Control device and control system

Abstract

To provide a technique that can reduce the number of man-hour at the time of moving a mobile object as compared with a case where an operator directly moves a mobile object.SOLUTION: A control device used for moving a mobile object that is movable by unmanned operation includes: an acquisition unit which acquires an inspection result for a loading device; a determination unit which uses the inspection result to determine whether or not the mobile object can be moved in a remote manual operation mode; and a setting unit which sets an operation mode of the mobile object to the remote manual operation mode when it is determined that the mobile object can be moved in the remote manual operation mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technology for automatically driving a vehicle by remote control is known (Patent Document 1). [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] When a malfunction occurs in an on-board device mounted on a moving body such as a vehicle, the moving body may be moved directly by an operator riding on the moving body and operating the moving body, or by the operator transporting the moving body using a towing device, etc. However, when an operator moves the moving body directly, there is a risk that the labor required to move the moving body may increase. [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, a control device is provided. In the control device used to move a moving body that can be moved by unmanned driving, the moving body has a remote manual driving mode in which a manual control signal generated in response to an operation by an external operator of a control device provided at a location different from the moving body is received to control the operation of the moving body, and the moving body has an on-board device mounted on the moving body, and the control device includes an acquisition unit that acquires an inspection result of the on-board device, a judgment unit that judges whether or not movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible using the inspection result, and a setting unit that sets the driving mode of the moving body to the remote manual driving mode when it is judged that movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible. According to this embodiment, the acquisition unit can acquire the inspection result of the on-board device. The judgment unit can judge whether or not movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible using the inspection result of the on-board device. When it is judged that movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible, the setting unit can set the driving mode of the moving body to the remote manual driving mode. In this way, when a malfunction occurs in the on-board device, the moving body can be moved in the remote manual driving mode without an operator directly moving the moving body. This makes it possible to reduce the number of steps required to move the moving body, as compared to when an operator moves the moving body directly. (2) In the above embodiment, the moving body further has an automatic driving mode in which the moving body moves using an automatic control signal generated without responding to the operation of the external operator in order to control the operation of the moving body, and the determination unit determines whether or not movement in the automatic driving mode is possible, and when it is determined that movement in the automatic driving mode is impossible, it determines whether or not movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible, and the setting unit may set the driving mode of the moving body to the remote manual driving mode when it is determined that movement in the automatic driving mode is impossible and movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible. According to this embodiment, the determination unit can determine whether or not movement in the automatic driving mode is possible using an inspection result of an on-board device. When it is determined that movement in the automatic driving mode is impossible, the determination unit can determine whether or not movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible. When it is determined that movement in the automatic driving mode is impossible and movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible, the setting unit can set the driving mode of the moving body to the remote manual driving mode. In this way, even if the moving body cannot be moved in the automatic driving mode, the moving body can be moved in the remote manual driving mode without the worker directly moving the moving body, which reduces the man-hours required to move the moving body compared to when the worker directly moves the moving body. (3) In the above embodiment, the determination unit may determine that movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible in at least one of the following cases: when the function of the onboard device that caused the movement in the automatic driving mode to be determined to be impossible can be compensated for by the external operator; and when a plurality of onboard devices are inspected, the function of one of the onboard devices that caused the movement in the automatic driving mode to be determined to be impossible can be compensated for by a function of another onboard device different from the one onboard device. According to this embodiment, when the function of the onboard device that caused the movement in the automatic driving mode to be determined to be impossible can be compensated for by an external operator, the determination unit can determine that movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible. Also, according to this embodiment, when a plurality of onboard devices are inspected, when the function of one of the onboard devices that caused the movement in the automatic driving mode to be determined to be impossible can be compensated for by a function of another onboard device different from the one onboard device, the determination unit can determine that movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible. (4) In the above aspect, when the on-board device that caused the determination that movement in the autonomous driving mode was impossible is at least one of an on-board sensor as a sensor mounted on the moving body and an electric parking brake, the determination unit may determine that movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible. According to this aspect, when the on-board device that caused the determination that movement in the autonomous driving mode was impossible is at least one of an on-board sensor as a sensor mounted on the moving body and an electric parking brake, the determination unit can determine that movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible. (5) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a control system is provided. The control system used to move a moving body that can be moved by unmanned driving includes a moving body having an onboard device mounted thereon and having a remote manual driving mode, an acquisition unit that acquires an inspection result of the onboard device, a judgment unit that uses the inspection result to judge whether or not movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible, and a setting unit that sets the driving mode of the moving body to the remote manual driving mode when it is judged that movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible, and the moving body moves using the received manual control signal by receiving a manual control signal generated in response to an operation by an external operator of a control device provided in a place different from the moving body in order to control the operation of the moving body in the remote manual driving mode. According to this aspect, the acquisition unit can acquire the inspection result of the onboard device. The judgment unit can judge whether or not movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible using the inspection result of the onboard device. The setting unit can set the driving mode of the moving body to the remote manual driving mode when it is judged that movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible. In this way, if a malfunction occurs in the on-board device, the moving body can be moved by the remote manual operation mode without the worker having to move the moving body directly, which reduces the man-hours required to move the moving body compared to when the worker moves the moving body directly. The present disclosure can be realized in various forms other than the above-mentioned control device and control system, for example, a control device, a control system, and a method for manufacturing a moving body, a control device, a control system, and a method for controlling a moving body, a computer program for realizing the control method, a non-transitory recording medium on which the computer program is recorded, etc. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a control system in the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for vehicle travel control in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 5 is a first flowchart showing a method for controlling a vehicle in accordance with an inspection result of an on-board device. [Figure 4] 6 is a second flowchart showing the method for controlling a vehicle according to the inspection results of an on-board device. [Diagram 5] 10 is a third flowchart showing the method for controlling a vehicle according to the inspection results of an on-board device. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for vehicle travel control in a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] A. First embodiment: 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a control system 50 in the first embodiment. The control system 50 includes one or more external sensors 300, one or more vehicles 100 as moving objects, a server 200, and a remote control device 400.

[0009] The external sensor 300 is a sensor located outside the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the external sensor 300 is a sensor that captures the vehicle 100 from outside the vehicle 100. The external sensor 300 includes a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with other devices such as the server 200 by wired communication or wireless communication.

[0010] Specifically, the external sensor 300 is configured with a camera. The camera as the external sensor 300 captures an image including the vehicle 100, and outputs the captured image as a detection result. Hereinafter, the camera as the external sensor 300 is also referred to as an "external camera."

[0011] In this disclosure, the term "mobile body" refers to an object that can move, such as the vehicle 100 or an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (a so-called flying car). The vehicle 100 may be a vehicle that runs on wheels or a vehicle that runs on caterpillar tracks, such as a passenger car, a truck, a bus, a two-wheeled vehicle, a four-wheeled vehicle, a tank, or a construction vehicle. The vehicle 100 includes an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle), a gasoline-powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and a fuel cell vehicle. When the mobile body is other than the vehicle 100, the expressions "vehicle" and "car" in this disclosure can be appropriately replaced with "mobile body", and the expression "running" can be appropriately replaced with "movement".

[0012] The vehicle 100 is configured to be capable of traveling by unmanned driving. "Unmanned driving" means driving without the driving operation of a passenger. Driving operation means at least one of the operations of "running", "turning" and "stopping" of the vehicle 100. Unmanned driving is realized by automatic or manual remote control using a device located 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 operation on board. The passenger who does not perform driving operation includes, for example, a person who simply sits in the seat of the vehicle 100, and a person who performs work other than driving operation, such as assembly, inspection, and operation of switches, while riding on the vehicle 100. Note that driving by a passenger who performs driving operation is sometimes called "manned driving".

[0013] In this specification, "remote control" includes "full remote control" in which all of the operations of the vehicle 100 are completely determined from outside the vehicle 100, and "partial remote control" in which some of the operations of the vehicle 100 are determined from outside the vehicle 100. In addition, "autonomous control" includes "full autonomous control" in which the vehicle 100 autonomously controls its own operations without receiving any information from devices external to the vehicle 100, and "partial autonomous control" in which the vehicle 100 autonomously controls its own operations using information received from devices external to the vehicle 100.

[0014] In this embodiment, the control system 50 is used in a factory that manufactures the vehicle 100. The reference coordinate system of the factory is a global coordinate system. That is, any position in the factory is expressed by X, Y, and Z coordinates in the global coordinate system. The factory includes a first location and a second location. The first location and the second location are connected by a track on which the vehicle 100 can travel. In the factory, a plurality of external sensors 300 are installed along the track. The positions of the external sensors 300 in the factory are adjusted in advance. The vehicle 100 moves from the first location to the second location along the track in at least one of a towing driving mode, a manned driving mode, a remote manual driving mode, and an automatic driving mode according to the inspection result of the onboard device DE.

[0015] The on-board device DE is a device mounted on the vehicle 100. The on-board device DE is, for example, a motion control system device, an on-board sensor, and an electric parking brake. The motion control system device is an on-board device DE for realizing the three functions of the vehicle 100, namely, "running," "turning," and "stopping." The motion control system device is, for example, an electric power steering, a disc brake device having a brake pump, etc., an engine, a driving motor, and an electric shift. The on-board sensor is a sensor mounted on the vehicle 100. The on-board sensor is, for example, an acceleration sensor, a yaw rate sensor, a millimeter wave radar, an on-board camera, an on-board LiDAR, and a steering angle sensor. Note that the types of the on-board device DE are not limited to those described above.

[0016] In the towing driving mode, the vehicle 100 does not perform any operation, but moves by being towed by a device other than the host vehicle 100, such as a towing device.

[0017] In the manned driving mode, the vehicle 100 is driven by the driving operation of the passenger. In the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle 100 is driven in one of the driving modes, a remote autonomous driving mode in which automatic remote control is performed using a device located outside the vehicle 100, and an autonomous driving mode in which the vehicle 100 is autonomously controlled. In this embodiment, the vehicle 100 is driven in the remote autonomous driving mode in which automatic remote control is performed using a server 200 as a device located outside the vehicle 100, among the autonomous driving modes. In the remote manual driving mode, the vehicle 100 is driven by manual remote control using a device located outside the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, in the remote manual driving mode, the vehicle 100 is driven by manual remote control using the server 200 and the remote operation device 400.

[0018] The vehicle 100 includes a vehicle control device 110 for controlling each part of the vehicle 100, an actuator group 120 including one or more actuators that are driven under the control of the vehicle control device 110, and a communication device 130 for communicating via wireless communication with an external device such as a server 200. The actuator group 120 includes an actuator of a drive device for accelerating the vehicle 100, an actuator of a steering device for changing the traveling direction of the vehicle 100, and an actuator of a braking device for decelerating the vehicle 100.

[0019] 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 an actuator group 120 and a communication device 130. The processor 111 executes a program PG1 stored in the memory 112 to realize various functions including functions as an acquisition unit 115, a determination unit 116, and a vehicle control unit 117.

[0020] The acquisition unit 115 acquires the inspection results of the on-board devices DE. In this embodiment, in an inspection process in the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100, a plurality of on-board devices DE are inspected while the vehicle 100 is running in the remote automatic driving mode. Therefore, the acquisition unit 115 acquires the inspection results for each on-board device DE.

[0021] The inspection result of the on-board device DE is, for example, information in which a device identifier for identifying the on-board device DE is associated with pass / fail information indicating the pass / fail of the inspection. The inspection result of the on-board device DE may further include a state quantity indicating the state of the on-board device DE. The pass / fail of the on-board device DE is determined, for example, by comparing the state quantity with a criterion set in advance to determine pass / fail depending on whether the state of the on-board device DE is good or not. In this case, if the state quantity meets the criterion, the on-board device DE is determined to be pass. If the state quantity does not meet the criterion, the on-board device DE is determined to be fail. Note that the pass / fail of the on-board device DE may be determined by other methods. The pass / fail of the on-board device DE may be determined, for example, by calculating the similarity of the state quantities of the same type of on-board device DE at the same acquisition timing acquired for each of the multiple vehicles 100, and clustering the results. In addition, the pass / fail of the on-board device DE may be determined, for example, by relatively comparing time series data representing time series changes of the state quantities of the same type of on-board device DE acquired for each of the multiple vehicles 100.

[0022] The judgment unit 116 judges whether or not driving in the remote automatic driving mode is possible using the inspection results of the on-board devices DE. In this embodiment, when it is judged that all of the multiple on-board devices DE inspected as inspection targets pass, the judgment unit 116 judges that driving in the remote automatic driving mode is possible. On the other hand, when it is judged that any of the multiple on-board devices DE inspected as inspection targets fails, the judgment unit 116 judges that driving in the remote automatic driving mode is impossible. When it is judged that driving in the remote automatic driving mode is impossible, the judgment unit 116 executes a class judgment process to judge whether or not driving in the remote manual driving mode is possible.

[0023] In the class determination process, the determination unit 116, for example, uses the inspection result of the on-board device DE to classify the on-board device DE into one of a plurality of classes according to the degree of influence on driving in the remote manual driving mode, thereby determining the class according to the inspection result of the on-board device DE. In other words, in the class determination process, the determination unit 116 classifies the on-board device DE into one of a plurality of classes according to the degree of malfunction of the on-board device DE, i.e., the operating state of the on-board device DE. The determination unit 116, for example, classifies the on-board device DE into one of a plurality of classes according to the type and combination of the on-board device DE that caused the determination that driving in the remote automatic driving mode is impossible, i.e., the on-board device DE that was determined to have failed the inspection. The determination unit 116 may further classify the on-board device DE into one of a plurality of classes taking into account the state quantity of the on-board device DE that was determined to have failed the inspection.

[0024] In this embodiment, the determination unit 116 classifies at least either the first case or the second case into a possible class indicating that traveling in the remote manual driving mode is possible, out of the multiple classes.

[0025] In the first case, the function of the on-board device DE that caused the determination that the vehicle cannot travel in the remote automatic driving mode can be compensated for by the senses and operation of the external operator. The senses of the external operator may be, for example, the five senses such as the sight and hearing of the external operator, or may be a sense based on the experience of the driving operation. For example, when the on-board device DE that caused the determination that the vehicle cannot travel in the remote automatic driving mode is an on-board camera, which is a type of on-board sensor, the vehicle 100 can be driven as follows. In this case, the external operator visually confirms the captured image displayed on the display of the remote control device 400, which is acquired by capturing an image of the vehicle 100 equipped with an on-board camera that has been determined to have failed the inspection, by an external camera. As a result, the external operator recognizes the surrounding situation of the vehicle 100 and operates the remote control device 400, thereby allowing the vehicle 100 to travel by remote control of the external operator. Also, for example, when the on-board device DE that caused the determination that the vehicle cannot travel in the remote automatic driving mode is a steering angle sensor, the vehicle 100 can be driven as follows. In this case, an external operator visually checks an image displayed on the display of the remote control device 400, which is acquired by capturing an image of the vehicle 100 equipped with a steering angle sensor that has been determined to have failed the inspection, using an external camera. As a result, the external operator recognizes the steering angle of the vehicle 100 and the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 100, and operates the steering of the remote control device 400, so that the vehicle 100 can be driven by remote control of the external operator. In this way, when the mounted device DE that caused the determination that driving in the remote automatic driving mode is impossible is an mounted sensor, the external operator can compensate for the sensor and drive in the remote manual driving mode. Also, for example, when the mounted device DE that caused the determination that driving in the remote automatic driving mode is impossible is an electric parking brake, if there is no malfunction in the electric shift and disc brake devices, the vehicle 100 can be stopped as follows.In this case, the external operator depresses the brake pedal of the remote control device 400 or operates the lever of the remote control device 400 to set the position of the electric shift mounted on the vehicle 100 to parking. This allows the vehicle 100 to be stopped by remote control by the external operator. Therefore, the first case is, for example, a case where the on-board device DE that has caused the vehicle to determine that driving in the remote automatic driving mode is impossible is at least one of the on-board sensor and the electric parking brake.

[0026] The second case is a case where the function of one on-board device DE that caused the determination that traveling in the remote automatic driving mode is impossible can be compensated for by another on-board device DE different from the one on-board device DE. For example, when the on-board device DE that caused the determination that traveling in the remote automatic driving mode is impossible is an electric parking brake, if there is no malfunction in the electric shift or disc brake device, the vehicle 100 can be stopped as follows. In this case, an external operator presses the brake pedal of the remote control device 400 or operates the lever of the remote control device 400 to set the position of the electric shift mounted on the vehicle 100 to parking. In this way, the vehicle 100 can be stopped by remote control of the external operator. Therefore, the second case is, for example, a case where the on-board device DE that caused the determination that traveling in the remote manual driving mode is impossible is an electric parking brake.

[0027] When neither the first nor the second case applies, the determination unit 116 classifies the vehicle into an impossible class, which indicates that driving in the remote manual driving mode is impossible, from among the multiple classes. When neither the first nor the second case applies, for example, the on-board device DE that has been determined to have failed the inspection is a motion control device.

[0028] The possible class and the impossible class may each be composed of a plurality of classes according to the types, combinations, and state quantities of the mounted devices DE that are determined to have failed the inspection, or may be composed of a single class. The plurality of classes according to the operating states of the mounted devices DE are also called "fail classes."

[0029] The determination unit 116 transmits the determination result to the server 200. Specifically, when it is determined that traveling in the remote automatic driving mode is possible, the determination unit 116 transmits confirmation information indicating that traveling in the remote automatic driving mode is possible. When it is determined that traveling in the remote automatic driving mode is impossible, the determination unit 116 transmits class information indicating whether the vehicle has been classified into a possible class or an impossible class to the server 200. Note that, when at least one of the possible class and the impossible class is composed of a plurality of classes, the determination unit 116 may transmit a class identifier for identifying the plurality of classes to the server 200. For example, when the possible class is composed of a first class, a second class, and a third class, and the impossible class is composed of a fourth class, a fifth class, a sixth class, and a seventh class, the determination unit 116 transmits a class identifier indicating which class the vehicle has been classified into to the server 200.

[0030] The vehicle control unit 117 controls the actuator group 120 to drive the vehicle 100. In the manned driving mode, the vehicle control unit 117 generates a driving control signal in response to an operation by a passenger of a vehicle control device 140 mounted on the vehicle 100. The vehicle control device 140 includes, for example, a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and an electric shift for operating the vehicle 100. As a result, the vehicle control unit 117 can drive the vehicle 100 by controlling the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal. The driving control signal is a control signal that specifies the operation of the vehicle 100 in order to control the operation of the vehicle 100 and drive the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the driving control signal includes the acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 100 as parameters. In other embodiments, the driving control signal may include the speed of the vehicle 100 as a parameter instead of or in addition to the acceleration of the vehicle 100. In the remote manual driving mode, the vehicle control unit 117 receives a driving control signal generated in response to an operation by an external operator of a remote control device 400 provided at a location different from the vehicle 100. That is, the vehicle control unit 117 receives a driving control signal manually generated by an external operator via the remote control device 400. As a result, the vehicle control unit 117 can control the actuator group 120 using the received driving control signal to drive the vehicle 100 by remote control by the external operator. In the remote automatic driving mode, the vehicle control unit 117 receives a driving control signal automatically generated by the server 200 without responding to an operation by an external operator. As a result, the vehicle control unit 117 can control the actuator group 120 using the driving control signal received from the server 200 to drive the vehicle 100 by remote control by the server 200.

[0031] Hereinafter, a driving control signal generated in response to the operation of the vehicle operation device 140 by an occupant is also referred to as a "manned control signal." A driving control signal generated in response to the operation of the remote operation device 400 by an external operator is also referred to as a "manual control signal." A driving control signal generated without using the operation amount of the vehicle operation device 140 and the operation amount of the remote operation device 400 is also referred to as an "automatic control signal."

[0032] The server 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 so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally. The input / output interface 203 is connected to a communication device 205 for communicating with various devices outside the server 200. The communication device 205 can communicate with the vehicle 100 by wireless communication, and can communicate with each external sensor 300 by wired communication or wireless communication. The processor 201 executes a program PG2 stored in the memory 202 to realize various functions including a setting unit 211 and a function as a remote control unit 212.

[0033] The setting unit 211 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100 using the determination result by the determination unit 116 received from the vehicle 100. When it is determined that driving in the remote automatic driving mode is possible, the setting unit 211 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100 to the remote automatic driving mode. When it is determined that driving in the remote automatic driving mode is impossible and when it is determined that driving in the remote manual driving mode is possible, the setting unit 211 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100 to the remote manual driving mode. When it is determined that driving in the remote automatic driving mode and the remote manual driving mode is impossible, the setting unit 211 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100 to either the tow driving mode or the manned driving mode.

[0034] In this embodiment, it is determined which driving mode is possible according to the inspection result of the onboard device DE performed during driving in the remote automatic driving mode. Then, the server 200 receives either the confirmation information or the class information from the vehicle 100 as a determination result. Therefore, when the confirmation information is received from the vehicle 100, the setting unit 211 maintains the driving mode of the vehicle 100 without changing it from the remote automatic driving mode. When the class information is received from the vehicle 100, if the class specified by the class information is a possible class, the setting unit 211 switches the driving mode of the vehicle 100 from the remote automatic driving mode to the remote manual driving mode. When the class information is received from the vehicle 100, if the class specified by the class information is an impossible class, the setting unit 211 switches the driving mode of the vehicle 100 from the remote automatic driving mode to either the towing driving mode or the manned driving mode.

[0035] When the class specified by the class information received from the vehicle 100 is an impossible class, the setting unit 211 executes, for example, the following process. In this case, the setting unit 211 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100 to either the towing driving mode or the manned driving mode according to the type of the on-board device DE that has been determined to have failed the inspection. In this embodiment, the setting unit 211 determines whether or not the passenger can operate the vehicle operation device 140 to drive the vehicle 100 according to the type of the on-board device DE that has been determined to have failed the inspection. When it is determined that the passenger can operate the vehicle operation device 140 to drive the vehicle 100, the setting unit 211 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100 to the manned driving mode. On the other hand, when it is determined that the passenger cannot operate the vehicle operation device 140 to drive the vehicle 100, the setting unit 211 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100 to the towing driving mode.

[0036] For example, if the on-board device DE that has been determined to have failed the inspection is a drive device related to the drive of the vehicle 100, such as an engine, a driving motor, or a hybrid system, among the motion control devices, the vehicle may not be able to run even if the passenger operates the vehicle operation device 140. Also, if the on-board device DE that has been determined to have failed the inspection is an electric shift, among the drive control devices, the vehicle may not be able to switch the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 to either the forward direction or the backward direction, or to switch the drive mode of the vehicle 100. As a result, even if the passenger operates the vehicle operation device 140, the vehicle may not be able to run along a desired route. Also, if the on-board device DE that has been determined to have failed the inspection is a power supply device, the drive device and the like may not be able to be driven, and the vehicle may not be able to run even if the passenger operates the vehicle operation device 140. Therefore, when the on-board device DE that has been determined to have failed the inspection is at least one of the drive device, the electric shift, and the power supply device, the setting unit 211 sets the operation mode of the vehicle 100 to the towing operation mode, for example.

[0037] On the other hand, for example, if the on-board device DE that has been determined to have failed the inspection is an electric power steering device among the driving control devices, the occupant can change the steering angle of the vehicle 100 by operating the steering wheel of the vehicle operation device 140. Also, if the on-board device DE that has been determined to have failed the inspection is a brake pump among the driving control devices, the occupant can decelerate or stop the vehicle 100 by stepping on the brake pedal of the vehicle operation device 140. Also, if the on-board device DE that has been determined to have failed the inspection is the communication device 130, the occupant may be able to operate the vehicle operation device 140 to drive the vehicle 100. In other words, if the on-board device DE that has been determined to have failed the inspection is at least one of the electric power steering device, the brake pump, and the communication device 130, the occupant may be able to operate the vehicle operation device 140 to drive the vehicle 100. Therefore, if the onboard device DE that is determined to have failed the inspection is at least one of the electric power steering device, the brake pump, and the communication device 130, the setting unit 211 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100 to, for example, the manned driving mode.

[0038] When the driving mode of the vehicle 100 is set to the remote manual driving mode, the setting unit 211 may further execute various processes for enabling driving in the remote manual driving mode. In this case, the setting unit 211 may, for example, notify an external operator of information indicating that the driving mode of the vehicle 100 has been set to the remote manual driving mode via a notifying unit (not shown) to prompt the external operator to operate the remote control device 400. In addition, the setting unit 211 may turn on and start the remote control device 400 in order to enable driving in the remote manual driving mode. In addition, the setting unit 211 may execute processes for starting communication between the remote control device 400 and the server 200 or for starting communication between the server 200 and the vehicle 100 in order to enable driving in the remote manual driving mode. In this way, driving in the remote manual driving mode can be smoothly started.

[0039] When the driving mode of the vehicle 100 is set to at least one of the manned driving mode, the remote manual driving mode, and the remote automatic driving mode, the remote control unit 212 generates a driving control signal for controlling the actuator group 120 of the vehicle 100. Then, the remote control unit 212 transmits the driving control signal to the vehicle 100. As a result, the remote control unit 212 causes the vehicle 100 to drive by remote control.

[0040] In the remote manual driving mode, the remote control unit 212 generates a manual control signal according to the operation of an external operator located outside the vehicle 100. Specifically, in the remote manual driving mode, the external operator operates the remote control device 400. Then, the remote control unit 212 of the server 200 acquires the amount of operation applied to the remote control device 400, and generates a manual control signal according to the operation applied to the remote control device 400. The remote control device 400 includes, for example, a display for displaying a captured image, a steering wheel for remotely operating the vehicle 100, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a communication device for communicating with the server 200 by wired communication or wireless communication. The captured image is an image output from at least one of an external camera and an in-vehicle camera.

[0041] In the remote automatic driving mode, the remote control unit 212 acquires detection results from the sensors, and generates a driving control signal for controlling the actuator group 120 of the vehicle 100 using the detection results. Then, the remote control unit 212 transmits the generated driving control signal to the vehicle 100, thereby causing the vehicle 100 to drive by remote control.

[0042] When the driving mode of the vehicle 100 is set to at least one of the manned driving mode and the towing driving mode, the remote control unit 212 may further notify the worker, via a notification unit (not shown), that the worker's assistance is required to move the vehicle 100. In this way, the worker can directly call the worker to the vehicle 100 that needs to be moved.

[0043] Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for driving control of the vehicle 100 in the first embodiment. Fig. 2 shows a processing procedure when the vehicle 100 is driven in the remote automatic driving mode. The flow shown in Fig. 2 is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals from the time when the vehicle 100 starts driving in the remote automatic driving mode during the period when control in the remote automatic driving mode is being executed. In the processing procedure in Fig. 2, the processor 201 of the server 200 functions as a setting unit 211 and a remote control unit 212 by executing the program PG2. Moreover, the processor 111 of the vehicle 100 functions as an acquisition unit 115, a determination unit 116, and a vehicle control unit 117 by executing the program PG1.

[0044] In step S101, the processor 201 of the server 200 acquires vehicle position information of the vehicle 100 using the detection result output from the external sensor 300. The vehicle position information is position information that is the basis for generating a driving control signal. In this embodiment, the vehicle position information includes the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 in the global coordinate system of the factory. Specifically, in step S101, the processor 201 acquires the vehicle position information using a captured image acquired from a camera, which is the external sensor 300.

[0045] In detail, in step S101, the processor 201, for example, 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, i.e., the local coordinate system, and converts the calculated coordinates into coordinates in the 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 DM that utilizes artificial intelligence. The detection model DM is prepared, for example, inside or outside the control system 50, and is stored in advance in the memory 202 of the server 200. As the detection model DM, for example, a trained machine learning model that has been trained to realize either semantic segmentation or instance segmentation can be used. As this machine learning model, for example, a convolutional neural network (hereinafter, CNN) trained by supervised learning using a learning dataset can be used. The learning dataset has, for example, a plurality of training images including the vehicle 100, and labels indicating whether each region in the training images is a region indicating the vehicle 100 or a region indicating something other than the vehicle 100. During CNN learning, it is preferable to update the parameters of the CNN by backpropagation (backpropagation method) so as to reduce an error between the output result of the detection model DM and the label. In addition, the processor 201 can acquire the orientation of the vehicle 100 by estimating based on the orientation of the movement vector of the vehicle 100 calculated from the positional change of the feature points of the vehicle 100 between frames of the captured image using, for example, an optical flow method.

[0046] In step S102, the processor 201 of the server 200 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 RR, which is a route along which the vehicle 100 should travel, is stored in advance in the memory 202 of the server 200. The route is represented by nodes indicating the departure point, nodes indicating passing points, nodes indicating the destination, and links connecting the nodes. The processor 201 uses the vehicle position information and the reference route RR to determine a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head. The processor 201 determines a target position on the reference route RR that is ahead of the current location of the vehicle 100.

[0047] In step S103, the processor 201 of the server 200 generates a driving control signal for driving the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. The processor 201 calculates the driving speed of the vehicle 100 from the transition of the position of the vehicle 100, and compares the calculated driving speed with the target speed. When the driving speed is lower than the target speed as a whole, the processor 201 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 accelerates, and when the driving speed is higher than the target speed, the processor 201 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 decelerates. In addition, when the vehicle 100 is located on the reference route RR, the processor 201 determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 100 does not deviate from the reference route RR, and when the vehicle 100 is not located on the reference route RR, in other words, when the vehicle 100 deviates from the reference route RR, the processor 201 determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 100 returns to the reference route RR.

[0048] In step S104, the processor 201 of the server 200 transmits the generated driving control signal to the vehicle 100. The processor 201 repeats, at a predetermined cycle, the acquisition of vehicle position information, the determination of a target position, the generation of the driving control signal, and the transmission of the driving control signal.

[0049] In step S105, the processor 111 of the vehicle 100 receives a traveling control signal transmitted from the server 200. In step S106, the processor 111 of the vehicle 100 controls the actuator group 120 using the received traveling control signal, thereby causing the vehicle 100 to travel at the acceleration and steering angle represented in the traveling control signal. The processor 111 repeats receiving the traveling control signal and controlling the actuator group 120 at a predetermined cycle. According to the control system 50 in this embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be caused to travel by remote control, and the vehicle 100 can be moved without using transportation equipment such as a crane or a conveyor.

[0050] FIG. 3 is a first flowchart showing a method for controlling the vehicle 100 according to the inspection result of the on-board device DE. FIG. 4 is a second flowchart showing a method for controlling the vehicle 100 according to the inspection result of the on-board device DE. FIG. 5 is a third flowchart showing a method for controlling the vehicle 100 according to the inspection result of the on-board device DE. Each of FIGS. 3 to 5 shows a processing procedure when the vehicle 100 is driven in at least one of the driving modes of the towing driving mode, the manned driving mode, the remote manual driving mode, and the remote automatic driving mode according to the detection result of the on-board device DE. The flow shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 is executed during a period in which the vehicle 100 is test-driven in the remote automatic driving mode in a factory in order to inspect a plurality of on-board devices DE, for example.

[0051] 3, in step S201, the acquisition unit 115 of the vehicle control device 110 mounted on the vehicle 100 acquires the inspection results of the multiple mounted devices DE for each of the mounted devices DE. In step S202, the judgment unit 116 judges whether or not driving in the remote automatic driving mode is possible.

[0052] If all of the multiple onboard devices DE pass (step S202: Yes), in step S203, the judgment unit 116 judges that driving in the remote automatic driving mode is possible. If it is determined that driving in the remote automatic driving mode is possible, in step S204, the judgment unit 116 transmits confirmation information to the server 200. If confirmation information is received from the vehicle 100 (step S205: Yes), in step S206, the setting unit 211 of the server 200 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100 to the remote automatic driving mode. In step S207, the remote control unit 212 acquires vehicle position information using the detection result output from the camera, which is the external sensor 300. In step S208, the remote control unit 212 determines a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head. In step S209, the remote control unit 212 generates an automatic control signal for driving the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. In step S210, the remote control unit 212 transmits the generated automatic control signal to the vehicle 100. In step S211, the vehicle control unit 117 of the vehicle control device 110 mounted on the vehicle 100 controls the actuator group 120 using the automatic control signal received from the server 200, thereby causing the vehicle 100 to run at the acceleration and steering angle represented by the automatic control signal.

[0053] As shown in Fig. 3, if any of the multiple onboard devices DE fails (step S202: No), the determination unit 116 determines that driving in the remote automated driving mode is not possible in step S212 shown in Fig. 4. If it is determined that driving in the remote automated driving mode is not possible, the determination unit 116 executes a class determination process in step S213.

[0054] In the class determination process, in at least one of the first case and the second case (step S213: Yes), in step S214, the determination unit 116 determines that traveling in the remote manual driving mode is possible. As a result, in step S215, the determination unit 116 classifies the vehicle 100 into a possible class. In step S216, the determination unit 116 transmits class information indicating that the vehicle 100 has been classified into a possible class to the server 200. In the case where class information has been received from the vehicle 100 (step S217: Yes), if the class specified by the class information is a possible class (step S218: Yes), the setting unit 211 executes step S219. In step S219, the setting unit 211 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100 to the remote manual driving mode. In step S220, the remote control device 400 accepts an input by operation of the external operator. In step S221, the remote control device 400 transmits the operation amount of the external operator to the server 200. In step S222, the remote control unit 212 of the server 200 generates a manual control signal using the operation amount of the external operator received from the remote operation device 400. In step S223, the remote control unit 212 transmits the generated manual control signal to the vehicle 100. In step S224, the vehicle control unit 117 of the vehicle control device 110 mounted on the vehicle 100 controls the actuator group 120 using the manual control signal received from the server 200, thereby causing the vehicle 100 to run at the acceleration and steering angle represented by the manual control signal.

[0055] In the class determination process, if neither the first nor the second case applies (step S213: No), as shown in FIG. 5, in step S225, the determination unit 116 determines that driving in the remote manual driving mode is impossible. As a result, in step S226, the determination unit 116 classifies the vehicle 100 into the impossible class. In step S227, the determination unit 116 transmits class information indicating the classification into the impossible class to the server 200. As shown in FIG. 4, in the case where class information is received from the vehicle 100 (step S217: Yes), if the class specified by the class information is the impossible class (step S218: No), the setting unit 211 executes step S228 shown in FIG. 5. In step S228, the setting unit 211 determines whether or not the passenger can drive the vehicle 100 by operating the vehicle operation device 140. When it is determined that the vehicle 100 can be driven by the passenger operating the vehicle operation device 140 (step S228: Yes), in step S229, the setting unit 211 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100 to the manned driving mode. In step S230, the vehicle operation device 140 accepts an input by the passenger's operation. In step S231, the vehicle control unit 117 of the vehicle control device 110 mounted on the vehicle 100 generates a manned control signal using the amount of operation by the passenger. In step S232, the vehicle control unit 117 controls the actuator group 120 using the generated manned control signal to drive the vehicle 100 with the acceleration and steering angle represented by the manned control signal. When it is determined that the vehicle 100 cannot be driven by the passenger operating the vehicle operation device 140 (step S228: No), in step S233, the setting unit 211 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100 to the towing driving mode, and ends this flow.

[0056] According to the first embodiment, the control system 50 can obtain the inspection result of the on-board device DE. Then, the control system 50 can use the inspection result of the on-board device DE to determine whether or not traveling in the remote automatic driving mode is possible. When it is determined that traveling in the remote automatic driving mode is impossible, the control system 50 can determine whether or not traveling in the remote manual driving mode is possible. Then, when it is determined that traveling in the remote automatic driving mode is impossible and traveling in the remote manual driving mode is possible, the control system 50 can set the driving mode of the vehicle 100 to the remote manual driving mode. Thereby, when it is determined that traveling in the remote automatic driving mode is impossible and traveling in the remote manual driving mode is possible, the vehicle 100 can travel by executing the following processing. In this case, the vehicle 100 can travel by remote control by an external operator by controlling the actuator group 120 using a manual control signal generated in response to the operation of the remote control device 400 by an external operator. In this way, even if a malfunction occurs in the on-board device DE and the vehicle 100 cannot be driven in the remote automatic driving mode in which automatic remote control is performed using a device located outside the vehicle 100, the following can be done. In this case, the vehicle 100 can be moved in the remote manual driving mode in which manual remote control is performed by an external operator without an operator directly moving the vehicle 100. In other words, the vehicle 100 can be moved without an operator getting on the vehicle 100 and operating the vehicle operation device 140 or an operator transporting the vehicle 100 using a towing device or the like. This can reduce the man-hours required to move the vehicle 100 compared to when an operator moves the vehicle 100 directly.

[0057] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment described above, when the function of the onboard device DE that caused it to be determined that driving in the remote automatic driving mode is impossible can be compensated for by an external operator, the control system 50 can determine that driving in the remote manual driving mode is possible.

[0058] According to the first embodiment, a plurality of on-board devices DE are inspected. In this case, when the function of one on-board device DE that caused the control system 50 to determine that the vehicle is not capable of traveling in the remote automatic driving mode can be compensated for by the function of another on-board device DE, the control system 50 can determine that the vehicle is capable of traveling in the remote manual driving mode.

[0059] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment described above, when the onboard device DE that has caused the vehicle to be determined as being unable to drive in the remote automatic driving mode is at least one of an onboard sensor and an electric parking brake, the control system 50 can determine that the vehicle can drive in the remote manual driving mode.

[0060] According to the first embodiment, the vehicle control device 110 classifies the state of the vehicle 100 into one of a plurality of classes according to the operating state of the on-board device DE, and can determine whether or not the vehicle 100 can travel in the remote manual driving mode. In this way, the vehicle 100 can determine whether or not the vehicle 100 can travel in the remote manual driving mode without preparing a database in which all types and all combinations of various on-board devices DE that differ depending on the type of the vehicle 100 are associated with whether or not the vehicle 100 can travel in the remote manual driving mode. In other words, it is only necessary to have each vehicle 100 store a database according to the type of the on-board device DE of the vehicle 100. The type of the vehicle 100 is, for example, the type of the vehicle 100 when classified by product name, model, specifications, etc. This can reduce the load required for preparing a database used to determine whether or not the vehicle 100 can travel in the remote manual driving mode.

[0061] B. Second embodiment: 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system 50v in the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the control system 50v is different from the first embodiment in that it does not include a server 200. In addition, the vehicle 100v in this embodiment can run in an autonomous driving mode that performs autonomous control of the vehicle 100v. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment unless otherwise described.

[0062] In this embodiment, the processor 111v of the vehicle control device 110v executes a program PG1v stored in the memory 112v, thereby functioning as an acquisition unit 115, a determination unit 116v, a setting unit 118, and a vehicle control unit 117v.

[0063] The determination unit 116v determines whether or not traveling in the autonomous driving mode is possible. If it is determined that traveling in the autonomous driving mode is not possible, the determination unit 116v determines whether or not traveling in the remote manual driving mode is possible. If it is determined that traveling in the remote manual driving mode is not possible, the determination unit 116v determines whether or not traveling in the manned driving mode is possible.

[0064] When the determination unit 116v determines that traveling in the autonomous driving mode is possible, the setting unit 211 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100v to the autonomous driving mode. When the determination unit 116v determines that traveling in the autonomous driving mode is impossible but traveling in the remote manual driving mode is possible, the setting unit 211 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100v to the remote manual driving mode. When the determination unit 116v determines that traveling in the autonomous driving mode and the remote manual driving mode is impossible but traveling in the manned driving mode is possible, the setting unit 118 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100v to the manned driving mode. When the determination unit 116v determines that traveling in the autonomous driving mode, the remote manual driving mode, and the manned driving mode is impossible, the setting unit 118 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100v to the towing driving mode.

[0065] In the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle control unit 117v acquires the output results from the sensors and generates a driving control signal using the output results. As a result, the vehicle control unit 117v can drive the vehicle 100v by autonomous control by outputting the generated driving control signal to operate the actuator group 120. In this embodiment, in addition to the program PG1v, the memory 112v stores the detection model DM and the reference route RR in advance. Note that the functions of the vehicle control unit 117v in the manned driving mode and the remote manual driving mode are the same as those of the vehicle control unit 117 of the server 200 shown in the first embodiment.

[0066] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for driving control of the vehicle 100v in the second embodiment. Fig. 7 shows a processing procedure when the vehicle 100v is driven in the autonomous driving mode. The flow shown in Fig. 7 is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals from the time when the vehicle 100 starts driving in the autonomous driving mode during the period when the control in the autonomous driving mode is being executed. In the processing procedure in Fig. 7, the processor 111v of the vehicle 100v executes the program PG1v to function as an acquisition unit 115, a determination unit 116v, a setting unit 118, and a vehicle control unit 117v.

[0067] In step S301, the processor 111v of the vehicle control device 110v acquires vehicle position information using the detection result output from the camera, which is the external sensor 300. In step S302, the processor 111v determines a target position to which the vehicle 100v should next head. In step S303, the processor 111v generates a driving control signal for driving the vehicle 100v toward the determined target position. In step S304, the processor 111v controls the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal, thereby causing the vehicle 100v to drive according to parameters represented in the driving control signal. The processor 111v repeats the acquisition of vehicle position information, the determination of the target position, the generation of the driving control signal, and the control of the actuators at a predetermined cycle.

[0068] According to the second embodiment described above, during the period in which control in the autonomous driving mode is being executed, the control system 50v can cause the vehicle 100v to run by autonomous control of the vehicle 100v, without the server 200 remotely controlling the vehicle 100v.

[0069] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, even if a malfunction occurs in the on-board device DE and the vehicle 100v cannot be driven in the autonomous driving mode that performs autonomous control of the vehicle 100v, the following can be done. In this case, the vehicle 100v can be moved by manual remote control by an external operator without an operator directly moving the vehicle 100v. This can reduce the amount of work required to move the vehicle 100v, compared to when an operator moves the vehicle 100v directly.

[0070] C. Other embodiments: C-1. Alternative embodiment 1: At least some of the functions of the server 200 may be one of the functions of the vehicle control device 110, 110v, or one of the functions of the external sensor 300. At least some of the functions of the vehicle control device 110, 110v may be one of the functions of the server 200, or one of the functions of the external sensor 300. In other words, a control device including the acquisition unit 115, the determination unit 116, and the setting unit 118, 211 may be the server 200 or the vehicle control device 110, 110v. In addition, each function of the server as a control device may be realized by multiple servers. When each function of the control device is realized by multiple servers, the control system 50 may further include a server 200 having other functions other than the functions shown in the first embodiment. In this case, the control system 50 may include, for example, a self-propelled transport server, a self-propelled control server, a remote driving server, an inspection server, and a notification server. The self-propelled transport server has, for example, the same functions as the acquisition unit 115, the determination unit 116, and the setting unit 118, 211. That is, the self-propelled transport server has a function of determining which of the manned driving mode, the remote manual driving mode, and the automatic driving mode the vehicle 100 should be driven in, and setting the driving mode according to the determination result. The self-propelled control server has a function of automatically generating an automatic control signal using vehicle position information and the like, among the functions of the remote control unit 212, and transmitting it to the vehicle 100. That is, the self-propelled control server is used for driving in the remote automatic driving mode. The remote driving server has a function of generating a manual control signal according to the operation of the remote control device 400 by an external operator, among the functions of the remote control unit 212, and transmitting it to the vehicle 100. The inspection server has a function for executing an inspection of the mounted device DE. The notification server transmits information about objects present around the road and the vehicle 100 to at least one of the self-propelled transport server and the automatic control server at a predetermined cycle. The objects present around the road and the vehicle 100 may be moving objects such as people and AGVs, or stationary objects such as manufacturing equipment and signs. Even in this configuration, if a malfunction occurs in the on-board device DE and the vehicle 100 cannot be driven in the autonomous driving mode, the following can be done.In this case, the vehicle 100 can be moved by manual remote control by an external operator without an operator directly moving the vehicle 100.

[0071] C-2. Alternative embodiment 2: The on-board device DE may be inspected before the vehicle 100 is driven in the autonomous driving mode. For example, in an assembly process in which the on-board device DE is assembled to the vehicle 100, the on-board device DE may be inspected after the on-board device DE is assembled to the vehicle 100. In this manner, the control system 50, 50v can set the driving mode according to the operating state of the on-board device DE before starting driving in the autonomous driving mode.

[0072] C-3. Alternative embodiment 3: The determination units 116, 116v may be one function of the server 200. In this case, the determination units 116, 116v may determine whether or not driving in the remote manual driving mode is possible using a database stored in the memory 202 of the server 200, in which types and combinations of the mounted devices DE are associated with whether or not driving in the remote manual driving mode is possible. Even in this form, the vehicle 100 can be moved by manual remote control by an external operator without an operator directly moving the vehicle 100.

[0073] C-4. Alternative embodiment 4: The vehicle 100, 100v may have a remote manual driving mode, a manned driving mode, and a towing driving mode without having an automatic driving mode. In this case, for example, the acquisition unit 115 acquires the inspection result of the on-board device DE performed during the period when the vehicle 100, 100v is traveling in the manned driving mode. The judgment unit 116, 116v uses the inspection result of the on-board device DE to judge whether or not movement in the manual driving mode is possible without judging whether or not movement in the automatic driving mode is possible. When it is judged that movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible, the setting unit 118, 211 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 100, 100v to the remote manual driving mode. Even in such a form, when a malfunction occurs in the on-board device DE, the vehicle 100, 100v can be moved in the remote manual driving mode without the operator directly moving the vehicle 100, 100v.

[0074] C-5. Alternative embodiment 5: In each of the above embodiments, the external sensor 300 is a camera. In contrast, the external sensor 300 does not have to be a camera, and may be, for example, a distance measuring device such as LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging). In this case, the detection result output by the external sensor 300 may be three-dimensional point cloud data representing the vehicle 100. In this case, the server 200 and the vehicle 100 may acquire vehicle position information by template matching using the three-dimensional point cloud data as the detection result and reference point cloud data prepared in advance.

[0075] C-6. Alternative embodiment 6: In the first embodiment, the processes from obtaining the vehicle position information to generating the driving control signal are executed by the server 200. In contrast, at least a part of the processes from obtaining the vehicle position information to generating the driving control signal may be executed by the vehicle 100. For example, the following forms (1) to (3) may be used.

[0076] (1) The server 200 may acquire vehicle position information, determine a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head, and generate a route from the current location of the vehicle 100 represented in the acquired vehicle position information to the target position. The server 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 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 200, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal.

[0077] (2) Server 200 may acquire vehicle position information and transmit the acquired vehicle position information to vehicle 100. Vehicle 100 may determine a target position to which vehicle 100 should next head, generate a route from the current location of vehicle 100 represented in the received vehicle position information to the target position, generate a driving control signal so that vehicle 100 travels on the generated route, and control actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal.

[0078] (3) In the above-mentioned (1) and (2) modes, the vehicle 100 may be equipped with an internal sensor, and a detection result output from the internal sensor may be used for at least one of generating a route and generating a driving control signal. The internal sensor is a sensor equipped in the vehicle 100. The internal sensor may include, for example, a sensor for detecting a motion state of the vehicle 100, a sensor for detecting an operating state of each part of the vehicle 100, and a sensor for detecting an environment around the vehicle 100. Specifically, the internal sensor 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 the like. For example, in the above-mentioned (1) mode, the server 200 may acquire a detection result of the internal sensor, and may reflect the detection result of the internal sensor on the route when generating a route. In the above-mentioned (1) mode, the vehicle 100 may acquire a detection result of the internal sensor, and may reflect the detection result of the internal sensor on the driving control signal when generating a driving control signal. In the above-mentioned (2) mode, the vehicle 100 may acquire a detection result of the internal sensor, and may reflect the detection result of the internal sensor on the route when generating a route. In the above embodiment (2), the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor, and may reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0079] C-7. Alternative embodiment 7: In the above second embodiment, the vehicle 100v may be equipped with an internal sensor, and a detection result output from the internal sensor may be used for at least one of generating a route and generating a driving control signal. For example, the vehicle 100v may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor, and when generating a route, may reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the route. The vehicle 100v may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor, and when generating a driving control signal, may reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the driving control signal.

[0080] C-8. Other embodiment 8: In the second embodiment, the vehicle 100v acquires vehicle position information using the detection result of the external sensor 300. In contrast, the vehicle 100v may be equipped with an internal sensor, acquire vehicle position information using the detection result of the internal sensor, determine a target position to which the vehicle 100v should next head, generate a route from the current location of the vehicle 100v represented in the acquired vehicle position information to the target position, generate a travel control signal for traveling the generated route, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated travel control signal. In this case, the vehicle 100v can travel without using any of the detection results of the external sensor 300. The vehicle 100v may acquire a target arrival time or traffic congestion information from outside the vehicle 100v and reflect the target arrival time or traffic congestion information in at least one of the route and the travel control signal. In addition, all of the functional configurations of the control system 50v may be provided in the vehicle 100v. That is, the processing realized by the control system 50v in the present disclosure may be realized by the vehicle 100v alone.

[0081] C-9. Other embodiment 9: In each of the above embodiments, the vehicle 100, 100v 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, 100v may have at least the vehicle control device 110, 110v and the actuator group 120 in order to perform the three functions of "running", "turning" and "stopping" by unmanned driving. When the vehicle 100, 100v acquires information from the outside for unmanned driving, the vehicle 100, 100v may further have a communication device 130. That is, the vehicle 100, 100v capable of moving by unmanned driving may not be equipped with at least a part of interior parts such as a driver's seat and a dashboard, may not be equipped with at least a part of exterior parts such as a bumper and a fender, and may not be equipped with a body shell. In this case, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100, 100v before the vehicle 100, 100v is shipped from the factory, or the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100 after the vehicle 100, 100v is shipped from the factory without the remaining parts such as the body shell being 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, 100v, and may be attached from the same direction or from different directions. Note that the position of the platform shape may be determined in the same manner as the vehicle 100, 100v in the first embodiment.

[0082] C-10. Other embodiment 10: The vehicle 100, 100v may be manufactured by combining a plurality of modules. The module means a unit composed of a plurality of parts grouped according to the parts and functions of the vehicle 100, 100v. For example, the platform of the vehicle 100, 100v may be manufactured by combining a front module constituting the front part of the platform, a central module constituting the central part of the platform, and a rear module constituting the rear part of the platform. The number of modules constituting 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 constituting the platform, parts constituting parts of the vehicle 100, 100v other than 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 to the vehicle 100, 100v, 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 constituting the module as one part by casting. The molding method for integrally molding a single component, particularly a relatively large component, is also called gigacast or megacast. For example, the front module, the center module, and the rear module may be manufactured using gigacast.

[0083] C-11. Other embodiment 11: Transporting vehicles 100, 100v using unmanned driving of vehicles 100, 100v is also called "self-propelled transport." Also, a configuration for realizing self-propelled transport is also called a "vehicle remote-controlled autonomous traveling transport system." Also, a production method for producing vehicles 100, 100v using self-propelled transport is also called "self-propelled production." In self-propelled production, for example, at a factory where vehicles 100, 100v are manufactured, at least a portion of the transportation of vehicles 100 is realized by self-propelled transport.

[0084] C-12. Other embodiment 12: In each of the above embodiments, some or all of the functions and processes implemented by software may be implemented by hardware. Also, some or all of the functions and processes implemented by hardware may be implemented by software. As hardware for implementing the various functions in each of the above embodiments, various circuits such as integrated circuits and discrete circuits may be used.

[0085] 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 of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention 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 a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 50,50v...control system, 100,100v...vehicle, 110,110v...vehicle control device, 111,111v...vehicle control device processor, 112,112v...vehicle control device memory, 113...vehicle control device input / output interface, 114...vehicle control device internal bus, 115...acquisition unit, 116,116v...judgment unit, 117,117v...vehicle control unit, 118,211...setting unit, 120...actuator data group, 130...vehicle communication device, 140...vehicle control device, 200...server, 201...server processor, 202...server memory, 203...server input / output interface, 204...server internal bus, 205...server communication device, 212...remote control unit, 300...external sensor, 400...remote control device, DE...mounted device, DM...detection model, PG1, PG1v, PG2...program, RR...reference path

Claims

1. A control device used to move a movable body that can be moved by unmanned operation, the moving body has a remote manual operation mode in which the moving body moves using a manual control signal generated in response to an operation by an external operator of a control device provided at a location different from the moving body in order to control an operation of the moving body; The moving body includes an on-board device mounted on the moving body, The control device includes: An acquisition unit that acquires an inspection result of the mounted device; a determination unit that determines whether or not movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible using the inspection result; a setting unit that sets a driving mode of the moving body to the remote manual driving mode when it is determined that movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , The moving body further has an automatic driving mode in which the moving body moves using an automatic control signal generated without responding to the operation of the external operator to control the operation of the moving body, The determination unit determines whether movement in the automatic driving mode is possible, and when it is determined that movement in the automatic driving mode is impossible, determines whether movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible; The setting unit sets the driving mode of the moving body to the remote manual driving mode when it is determined that movement in the automatic driving mode is impossible and movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible.

3. The control device according to claim 2, The determination unit is A case where the function of the onboard device that caused the movement in the automatic driving mode to be determined to be impossible can be compensated for by the external operator; A control device that determines that movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible when multiple onboard devices are inspected and at least one of the following cases is true: when the function of one of the onboard devices that caused movement in the automatic driving mode to be determined to be impossible can be compensated for by the function of another onboard device that is different from the one onboard device.

4. The control device according to claim 2, A control device, wherein when the onboard device that has caused the movement in the automatic driving mode to be determined to be impossible is at least one of an onboard sensor as a sensor mounted on the moving body and an electric parking brake, the judgment unit judges that the movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible.

5. A control system used to move a movable body that can be moved by unmanned operation, A moving body having an on-board device mounted thereon and having a remote manual driving mode; An acquisition unit that acquires an inspection result of the mounted device; a determination unit that determines whether or not movement in the remote manual driving mode is possible using the inspection result; a setting unit that sets a driving mode of the moving body to the remote manual driving mode when it is determined that the moving body can be moved in the remote manual driving mode, A control system in which, in the remote manual driving mode, the moving body receives a manual control signal generated in response to operation by an external operator of a control device provided in a location different from the moving body to control the operation of the moving body, and moves using the received manual control signal.

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