unit 210 detects the vehicle 100 from the image acquired from the external sensor 301, and acquires the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 in the factory FC from the position of the vehicle 100 in the image.

[0027] In detail, in S10, the remote control unit 210 detects the outer shape of the vehicle 100 from the captured image, calculates the coordinates of the positioning point of the vehicle 100 in the coordinate system of the captured image, and converts the calculated coordinates into coordinates in a global coordinate system, thereby acquiring the position of the vehicle 100. 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 an example of the detection model, there is a trained machine learning model that has been trained to realize either semantic segmentation or instance segmentation. As this machine learning model, for example, a convolutional neural network (hereinafter, also simply referred to as 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 labels 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 CNN training, it is preferable that the parameters of the CNN are updated by backpropagation (error backpropagation method) so as to reduce the error between the output result of the detection model and the label.

[0028] Also, in S10, the remote control unit 210 can obtain the orientation of the vehicle 100 by estimating based on the orientation of the movement vector of the vehicle 100 calculated from the positional changes of the feature points of the vehicle 100 between frames of the captured images using, for example, an optical flow method. Note that the orientation of the vehicle 100 may be calculated using, for example, the output result of an internal sensor 161 such as an acceleration sensor or a yaw rate sensor mounted on the vehicle 100.

[0029] At S20, the remote control unit 210 determines a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head. In this embodiment, the target position is represented by X, Y, and Z coordinates in a global coordinate system. A reference route, which is a route along which the vehicle 100 should travel, is stored in advance in the memory 202. The route is represented by nodes indicating a departure point, nodes indicating passing points, nodes indicating a destination, and links connecting the nodes. The remote control unit 210 uses the position information of the vehicle 100 and the reference route to determine a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head. The remote control unit 210 determines a target position on the reference route that is ahead of the current location of the vehicle 100.

[0030] At S30, the remote control unit 210 generates a travel control signal for driving the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. In this embodiment, the travel control signal includes the acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 100 as parameters. The remote control unit 210 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 210 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 accelerates, and when the travel speed is higher than the target speed, the remote control unit 210 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 decelerates. When the vehicle 100 is located on the reference route, the remote control unit 210 determines the steering angle so that the vehicle 100 does not deviate from the reference route, and when the vehicle 100 is not located on the reference route, in other words, when the vehicle 100 deviates from the reference route, the remote control unit 210 determines the steering angle so that the vehicle 100 returns to the reference route.

[0031] In S40, remote control unit 210 transmits the generated driving control signal to vehicle 100. Remote control unit 210 repeats, at a predetermined cycle, obtaining position information of vehicle 100, determining a target position, generating the driving control signal, and transmitting the driving control signal.

[0032] At S50, the vehicle control unit 115 receives a driving control signal from the remote control unit 210. At S60, the vehicle control unit 115 controls the actuator group 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. The vehicle control unit 115 repeats receiving the driving control signal and controlling the actuator group at a predetermined cycle. According to the inspection system 50 of this embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be driven by remote control, and therefore the vehicle 100 can be moved without using transportation equipment such as a crane or a conveyor.

[0033] Fig. 3 is a flowchart of an inspection process for implementing the inspection method in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the inspection process shown in Fig. 3 is started when the vehicle 100 traveling by unmanned driving reaches an inspection location DP.

[0034] In S105, the remote control unit 210 generates and outputs a control command by the command generation unit 211. Specifically, in S105 in this embodiment, the remote control unit 210 generates a control command and transmits it to the target vehicle (target vehicle) 100. The control command generated in S105 is a control command for making the target vehicle 100 realize a target operation. The target operation means an operation that is the target of calculation of each physical quantity described later. More specifically, the control command in this embodiment is a travel control signal for braking the target vehicle 100, and includes a control value for generating a predetermined braking force in the braking device 140 of the target vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the target vehicle 100 receives the control command transmitted in S105, and thereby, a braking operation of the target vehicle 100 by the control command is realized as the target operation. While the braking operation is being performed, one or more external sensors 301 included in the external sensor group 300 continue to detect the state of the target vehicle 100 performing the braking operation. Specifically, in this embodiment, while a braking operation is being performed as a target operation, the vehicle 100 continues to be photographed by the external sensors 301A and 301B shown in FIG. 2A.

[0035] In S110 of FIG. 3, the first calculation unit 215 calculates a first physical quantity. The first physical quantity represents a physical quantity related to the target motion, and is calculated using a control command for realizing the target motion. That is, in S110, the first physical quantity is calculated using the control command generated in S105. In this embodiment, the first physical quantity is a physical quantity representing the braking force of the vehicle 100 realized by the braking motion as the target motion, and specifically, is calculated as the braking distance traveled by the target vehicle 100 from the start of the braking motion until the vehicle 100 stops. The first physical quantity as the braking distance is calculated, for example, using the timing when the control command is transmitted to the vehicle 100, a predetermined friction coefficient, and the traveling speed of the vehicle 100 immediately before the braking motion is started. The friction coefficient used in calculating the first physical quantity as the braking distance is defined, for example, as the friction coefficient of the road surface of the inspection location DP under ideal conditions. The ideal conditions are, for example, conditions in which no foreign matter such as water or dirt adheres to the road surface, and the road surface is not frozen.

[0036] At S115, the third calculation unit 225 calculates a third physical amount. The third physical amount represents a physical amount related to the target motion, and is calculated using the detection result by the external sensor 301. The first physical amount, the third physical amount, and the second physical amount described in the second embodiment represent the same physical amount related to the same target motion. That is, the third physical amount in this embodiment is calculated as a braking distance. The third physical amount in this embodiment is calculated using the position of the vehicle 100 acquired using an image captured by the external sensor 301B. More specifically, the third physical amount is calculated as a distance between, for example, the position of the vehicle 100 acquired using an image captured by the vehicle 100 at the start timing of the braking motion, and the position of the vehicle 100 acquired using an image captured by the vehicle 100 in a state where the vehicle 100 is stopped by the braking motion. Hereinafter, the external sensor 301 used in the calculation of the third physical amount, such as the external sensor 301B, is also referred to as the target external sensor 301. However, in other embodiments, multiple external sensors 301 may be used as the target external sensor 301 .

[0037] In S120, the comparing section 230 compares the calculated first physical quantity with the third physical quantity, and calculates a third difference representing the difference between the first physical quantity and the third physical quantity. In S125, the comparing section 230 determines whether the third difference is equal to or smaller than a predetermined third reference value.

[0038] If the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value in S125, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 executes the abnormality processing in S130 and S135. Specifically, in S130 in this embodiment, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 executes a process of determining that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200, the surrounding environment of the vehicle 100 performing the target operation, the target vehicle 100, and the external sensor 301 as the determination process. Also, in S135, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 executes a notification process as the abnormality processing. Specifically, in S135, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 transmits a notification signal for notifying the occurrence of the abnormality to the notification device 400, thereby causing the notification device 400 to notify the occurrence of the abnormality. The notification process may be executed, for example, prior to the determination process. Note that, when the notification process is executed after the determination process, in the notification process, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 may, for example, notify the user of information indicating the target determined to have an abnormality in the determination process.

[0039] Examples of the abnormality of the server device 200 include an abnormality in the function as the first calculation unit 215, an abnormality in a value used to calculate the first physical quantity stored in the memory 202, an abnormality in the communication device 205 (e.g., communication failure, disconnection, or poor contact), etc. Furthermore, in the case where the server device 200 has the third calculation unit 225 as in this embodiment, examples of the abnormality of the server device 200 further include an abnormality in the function as the third calculation unit 225, and an abnormality in a value used to calculate the third physical quantity stored in the memory 202.

[0040] An abnormality in the surrounding environment means that the actual surrounding environment is different from the assumed surrounding environment. The assumed surrounding environment means the surrounding environment assumed as a prerequisite for determining at least one parameter used in the calculation of the first physical quantity. In this embodiment, the road surface condition on which the vehicle 100 runs during the braking operation, that is, the road surface condition at the inspection location DP, corresponds to the surrounding environment. Therefore, the abnormality in the surrounding environment in this embodiment is an abnormality in this road surface. This road surface abnormality means that the actual road surface condition on which the vehicle 100 runs during the braking operation is different from the road surface condition as a prerequisite for determining the friction coefficient used in the calculation of the first physical quantity, and is caused, for example, by the adhesion of foreign matter such as water or dirt to the road surface at the inspection location DP, or by freezing of the road surface at the inspection location DP.

[0041] An abnormality of the target vehicle 100 when the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value may be, for example, an abnormality in the software or hardware of the target vehicle 100. Specifically, an abnormality of the target vehicle 100 may be a defective assembly of the actuator group such as the drive unit 120, the steering unit 130, the braking unit 140, etc., an abnormality of the communication unit 150 (e.g., communication failure, disconnection, or poor contact), or an abnormality in the network within the vehicle 100 (e.g., disconnection or poor contact). If there is an abnormality in the actuator group, the communication unit 150, or the network within the vehicle 100, the target operation by the vehicle 100 may be incomplete, causing the third difference to become relatively large. As a result, the third difference may exceed the third reference value.

[0042] An abnormality in the external sensor 301 specifically means an abnormality in the target external sensor 301. Examples of the abnormality in the external sensor 301 include a disturbance that may affect detection of the state of the vehicle 100 from the outside and an abnormality in the communication device 302 (e.g., a communication failure, a disconnection, or a poor contact). In the case where the external sensor 301 is configured as a camera as in this embodiment, an external disturbance as an abnormality in the external sensor 301 is, for example, a foreign object such as a leaf, a spider web, or dust attached to the lens of the camera.

[0043] In the inspection process of this embodiment, it is possible to further narrow down the targets that may be determined to have an abnormality in S130 when a predetermined first condition regarding the normality of the server device 200 is satisfied, when a predetermined second condition regarding the normality of the surrounding environment is satisfied, when a predetermined third condition regarding the normality of the target vehicle 100 is satisfied, or when a predetermined fifth condition regarding the normality of the external sensor 301 is satisfied.

[0044] If the first condition is satisfied, in S130, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 determines that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100, and the external sensor 301. The first condition may include, for example, that a predetermined first operation for excluding the server device 200 from targets for abnormality determination has been performed on the reception unit 90. This first operation is preferably performed after a user (particularly, an administrator) has confirmed that there is no abnormality in the server device 200. Alternatively, the first operation is preferably an operation for performing a process for verifying the normality of the server device 200 and performing a process for excluding the server device 200 from targets for abnormality determination after the normality has been verified. In this case, the process for verifying the normality of the server device 200 may be performed by the server device 200, or may be performed by, for example, the external sensor 301, the notification device 400, the process management device 500, or another computer different from the server device 200. It can also be said that the first condition described above is a condition under which the probability that there is an abnormality in the server device 200 is low.

[0045] If the second condition is satisfied, in S130, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 determines that at least one of the server device 200, the target vehicle 100, and the external sensor 301 has an abnormality. The second condition may include, for example, that a predetermined second operation for excluding the surrounding environment from the target of abnormality determination has been performed on the reception unit 90. This second operation is preferably performed after a user (particularly, an administrator) confirms that there is no abnormality in the surrounding environment. The second condition may also include, for example, that there is no abnormality in the surrounding environment determined by the environment determination unit 250, which determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment using an environmental sensor that detects the surrounding environment. In this embodiment, the external sensor 301A and the external sensor 301B are used as the environmental sensor. The environment determination unit 250 analyzes each image of the road surface of the inspection location DP captured by the external sensor 301A and the external sensor 301B, respectively, and determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the road surface of the inspection location DP. In this way, by using the external sensor 301B, which is the target external sensor 301, and the external sensor 301A, which is the external sensor 301 different from the target external sensor 301, as environmental sensors, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment. Also, in this embodiment, the external sensor 301A, which is a sensor for unmanned operation, can be used as an environmental sensor. The second condition described above can also be said to be a condition in which the probability of there being an abnormality in the surrounding environment is low.

[0046] If the third condition is satisfied, in S130, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 determines that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200, the surrounding environment, and the external sensor 301. The third condition may include, for example, that a predetermined third operation indicating that there is no abnormality in the target vehicle 100 has been executed on the reception unit 90. This third operation is preferably executed, for example, after a user (particularly, an administrator) has confirmed that there is no abnormality in the target vehicle 100. The third condition described above can also be said to be a condition in which there is a low probability that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100.

[0047] If the fifth condition is satisfied, in S130, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 determines that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200, the surrounding environment, and the target vehicle 100. The fifth condition may include, for example, that a predetermined fifth operation indicating that there is no abnormality in the target external sensor 301 has been executed on the reception unit 90. This fifth operation is preferably executed after, for example, a user (particularly, an administrator) confirms that there is no abnormality in the target external sensor 301. Alternatively, the fifth operation is preferably an operation for, for example, executing a process to verify the normality of the external sensor 301 and executing a process to exclude the external sensor 301 from the target for abnormality determination after the normality is verified. In this case, the process to verify the normality of the external sensor 301 may be executed by the external sensor 301, or may be executed by, for example, the server device 200, the notification device 400, the process management device 500, or another computer different from the external sensor 301. The fifth condition described above can also be said to be a condition under which the probability that the target external sensor 301 has an abnormality is low.

[0048] Among the above conditions, for example, when the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition are satisfied, in S130, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 determines that there is an abnormality in the external sensor 301. That is, in this case, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in the external sensor 301. In this case, by executing a process for eliminating the abnormality in the external sensor 301 in the inspection system 50 or by carrying out an operation by the user for eliminating the abnormality, it is possible to increase the possibility that the remote inspection of the vehicle 100 following the target vehicle 100 will be appropriately performed in the inspection system 50.

[0049] Also, for example, when the first condition, the second condition, and the fifth condition are satisfied, in S130, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 determines that the target vehicle 100 has an abnormality. In this case, the execution of the inspection process on the target vehicle 100 corresponds to the appropriate execution of a remote inspection of the target vehicle 100 using the external sensor 301 in a state in which the probability of the server device 200, the surrounding environment, or the external sensor 301 having an abnormality is low. That is, in this embodiment, the inspection process can be used to execute a remote inspection of the braking operation of the vehicle 100. Specifically, the inspection process can be used to execute a remote inspection of the braking device 140 and the internal sensor 161 related to the braking operation. Furthermore, the determination that the target vehicle 100 has an abnormality in the inspection process corresponds to the discovery of an abnormality in the target vehicle 100 in the remote inspection. In this case, depending on the result of the remote inspection, for example, a process for eliminating the abnormality of the target vehicle 100 can be executed by the inspection system 50 at the second location PL2 in the factory FC or another location, or a user can perform work to eliminate the abnormality.

[0050] Furthermore, for example, when the first condition, the third condition, and the fifth condition are satisfied, in S130, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 determines that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment. That is, in this case, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment. Specifically, in this embodiment, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in the inspection location DP. In this case, by executing a process for eliminating the abnormality in the inspection location DP in the inspection system 50 or by having the user perform work for eliminating the abnormality, it is possible to increase the likelihood that the remote inspection of the vehicle 100 following the target vehicle 100 will be appropriately performed in the inspection system 50.

[0051] Furthermore, for example, when the second condition, the third condition, and the fifth condition are satisfied, in S130, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 determines that there is an abnormality in the server device 200. That is, in this case, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in the server device 200. In this case, by executing a process for eliminating the abnormality in the server device 200 in the inspection system 50, or by having the user perform an operation for eliminating the abnormality, it is possible to increase the likelihood that the remote inspection of the vehicle 100 following the target vehicle 100 will be appropriately performed in the inspection system 50.

[0052] For example, even if the targets determined to have an abnormality by the determination process are not narrowed down to one, and the notification process notifies the user of information indicating that at least one of the server device 200, the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100, and the target external sensor 301 has an abnormality, the user can identify which of the above has an abnormality. Specifically, when the probability of an abnormality in the server device 200, the surrounding environment, and the target vehicle 100 is low, the user can identify that an abnormality exists in the external sensor 301. Also, when the probability of an abnormality in the server device 200, the surrounding environment, and the target external sensor 301 is low, the user can identify that an abnormality exists in the target vehicle 100. Also, when the probability of an abnormality in the server device 200, the target vehicle 100, and the target external sensor 301 is low, the user can identify that an abnormality exists in the surrounding environment. Also, when the probability of an abnormality in the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100, and the target external sensor 301 is low, the user can identify that an abnormality exists in the server device 200. Furthermore, when the probability of an abnormality in the surrounding environment and the target vehicle 100 is low, the user can identify that there is an abnormality in the target external sensor 301. The probability of an abnormality in the server device 200, the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100, or the target external sensor 301 is low when the above-mentioned first condition, second condition, third condition, or fifth condition is satisfied, or when, for example, the user confirms that there is no abnormality in the server device 200, the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100, or the external sensor 301.

[0053] Furthermore, if the third difference is equal to or smaller than the third reference value in S125, the server device 200 ends the inspection process without performing any abnormality processing. In this case, the completion of the inspection process for the target vehicle 100 corresponds to the fact that the remote inspection of the target vehicle 100 has been properly performed and that no abnormality was found in the target vehicle 100 during the remote inspection.

[0054] According to the inspection system 50 in the present embodiment described above, when the third difference representing the difference between the first physical quantity and the third physical quantity representing the same physical quantity related to the same target motion is not equal to or less than the third reference value, the possibility that the vehicle 100 will be appropriately inspected in the inspection system 50 can be increased. In particular, in the present embodiment, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 executes, as the abnormality processing, a process of determining that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200, the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100, and the external sensor 301. Therefore, when the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference position, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200, the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100, and the external sensor 301.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the first condition is satisfied and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100, and the external sensor 301. Therefore, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the server device 200 is low and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100, and the external sensor 301.

[0056] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the second condition is satisfied and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200, the target vehicle 100, and the external sensor 301. Therefore, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment is low and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200, the target vehicle 100, and the external sensor 301.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the third condition is satisfied and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200, the surrounding environment, and the external sensor 301. Therefore, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100 is low and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200, the vehicle 100, and the external sensor 301.

[0058] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the fifth condition is satisfied and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200, the surrounding environment, and the target vehicle 100. Therefore, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the external sensor 301 is low and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200, the surrounding environment, and the target vehicle 100.

[0059] In this embodiment, the target external sensor 301 is a sensor for unmanned driving used to move the target vehicle 100 by unmanned driving. Therefore, the sensor for unmanned driving can be used as the target external sensor 301.

[0060] B. Second embodiment: 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system 50b in the second embodiment. Unlike the first embodiment, the inspection system 50b does not include a third calculation unit 225, but includes a second calculation unit 220. Parts of the configurations of the inspection system 50b and the server device 200b in the second embodiment that are not particularly described are similar to those in the first embodiment.

[0061] In this embodiment, the processor 111 provided in the vehicle 100b executes the computer program PG1 stored in the memory 112 to function as the vehicle control unit 115 and also function as the second calculation unit 220. The second calculation unit 220 calculates a second physical amount. The second physical amount represents a physical amount related to a target motion, and is calculated using a detection result by the internal sensor 161 mounted on the target vehicle 100. As described above, the second physical amount, the first physical amount, and the third physical amount represent the same physical amount related to the same target motion. The target motion in this embodiment is a braking motion as in the first embodiment, and the first physical amount and the second physical amount are each calculated as a braking distance. The second physical amount in this embodiment is calculated using, for example, a detection result by a yaw rate sensor, an acceleration sensor, or a hydraulic sensor provided in the vehicle 100 as the internal sensor 161. Hereinafter, the internal sensor 161 used to calculate the second physical amount is also referred to as the target internal sensor 161. As described above, a plurality of internal sensors 161 may be used as the target internal sensor 161, or a single internal sensor 161 may be used as the target internal sensor 161.

[0062] Fig. 5 is a flowchart of an inspection process for implementing the inspection method in the second embodiment. In Fig. 5, the same steps as in Fig. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in Fig. 3. Also, in Fig. 5, the flow of information exchanged between the server device 200b and the target vehicle 100b is indicated by dashed arrows.

[0063] In S111, the second calculation unit 220 of the target vehicle 100b calculates the second physical amount and transmits the second physical amount to the server device 200b. In S112, the comparison unit 230b acquires the second physical amount transmitted from the target vehicle 100.

[0064] In S120b, the comparing unit 230b compares the first physical amount calculated in S110 with the second physical amount calculated in S111, and calculates a first difference representing the difference between the first physical amount and the second physical amount. In S125b, the comparing unit 230b determines whether the first difference is equal to or smaller than a predetermined first reference value.

[0065] If the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value in S125b, the abnormality processing execution unit 240b executes abnormality processing in S130b and S135. In S130b, the abnormality processing execution unit 240b executes a process of determining that an abnormality exists in at least one of the server device 200b, the surrounding environment, and the target vehicle 100b, as a determination process.

[0066] An abnormality of the target vehicle 100b when the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value includes, for example, an abnormality (e.g., misalignment or malfunction) of the target internal sensor 161, in addition to examples of abnormalities when the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value. When the target internal sensor 161 has an abnormality, the state of the vehicle 100 performing the target operation is not properly detected by the internal sensor 161, so the first difference may become relatively large. As a result, the first difference may exceed the first reference value.

[0067] In the inspection process in the second embodiment, when a predetermined first condition regarding the normality of the server device 200b is satisfied, when a predetermined second condition regarding the normality of the surrounding environment is satisfied, or when a predetermined third condition regarding the normality of the target vehicle 100 is satisfied, it is possible to further narrow down the targets that may be determined to have an abnormality in S130b.

[0068] If the first condition is satisfied, in S130b, the abnormality processing execution unit 240b determines that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment and the target vehicle 100. The first condition in the second embodiment may include, for example, that a first operation is executed on the reception unit 90, as in the first embodiment. The first condition in the second embodiment may include, for example, that the number of times that the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value for a plurality of vehicles 100b different from the target vehicle 100b during a predetermined first reference period is equal to or less than a predetermined first reference number. The first reference period is defined, for example, as a period during which inspection processing is executed for a predetermined number of vehicles 100b until immediately before the verification processing is executed for the target vehicle 100b. The fact that this first condition is satisfied means that the probability that the server device 200b has an abnormality was low before the verification processing for the target vehicle 100b was executed. In this case, even at the timing when the verification processing for the target vehicle 100b is executed, it is highly likely that the state in which the probability that the server device 200b has an abnormality is low is maintained. As in the first embodiment, the first condition described above can also be said to be a condition under which the probability that the server device 200b has an abnormality is low.

[0069] If the second condition is satisfied, in S130b, the abnormality processing execution unit 240b determines that an abnormality exists in at least one of the server device 200b and the target vehicle 100b. The second condition in the second embodiment may be, for example, the same condition as the second condition in the first embodiment. Furthermore, if the third condition is satisfied, in S130b, the abnormality processing execution unit 240b determines that an abnormality exists in at least one of the server device 200b and the surrounding environment. The third condition in the second embodiment may be, for example, the same condition as the third condition in the first embodiment.

[0070] Among the above conditions, for example, when the first condition and the second condition are satisfied, in S130b, the abnormality processing execution unit 240b determines that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100b. That is, in this case, it corresponds to the remote inspection of the target vehicle 100 using the internal sensor 161 being appropriately executed in a state where there is a low probability that there is an abnormality in the server device 200b or the surrounding environment. Furthermore, the determination that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100b in the inspection process corresponds to the discovery of an abnormality in the target vehicle 100b in the remote inspection.

[0071] Also, for example, if the first condition and the third condition are satisfied, in S130b, the abnormality processing execution unit 240b determines that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment. That is, in this case, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment.

[0072] Also, for example, if the second condition and the third condition are satisfied, in S130b, the abnormality processing execution unit 240b determines that an abnormality exists in the server device 200b. That is, in this case, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to identify that an abnormality exists in the server device 200b.

[0073] In addition, similarly to the first embodiment, for example, even if the targets determined to have an abnormality by the determination process of S130b are not narrowed down to one, and information indicating that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200b, the surrounding environment, and the target vehicle 100b is notified to the user by the notification process of S135, the user can identify which of the above has an abnormality. Specifically, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the server device 200b and the surrounding environment is low, the user can identify that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100b. Also, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the server device 200b and the target vehicle 100b is low, the user can identify that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment. Also, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment and the target vehicle 100b is low, the user can identify that there is an abnormality in the server device 200b.

[0074] Furthermore, if the first difference is equal to or smaller than the first reference value in S125b, the server device 200b ends the inspection process without performing any abnormality processing. In this case, the completion of the inspection process for the target vehicle 100b corresponds to the remote inspection of the target vehicle 100b being properly performed and no abnormality being found in the target vehicle 100b in the remote inspection.

[0075] According to the inspection system 50b in the second embodiment described above, when the first difference representing the difference between the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity representing the same physical quantity related to the same target motion is not equal to or less than the first reference value, the vehicle 100b can be more likely to be properly inspected in the inspection system 50b. In particular, in this embodiment, the abnormality processing execution unit 240b executes, as the abnormality processing, a process of determining that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200b, the surrounding environment, and the target vehicle 100b. Therefore, when the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference position, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200b, the surrounding environment, and the target vehicle 100b.

[0076] In this embodiment, when the first condition is satisfied and the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240b executes a process of determining that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment and the target vehicle 100b. Therefore, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the server device 200b is low and the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment and the target vehicle 100.

[0077] In this embodiment, when the second condition is satisfied and the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240b executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200b and the target vehicle 100b. Therefore, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment is low and the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200b and the target vehicle 100b.

[0078] In this embodiment, when the third condition is satisfied and the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240b executes a process of determining that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200b and the surrounding environment. Therefore, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100b is low and the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200b and the surrounding environment.

[0079] C. Third embodiment: 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system 50c in the third embodiment. Unlike the first embodiment, the inspection system 50c does not include a first calculation unit 215, but includes a second calculation unit 220. Among the configurations of the inspection system 50c and the server device 200c in the third embodiment, parts that are not particularly described are similar to those in the first embodiment.

[0080] In this embodiment, the configuration of the vehicle 100b is similar to that of the second embodiment, and includes a second calculation unit 220. Also, the server device 200c includes a third calculation unit 225 like the first embodiment, but does not include the first calculation unit 215 unlike the first embodiment.

[0081] Fig. 7 is a flowchart of an inspection process for implementing an inspection method in the third embodiment. In Fig. 7, the same steps as those in Figs. 3 and 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in Figs. 3 and 5.

[0082] In S120c, the comparing unit 230c compares the second physical quantity calculated in S111 with the third physical quantity calculated in S115, and calculates a second difference representing the difference between the second physical quantity and the third physical quantity. In S125c, the comparing unit 230c determines whether the second difference is equal to or smaller than a predetermined second reference value.

[0083] If the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value in S125c, the abnormality processing execution unit 240c executes abnormality processing in S130c and S135. In S130c, the abnormality processing execution unit 240c executes a process of determining that at least one of the target internal sensor 161 and the target external sensor 301 is abnormal, as a determination process.

[0084] In the inspection process in the third embodiment, when a predetermined fourth condition regarding the normality of the target internal sensor 161 is satisfied, or when a predetermined fifth condition regarding the normality of the external sensor 301 is satisfied, it is possible to further narrow down the targets that may be determined to have an abnormality in S130c.

[0085] If the fourth condition is satisfied, in S130c, the abnormality processing execution unit 240c determines that there is an abnormality in the external sensor 301. That is, in this case, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in the external sensor 301. The fourth condition may include, for example, that a predetermined fourth operation for excluding the internal sensor 161 mounted in the target vehicle 100b from targets for abnormality determination has been executed on the reception unit 90. Note that it is preferable that this fourth operation be executed after a user (particularly, an administrator) has confirmed that there is no abnormality in the internal sensor 161 mounted in the target vehicle 100b. It can also be said that the fourth condition described above is a condition under which there is a low probability that there is an abnormality in the internal sensor 161 mounted in the target vehicle 100b.

[0086] If the fifth condition is satisfied, in S135c, the abnormality processing execution unit 240c determines that the target internal sensor 161 has an abnormality. That is, in this case, the execution of the inspection process for the target vehicle 100b corresponds to the appropriate execution of the remote inspection of the target internal sensor 161 using the external sensor 301 in a state where the probability of the external sensor 301 having an abnormality is low. Furthermore, the determination that the target internal sensor 161 has an abnormality in the inspection process corresponds to the discovery of an abnormality in the target internal sensor 161 in the remote inspection. In this case, depending on the result of the remote inspection, for example, at the second location PL2 in the factory FC or another location, the inspection system 50c can execute a process to eliminate the abnormality of the target internal sensor 161, or a user can perform an operation to eliminate the abnormality. The fifth condition in the third embodiment may be, for example, the same as the fifth condition in the first embodiment.

[0087] In addition, similarly to the first and second embodiments, for example, even if the target determined to have an abnormality by the determination process of S130c is not narrowed down to one, and information indicating that at least one of the target's internal sensor 161 and the target's external sensor 301 has an abnormality is notified to the user by the notification process of S135, the user can identify which of the above has an abnormality. Specifically, when the probability that the target's internal sensor 161 has an abnormality is low, the user can identify that the target's external sensor 301 has an abnormality. Also, when the probability that the target's external sensor 301 has an abnormality is low, the user can identify that the target's internal sensor 161 has an abnormality. The probability that the target's internal sensor 161 has an abnormality is low when the above fourth condition is satisfied, or when, for example, the user confirms that the target's internal sensor 161 has no abnormality.

[0088] Furthermore, if the second difference is equal to or smaller than the second reference value in S125c, the server device 200c ends the inspection process without executing the abnormality process. In this case, the completion of the inspection process for the target vehicle 100b corresponds to the remote inspection of the target internal sensor 161 using the external sensor 301 being properly performed in a state where the probability of an abnormality in the surrounding environment is low, and no abnormality was found in the target internal sensor 161 in the remote inspection.

[0089] According to the inspection system 50c in the third embodiment described above, when the second difference representing the difference between the second physical quantity and the third physical quantity representing the same physical quantity related to the same target motion is not equal to or less than the second reference value, the vehicle 100b can be more likely to be properly inspected in the inspection system 50c. In particular, in this embodiment, the abnormality processing execution unit 240c executes, as the abnormality processing, a process of determining that there is an abnormality in at least one of the target internal sensor 161 and the target external sensor 301. Therefore, when the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference position, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in at least one of the target internal sensor 161 and the target external sensor 301.

[0090] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the fourth condition is satisfied and the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240c executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in the target external sensor 301. Therefore, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the target internal sensor 161 is low and the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in the target external sensor 301.

[0091] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the fifth condition is satisfied and the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240c executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in the target internal sensor 161. Therefore, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the target external sensor 301 is low and the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in the target internal sensor 161.

[0092] D. Fourth embodiment: 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system 50d in the fourth embodiment. Unlike the first embodiment, the inspection system 50d further includes a second calculation unit 220 in addition to a first calculation unit 215 and a third calculation unit 225. Parts of the configuration of the inspection system 50d and the server device 200d in the fourth embodiment that are not particularly described are similar to those in the first embodiment.

[0093] In this embodiment, the server device 200d has a first calculation unit 215 and a third calculation unit 225, similar to the first embodiment. The configuration of the vehicle 100b is similar to the second embodiment, and has a second calculation unit 220.

[0094] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an inspection process for implementing the inspection method in the fourth embodiment.

[0095] S205, S210, S211, S212, and S215 are the same as S105, S110, S111, S112, and S115 in Fig. 3, Fig. 5, and Fig. 7, respectively. In S220, comparison unit 230d calculates a first difference, a second difference, and a third difference. In S230, server device 200d executes a difference determination process described later.

[0096] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the difference determination process executed in S230 of FIG. 9. In S231, the comparison unit 230d determines whether or not the first difference condition is satisfied for the first difference, the second difference, and the third difference calculated in S220 of FIG. 9. The first difference condition is a condition in which the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value, the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value, and the third difference is equal to or less than the third reference value. In this embodiment, the first reference value, the second reference value, and the third reference value are the same value. When the first difference condition is satisfied, it is highly likely that the first physical quantity and the third physical quantity are appropriate and the second physical quantity is inappropriate among the calculated physical quantities. Therefore, in this case, the probability that there is an abnormality in the server device 200d, the surrounding environment, or the external sensor 301 is low, and the probability that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100b is high. Particularly in this case, since the third difference is equal to or smaller than the third reference value, the probability that there is an abnormality in the realization of the target action by the target vehicle 100b is low, and the probability that there is an abnormality in the target internal sensor 161 is high.

[0097] If the first difference condition is satisfied in S231, in S232, the abnormality processing execution unit 240d executes, as the abnormality processing, a process of determining that the target vehicle 100b has an abnormality. In this case, the execution of the inspection process on the target vehicle 100b corresponds to the appropriate execution of a remote inspection of the target vehicle 100b using the external sensor 301 in a state in which there is a low probability of an abnormality in the server device 200d, the surrounding environment, or the external sensor 301. Furthermore, the determination that the target vehicle 100b has an abnormality in the inspection process corresponds to the discovery of an abnormality in the target vehicle 100b in the remote inspection.

[0098] If the first difference condition is not satisfied in S231, the comparison unit 230d determines in S233 whether the second difference condition is satisfied for the first difference, the second difference, and the third difference. The second difference condition is a condition in which the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value, the second difference is equal to or less than the second reference value, and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value. If the second difference condition is satisfied, it is highly likely that the second physical quantity and the third physical quantity are appropriate, and the first physical quantity is inappropriate, among the calculated physical quantities. Therefore, in this case, it is highly likely that the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100b, or the external sensor 301 is abnormal, and it is highly likely that the server device 200d is abnormal.

[0099] When the second difference condition is satisfied in S233, the abnormality processing execution unit 240d executes, as the abnormality processing, a process of determining that an abnormality has occurred in the server device 200d in S234.

[0100] If the second difference condition is not satisfied in S233, the comparison unit 230d determines whether the third difference condition is satisfied for the first difference, the second difference, and the third difference in S235. The third difference condition is a condition in which the first difference is equal to or less than the first reference value, the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value, and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value. If the third difference condition is satisfied, it is highly likely that the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity are appropriate and the third physical quantity is inappropriate among the calculated physical quantities. Therefore, in this case, the probability that there is an abnormality in the server device 200d, the surrounding environment, or the target vehicle 100b is low, and the probability that there is an abnormality in the target external sensor 301 is high. It can be said that if any of the first difference condition, the second difference condition, and the third difference condition is satisfied, it has been identified that there is a low probability that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment.

[0101] When the third difference condition is satisfied in S235, in S236, the abnormality processing execution unit 240d executes processing for determining that the external sensor 301 is abnormal, as the abnormality processing.

[0102] If the third difference condition is not satisfied in S235, the comparison unit 230d determines in S237 whether or not a fourth difference condition is satisfied for the first difference, the second difference, and the third difference. The fourth difference condition is a condition in which the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value, the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value, and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value.

[0103] When the fourth difference condition is satisfied in S237, in S238, the abnormality processing execution unit 240d executes a process of determining that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device 200d, the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100, and the target external sensor 301, as the abnormality processing.

[0104] In S239, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 executes a notification process as an abnormality process, substantially similar to S135 in FIG. 3, FIG. 5, or FIG.

[0105] Furthermore, if the fourth difference condition is not satisfied in S237, the server device 200d ends the inspection process without performing the abnormality processing. In this case, the completion of the inspection process for the target vehicle 100b corresponds to the remote inspection of the target vehicle 100b being properly performed and no abnormality being found in the target vehicle 100b in the remote inspection.

[0106] According to the inspection system 50d in the fourth embodiment described above, the abnormality processing execution unit 240d executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100b when the first difference condition is satisfied, executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in the server device 200d when the second difference condition is satisfied, and executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in the external sensor 301 when the third difference condition is satisfied. Therefore, using the first difference, the second difference, and the third difference, it is possible to identify whether there is an abnormality in the server device 200d, the target vehicle 100b, or the external sensor 301.

[0107] In another embodiment, when the inspection system 50d includes the first calculation unit 215, the second calculation unit 220, and the third calculation unit 225, the comparison unit 230d may not execute all of the process of determining whether the first difference is equal to or less than the first reference value, the process of determining whether the second difference is equal to or less than the second reference value, and the process of determining whether the third difference is equal to or less than the third reference value, and may execute only one or two of these processes. In this case, the process executed by the comparison unit 230d may be determined, for example, according to the purpose of the inspection process, or according to whether it is appropriate to use each physical quantity for comparison. In this case, for example, all of the first physical quantity, the second physical quantity, and the third physical quantity may not be calculated, and only the two physical quantities compared by the comparison unit 230d may be calculated. In another embodiment, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 may execute abnormality processing when the fourth difference obtained by comparing the three physical quantities, the first physical quantity, the second physical quantity, and the third physical quantity, is not equal to or less than the reference value. In this case, the fourth difference is defined as the largest difference among the first difference, the second difference, and the third difference.

[0108] In a form in which the process executed by the comparison unit 230d is determined according to the purpose of the inspection process, for example, when the inspection target by remote inspection is the internal sensor 161, the comparison unit 230d may execute a process of determining whether or not the second difference is equal to or less than the second reference value. Also, when the purpose of the inspection process is to check the presence or absence of an abnormality in the external environment or to inspect the vehicle 100 for an abnormality other than the abnormality of the internal sensor 161, the comparison unit 230d may execute a process of determining whether or not the first difference is equal to or less than the first reference value, or a process of determining whether or not the third difference is equal to or less than the third reference value. Also, when the purpose of the inspection process is to check the presence or absence of an abnormality in the external sensor 301, the comparison unit 230d may execute a process of determining whether or not the second difference is equal to or less than the second reference value, or a process of determining whether or not the third difference is equal to or less than the third reference value. In this way, when the process executed by the comparison unit 230d is determined according to the purpose of the inspection process, for example, the reception unit 90 may be configured to receive an input of the purpose of the inspection process.

[0109] In addition, in a form in which the process executed by the comparison unit 230d is determined depending on whether it is appropriate to use each physical quantity for comparison, for example, when the target vehicle 100 needs to travel on an uneven travel path SR before arriving at the inspection location DP, the comparison unit 230d may execute a process of determining whether the third difference is equal to or less than a third reference value. In this way, the first physical quantity and the third physical quantity can be compared when the accuracy of the acceleration sensor or the yaw rate sensor as the internal sensor 161 may decrease due to a factor other than an abnormality. That is, when it is not appropriate to use the second physical quantity for comparison, the first physical quantity and the third physical quantity can be compared. In addition, for example, when the target vehicle 100 travels outdoors in the evening or at night, the comparison unit 230d may execute a process of determining whether the first difference is equal to or less than a first reference value. In this way, when the detection accuracy of the vehicle 100 using an image captured by a camera as the external sensor 301 may decrease, the comparison unit 230d may execute a process of determining whether the first difference is equal to or less than a first reference value. In this way, the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity can be compared when the detection accuracy of the vehicle 100 using an image captured by a camera as the external sensor 301 may decrease. That is, when it is not appropriate to use the third physical quantity for comparison, the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity can be compared. Note that, for example, the process executed by the comparing unit 230d may be determined depending on the purpose of the inspection process and whether it is appropriate to use each physical quantity for comparison.

[0110] E. Fifth embodiment: Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system 50e in the fifth embodiment. Unlike the first embodiment, the inspection system 50e in this embodiment does not include a server device 200. In this embodiment, the inspection location DP shown in Fig. 2A is a location for performing an inspection of the braking operation of the vehicle 100f by autonomous inspection. Parts of the configuration of the inspection system 50e and the vehicle 100e in the fifth embodiment that are not particularly described are similar to those in the first embodiment.

[0111] In this embodiment, the communication device 150 of the vehicle 100e can communicate with the external sensor group 300, the alarm device 400, and the process management device 500 by wireless communication. The processor 111 of the vehicle control device 110e executes a computer program PG1 pre-stored in the memory 112 to function as a vehicle control unit 115e, a first calculation unit 215, a third calculation unit 225, a comparison unit 230, an abnormality processing execution unit 240, and an environment determination unit 250. The vehicle control unit 115e includes a command generation unit 211e.

[0112] FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the unmanned driving process in this embodiment. At S310, the vehicle control unit 115e acquires the position information of the vehicle 100e using the detection result output from the external sensor 301. At S320, the vehicle control unit 115e determines the target position to which the vehicle 100e should next head. In this embodiment, a reference route is stored in advance in the memory 112. At S230, the vehicle control unit 115e generates a driving control signal for driving the vehicle 100e toward the determined target position. At S240, the vehicle control unit 115e controls the actuator group using the generated driving control signal to drive the vehicle 100e at the acceleration and steering angle represented by the driving control signal. The vehicle control unit 115e repeats the acquisition of the position information of the vehicle 100e, the determination of the target position, the generation of the driving control signal, and the control of the actuator group at a predetermined cycle. According to the inspection system 50e of this embodiment, the vehicle 100e can be driven by autonomous control of the vehicle 100e without remote control of the vehicle 100e from the outside.

[0113] Fig. 13 is a flowchart of an inspection process for implementing an inspection method in the fifth embodiment. In Fig. 13, steps similar to those in Fig. 3 are given the same reference numerals as those in Fig. 3. The inspection process shown in Fig. 13 is executed by a vehicle control device 110e. In this embodiment, the target vehicle 100e means the vehicle 100e itself that executes the inspection process.

[0114] In S105e of FIG. 13, the vehicle control unit 115e generates and outputs a control command by the command generation unit 211e. Specifically, in S105e, the vehicle control unit 115e generates a control command and operates the actuator group of the vehicle 100e by the generated control command, thereby realizing a target motion. The target motion in this embodiment is a braking motion, as in the first embodiment. In S110e, the first calculation unit 215 of the vehicle control device 110e calculates a first physical amount. In S110e, the first physical amount is calculated in the same manner as in S105 of FIG. 3, for example. In S115e, the third calculation unit 225 of the vehicle control device 110e calculates a third physical amount. In S115e, the third physical amount is calculated in the same manner as in S115 of FIG. 3, for example.

[0115] If the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value in S125, the abnormality processing execution unit 240e of the vehicle control device 110e executes abnormality processing in S130e and S135. Specifically, in S130e in this embodiment, the abnormality processing execution unit 240e executes a second determination process as the abnormality processing, which determines that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100e, and the external sensor 301. Also, in S135 in this embodiment, the abnormality processing execution unit 240e executes a notification process as the abnormality processing, substantially similar to the first embodiment.

[0116] In this embodiment, abnormalities in the target vehicle 100e when the third difference is not less than the third reference value include improper assembly of the actuator group, an abnormality in the network within the vehicle 100e (e.g., a broken wire or poor contact), an abnormality in the function of the first calculation unit 215, or an abnormality in the value used to calculate the first physical quantity stored in the memory 112.

[0117] In this embodiment, when the second condition is satisfied, in S130e, the abnormality processing execution unit 240e determines that there is an abnormality in at least one of the target vehicle 100e and the external sensor 301. The second condition in the fifth embodiment is, for example, the same condition as the second condition in the first embodiment. Also, when the third condition is satisfied, in S130e, the abnormality processing execution unit 240e determines that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment and the external sensor 301. The third condition in the fifth embodiment is, for example, the same condition as the third condition in the first embodiment. Also, when the fifth condition is satisfied, in S130e, the abnormality processing execution unit 240e determines that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment and the target vehicle 100e. The fifth condition in the fifth embodiment is, for example, the same condition as the fifth condition in the first embodiment.

[0118] Among the above conditions, for example, when the second condition and the third condition are satisfied, the abnormality processing execution unit 240e determines in S130e that there is an abnormality in the external sensor 301. Also, for example, when the third condition and the fifth condition are satisfied, the abnormality processing execution unit 240e determines in S130e that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment. Also, for example, when the second condition and the fifth condition are satisfied, the abnormality processing execution unit 240e determines in S130e that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100e. In this case, the execution of the inspection process on the target vehicle 100e corresponds to the appropriate execution of the autonomous inspection of the target vehicle 100e using the external sensor 301 in a state where the probability of there being an abnormality in the surrounding environment or the external sensor 301 is low. Furthermore, the determination that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100e in the inspection process corresponds to the discovery of an abnormality in the target vehicle 100e in the autonomous inspection.

[0119] The inspection system 50e in the present embodiment described above also executes anomaly processing when the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value, in a manner similar to that of the first embodiment, thereby increasing the possibility that the vehicle 100e can be properly inspected in the inspection system 50e. In particular, in the present embodiment, the anomaly processing execution unit 240e executes, as the anomaly processing, a second determination processing for determining that there is an anomaly in at least one of the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100e, and the external sensor 301. Therefore, when the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference position, it is possible to identify that there is an anomaly in at least one of the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100e, and the external sensor 301.

[0120] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the second condition is satisfied and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240e executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in at least one of the target vehicle 100e and the external sensor 301. Therefore, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment is low and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in at least one of the target vehicle 100e and the external sensor 301.

[0121] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the third condition is satisfied and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240e executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment and the external sensor 301. Therefore, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100e is low and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment and the external sensor 301.

[0122] In this embodiment, when the fifth condition is satisfied and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240e executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment and the target vehicle 100e. Therefore, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the external sensor 301 is low and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment and the target vehicle 100e.

[0123] F. Sixth embodiment: FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system 50f in the sixth embodiment. Unlike the fifth embodiment, the inspection system 50f does not include the third calculation unit 225, but includes the second calculation unit 220. Specifically, in this embodiment, the processor 111 of the vehicle control device 110f included in the vehicle 100f executes the computer program PG1 to function as the vehicle control unit 115e, the first calculation unit 215, the second calculation unit 220, the comparison unit 230b, the abnormality processing execution unit 240f, and the environment determination unit 250. Note that, in this embodiment, the unmanned driving process of FIG. 12 is executed as in the fifth embodiment. Parts of the configuration of the inspection system 50f and the vehicle 100f in the sixth embodiment that are not particularly described are the same as those in the fifth embodiment.

[0124] Fig. 15 is a flowchart of an inspection process for implementing an inspection method in the sixth embodiment. In Fig. 15, steps similar to those in Fig. 5 and Fig. 13 are given the same reference numerals as those in Fig. 5 and Fig. 13. The inspection process shown in Fig. 15 is executed by the vehicle control device 110f.

[0125] In S111f, the second calculation unit 220 of the vehicle control device 110f calculates the second physical quantity. In S111f, the second physical quantity is calculated in substantially the same manner as in S111 of Fig. 5, for example. If the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value in S125b of Fig. 15, in S130f and S135, the abnormality processing execution unit 240f executes abnormality processing. In S130f, the abnormality processing execution unit 240f executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment and the target vehicle 100f as the second determination processing.

[0126] In this embodiment, abnormalities in the target vehicle 100f when the first difference is not less than the first reference value include, in addition to the example of an abnormality when the third difference is not less than the third reference value described in the fifth embodiment, for example, an abnormality in the target internal sensor 161.

[0127] In this embodiment, when the second condition is satisfied, in S130f, the abnormality processing execution unit 240f determines that the target vehicle 100f has an abnormality. In this case, the execution of the inspection process on the target vehicle 100f corresponds to the autonomous inspection of the target vehicle 100f using the internal sensor 161 being appropriately executed in a state where the probability of the surrounding environment being abnormal is low. Furthermore, the determination that the target vehicle 100f has an abnormality in the inspection process corresponds to the discovery of an abnormality in the target vehicle 100f in the autonomous inspection. The second condition in the sixth embodiment is, for example, the same condition as the second condition in the first embodiment. Moreover, when the third condition is satisfied, in S130f, the abnormality processing execution unit 240f determines that the surrounding environment has an abnormality. The third condition in the sixth embodiment is, for example, the same condition as the third condition in the first embodiment.

[0128] The inspection system 50f in the present embodiment described above also executes anomaly processing when the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value, in a manner similar to that of the second embodiment, thereby increasing the possibility that the vehicle 100f can be properly inspected in the inspection system 50f. In particular, in the present embodiment, the anomaly processing execution unit 240f executes processing to determine that there is an anomaly in at least one of the surrounding environment and the target vehicle 100f, as the anomaly processing. Therefore, when the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference position, it is possible to identify that there is an anomaly in at least one of the surrounding environment and the target vehicle 100f.

[0129] In this embodiment, when the second condition is satisfied and the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240f executes processing to determine that the target vehicle 100f has an abnormality. Therefore, when the probability that the surrounding environment has an abnormality is low and the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value, it is possible to identify that the target vehicle 100f has an abnormality.

[0130] In this embodiment, when the third condition is satisfied and the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240f executes a process for determining that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment. Therefore, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100f is low and the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment.

[0131] G. Seventh embodiment: FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system 50g in the seventh embodiment. Unlike the fifth embodiment, the inspection system 50g does not include the first calculation unit 215, but includes the second calculation unit 220. Specifically, in this embodiment, the processor 111 of the vehicle control device 110g included in the vehicle 100g executes the computer program PG1 to function as the vehicle control unit 115e, the second calculation unit 220, the third calculation unit 225, the comparison unit 230c, the abnormality processing execution unit 240g, and the environment determination unit 250. Note that, in this embodiment, the unmanned driving process of FIG. 12 is executed as in the fifth embodiment. Parts of the configuration of the inspection system 50g and the vehicle 100g in the seventh embodiment that are not particularly described are the same as those in the fifth embodiment.

[0132] Fig. 17 is a flowchart of an inspection process for implementing an inspection method in the seventh embodiment. In Fig. 17, the same steps as in Fig. 7, Fig. 13, and Fig. 15 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in Fig. 7 and Fig. 15.

[0133] 17, if the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240g executes abnormality processing in S130g and S135. In S130g, the abnormality processing execution unit 240g executes processing to determine that at least one of the target internal sensor 161 and the target external sensor 301 is abnormal, as the second determination processing.

[0134] In this embodiment, if the fourth condition is satisfied, in S130g, the abnormality processing execution unit 240g determines that the target external sensor 301 has an abnormality. The fourth condition in the seventh embodiment is, for example, the same condition as the fourth condition in the third embodiment. Furthermore, if the fifth condition is satisfied, in S135g, the abnormality processing execution unit 240g determines that the target internal sensor 161 has an abnormality. In this case, the execution of the inspection process for the target vehicle 100g corresponds to the appropriate execution of the autonomous inspection of the target internal sensor 161 using the external sensor 301 in a state in which the probability of the external sensor 301 having an abnormality is low. Furthermore, the determination that the internal sensor 161 has an abnormality in the inspection process corresponds to the discovery of an abnormality in the internal sensor 161 in the autonomous inspection. The fifth condition in the seventh embodiment is, for example, the same condition as the fifth condition in the first embodiment.

[0135] According to the inspection system 50g in the seventh embodiment described above, similarly to the third embodiment, anomaly processing is executed when the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value, so that the possibility that the vehicle 100g is properly inspected in the inspection system 50g can be increased. In particular, in this embodiment, the anomaly processing execution unit 240g executes, as the anomaly processing, a process of determining that there is an anomaly in at least one of the target internal sensor 161 and the target external sensor 301. Therefore, when the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference position, it is possible to identify that there is an anomaly in at least one of the target internal sensor 161 and the target external sensor 301.

[0136] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the fourth condition is satisfied and the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240g executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in the target external sensor 301. Therefore, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the target internal sensor 161 is low and the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in the target external sensor 301.

[0137] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the fifth condition is satisfied and the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value, the abnormality processing execution unit 240g executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in the target internal sensor 161. Therefore, when the probability that there is an abnormality in the target external sensor 301 is low and the second difference is not equal to or less than the second reference value, it is possible to identify that there is an abnormality in the target internal sensor 161.

[0138] H. Eighth embodiment: FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the inspection system 50h in the eighth embodiment. Unlike the fifth embodiment, the inspection system 50h includes a second calculation unit 220 in addition to the first calculation unit 215 and the third calculation unit 225. Specifically, in this embodiment, the processor 111 of the vehicle control device 110h included in the vehicle 100h executes the computer program PG1 to function as the vehicle control unit 115e, the first calculation unit 215, the second calculation unit 220, the third calculation unit 225, the comparison unit 230d, the abnormality processing execution unit 240h, and the environment determination unit 250. Note that, in this embodiment, the unmanned driving process of FIG. 12 is executed as in the fifth embodiment. Parts of the configuration of the inspection system 50h and the vehicle 100h in the sixth embodiment that are not particularly described are the same as those in the fifth embodiment.

[0139] Fig. 19 is a flowchart of an inspection process for implementing an inspection method in the eighth embodiment. In Fig. 19, the same steps as in Fig. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in Fig. 9.

[0140] S205e, S210e, S211f, and S215e are similar to S05e, S110e, S111f, and S115e in FIG. 13 and FIG. 15, respectively.

[0141] FIG. 20 is a flowchart of the difference determination process executed in S230 of FIG. 19. In FIG. 20, the same steps as in FIG. 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 10. When the first difference condition is satisfied in S231 of FIG. 20, it is highly likely that the first physical quantity and the third physical quantity are appropriate, and the second physical quantity is inappropriate, among the calculated physical quantities. Therefore, in this case, the probability that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment or the external sensor 301 is low, and the probability that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100h is high. In particular, in this case, since the third difference is equal to or less than the third reference value, it is low that there is an abnormality in the realization of the target operation by the target vehicle 100h, and it is high that there is an abnormality in the target internal sensor 161. When the first difference condition is satisfied in S231, in S232, the abnormality process execution unit 240h executes a process of determining that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100h, as the abnormality process. In this case, the execution of the inspection process on the target vehicle 100h corresponds to the appropriate execution of an autonomous inspection of the target vehicle 100h using the external sensor 301 in a state where there is a low probability of an abnormality in the surrounding environment or the external sensor 301. Furthermore, the determination that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100h in the inspection process corresponds to the discovery of an abnormality in the target vehicle 100h in the autonomous inspection.

[0142] If the second difference condition is satisfied in S233, it is highly likely that the second physical quantity and the third physical quantity are appropriate, and the first physical quantity is inappropriate, among the calculated physical quantities. Therefore, in this case, it is highly likely that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment or the external sensor 301, and that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100h. In particular, in this case, it is highly likely that there is an abnormality in the function of the first calculation unit 215 of the vehicle control device 110h, or in the value used to calculate the first physical quantity stored in the memory 112. If the second difference condition is satisfied in S233, in S234h, the abnormality processing execution unit 240h executes, as an abnormality processing, a process of determining that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100h.

[0143] If the second difference condition is not satisfied in S233, the comparison unit 230d determines in S235 whether or not the third difference condition is satisfied, in a manner substantially similar to S235 in Fig. 10. If the third difference condition is satisfied, it is highly likely that, among the calculated physical quantities, the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity are appropriate, and the third physical quantity is inappropriate. Therefore, in this case, it is highly likely that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment or the target vehicle 100h, and that there is an abnormality in the target external sensor 301. If the third difference condition is satisfied in S235, the abnormality processing execution unit 240h executes, as the abnormality processing, a process of determining that there is an abnormality in the external sensor 301 in S236.

[0144] If the third difference condition is not satisfied in S235, then in S237 the comparison unit 230d determines whether or not the fourth difference condition is satisfied, in a manner substantially similar to S237 in Fig. 10. If the fourth difference condition is satisfied in S237, then in S238h the abnormality processing execution unit 240h executes, as abnormality processing, a process of determining that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100h, and the target external sensor 301.

[0145] When the fourth difference condition is satisfied in S237, in S238h, the abnormality processing execution unit 240h executes a process of determining that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100h, and the target external sensor 301, as the abnormality processing.

[0146] According to the inspection system 50g in the eighth embodiment described above, when the first difference condition or the second difference condition is satisfied, the abnormality processing execution unit 240h executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100h, and when the third difference condition is satisfied, executes processing to determine that there is an abnormality in the external sensor 301. Therefore, using the first difference, the second difference, and the third difference, it is possible to identify whether there is an abnormality in the target vehicle 100h or in the external sensor 301.

[0147] I. Other embodiments: (I1) In the first to fourth embodiments, the abnormality processing includes the determination processing and the notification processing. However, in addition to these processing, or instead of these processing, other processing may be included. For example, the abnormality processing may include a first braking processing in which a control command for braking the target vehicle 100 is transmitted from the server device 200 to the target vehicle 100, a first stop processing in which the server device 200 is stopped, and a second stop processing in which the target external sensor 301 is stopped. It is preferable that the abnormality processing includes at least one of the determination processing, the notification processing, the first braking processing, the first stop processing, and the second stop processing. According to the first braking processing, in a state in which there is a high probability that the server device 200, the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100, or the external sensor 301 has an abnormality, a processing for eliminating the abnormality can be executed or an operation for eliminating the abnormality can be executed in a state in which the target vehicle 100 is braked. According to the first stop processing, for example, by restarting the server device 200 or by inspecting or repairing the server device 200 while the server device 200 is stopped, it is possible to eliminate a state in which it is highly likely that the server device 200 has an abnormality. According to the second stop processing, for example, by restarting the target external sensor 301 or by inspecting or repairing the target external sensor 301 while the target external sensor 301 is stopped, it is possible to eliminate a state in which it is highly likely that the external sensor 301 has an abnormality.

[0148] (I2) In the fifth to eighth embodiments, the abnormality processing may include other processing in addition to or instead of the second determination processing and the notification processing. For example, the abnormality processing may include a second braking processing that outputs a control command for braking the target vehicle 100, or a second stop processing. In the fifth to eighth embodiments, it is preferable that the abnormality processing includes at least one of the second determination processing, the notification processing, the second braking processing, and the second stop processing. In addition, according to the second braking processing, in a state where there is a high probability that there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment, the target vehicle 100, or the external sensor 301, it is possible to execute a processing for eliminating the abnormality or to carry out an operation for eliminating the abnormality while braking the target vehicle 100.

[0149] (I3) In each of the above embodiments, the abnormality processing execution unit 240 may not narrow down the targets determined to have an abnormality in the determination process according to each of the first to fifth conditions. In this case, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth conditions may not be set.

[0150] (I4) In each of the above embodiments, the reception unit for receiving the first operation, the reception unit for receiving the second operation, the reception unit for receiving the third operation, the reception unit for receiving the fourth operation, and the reception unit for receiving the fifth operation may be partly or entirely different. In addition, each reception unit does not have to be provided in the notification device 400, and may be provided in, for example, the vehicle 100, the server device 200, the external sensor 301, or the process management device 500, or may be provided in a control device separate from these. In addition, each operation such as the first operation may be an operation of any type, such as an operation by the user's finger, an operation by voice, or an operation by gesture. When the first operation is an operation by gesture, the external sensor 301 configured to be able to detect the gesture may function as the reception unit.

[0151] (I5) In each of the above embodiments, the external sensor 301 for unmanned operation is used as the environmental sensor. In contrast, for example, the external sensor 301 not for unmanned operation may be used as the environmental sensor, various internal sensors 161 may be used, or a sensor separate from the external sensor 301 or the internal sensor 161 may be used. In addition, the environment determination unit 250 does not have to be provided in the server device 200 or the vehicle 100, and may be provided in, for example, the external sensor 301, the notification device 400, or the process management device 500, or may be provided in a control device separate from these.

[0152] (I6) In each of the above embodiments, an external sensor for unmanned operation is used as the target external sensor 301. However, an external sensor different from the external sensor for unmanned operation may be used.

[0153] (I7) In each of the above embodiments, the external sensor 301 is a camera. In contrast, the external sensor 301 may be a LiDAR. In this case, the sensor information output from the external sensor 301 is not a captured image but point cloud data. In this case, the remote control unit 210 and the vehicle control unit 115 may acquire position information of the vehicle 100 using the point cloud data. For example, the remote control unit 210 and the vehicle control unit 115 may acquire the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 by performing template matching using the acquired point cloud data and reference point cloud data prepared in advance. Various algorithms such as ICP (Iterative Closest Point) and NDT (Normal Distributions Transform) can be used for template matching. In addition, when the external sensor group 300 includes a camera and a LiDAR as the external sensor 301, for example, the captured image and the point cloud data may be fused and used by fusion processing. When the external sensor 301 is configured as a LiDAR, a disturbance as an abnormality of the external sensor 301 is, for example, a foreign object such as a leaf, a spider web, or dust attached to a window of the LiDAR.

[0154] (I8) In the above first to fourth embodiments, the first calculation unit 215 and the third calculation unit 225 may not be provided in the server device 200, and may be provided in, for example, the vehicle 100, the external sensor 301, the notification device 400, the process management device 500, or a terminal device separate from these. When the first calculation unit 215 is provided in a device external to the server device 200, the device having the first calculation unit 215 may be configured to directly or indirectly receive information for calculating the first physical amount, i.e., information corresponding to a control command for realizing the target operation, from the server device 200. In a substantially similar manner, when the third calculation unit 225 is provided in a device external to the external sensor 301, the device having the third calculation unit 225 may be configured to directly or indirectly receive information for calculating the third physical amount, i.e., information corresponding to a detection result by the external sensor 301, from the external sensor 301. Furthermore, the second calculation unit 220 does not necessarily have to be provided in the vehicle 100, and may be provided, for example, in the server device 200, the external sensor 301, the notification device 400, the process management device 500, or a terminal device separate from these. In this case, the device having the second calculation unit 220 only needs to be configured to directly or indirectly receive a value for calculating the second physical quantity, that is, a detection value by the internal sensor 161, from the vehicle 100.

[0155] (I9) In the above fifth to eighth embodiments, the first calculation unit 215, the second calculation unit 220, and the third calculation unit 225 do not have to be provided in the vehicle 100, and may be provided in, for example, the external sensor 301, the notification device 400, the process management device 500, or a terminal device separate from these. In the fifth to eighth embodiments, when the first calculation unit 215 is provided in a device external to the vehicle 100, the device having the first calculation unit 215 may be configured to directly or indirectly receive information for calculating the first physical quantity, that is, information corresponding to a control command for realizing the target operation, from the vehicle 100.

[0156] (I10) In each of the above embodiments, the target motion is a braking motion, but may be a motion other than a braking motion. For example, the target motion may be a turning motion that turns the vehicle 100 with a predetermined radius of curvature, or may be an accelerating motion that accelerates the vehicle 100 to a predetermined speed with a predetermined acceleration. When the target motion is a turning motion, a remote inspection or an autonomous inspection of the turning motion of the vehicle 100 can be performed using the inspection process. Specifically, a remote inspection or an autonomous inspection of the steering device 130 or an internal sensor 161 (e.g., a yaw rate sensor or an acceleration sensor) related to the turning motion can be performed. In this case, the first physical quantity to the third physical quantity can be calculated as, for example, a radius of curvature of the turning motion. When the target motion is an accelerating motion, a remote inspection or an autonomous inspection of the accelerating motion of the vehicle 100 can be performed using the inspection process. Specifically, a remote inspection or an autonomous inspection of the driving device 120 or an internal sensor 161 (e.g., an acceleration sensor or a vehicle speed sensor) related to the accelerating motion can be performed. In this case, the first physical quantity to the third physical quantity can be calculated as physical quantities related to acceleration performance, such as a travel distance or travel time required for the vehicle 100 to reach a predetermined speed by an acceleration operation. The target operation may be an operation that does not involve the movement of the vehicle 100, such as an operation of swinging a wiper provided on the vehicle 100, an operation of opening and closing a door mirror, an operation of opening and closing a power window, or an operation of turning on various lamps. In this way, when the target operation is an operation that does not involve the movement of the vehicle 100, the server device 200 does not need to move the vehicle 100 by remote control. In this case, for example, a control device that moves the vehicle 100 by remote control may be provided separately from the server device 200, or the vehicle 100 may be configured to be movable by autonomous control. In addition, when the target operation is an operation that does not involve the movement of the vehicle 100, the control command may not include a travel control signal. In this case, it is preferable that the control command includes at least one of a signal for realizing the target operation and generation information that is information for generating the signal. The generation information is, for example, information that determines the start timing, end timing, and strength of the target action.Even if the target action involves movement of the vehicle 100, the control command may include generation information for generating the driving control signal in addition to or instead of the driving control signal for realizing the target action. For example, position information, a route, or a target position may be used as the generation information for generating the driving control signal.

[0157] (I11) In the above first to fourth embodiments, the server device 200 executes the processes from obtaining the position information of the vehicle 100 to generating the driving control signal. In contrast, at least a part of the processes from obtaining the position information 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.

[0158] (1) The server device 200 may acquire position information 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 indicated in the acquired position information to the target position. The server device 200 may generate a route to a target position between the current location and the destination, or may generate a route to the destination. The server device 200 may transmit the generated route to the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 may generate a driving control signal so that the vehicle 100 drives on the route received from the server device 200, and control the actuator group using the generated driving control signal.

[0159] (2) The server device 200 may acquire position information of the vehicle 100 and transmit the acquired position information 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 position of the vehicle 100 represented in the received position information to the target position, generate a driving control signal so that the vehicle 100 travels on the generated route, and control the actuator group using the generated driving control signal.

[0160] (3) In the above-mentioned embodiments (1) and (2), the detection result output from the internal sensor 161 mounted on the vehicle 100 may be used as sensor information for at least one of generating the route and generating the travel control signal. The internal sensor 161 may include, for example, a camera, a LiDAR, a millimeter wave radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a GPS sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and a yaw rate sensor. For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment (1), the server device 200 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor 161 and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor 161 in the route when generating the route. In the above-mentioned embodiment (1), the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor 161 and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor 161 in the travel control signal when generating the travel control signal. In the above-mentioned embodiment (2), the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor 161 and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor 161 in the route when generating the route ... travel control signal when generating the travel control signal.

[0161] (I12) In the above fifth to eighth embodiments, a detection result output from the internal sensor 161 mounted on the vehicle 100 may be used for at least one of generating a route and generating a traveling control signal. For example, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor 161, and when generating a route, may reflect the detection result of the internal sensor 161 in the route. The vehicle 100 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor 161, and when generating a traveling control signal, may reflect the detection result of the internal sensor 161 in the traveling control signal.

[0162] (I13) In the above fifth to eighth embodiments, the vehicle 100 acquires the position information of the vehicle 100 using the detection result of the external sensor 301. In contrast, the vehicle 100 may acquire position information using the detection result of the internal sensor 161 mounted on the vehicle 100, determine a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next go, generate a route from the current position of the vehicle 100 represented in the acquired position information to the target position, generate a travel control signal for traveling along the generated route, and control the actuator group using the generated travel control signal. In this case, the vehicle 100 can travel without using any detection result of the external sensor 301. In this case, the inspection system 50 may not be equipped with the external sensor 301. Even in this case, the inspection system 50 can calculate the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity and compare the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity. The vehicle 100 may acquire a target arrival time or traffic congestion information from outside the vehicle 100, and reflect the target arrival time or traffic congestion information in at least one of the route and the travel control signal. Furthermore, all of the functional components of the inspection system 50 may be provided in the vehicle 100. In other words, the processing performed by the inspection system 50 described in the present disclosure may be performed by the vehicle 100 alone.

[0163] (I14) In the above first embodiment, the server device 200 automatically generates a driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 100. In addition to this, or instead of this, the server device 200 may generate a driving control signal in accordance with manual 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 external sensor 301, a steering wheel for remotely operating the vehicle 100, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a communication device for communicating with the server device 200 by wired communication or wireless communication, and the server device 200 may generate a driving control signal in accordance with the operation applied to the control device.

[0164] (I15) In each of the above embodiments, the vehicle 100 may have a configuration capable of moving by unmanned driving, and may be in the form of a platform having the configuration described below, for example. Specifically, the vehicle 100 may have at least a vehicle control device 110 and an actuator group in order to perform the three functions of "running", "turning", and "stopping" by unmanned driving. When the vehicle 100 acquires information from the outside for unmanned driving, the vehicle 100 may further have a communication device 150. That is, the vehicle 100 capable of moving by unmanned driving may not have at least a part of interior parts such as seats and dashboards, may not have at least a part of exterior parts such as bumpers and fenders, and may not have a body shell. In this case, the remaining parts such as a body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100 before the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory FC, or the remaining parts such as a body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100 after the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory FC in a state in which the remaining parts such as the body shell are not attached to the vehicle 100. Each part may be attached from any direction, such as the upper side, lower side, front side, rear side, right side, or left side of the vehicle 100, and may be attached from the same direction or from different directions. Note that the position of the platform shape may be determined in the same manner as for the vehicle 100 in each of the above embodiments.

[0165] (I16) In each of the above embodiments, 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 location or function of the vehicle 100. For example, the platform of the vehicle 100 may be manufactured by combining a front module that configures the front part of the platform, a central module that configures the central part of the platform, and a rear module that configures the rear part of the platform. The number of modules that configure 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 configure the platform, parts that configure 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 configure the module as one part by casting. The molding method for integrally molding a single part, particularly a relatively large part, is also called gigacast or megacast. For example, the front module, the center module, and the rear module may be manufactured using gigacast.

[0166] (I17) Transporting the vehicle 100 by using the vehicle 100's unmanned driving is also called "self-propelled transport." The configuration for realizing self-propelled transport is also called a "vehicle remote-controlled autonomous driving transport system." The production method for producing the vehicle 100 by using self-propelled transport is also called "self-propelled production." In self-propelled production, for example, at a factory where the vehicle 100 is manufactured, at least a part of the transport of the vehicle 100 is realized by self-propelled transport.

[0167] 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]

[0168] 50, 50b, 50c, 50d, 50e, 50f, 50g, 50h... inspection system, 90... reception unit, 100, 100b, 100e, 100f, 100g, 100h... vehicle, 110, 110e, 110f, 110g, 110h... vehicle control device, 111... processor, 112... memory, 113... input / output interface, 114... internal bus, 115... vehicle control unit, 120... drive unit, 130... steering unit, 140... braking unit, 150... communication unit, 160... internal sensor group, 161... internal sensor, 200, 200b, 200c, 200d... server device, 201... processor processor, 202... memory, 203... input / output interface, 204... internal bus, 205... communication device, 210... remote control unit, 211, 211e... command generation unit, 215... first calculation unit, 220... second calculation unit, 225... third calculation unit, 230, 230b, 230c, 230d... comparison unit, 240, 240b, 240c, 240d, 240e, 240f, 240g, 240h... abnormality processing execution unit, 250... environment determination unit, 300... external sensor group, 301, 301A, 301B... external sensor, 302... communication device, 400... notification device, 401... display unit, 500... process management device

Claims

1. An inspection system used for remote or autonomous inspection of a mobile object that can move by unmanned operation, a command generating unit that generates and outputs a control command for operating the moving object; an abnormality processing execution unit that executes a predetermined abnormality processing when a difference between at least two of the following physical quantities is not equal to or less than a predetermined reference value: (i) a first physical quantity related to the operation of the moving body realized by the control command, which is calculated using the control command; (ii) a second physical quantity related to the operation, which is calculated using detection results by an internal sensor mounted on the moving body; and (iii) a third physical quantity related to the operation, which is calculated using detection results by an external sensor located outside the moving body, for the target moving body.

2. 2. The inspection system of claim 1, a server device having the command generating unit and configured to transmit the control command to the moving body from outside the moving body; The abnormality processing includes: A process of determining that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device, the surrounding environment of the moving object performing the operation, the target moving object, and the external sensor; A process of notifying the occurrence of an abnormality; A process of transmitting the control command for braking the target moving object from the server device to the target moving object; A process of shutting down the server device; and stopping the external sensor. Inspection system.

3. 3. The inspection system of claim 2, The abnormality processing execution unit of the inspection system executes, as the abnormality processing, a process of determining that an abnormality exists in at least one of the server device, the surrounding environment, and the target moving body when a first difference representing the difference between the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity compared with each other for the target moving body is not equal to or less than a predetermined first reference value.

4. 4. The inspection system of claim 3, An inspection system in which the abnormality processing execution unit determines that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment and the target moving body when a predetermined first condition regarding the normality of the server device is satisfied and the first difference is not less than the first reference value.

5. 5. The inspection system of claim 4, An inspection system, wherein the first condition includes the number of times that the first difference is not less than the first reference value for a plurality of moving bodies other than the target moving body during a predetermined period of time being less than a predetermined number of times.

6. 5. The inspection system of claim 4, An inspection system, wherein the first condition includes a predetermined operation for excluding the server device from targets for abnormality determination being performed on a reception unit that receives operations from a user.

7. 4. The inspection system of claim 3, An inspection system in which the abnormality processing execution unit determines that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device and the target moving body when a predetermined second condition regarding the normality of the surrounding environment is satisfied and the first difference is not less than the first reference value.

8. 8. The inspection system of claim 7, An inspection system, wherein the second condition includes a predetermined operation being performed on a reception unit that receives operations from a user to exclude the surrounding environment from being subject to anomaly determination.

9. 8. The inspection system of claim 7, The second condition includes a determination that there is no abnormality in the surrounding environment by an environment determination unit that determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment using a sensor that detects the surrounding environment.

10. 4. The inspection system of claim 3, An inspection system in which the abnormality processing execution unit determines that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device and the surrounding environment when a predetermined third condition regarding the normality of the target moving body is satisfied and the first difference is not less than the first reference value.

11. 11. The inspection system of claim 10, An inspection system, wherein the third condition includes a predetermined operation being performed on a reception unit that receives operations from a user to exclude the target moving body from being subject to abnormality judgment.

12. 3. The inspection system of claim 2, The abnormality processing execution unit executes, as the abnormality processing, a process of determining that there is an abnormality in at least one of the internal sensor and the external sensor mounted on the target moving body when a second difference representing the difference between the second physical quantity and the third physical quantity compared with each other is not equal to or less than a predetermined second reference value.

13. 13. The inspection system of claim 12, An inspection system in which the abnormality processing execution unit determines that there is an abnormality in the external sensor when a predetermined fourth condition regarding the normality of the internal sensor installed in the target moving body is satisfied and the second difference is not less than the second reference value.

14. 14. The inspection system of claim 13, The fourth condition includes a predetermined operation being performed on a reception unit that receives operations from a user to exclude the internal sensor from being subject to abnormality determination.

15. 14. The inspection system of claim 13, An inspection system, wherein the abnormality processing execution unit determines that there is an abnormality in the internal sensor when a predetermined fifth condition regarding the normality of the external sensor is satisfied and the second difference is not less than or equal to the second reference value.

16. 16. The inspection system of claim 15, The fifth condition includes a predetermined operation being performed on a reception unit that receives operations from a user to exclude the external sensor from being subject to abnormality determination.

17. 3. The inspection system of claim 2, The abnormality processing execution unit executes, as the abnormality processing, a process of determining that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device, the surrounding environment, the target moving body, and the external sensor when a third difference representing the difference between the first physical quantity and the third physical quantity compared with each other is not equal to or less than a predetermined third reference value.

18. 20. The inspection system of claim 17, An inspection system in which the abnormality processing execution unit determines that there is an abnormality in at least one of the surrounding environment, the external sensor, and the target moving body when a predetermined first condition regarding the normality of the server device is satisfied and the third difference is not less than the third reference value.

19. 20. The inspection system of claim 18, An inspection system, wherein the first condition includes a predetermined operation for excluding the server device from targets for abnormality determination being performed on a reception unit that receives operations from a user.

20. 20. The inspection system of claim 18, An inspection system in which the abnormality processing execution unit determines that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device, the target moving body, and the external sensor when a predetermined second condition regarding the normality of the surrounding environment is satisfied and the third difference is not less than the third reference value.

21. 21. The inspection system of claim 20, An inspection system, wherein the second condition includes a predetermined operation being performed on a reception unit that receives operations from a user to exclude the surrounding environment from being subject to anomaly determination.

22. 22. The inspection system of claim 21, The second condition includes a determination that there is no abnormality in the surrounding environment by a determination unit that determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the surrounding environment using a sensor that detects the surrounding environment.

23. 20. The inspection system of claim 17, An inspection system in which the abnormality processing execution unit determines that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device, the surrounding environment, and the external sensor when a predetermined third condition regarding the normality of the target moving body is satisfied and the third difference is not less than the third reference value.

24. 24. The inspection system of claim 23, An inspection system, wherein the third condition includes a predetermined operation being performed on a reception unit that receives operations from a user to exclude the target moving body from being subject to abnormality judgment.

25. 20. The inspection system of claim 17, An inspection system in which the abnormality processing execution unit determines that there is an abnormality in at least one of the server device, the surrounding environment, and the target moving body when a predetermined fifth condition regarding the normality of the external sensor is satisfied and the third difference is not less than the third reference value.

26. 26. The inspection system of claim 25, The fifth condition includes a predetermined operation being performed on a reception unit that receives operations from a user to exclude the external sensor from being subject to abnormality determination.

27. 3. The inspection system of claim 2, The abnormality processing execution unit is executes, as the abnormality processing, a process of determining that an abnormality exists in the target moving body when a first difference representing a difference between the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity compared with each other is not equal to or less than a predetermined first reference value, a second difference representing a difference between the second physical quantity and the third physical quantity compared with each other is not equal to or less than a predetermined second reference value, and a third difference representing a difference between the first physical quantity and the third physical quantity compared with each other is equal to or less than a predetermined third reference value; executes, as the abnormality processing, a process of determining that an abnormality has occurred in the server device when the first difference is not equal to or less than the first reference value, the second difference is equal to or less than the second reference value, and the third difference is not equal to or less than the third reference value; When the first difference is equal to or smaller than the first reference value, the second difference is not equal to or smaller than the second reference value, and the third difference is not equal to or smaller than the third reference value, a process of determining that an abnormality exists in the external sensor is executed as the abnormality process. Inspection system.

28. 28. An inspection system according to any one of claims 1 to 27, comprising: An inspection system, wherein the external sensor is an unmanned driving sensor used to move the moving body by unmanned driving.

29. A server device used for remote or autonomous inspection of a mobile object that can move by unmanned operation, a command generating unit that generates a control command for operating the moving body and transmits the control command to the moving body from outside the moving body; a server device comprising: an abnormality processing execution unit that executes a predetermined abnormality processing when a difference between at least two of the following physical quantities is not equal to or less than a predetermined reference value: (i) a first physical quantity related to the operation of the moving body realized by the control command, which is calculated using the control command; (ii) a second physical quantity related to the operation, which is calculated using a detection result by an internal sensor mounted on the moving body and detecting a state of the moving body; and (iii) a third physical quantity related to the operation, which is calculated using a detection result by an external sensor located outside the moving body.

30. An inspection method for remotely or autonomously inspecting a moving body that can move by unmanned operation, comprising: generating and outputting a control command for operating the target moving object; an inspection method comprising: a step of executing a predetermined abnormality processing when a difference between at least two of the following physical quantities is not equal to or less than a predetermined reference value: (i) a first physical quantity related to the operation of the moving body executed by the control command, which is calculated using the control command; (ii) a second physical quantity related to the operation, which is calculated using a detection result by an internal sensor mounted on the moving body and detecting the state of the moving body from inside the moving body; and (iii) a third physical quantity related to the operation, which is calculated using the detection result by an external sensor located outside the moving body.

31. A mobile body capable of moving by unmanned operation, a command generating unit that generates and outputs a control command for operating the moving object; a first physical quantity related to the operation of the moving body realized by the control command, the first physical quantity being calculated using the control command; (ii) a second physical quantity related to the operation calculated using a detection result by an internal sensor mounted on the moving body and detecting a state of the moving body; and (iii) a third physical quantity related to the operation calculated using a detection result by an external sensor located outside the moving body. A moving body comprising: an abnormality processing execution unit that executes a predetermined abnormality processing when a difference obtained by comparing at least two of these physical quantities is not equal to or less than a predetermined reference value.

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