Mobile body automatic driving support device, automatic driving support system, monitor, and automatic driving support method

Abstract

To provide an automatic driving support device of a mobile body that reduces loads on an operator to support driving of the mobile body that moves cargo in a facility where the conveyed cargo is housed.SOLUTION: The automatic driving support device comprises: an operation information acquisition part that acquires a target position and an operator command; an obstacle state acquisition part that acquires a state of an obstacle that impedes automatic driving operation of at least either of movement and operation to the target position; an obstacle state determination part that determines a level of the obstacle state by determining to which of the following levels the obstacle state acquired by the obstacle state acquisition part belongs, a first level at which an obstacle is avoided by automatic driving of the mobile body, a second level at which a remote monitoring staff is caused to perform auxiliary operation of the automatic driving while continuing the automatic driving under the monitoring performed by the remote monitoring staff, a third level at which driving of the mobile body is performed by remote driving, and a fourth level at which a request for dispatch of a temporary staff who performs manual operation is made; and a support request part that requests for support upon determination by the obstacle state determination part that the obstacle state belongs to any of the second, third, and fourth levels.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an automatic driving support device, an automatic driving support system, a monitoring device, and an automatic driving support method for a moving body such as a towing vehicle or a forklift truck.

Background Art

[0002] Operations such as transporting goods loaded on a trailer by a towing vehicle such as a tractor, or transporting goods carried by a truck with a forklift play an important role in logistics in recent years. For example, materials transported by a trailer are stored in a facility such as a logistics center equipped with a parking lot where a large number of trailers can be parked. At the logistics center, a trailer is connected (hitched) to a tractor, and the tractor pulls the trailer to the building's loading entrance. The trailer is docked at the loading entrance, and the materials are carried into the building. Some of these specific operations have been automated to improve the efficiency of material loading operations and the like.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses control for moving an autonomous tractor to the position of a trailer located at a pickup spot and coupling with the trailer. And it is described that when an obstacle is detected, support is received from an operator or a remote device. Also, Patent Document 2 describes requesting remote operation or remote driving of an autonomous vehicle when it becomes difficult for a general autonomous vehicle to continue autonomous driving.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, there are many factors that interfere with the automatic driving operation, such as when the trailer, which is a cargo-loading vehicle, is parked significantly off the parking line and it is difficult to hitch the tractor and the trailer on the preset moving route, or when the distance from other trailers parked in adjacent parking spaces is narrow and it is difficult to unpark after hitching. When attempting to automate including operations to avoid these factors, the settings become complicated. Eventually, it becomes necessary to dispatch on-site personnel to solve the problem, and there is an issue of a heavy workload on the on-site personnel.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an automatic driving support device for a moving body that can flexibly respond to the work of transporting and carrying the cargo loaded on the cargo-loading vehicle and can reduce the workload of the on-site personnel. Another object is to provide an automatic driving support system, a monitoring device, and an automatic driving support method.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The automatic driving support device for a moving body according to the present disclosure is an automatic driving support device for a moving body that supports the driving of a moving body that moves cargo in a facility for storing the transported cargo, and includes a work information acquisition unit that acquires a target position and a work command, a failure state acquisition unit that acquires a failure state that interferes with at least one of the automatic driving operations of moving to the target position and working, and a failure state determination unit that determines the level of the failure state as to which of the first level in which the failure is avoided by the automatic driving of the moving body, the second level in which the remote operator is made to perform an auxiliary operation of the automatic driving while continuing the automatic driving under the supervision of the remote supervisor, the third level in which the moving body is driven by remote driving, and the fourth level in which the dispatch of a dispatched worker who performs a manual operation is requested. When it is determined by the failure state determination unit that it belongs to any of the second level, the third level, and the fourth level, it includes a support request unit that makes a support request.

[0008] In addition, the automatic driving support system for a moving body according to the present disclosure includes an automatic driving support device for a moving body according to the present disclosure mounted on the moving body, a position information acquisition unit that acquires the position information of a cargo loading vehicle on which cargo is loaded and the moving body, a command unit that selects a target cargo loading vehicle from a plurality of cargo loading vehicles and issues a command to move the moving body to the parking position of the target cargo loading vehicle to carry the cargo, and a support response unit that, when there is a support request for remote operation, remotely operates the moving body, when there is a support request for remote driving, remotely drives the moving body, and when there is a support request for a dispatching worker to perform a manual operation, issues a dispatching request to the dispatching worker to respond to the support request, and a monitoring device.

[0009] In addition, another automatic driving support system for a moving body according to the present disclosure includes a command input unit for inputting a work command and a target position, a position information grasping unit for grasping the target position, and an action plan generation unit for generating an action plan based on the work information input by the command input unit and the position information up to the target position grasped by the position information grasping unit. Based on the generated action plan, an automatic driving support device for a moving body according to the present disclosure that causes the moving body to execute an automatic driving operation, and a monitoring device having a support response unit that, when there is a support request for remote operation, remotely operates the moving body, when there is a support request for remote driving, remotely drives the moving body, and when there is a support request for a manual operation, requests the dispatch of a dispatching worker to respond to the support request.

[0010] In addition, the monitoring device for a moving body according to the present disclosure includes an automatic driving support device for a moving body according to the present disclosure, a position information acquisition unit that acquires the position information of a cargo loading vehicle on which cargo is loaded and the moving body, a command unit that selects a target cargo loading vehicle from a plurality of cargo loading vehicles and issues a command to move the moving body to the parking position of the target cargo loading vehicle to carry the cargo, and a support response unit that, for an obstacle state that hinders the automatic driving operation in the command, when there is a support request for remote operation, remotely operates the moving body, when there is a support request for remote driving, remotely drives the moving body, and when there is a support request for a dispatching worker to perform a manual operation, issues a dispatching request to the dispatching worker to respond to the support request.

[0011] Moreover, the method for assisting the automatic driving of a moving body according to the present disclosure is a method for assisting the driving of a moving body that moves goods in a facility for storing the transported goods, the method including: a step of acquiring a target position and a work command; a step of acquiring an obstacle state that hinders at least one of the automatic driving operations of moving to the target position and performing the work; a step of determining the level of the obstacle state, which belongs to any one of a first level in which the obstacle is avoided by the automatic driving of the moving body, a second level in which the remote operator is made to perform an auxiliary operation of the automatic driving while continuing the automatic driving under the supervision of the remote supervisor, a third level in which the moving body is driven by remote driving from a monitoring device, and a fourth level in which the dispatch of a dispatched worker who performs a manual operation is requested; and a step of making a support request when it is determined that the obstacle state belongs to any one of the second level, the third level, and the fourth level.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] According to the present disclosure, in the operation of transporting and carrying the goods loaded on the cargo carrier, when an obstacle state is detected, the obstacle state is determined, and a support request is made based on the determined level, so that the load on the support staff can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same content and corresponding parts, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0015] Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of an automatic driving support system 1000 according to Embodiment 1, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a logistics center 4000 which is a facility for storing the transported goods. As shown in FIG. 2, the logistics center 4000 is provided with a building 400 having a loading entrance 401 for loading the materials transported as goods, and a parking lot 301 where a trailer 200 loaded with goods is parked. When a trailer 200 loaded with goods towed by a tractor 100 from the outside arrives at the logistics center 4000, it is parked in the parking lot 301. Then, the mobile body 6 capable of autonomous driving moves to the position of a target trailer 201 among a plurality of trailers 200, connects the target trailer 201, towes the target trailer 201 to unpark it, moves it to a parking lot 302 in contact with the loading entrance 401, and receives a work command to dock the loading platform opening of the target trailer 201 to the loading entrance 401. The mobile body 6 is, for example, an autonomous tractor.

[0016] The operation instruction is issued, for example, by the monitoring device 20 inside the building 400, and the remote monitor monitors the monitoring device 20. In FIG. 2, an example is shown in which the operator 500 who operates the monitoring device 20, the remote operator 501 who remotely operates the moving body 6 from the remote operation device 21 upon a support request, the remote driver 502 who remotely drives the moving body 6 from the remote driving device 22 upon a support request, and the dispatched worker 503 who is dispatched to the parking lots 301 and 302 outside the building 400 upon a support request are each working or waiting. The operator 500, the remote operator 501, the remote driver 502, and the dispatched worker 503 are remote monitors. The remote monitor may assume any role. The remote operation device 21 and the remote driving device 22 are terminals of the monitoring device 20. They may be integrated or separate devices. The operator 500, the remote operator 501, the remote driver 502, and the dispatched worker 503 who operate the monitoring device 20 may be in charge of different persons, or one person may assume multiple roles. They may be shared among several persons.

[0017] In FIG. 1, the monitoring device 20 monitors, for example, the trailers 200, tractors 100, etc. in the parking lots 301 and 302 with the monitoring camera 30, and acquires the positions of the trailer 200 and the moving body 6 with the position receiver 31. The monitoring device 20 creates a work plan, for example, with the work plan creation unit 23, selects the moving body 6 that issues the operation instruction with the moving body selection unit 24, and selects the target trailer 201 with the trailer selection unit 25. Then, the operation instruction including the moving route created by the moving route creation unit 26 and the position information of the target trailer 201 acquired by the position information acquisition unit 27 with the position receiver 31 is transmitted from the instruction unit 28 to the moving body 6. The work instruction reception unit 11 of the automatic driving support device 10 provided in the moving body 6 receives the work instruction, and the work information acquisition unit 12 acquires position information such as the parking position of the target trailer 201 and the position of the connected part for towing.

[0018] The moving body 6 performs, for example, the following series of operations in order to move the target trailer 201 from the parking lot 301 to the parking lot 302 adjacent to the loading entrance 401. (a) Based on the obtained movement route, the surrounding situation and information are obtained from sensors 63 such as cameras and LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) and sent to the obstacle state acquisition unit 13. While grasping the obstacle state such as the presence or absence of obstacles, the target trailer 201 moves to the parking lot 301 where it will park. (b) When the target trailer 201 is detected by the sensor 63 and it is the target trailer 201 that is desired to be moved, a connection route until the moving body 6 and the target trailer 201 are hitched is generated. The connection route may be the one transmitted from the monitoring device 20. Here, hitching refers to the operation of connecting the connecting part of the moving body 6 to the connected part of the target trailer 201, and alignment is required to perform this operation. The moving body 6 is moved at an angle at which hitching is possible according to the generated connection route, and hitching is started. If hitching fails in one movement, the connection route may be generated again and the operation may be repeated. (c) After the hitching of connecting the moving body 6 and the target trailer 201 is completed, unparking is performed to leave the parking position with the target trailer 201 being towed, and it returns to the movement route. (d) The target trailer 201 is towed and moved to the parking lot 302 based on the movement route, and the target trailer 201 is docked at the loading entrance 401. (e) The connection between the connecting part of the moving body 6 and the connected part of the target trailer 201 is released, and it returns to the waiting place.

[0019] In the above series of operations, the moving body 6 may be in a situation where it is difficult to continue the automatic driving operation. For example, the following obstacle states can be considered. (1) There are obstacles 52 and 53 in front of the movement route and the target trailer 201. (2) The target trailer 201 is parked at an unexpected angle and cannot be hitched. (3) An adjacent trailer 202 is parked close to the target trailer 201, and there is a possibility that the target trailer 201 may contact the adjacent trailer 202 during unparking. (4) Even if the hitching and docking operations are retried, it is impossible to move to the connection position or the docking position. (5) The connection between the connecting part of the moving body 6 and the connected part of the target trailer 201 cannot be released. (6) The moving body 6 cannot be controlled in bad weather.

[0020] Under such a failure state, a configuration for avoiding the failure state will be described. The automatic driving support device 10 is provided with a failure state determination unit 14, which determines the level of the failure state acquired by the failure state acquisition unit 13 during the movement or operation of the moving body 6. The classification is as follows. (First level) Avoid obstacles by automatic driving of the moving body 6. (Second level) While continuing automatic driving under the supervision of the remote operator 501, cause the remote operator 501 to perform auxiliary operations for automatic driving. (Third level) The moving body 6 is driven by the remote driver 502. (Fourth level) Request the dispatch of the dispatched worker 503 who performs manual operations.

[0021] The failure state determination unit 14 analyzes and calculates which level the failure state acquired by the failure state acquisition unit 13 is. When the level of the failure state is the first level, no support request is made, and the obstacle is avoided by the automatic driving of the moving body 6. When the level of the failure state is the second level, the third level, and the fourth level, it notifies the support response unit 29 of the monitoring device 20 from the support request unit 15. The monitoring device 20 issues instructions to the remote operator 501, the remote driver 502, and the dispatched worker 503 who are remote monitors based on the requested level.

[0022] When the level of the failure state is the second level, based on the auxiliary remote operation of the remote operator 501 by the support response unit 29, the obstacle avoidance execution unit 16 sends information to the vehicle control unit 17. The vehicle control unit 17 performs movement and operation while sending a command to the vehicle drive control unit 64 of the moving body 6. For example, information on the mobile body 6 targeted for the mobile terminal of the remote operator 501 is notified from the support response unit 29. Then, the remote operation device 21 is caused to display in real time the information of the sensor 63 provided in the mobile body 6 and the failure state acquired from the failure state acquisition unit 13 of the automatic driving support device 10, and while monitoring the operation of the mobile body 6 by the notified remote operator 501, for example, the steering operation is assisted by remote operation to avoid the failure. After it is confirmed by the remote operator 501 that the failure has been avoided, the automatic driving operation of the mobile body 6 is resumed.

[0023] When the level of the failure state is the third level, the automatic driving by the mobile body 6 is interrupted, and based on the remote driving operation of the remote driver 502 by the support response unit 29, the failure avoidance execution unit 16 sends information to the vehicle control unit 17. The vehicle control unit 17 moves and performs work while sending a command to the vehicle drive control unit 64 of the mobile body 6. For example, information on the mobile body 6 targeted for the mobile terminal of the remote driver 502 is notified from the support response unit 29. Then, the remote driving device 22 is caused to display in real time the information of the sensor 63 provided in the mobile body 6 and the failure state acquired from the failure state acquisition unit 13 of the automatic driving support device 10, and the notified remote driver 502 is made to grasp the situation of the mobile body 6. Then, the automatic driving of the mobile body 6 is interrupted, and while observing the image of the in-vehicle camera projected on the remote driving device 22, the steering wheel and accelerator of the remote driving device 22 are operated by the remote driver 502 to control the vehicle drive unit 64 of the mobile body 6. After it is confirmed by the remote driver 502 that the failure has been avoided, the automatic driving of the mobile body 6 is resumed.

[0024] When the level of the failure state is the fourth level, the automatic driving by the mobile body 6 is interrupted, and the failure state is avoided by the manual operation of the dispatched field worker 503. For example, information on the mobile body 6 targeted for the mobile terminal of the dispatched field worker 503 is notified from the support response unit 29. Then, the notified dispatched field worker 503 grasps the situation of the mobile body 6 with the monitoring device 20, goes to the site, and avoids the failure by driving the mobile body 6 or the like. After it is confirmed that the failure has been avoided, the automatic driving of the mobile body 6 is resumed.

[0025] To avoid obstacles, instead of using the vehicle control unit 17, the control unit of the moving body 6 (not shown) may be used. The manual operations of the dispatched worker 503 include, in addition to the operation of the moving body 6, operations for assisting the connection between the moving body 6 and the target trailer 201, operations for manually removing obstacles 52 and 53 or using other devices to remove them, and the like.

[0026] The analysis and calculation of the level of the obstacle state are performed by each processing mechanism of the obstacle state determination unit 14 shown in FIG. 3. The image data, distance data, etc. acquired by the sensor 63 are analyzed by the image analysis unit 141 and the numerical analysis unit 142, and compared and calculated with the reference data stored in the reference data storage unit 144 by the calculation unit 143, and determined by the determination unit 145. For example, when an obstacle 52 is detected in the moving path of the moving body 6 shown in FIG. 4, the information of the sensor 63 acquired by the obstacle state acquisition unit 13 is analyzed by the image analysis unit 141. If the result is, for example, that the obstacle 52 is estimated to be a stone, the numerical analysis unit 142 performs numerical analysis to obtain the size and the like. If it is found based on the reference data in the reference data storage unit 144 that the moving path can be avoided by changing the moving path, for example, the distance deviating from the moving path acquired by the work information acquisition unit 12 is obtained. If the distance is within the allowable range that can be corrected by the automatic driving of the moving body 6, it is determined to be the first level. The allowable range may be sent from the monitoring device 20 in advance or determined from the reference data. If it deviates beyond the allowable range, it is determined to be the second level. In the case of the second level, a request for remote operation support is made by the support request unit 15, and the remote operator 501 makes the moving body 6 standby by remote operation, creates a corrected moving path 51 in which a part of the moving path is corrected by the moving path creation unit 26, and continues the automatic driving operation of the moving body 6 by remote operation.

[0027] For example, when an obstacle 53 in front of the target trailer 201 shown in FIG. 4 is detected, if the result of image analysis of the information of the sensor 63 acquired by the obstacle state acquisition unit 13 by the image analysis unit 141 is an animal, it is determined as the second level as a dynamic obstacle. In this case, the remote operator 501 who has received a support request from the support request unit 15 interrupts the automatic driving operation of the moving body 6 by remote operation, monitors the sensor 63 by remote operation, and confirms that the animal has left. If it is confirmed that there is no dynamic obstacle, the automatic driving operation of the moving body 6 is restored by remote operation. Also, if it is determined that it is a static obstacle such as a load, it is determined as the fourth level. In this case, the dispatched worker 503 who has received a support request from the support request unit 15 goes to the site to remove the obstacle 53 and resumes the automatic driving operation of the moving body 6.

[0028] Also, as shown in FIG. 5, when it is detected that the target trailer 201 is parked obliquely, it is determined using the angle measured by the sensor 63. If the numerically analyzed value is at a level where the obstacle can be avoided by the automatic driving of the moving body 6, it is determined as the first level; if it is at a level where it can be avoided by remote operation, it is determined as the second level; if it is at a level where it can be solved by remote driving, it is determined as the third level; if it is at a level where the dispatch of the dispatched operator 503 is necessary, it is determined as the fourth level. Then, in the case of the second level, remote operation is requested; in the case of the third level, remote driving is requested; and in the case of the fourth level, dispatch is requested. If these determinations are inappropriate, the remote operator 501, remote driver 502, dispatched worker 503, etc. who have received a support request from the support request unit 15 may change the support request using the support request change unit 291. In the support response unit 29, the obstacle state determination unit 14 may be operated by remote operation to re - perform the determination.

[0029] The reference data of the obstacle state determination unit 14 may be the reference data of the ground object information that can be analyzed by the image analysis unit 141, or a preset numerical range may be used. Past data may be stored, and related data may be called and used.

[0030] In addition, when a desired determination can be made, the failure state determination unit 14 may be provided with only either the image analysis unit 141 or the numerical analysis unit 142. It is sufficient to compare at least one of the image data and the numerical data with the reference data and make a determination at least one of the first level, the second level, the third level, and the fourth level.

[0031] Also, as shown in FIG. 6, when an adjacent trailer 202 is parked in the vicinity of the target trailer 201 and there is a possibility that the target trailer 201 may come into contact with the adjacent trailer 202 during unparking, the sensor 63 acquires the distance between the target trailer 201 and the adjacent trailer 202 numerically and makes a determination according to the magnitude of the numerical value. Also, when it is not possible to move to the coupling position or the docking position even if the hitching or docking operation is retried, it is conceivable to determine at the third level according to the number of retries and request remote operation. If remote operation is not possible, it may be re-determined at the fourth level and a dispatch request may be made. Furthermore, in the case of bad weather such as rain or wind where the moving body 6 cannot be controlled, it may be determined at the third level or the fourth level. It may be appropriately set according to the ground conditions and the visibility conditions of the parking lots 301 and 302.

[0032] The change of the level may be automatically performed by returning to the control of the failure state determination unit 14, or may be performed by the remote operation of the remote operator 501 or the remote driver 502. The dispatch worker 503 or the like may perform it, for example, by button input.

[0033] In this way, the automatic driving support device 10 includes a work information acquisition unit 12 that acquires the target position and work commands, a failure state acquisition unit 13 that acquires a failure state that hinders at least one of the movement to the target position and the automatic driving operation of the work, and a failure state determination unit 14 that determines which level of the first level that avoids the obstacle by the automatic driving of the moving body 6, the second level that allows the remote operator to perform an auxiliary operation of the automatic driving while continuing the automatic driving under the supervision of the remote operator, the third level that drives the moving body by remote control, and the fourth level that requests the dispatch of a dispatched worker who performs a manual operation the failure state belongs to. When it is determined by the failure state determination unit 14 that it belongs to any of the second level, the third level, and the fourth level, the support request unit 15 that makes a support request is provided, so that support can be provided according to the level of the failure state, and the load on the support personnel can be reduced. In addition, the opportunity to dispatch the dispatched worker 503 to the site can be minimized as much as possible.

[0034] Moreover, it has at least one of an image analysis unit 141 that analyzes the image data acquired by the failure state acquisition unit 13 and a numerical analysis unit 142 that analyzes the numerical data. By comparing at least one of the image data and the numerical data with the reference data and determining that it belongs to any of the first level, the second level, the third level, and the fourth level, the level can be divided according to the failure state.

[0035] Moreover, by using a plurality of thresholds set for the failure state and determining which of the first level, the second level, the third level, and the fourth level it belongs to, the level can be divided according to the failure state.

[0036] Moreover, if it is determined that the degree of the obstacle increases in the order of the first level, the second level, the third level, and the fourth level, the load on the support personnel can be reduced because the obstacles with a low degree do not require manual intervention or can be reduced and dealt with. In addition, the opportunity to dispatch the dispatched worker 503 to the site can be minimized as much as possible.

[0037] Note that an example has been described in which the monitoring device 20 grasps the position information of the target trailer 201, creates a movement route, and receives a command to move to the target position and perform work from the monitoring device 20 at the work command receiving unit 11. However, these processes may be performed on the moving body 6 side. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the automatic driving support device 10 mounted on the moving body 6 grasps the position of the target trailer 201 by the position information grasping unit 271 from the position receiver 311 of the moving body 6 based on the information of the target trailer 201 input to the command input unit 18, creates a movement route by the action plan generation unit 19 based on the work content input to the command input unit 18, and causes the work information acquisition unit 12 to acquire work information regarding the movement to the target position and the work. Then, it acquires an obstacle state that hinders at least one of the automatic driving operations of moving to the target position and performing work, determines which of the above-described first level, second level, third level, and fourth level the level of the obstacle state belongs to, and requests support from the monitoring device 20 when it is determined that it belongs to any of the second level, third level, and fourth level. Each corresponding operation is executed in the support corresponding unit 29 of the monitoring device 20. Here, as described above, the support request may be changed by the support request changing unit 291 of the monitoring device 20.

[0038] With such a configuration, even without a command from the monitoring device 20, the moving body 6 can be made to perform an automatic driving operation of moving to the target position and performing work, and when an obstacle state is detected, the obstacle state can be determined and a support request can be made based on the determined level.

[0039] In addition, the action plan generation unit 19 may not only create a movement route, but also generate an action plan to avoid an obstacle based on the obstacle state acquired by the obstacle state acquisition unit 13. In particular, when it is determined as the first level by the obstacle state determination unit 14, the obstacle can be flexibly avoided.

[0040] Also, although an example in which the automatic driving support device 10 is provided inside the moving body 6 has been described, it may be provided outside the moving body 6 to control sensors 63, vehicle drive control unit 64, etc. provided on the moving body 6. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the automatic driving support device 10 is provided inside the monitoring device 20. Although an example in which the monitoring device 20 is installed inside the building 400 of the logistics center 4000 has been described, it may be installed outside the logistics center 4000 for control. The components inside the monitoring device 20 may be installed separately. That is, the monitoring device 20 may be configured to include an automatic driving support device 10, a position information acquisition unit 27 that acquires the position information of the cargo loading vehicle and the moving body for loading the cargo, a target cargo loading vehicle is selected from a plurality of cargo loading vehicles, and a command unit 28 that issues a command to move the moving body 6 to the parking position of the target cargo loading vehicle to transport the cargo. Regarding an obstacle state that hinders the automatic driving operation in the command, when there is a request for remote operation support, the moving body 6 is remotely operated, when there is a request for remote driving support, the moving body 6 is remotely driven, and when there is a request for manual operation, the dispatched worker 503 is requested to be dispatched to support the request for support. Each device constituting the automatic driving support system 1000 is connected by wire or wirelessly and can transmit and receive with each other. Similar effects can be obtained in each of these forms.

[0041] Embodiment 2. An automatic driving support method using the automatic driving support device 10 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing routine executed by the automatic driving support device 10 according to Embodiment 2. First, a command for a target position and an operation is acquired from the command unit 28 of the monitoring device 20 or the command input unit 18 of the automatic driving support device 10 (step S101). Then, an obstacle state that hinders at least one of the automatic driving operations of moving to the target position and performing the operation is acquired (step S102). Next, the level of the obstacle state is determined as a first level at which the obstacle is avoided by the automatic driving of the moving body 6, a second level at which the remote operator is made to perform an auxiliary operation of the automatic driving while continuing the automatic driving under the monitoring of the remote operator, a third level at which the moving body 6 is remotely operated from the monitoring device 20, and a fourth level at which the dispatch of the dispatched worker 503 who performs a manual operation is requested (step S103). And when it is determined that it belongs to any of the second level, the third level, and the fourth level, a support request is made to the monitoring device 20 (step S104). Automatic driving support can be achieved by repeating such steps.

[0042] Each function of the automatic driving support device 10 is realized by a processing circuit. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a processing circuit that realizes each function of the automatic driving support device 10. The automatic driving support device 10 includes a processor 80, a memory 81, a communication I / F (interface) 82, a CAN (Controller Area Network) I / F (interface) 83, and the like. For example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) is used for the processor 80. The memory 81 transmits and receives data to and from the processor 80 and stores the data. The data measured by the sensor 63 is acquired via the communication I / F 82. Each process such as the work command reception unit 11, the work information acquisition unit 12, the obstacle state acquisition unit 13, the obstacle state determination unit 14, the image analysis unit 141, the numerical analysis unit 142, the calculation unit 143, the determination unit 145, the support request unit 15, the obstacle avoidance execution unit 16, and the vehicle control unit 17 is executed by the processor 80. Reference data, arithmetic expressions, etc. are stored in the memory 81. The command of the automatic driving support device 10 is transmitted to the vehicle drive control unit 64 via the CAN I / F 83.

[0043] The processor 80 and the memory 81 may be shared and used singly or there may be a plurality of them. Also, the processor 80 may be provided with, for example, a logic circuit using an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an IC (Integrated Circuit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc., and various signal processing circuits. As the processor 80, a plurality of the same type or different types may be provided so that each process may be executed in a distributed manner by a plurality of arithmetic processing units.

[0044] As the plurality of memories 81, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) configured to enable reading and writing of data from the processor 80, a ROM (Read Only Memory) configured to enable reading of data from the processor 80, a hard disk (HDD), etc. are provided.

[0045] Each function of the automatic driving support device 10 is realized by the processor 80 executing software or a program stored in the memory 81 and cooperating with the hardware. The setting data set in the automatic driving support device 10 may be stored in the memory 81 as part of the software or program, or may be input by the user. A non-temporary recording medium 85 on which an information processing program 84 is recorded may be distributed and installed in the automatic driving support device 10 (memory 81).

[0046] In this way, upon receiving an instruction for a target position and an operation, an obstacle state that hinders at least one of the movement to the target position and the automatic driving operation is acquired. The level of the obstacle state is determined as follows: a first level at which the obstacle is avoided by the automatic driving of the mobile body 6; a second level at which, under the supervision of a remote monitor, the automatic driving is continued while the remote monitor is made to perform an auxiliary operation for the automatic driving; a third level at which the mobile body 6 is remotely controlled from the monitoring device 20; and a fourth level at which the dispatch of a dispatched worker 503 who performs a manual operation is requested. When it is determined that the obstacle state belongs to any of the second level, the third level, and the fourth level, a support request is sent to the monitoring device 20, whereby support can be provided according to the level of the obstacle state, and the load on the support personnel can be reduced. In addition, the opportunity to dispatch the dispatched worker 503 to the site can be minimized as much as possible.

[0047] Embodiment 3. In Embodiment 3, an example of the mobile body 6 equipped with the automatic driving support device 10 will be described. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the mobile body 6 according to Embodiment 3. The mobile body 6 includes a control instruction unit 61 that issues control instructions for the automatic driving operation. The control instruction unit 61 is an aggregate of ECUs (Electronic Control Units) mounted on the mobile body 6. Further, the mobile body 6 includes a position information acquisition unit 271 that grasps position information, a sensor 63 that acquires surrounding information, and a vehicle drive control unit 64 that controls driving and steering. These are connected to the control instruction unit 61 using CAN (Controller Area Network), UDP (User Datagram Protocol), etc.

[0048] The control instruction unit 61 includes a control arithmetic unit 66 that processes peripheral information and arithmetic operations based on control instructions, and a memory 81 that stores programs, data, etc. It also includes an automatic driving operation instruction unit 68 that instructs the automatic driving operation to be executed, and an automatic driving control unit 69 that controls the moving body to realize the operation instructed by the automatic driving operation instruction unit 68. The instruction of the automatic driving operation instruction unit 68 may be an instruction to move the moving body 6 to a certain point, or may be an instruction for a specific operation such as hitching or docking. The sensor 63 is a camera, LiDAR, etc., which acquires information on surrounding buildings, roads, obstacles, etc., and the acquired information is processed by the surrounding environment information processing unit 70. Furthermore, it is provided with an automatic driving support device 10 that solves difficult situations when it is difficult to continue the above-described automatic driving operation. In this example, the control signal of the vehicle control unit 17 described in the first embodiment is sent to the automatic driving operation instruction unit 68 and then sent to the vehicle drive control unit 64 via the automatic driving control unit 69. Also, a part of the data processed by the surrounding environment information processing unit 70 is acquired by the obstacle state acquisition unit 13, and the determination of the obstacle state level and the support request are executed. The functions of the control arithmetic unit 66, the memory 81, the automatic driving operation instruction unit 68, the automatic driving control unit 69, and the surrounding environment information processing unit 70 may be used for the control or processing performed by the automatic driving support device 10.

[0049] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a schematic flow for executing the automatic driving support system 1000. When an instruction for an automatic driving operation is passed from the automatic driving operation instruction unit 68 to the automatic driving control unit 69, the automatic driving of the moving body 6 is started or continued (step S201). This operation also starts when a work command is received from the monitoring device 20. Then, a part of the data processed by the surrounding environment information processing unit 70 is acquired by the obstacle state acquisition unit 13 (step S202), and the level of the obstacle state is determined (step S203). Then, it is determined whether the level of the obstacle state is the first level (step S204). If it is the first level (YES in step S204), an operation for avoiding the obstacle is performed (step S205), and an instruction regarding the driving operation is notified to the automatic driving operation instruction unit 68 based on the operation result (step S206). The automatic driving operation instruction unit 68 sends the notified information to the automatic driving control unit 69 and returns to step S201 to continue the automatic driving operation.

[0050] If it is not the first level (NO in step S204), it is determined whether the level of the obstacle state is the second level (step S207). If it is the second level (YES in step S207), the monitoring device 20 is requested for remote operation support (step S208), and until the response is completed (step S209), while continuing the automatic driving under the monitoring of the remote monitor, the remote operation of the remote monitor is used to perform an auxiliary operation for the automatic driving. After the response by the support response unit 29 is completed, it is determined whether to continue the work. If the work is to be continued (YES in step S210), it is notified to the automatic driving operation instruction unit 68 (step S206) and returns to the automatic driving operation (step S201). If the work is not to be continued (NO in step S210), the automatic driving operation is terminated.

[0051] If it is not the second level (NO in step S207), it is determined whether the level of the failure state is the third level (step S211). If it is the third level (YES in step S211), a remote driving support is requested to the monitoring device 20 (step S212), and movement and work are performed by remote driving until the response is completed. After the response by the support response unit 29 is completed, it is determined whether to continue the work. If the work is to be continued (YES in step S210), it is notified to the automatic driving operation instruction unit 68 (step S206) and the automatic driving operation is resumed (step S201). If the work is not to be continued (NO in step S210), the automatic driving operation is terminated.

[0052] If it is not the third level (NO in step S211), the level of the failure state is set as the fourth level (step S213), and a request for dispatching a worker is made to the monitoring device 20 (step S214). After the response of the dispatched worker is completed, it is determined whether to continue the work. If the work is to be continued (YES in step S210), it is notified to the automatic driving operation instruction unit 68 (step S206) and the automatic driving operation is resumed (step S201). If the work is not to be continued (NO in step S210), the automatic driving is terminated.

[0053] In this way, when it is determined to be the first level in step S204, the automatic driving operation is continued, so the load on the support response personnel can be reduced. When it is determined to be the second level in step S207, the automatic driving operation is continued, and while the basic specific operations are left to the automatic driving of the automatic driving vehicle, the remote operator 501 makes a judgment regarding some of the automatic driving operations, so the work load of the remote operator 501 is reduced. When it is determined to be the third level in step S211, the automatic driving operation is interrupted, and all or part of the specific operations are borne by remote driving by remote control. Since the remote driver 502 does not need to go to the site, the work load is reduced. When it is set as the fourth level in step S213, it is possible to get out of the difficult situation by dispatching a person to the site. Although manpower to go to the site is required, it is possible to provide support according to the level of the failure state, and the load on the support response personnel can be reduced. Also, the opportunity to dispatch the dispatched worker 503 to the site can be minimized as much as possible.

[0054] Note that the determination of the level of the failure state in steps S203, S204, S207, S211, and S213 may be based on the autonomous driving boundary defined in the design according to the ODD (Operational Design Domain) definition that defines the operable range of the autonomous driving support system 1000. Also, for example, if the boundary is defined in the system design as to whether autonomous driving can be continued under remote monitoring by the monitoring device 20, it becomes the criterion for performing remote operation. These criteria may be set by estimating from quantitative statistical data such as dispersion and standard values regarding the control of autonomous driving, or may be set with fixed values obtained from empirically determined criteria. Using these criteria, it is determined whether to perform autonomous driving, remote operation, remote driving, and manual operation by the dispatched worker. In order to reduce the load on the support staff and improve the operation rate of the facility's logistics, the autonomous driving of the moving body 6 is prioritized over remote operation rather than remote driving. And when it is impossible to get out of the difficult situation with these supports, support for dispatching the dispatched worker 503 to the site is performed. The ODD may include not only external factors such as driving environment conditions and road conditions but also environmental conditions within the system such as poor system communication. When there is no pre-designed ODD criterion, the selection judgment of the support staff may be used.

[0055] Also, in S207, S211, and S213, when there is a support request at each level, each support staff may change the level. For example, when the remote operator 501 determines that it is difficult to perform remote operation and remote driving, it may be changed to the fourth level and support for dispatching the dispatched worker 503 to the site may be provided. Also, in order to solve the failure state, a choice of sending another moving body may be made. In this case, it may be changed to the second level and the remote operator 501 may perform an operation to disperse the moving body 6 and send another moving body, or it may be changed to the fourth level and the dispatched worker 503 may perform an operation to disperse the moving body 6 and send another moving body. Also, it is possible to change the level in consideration of the operation rate of the logistics center 4000, the workload, and the operation rates of the plurality of moving bodies 6.

[0056] In this way, it is possible to flexibly respond to the work of transporting and carrying the goods loaded on the freight vehicle and reduce human intervention.

[0057] Embodiment 4. In Embodiment 4, an example of the mobile body 600 equipped with the automatic driving support device 10 will be described. FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the mobile body 600 according to Embodiment 4. Here, the mobile body 600 is, for example, an autonomous tractor. In FIG. 13, the mobile body 600 includes a locator 631 for specifying a position, a camera 632 for acquiring surrounding ground object information, etc., a LiDAR 633, a motor 641 for driving the mobile body 600, a battery 642, a FW (Forward) actuator 643 for automatic driving and steering, a steering actuator 644, a brake actuator 645, a safety device 646, an optical encoder 647 for measuring rotational displacement, a trailer air actuator 648 for adjusting the height of the trailer 200, and the like. These are connected to the controller 610 by CANI / F83, UDP, etc. The controller 610 issues control instructions for the automatic driving operation. The controller 610 is an aggregate of ECUs mounted on the mobile body 600.

[0058] The controller 610 includes one or more processors 680 and one or more memories 681 coupled to the processor 680. The processor 680 executes programs to implement each process. The programs are stored in the memory 681, including a mission controller program 6841 for controlling and calculating instructions, an automatic driving control program 6842 for controlling the moving body 600 to implement the automatic driving operation instructed by the mission controller program 6841, a failure state determination program 6843 for determining the failure state level, etc. The failure state determination program 6843 includes an image processing module 6844 for processing the image data of the camera 632 acquired by the failure state acquisition unit 13, a point cloud processing module 6845 for analyzing the point cloud data measured by the LiDAR 633, etc. Also stored are an obstacle processing program 6846 for processing information on obstacles 52 and 53, a trailer angle detection program 6847 for detecting the parking angle of the target trailer 201, a distance data processing program 6848 for processing distance data such as the distance between the target trailer 201 and the adjacent trailer 202 and the distance until contact, a determination processing program 6849 for performing determination processing, a support request processing program 6850, etc.

[0059] The mission controller program 6841 instructs the automatic driving control program 6842 for operations such as hitching and docking. The image data and numerical data analyzed by the image processing module 6844 and the point cloud processing module 6845 are used for determining the obstacle state level. The obstacle processing program 6846 is used for the processing when obstacles 52 and 53 are detected in front of the moving path or the target trailer 201 as an obstacle state. The trailer angle detection program 6847 is used for the processing of determining the obstacle state level according to the magnitude of the angle when the target trailer 201 is parked at an unexpected angle and cannot be hitched. The distance data processing program 6848 is used for the processing of determining the obstacle state level according to the magnitude of the distance when an adjacent trailer 202 is parked close to the target trailer 201 and there is a possibility that the target trailer 201 contacts the adjacent trailer 202 during the movement of the connection path or unparking. The determination processing program 6849 is used for determining the obstacle state level, and according to the determined obstacle state level, a support request is sent to the support response personnel by the support request processing program 6850.

[0060] The automatic driving control program 6842 is also equipped with a module for processing the surrounding environment information by means of a camera 632, a LiDAR 633, etc., and a program for checking whether the automatic driving operation can be started. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of a part of the processing of the automatic driving support system 1000 by the mission controller program 6841 etc. with the execution of the hitching operation as an example. An operation instruction is given while checking whether the target trailer 201 is parked at an unexpected angle and whether there is no obstacle 53.

[0061] First, after confirming whether autonomous driving can be started, start autonomous driving (step S301). When the moving body 600 is in the autonomous driving mode, a hitching operation instruction is input to the mission controller program 6841 (step S302). Then, the mission controller program 6841 instructs the moving body 600 to move to a location where hitching is possible (step S303). Next, it is confirmed by the camera 632, LiDAR 633, etc. whether there is a target trailer 201 to be towed at the moved location (step S304). If there is no target trailer 201 (NO in step S304), the execution of the hitching operation is aborted (step S305). When it is confirmed that there is a target trailer 201 (YES in step S304), the autonomous driving control program 6842 generates a path for performing the alignment necessary to couple the coupling part of the moving body 600 and the coupled part of the target trailer 201. Whether the required position and angle are satisfied at the end point following this generated path is determined by the image processing module 6844 using the camera 632, the point cloud processing module 6845 using the LiDAR 633, and the trailer angle detection program 6847 to obtain the angle.

[0062] When the moving body 600 is not in a position and angle where hitching is possible (NO in step S306), the path is corrected and retried (YES in step S307). If, even after retrying a certain number of times, the moving body 600 is not in a position and angle where hitching is possible, the retry is aborted (NO in step S307), the failure state is acquired (step S308), the failure state is determined (step S309), and a support request is instructed according to the failure state level (step S310). When the moving body 600 is in a position and angle where hitching is possible, that is, when the angle between the parking direction of the target trailer 201 and the appropriate parking lane is smaller than the first threshold value (YES in step S306), proceed to the next step S311.

[0063] Here, for example, when the angle at which the parking direction of the target trailer 201 coincides with the proper parking lane is set to 0 degrees, if the measured angle is less than 2 degrees, it may be set to be hitchable. Also, if the second threshold is set to 3 degrees, the third threshold to 10 degrees, and the fourth threshold to 15 degrees, when it is 2 degrees or more and less than 3 degrees, it is set to the first level where the obstacle can be avoided by the automatic driving of the moving body 6. When it is 3 degrees or more and less than 10 degrees, it is set to the second level where the remote operator is made to perform an auxiliary operation for automatic driving while continuing the automatic driving under the monitoring of the remote monitor. The basic operations of recognition, judgment, and operation required for driving are performed by the moving body 600, and the remote operator 501 performs auxiliary operations such as making the moving body 600 move at a low speed to correct the trajectory so that the angle between the moving body 600 and the target trailer 201 matches. For example, when it is 10 degrees or more and less than 15 degrees, it is set to the third level where the moving body 6 is remotely operated from the monitoring device 20. The remote driver 502 does not need to perform all the operations of recognition, judgment, and operation required for driving, but only performs some functions and may be assisted by the functions of the moving body 600. When it reaches 15 degrees or more, it is set to the fourth level where the dispatch of the manual driver 503 for manual driving is requested. The above angles are just examples, and the thresholds may be set or changed flexibly based on past data and the like. When using the angle as a reference, for example, if there is no angle corresponding to the first level, the step of avoiding by automatic driving may be skipped. If there is no angle corresponding to the second level, the support request may be set to the third level or higher. Instead of setting all the thresholds from the first level to the fourth level, only some reliable thresholds may be set.

[0064] Also, if the automatic driving operation can be restarted by support, the automatic driving operation may be restarted from the middle of the operation, or it may be taken over from the remote driver 502 to the remote operator 501. Also, the support request at the third level that requests remote driving may be changed by the support staff to a support request for dispatching the on-site dispatcher 503.

[0065] When the moving body 600 can be moved to a position and angle where hitching is possible (YES in step S306), the process proceeds to step S311 to detect an obstacle. When an obstacle is detected (YES in step S311), the obstacle state is acquired (step S308), the obstacle state is determined (step S309), and a support request is instructed according to the obstacle state level (step S310). When no obstacle is detected (NO in step S311), if there are no other obstacles, hitching is started (step S312). Since the corresponding examples when an obstacle is detected are the same as those in Embodiment 1, the description is omitted.

[0066] If the automatic driving operation can be restarted by the support response, it is notified to the mission controller program 6841. If the work cannot be completed by the support response, it is notified to the mission controller program 6841 that the work cannot be completed and the restart of the automatic driving operation is impossible.

[0067] In this way, it is confirmed whether the conditions for starting the automatic driving operation instructed by the mission controller program 6841 are met, and when all the conditions are satisfied, the instructed work is started. If the conditions are not met, that is, when an obstacle state that hinders at least one of the movement to the target position and the work of the automatic driving operation is acquired, the level of the obstacle state is set to the first level that allows the obstacle to be avoided by the automatic driving of the moving body 600, the second level that allows the remote operator to perform auxiliary operations of the automatic driving while continuing the automatic driving under the supervision of the remote supervisor, the third level that remotely operates the moving body 600 from the monitoring device 20, and the fourth level that requests the dispatch of a dispatched worker who performs manual operations. When it is determined that the obstacle state level belongs to any of the second level, the third level, and the fourth level, a support request is sent to the monitoring device 20, so that support can be provided according to the level of the obstacle state, and the load on the support personnel can be reduced. In addition, the opportunity to dispatch the dispatched worker 503 to the site can be minimized as much as possible.

[0068] Embodiment 5. In Embodiment 5, an example of making a support request in a situation where it is difficult to continue the automatic driving operation when the target automatic driving operation is not completed normally will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a schematic flow of executing the automatic driving support system 1000 in Embodiment 5. When starting the automatic driving operation of the moving body 600 (step S401) and obtaining a failure state (YES in step S402), determining the failure state (step S403) and making a support request (step S404) are the same as in Embodiments 1 to 3. In Embodiment 5, it is different in that it is confirmed whether the target automatic driving operation has been completed normally (step S405). If it is not completed normally (NO in step S405), the failure state is determined (step S403) and a support request is made (step S404).

[0069] FIG. 16 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the moving body 600 according to Embodiment 5. Here, the moving body 600 is, for example, an autonomous tractor. The moving body 600 includes, as in Embodiment 4, a locator 631 for specifying a position, a camera 632 for acquiring surrounding ground object information, etc., a LiDAR 633, a motor 641 for driving the moving body 600, a battery 642, and other mechanisms, and a controller 610 for giving a control instruction for the automatic driving operation. The controller 610 includes a processor 680 and a memory 681, and the processor 680 executes a program stored in the memory 681. In addition to the configuration of Embodiment 4, the memory 681 is provided with an automatic driving normal completion determination program 6850 for determining whether the automatic driving operation to be executed has been completed normally. That the operation is not completed normally means, for example, that in the hitching operation, the moving body 600 is controlled along the generated path, but the angle and alignment seem to end at a point deviating from the path, and although the angle and alignment have ended normally, the heights of the connecting part and the connected part between the moving body 600 and the target trailer 201 do not match. The automatic driving normal completion determination unit 90 that executes the automatic driving normal completion determination program 6850 checks, for example, whether the operation has completed the desired operation. If not, it obtains the failure state, determines the failure state, and makes a support request according to the failure state level.

[0070] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of part of the processing of the automatic driving support system 1000 by a mission controller program 6841 or the like using the execution of the hitching operation as an example. Up to step S312 where the hitching is started, the process proceeds in the same manner as in the fourth embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted. When the instructed hitching operation ends (step S407), it is confirmed whether the hitching operation has been completed normally. If the desired operation has not been completed (NO in step S408), the mission completion notification is awaited (step S409), and the process returns to step S306 for confirming, for example, whether the vehicle is at a hitching possible position angle. A support request may be made with the failure state level where normal completion has not been achieved as the fifth level. The failure state level may be selected from the monitoring device 20 or the moving body 600. If the desired operation has been completed (YES in step S408), information that the hitching operation has been completed normally is notified to the mission controller program 6841.

[0071] As described above, when the automatic driving operation related to movement or work acquired by the work information acquisition unit 12 ends, an automatic driving normal completion determination unit that operates in an automatic driving normal completion determination program 6850 for determining whether the automatic driving operation has been completed normally is provided. When it is determined by the automatic driving normal completion determination unit that the operation has not been completed normally, by re-executing the automatic driving support process for supporting the driving of the moving body 600, if the instructed automatic driving operation has not been completed normally, the load on the support staff can be reduced and corrected, and malfunctions can be prevented.

[0072] Embodiment 6. In Embodiment 6, an example will be described in which a function for determining whether a condition for controlling a state change from the current automatic driving operation to another automatic driving operation is satisfied is provided, and when the transition to another automatic driving operation is not possible, a support request is made in a situation where it is difficult to continue the automatic driving operation. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a schematic flow of executing the automatic driving support system 1000 in Embodiment 6. Starting the automatic driving of the moving body 600 (step S401), when obtaining an obstacle state (YES in step S402), determining the obstacle state (step S403), and making a support request (step S404) are the same as in Embodiments 1 to 5. In Embodiment 6, it is different in that it is determined whether or not the transition to the next automatic driving operation can be made when the target automatic driving operation is normally completed (step S501). If the transition cannot be made (NO in step S501), the process returns to step S403 for determining the obstacle state.

[0073] FIG. 19 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the moving body 600 according to Embodiment 6. Here, the moving body 600 is, for example, an autonomous tractor. The moving body 600 includes, as in Embodiment 5, a locator 631 for specifying the position, a camera 632 for obtaining surrounding ground object information, etc., a LiDAR 633, a motor 641 for driving the moving body 600, a battery 642, and other mechanisms, and a controller 610 for giving control instructions for the automatic driving operation. The controller 610 includes a processor 680 and a memory 681, and the processor 680 executes a program stored in the memory 681. In addition to the configuration of Embodiment 5, the memory 681 is provided with a state machine program 6852 for determining whether or not conditions for controlling a state change from the current operation to another operation are satisfied. The state machine program 6852 is executed by the transition condition determination unit 91.

[0074] FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of a part of the processing of the automatic driving support system 1000 by a mission controller program 6841 or the like, taking the execution of a hitching operation as an example. Until step S410 where the mission regarding the hitching operation is completed normally, the process proceeds in the same manner as in the fifth embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted. When the current operation is completed normally (step S410), the next operation information is acquired (step S503). For example, when the next operation is unparking, it is determined whether or not the conditions for transitioning to the unparking operation are satisfied (step S504). If the conditions for being able to unpark are not satisfied (NO in step S504), the process proceeds to step S308 for acquiring a failure state based on the next operation information. It may be possible to issue a support request with a failure state level where the conditions for controlling the state change to transition to another operation are not satisfied as the sixth level. It may be possible to select the failure state level from the monitoring device 20 or the moving body 600.

[0075] If the conditions for being able to unpark are satisfied (YES in step S504), the next operation, which is the unparking operation, is started (step S506), and information indicating that the transition of the unparking operation has been completed normally is notified to the mission controller program 6841.

[0076] In step S504, the state where unparking is not possible is, for example, a case where the distance to an adjacent target trailer 201 is short and it is difficult to perform automatic driving control. This state can be found in the same way as the image analysis and numerical analysis by the failure state determination 14. Therefore, proceeding from the step S308 of obtaining the failure state to the step S309 of determining the failure state level, if a support request is made according to the failure state level (step S310), the failure can be avoided. For example, when the inter-vehicle distance required for automatic driving control is, for example, 0.8 m, if it is 0.4 m or more and less than 0.8 m, the basic operations of recognition, judgment, and operation required for the operation of the moving body 600 are performed by the moving body 600, and for example, with the support of the remote operator 501, the driving speed is reduced and an unparking operation is performed to drive the moving body 600 towing the target trailer 201 out of the parking lot 301. If the remote operator 501 determines that the parking position of the moving body 600 towing the target trailer 201 does not prevent the transition to the next automatic driving operation, but the parking position of the adjacent trailer 202 is a problem, an instruction to move the adjacent trailer 202 using another moving body may be input to the mission controller program 6841. When the distance to the adjacent trailer 202 is too short, for example, when the inter-vehicle distance is less than 0.4 m, a remote driving support is requested from the remote driver 502. If the remote driver 502 determines that remote driving is difficult, it may be changed to a support request to dispatch the field worker 503 to the site.

[0077] In this way, there are a plurality of automatic driving operations related to movement or work acquired by the work information acquisition unit 12, and a transition condition determination unit 91 is provided to determine the conditions for transitioning to the next automatic driving operation when the current automatic driving operation is completed normally. When it is determined by the transition condition determination unit 91 that the transition to the next automatic driving operation is not possible, by executing an automatic driving support process to support the operation of the moving body related to the next automatic driving operation, after the operation or work is completed normally, when it is not possible to transition to the next operation, it is possible to smoothly transition while reducing the load on the support staff.

[0078] In addition, in Embodiments 1 to 6, the tractor 100, which is a towing vehicle that connects and tows a trailer, which is a cargo-loading vehicle for loading cargo, has been described as an example of the moving bodies 6 and 600. However, the same effects can be achieved and the problems can be solved even when a forklift that pulls out and transports the cargo of a truck, which is a cargo-loading vehicle, with a fork is used as the moving bodies 6 and 600.

[0079] <Summary of Aspects of the Present Application> Hereinafter, aspects of the present application will be summarized and described as appendices. (Appendix 1) An automatic driving support device for a moving body that supports the driving of a moving body that moves cargo in a facility for storing the transported cargo, a work information acquisition unit that acquires a target position and a work command, a failure state acquisition unit that acquires a failure state that hinders at least one of the automatic driving operations of moving to the target position and the work, a failure state determination unit that determines the level of the failure state as to which of the first level that avoids the failure by the automatic driving of the moving body, the second level that allows the remote operator to continue the automatic driving under the supervision of the remote operator and perform an auxiliary operation of the automatic driving, the third level that drives the moving body by remote driving, and the fourth level that requests the dispatch of a dispatched worker who performs a manual operation, and a support request unit that makes a support request when it is determined by the failure state determination unit that it belongs to any of the second level, the third level, and the fourth level. An automatic driving support device for a moving body comprising: (Appendix 2) The failure state determination unit has at least one of an image analysis unit that analyzes the image data acquired by the failure state acquisition unit and a numerical analysis unit that analyzes numerical data, and compares at least one of the image data and the numerical data with reference data to determine which of the first level, the second level, the third level, and the fourth level it belongs to. The automatic driving support device for a moving body according to Appendix 1. (Appendix 3) The failure state determination unit determines which of the first level, the second level, the third level, and the fourth level belongs by using a plurality of threshold values set for the failure state. The automatic driving support device for a moving body according to Appendix 1 or Appendix 2. (Appendix 4) The failure state acquisition unit uses, as the failure state, at least one of an obstacle on the moving path, a parking angle of the cargo loading vehicle on which the cargo is loaded, a distance between the cargo loading vehicle and an adjacent cargo loading vehicle adjacent to the cargo loading vehicle, the number of times of the operation of hitching the moving body to the cargo loading vehicle, the number of times of the operation of docking the cargo loading vehicle at the loading entrance of the facility, and the weather. The automatic driving support device for a moving body according to any one of Appendices 1 to 3. (Appendix 5) The failure state determination unit determines in the order of the first level, the second level, the third level, and the fourth level so that the degree of failure becomes higher. The automatic driving support device for a moving body according to any one of Appendices 1 to 4. (Appendix 6) When it is determined by the failure state determination unit that it belongs to the first level, a behavior plan for avoiding the failure is generated, and a failure avoidance execution unit that causes the moving body to execute the automatic driving operation based on the behavior plan is provided. The automatic driving support device for a moving body according to any one of Appendices 1 to 5. (Appendix 7) When the automatic driving operation related to the movement or the work acquired by the work information acquisition unit ends, an automatic driving normal completion determination unit that determines whether the automatic driving operation has been normally completed is provided. When it is determined by the automatic driving normal completion determination unit that it has not been normally completed, the automatic driving support process for supporting the driving of the moving body is re-executed. The automatic driving support device for a moving body according to any one of Appendices 1 to 6. (Appendix 8) A transition condition determination unit that determines conditions for transitioning to the next autonomous driving operation when there are a plurality of autonomous driving operations related to the movement or the operation acquired by the operation information acquisition unit and the current autonomous driving operation has been completed normally. When it is determined by the transition condition determination unit that the transition to the next autonomous driving operation cannot be made, an autonomous driving support device for a moving body according to any one of Appendices 1 to 7 that executes an autonomous driving support process for assisting the driving of the moving body related to the next autonomous driving operation. (Appendix 9) An autonomous driving support device for a moving body mounted on the moving body according to any one of Appendices 1 to 8, A position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of a cargo loading vehicle on which the cargo is loaded and the moving body, a target cargo loading vehicle is selected from a plurality of the cargo loading vehicles, and a command unit that issues a command to move the moving body to a parking position of the target cargo loading vehicle and carry the cargo, and from the autonomous driving support device, when there is a request for remote operation support, remotely operate the moving body, when there is a request for remote driving support, remotely drive the moving body, and when there is a request for support for manual operation, request dispatch to a dispatched worker, and a monitoring device having a support response unit that responds to the support request. An autonomous driving support system for a moving body comprising. (Appendix 10) A command input unit for inputting a command for a target position and an operation, a position information grasping unit for grasping the target position, and an action plan generation unit for generating an action plan based on the operation information input by the command input unit and the position information to the target position grasped by the position information grasping unit. Based on the generated action plan, an autonomous driving support device for a moving body mounted on the moving body according to any one of Appendices 1 to 8 that causes the moving body to execute the autonomous driving operation. From the autonomous driving support device, when there is a request for remote operation support, remotely operate the moving body, when there is a request for remote driving support, remotely drive the moving body, and when there is a request for support for manual operation, request dispatch to a dispatched worker, and a monitoring device having a support response unit that responds to the support request. An autonomous driving support system for a moving body comprising. (Appendix 11) The monitoring device is the automatic driving support system according to appended note 9 or appended note 10, which includes a support request change unit that changes the support request from the moving body. (Appended note 12) An automatic driving support device for a moving body according to any one of appended notes 1 to 8, a cargo loading vehicle that loads the cargo and a position information acquisition unit that acquires the position information of the moving body, a command unit that selects a target cargo loading vehicle from a plurality of the cargo loading vehicles and issues a command to move the moving body to the parking position of the target cargo loading vehicle to transport the cargo, a support response unit that, in the case of an obstacle state that hinders the automatic driving operation in the command, remotely operates the moving body when there is a support request for remote operation, remotely drives the moving body when there is a support request for remote driving, and requests the dispatch of a dispatched worker when there is a support request for manual operation to respond to the support request A monitoring device for a moving body comprising the above. (Appended note 13) An automatic driving support method for a moving body that supports the driving of the moving body to move the cargo in a facility that stores the transported cargo, a step of acquiring a target position and a work command, a step of acquiring an obstacle state that hinders at least one of the movement to the target position and the automatic driving operation of the work, a step of determining the level of the obstacle state, which belongs to any of a first level in which the obstacle is avoided by the automatic driving of the moving body, a second level in which the remote monitor is allowed to perform an auxiliary operation of the automatic driving while continuing the automatic driving under the monitoring of the remote monitor, a third level in which the moving body is driven by remote driving from the monitoring device, and a fourth level in which the dispatch of a dispatched worker who performs a manual operation is requested, a step of making a support request when it is determined that it belongs to any of the second level, the third level, and the fourth level An automatic driving support method for a moving body comprising the above.

[0080] Although various exemplary embodiments are described herein, the various features, aspects, and functions described in one or more of the embodiments are not limited to the application of a particular embodiment, but are applicable to the embodiments alone or in various combinations. Accordingly, numerous variations not illustrated are envisioned within the scope of the technology disclosed herein. For example, it is intended to include cases where at least one component is modified, added, or omitted, and further, cases where at least one component is extracted and combined with components of other embodiments.

Explanation of Signs

[0081] 6,600 Mobile body, 10 Automatic driving support device, 11 Work command reception unit, 12 Work information acquisition unit, 13 Failure state acquisition unit, 14 Failure state determination unit, 15 Support request unit, 16 Obstacle avoidance execution unit, 17 Vehicle control unit, 18 Command input unit, 19 Action plan generation unit, 20 Monitoring device, 21 Remote operation device, 22 Remote driving device, 23 Work plan creation unit, 24 Mobile body selection unit, 25 Trailer selection unit, 26 Movement route creation unit, 27 Position information acquisition unit, 28 Command unit, 29 Support response unit, 30 Monitoring camera, 31, 311 Position receiver, 51 Modified movement route, 52, 53 Obstacle, 61 Control instruction unit, 63 Sensor, 64 Vehicle drive control unit, 66 Control arithmetic unit, 68 Automatic driving operation instruction unit, 69 Automatic driving control unit, 70 Peripheral environment information processing unit, 80, 680 Processor, 81, 681 Memory, 90 Automatic driving normal completion determination unit, 91 Transition condition determination unit, 100 Tractor, 141 Image analysis unit, 142 Numerical analysis unit, 143 Arithmetic unit, 144 Reference data storage unit, 145 Determination unit, 200 Trailer, 201 Target trailer, 202 Adjacent trailer, 271 Position information grasping unit, 301, 302 Parking lot, 400 Building, 401 Loading / unloading entrance, 501 Remote operator, 502 Remote driver, 503 Dispatched worker, 1000 Automatic driving support system, 4000 Logistics center

Claims

1. An automatic driving support device for a moving body that supports the operation of the moving body for moving the transported goods in a facility for storing the goods, comprising: A work information acquisition unit that acquires a target position and a work command; A failure state acquisition unit that acquires a failure state that hinders at least one of the automatic driving operations of moving to the target position and the work; A failure state determination unit that determines which level of the first level that allows the moving body to avoid obstacles by automatic driving, the second level that allows the remote operator to continue automatic driving under the supervision of the remote operator while performing an auxiliary operation of automatic driving, the third level that operates the moving body by remote control, and the fourth level that requests the dispatch of a dispatched worker who performs a manual operation the failure state belongs to; A support request unit that makes a support request when it is determined by the failure state determination unit that it belongs to any of the second level, the third level, and the fourth level; An automatic driving support device for a moving body.

2. The automatic driving support device for a moving body according to claim 1, wherein the failure state determination unit has at least one of an image analysis unit that analyzes the image data acquired by the failure state acquisition unit and a numerical analysis unit that analyzes numerical data, and compares at least one of the image data and the numerical data with reference data to determine which of the first level, the second level, the third level, and the fourth level it belongs to.

3. The automatic driving support device for a moving body according to claim 1, wherein the failure state determination unit determines which of the first level, the second level, the third level, and the fourth level it belongs to by using a plurality of thresholds set for the failure state.

4. The obstacle state acquisition unit uses, as the obstacle state, at least one of an obstacle on the moving path, the parking angle of the cargo loading vehicle on which the cargo is loaded, the distance between the cargo loading vehicle and an adjacent cargo loading vehicle adjacent to the cargo loading vehicle, the number of times of the operation of hitching the moving body to the cargo loading vehicle, the number of times of the operation of docking the cargo loading vehicle to the loading entrance of the facility, and the weather. The automatic driving support device for a moving body according to claim 1.

5. The obstacle state determination unit determines such that the degree of obstacle increases in the order of the first level, the second level, the third level, and the fourth level. The automatic driving support device for a moving body according to claim 1.

6. When it is determined by the obstacle state determination unit that it belongs to the first level, an action plan for avoiding an obstacle is generated, and an obstacle avoidance execution unit that causes the moving body to execute the automatic driving operation based on the action plan is provided. The automatic driving support device for a moving body according to claim 1.

7. When the automatic driving operation related to the movement or the work acquired by the work information acquisition unit ends, an automatic driving normal completion determination unit that determines whether the automatic driving operation has been normally completed is provided. When it is determined by the automatic driving normal completion determination unit that it has not been normally completed, the automatic driving support process for supporting the driving of the moving body is re-executed. The automatic driving support device for a moving body according to claim 1.

8. When there are a plurality of automatic driving operations related to the movement or the work acquired by the work information acquisition unit and the current automatic driving operation has been normally completed, a transition condition determination unit that determines the conditions for transitioning to the next automatic driving operation is provided. When it is determined by the transition condition determination unit that it is not possible to transition to the next automatic driving operation, an automatic driving support process for supporting the driving of the moving body related to the next automatic driving operation is executed. The automatic driving support device for a moving body according to claim 1.

9. The automatic driving support device for a moving body mounted on the moving body according to any one of claims 1 to 8, A cargo loading vehicle for loading the cargo, a position information acquisition unit for acquiring the position information of the moving body, a target cargo loading vehicle is selected from a plurality of the cargo loading vehicles, and a command unit for issuing a command to move the moving body to the parking position of the target cargo loading vehicle and transport the cargo, and when there is a request for remote operation support from the automatic driving support device, the moving body is remotely operated, when there is a request for remote driving support, the moving body is remotely driven, and when there is a request for support for manual operation, a dispatching operator is requested to dispatch, and a monitoring device having a support response unit for responding to the support request. An automatic driving support system for a moving body including the above.

10. The monitoring device according to claim 9, further comprising a support request change unit for changing the support request from the moving body.

11. A command input unit for inputting a target position and a work command, a position information grasping unit for grasping the target position, and an action plan generation unit for generating an action plan based on the work information input by the command input unit and the position information to the target position grasped by the position information grasping unit, and based on the generated action plan, an automatic driving support device for the moving body mounted on the moving body according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which causes the moving body to execute the automatic driving operation. When there is a request for remote operation support from the automatic driving support device, the moving body is remotely operated, when there is a request for remote driving support, the moving body is remotely driven, and when there is a request for support for manual operation, a dispatching operator is requested to dispatch, and a monitoring device having a support response unit for responding to the support request. An automatic driving support system for a moving body including the above.

12. The automatic driving support device for a moving body according to any one of claims 1 to 8. A position information acquisition unit for acquiring the position information of the cargo loading vehicle for loading the cargo and the moving body. A command unit for selecting a target cargo loading vehicle from a plurality of the cargo loading vehicles and issuing a command to move the moving body to the parking position of the target cargo loading vehicle and transport the cargo. Regarding a failure state that hinders the automatic driving operation in the instruction, when there is a request for remote operation assistance, remotely operate the mobile body; when there is a request for remote driving assistance, remotely drive the mobile body; and when there is a request for assistance in performing a manual operation, respond to the request for assistance by requesting the dispatch of a dispatched worker to the site, and a support response unit that A monitoring device for a mobile body comprising the same.

13. An automatic driving support method for a mobile body that supports the driving of the mobile body that moves the goods in a facility that stores the transported goods, comprising: A step of acquiring a target position and an operation instruction; A step of acquiring a failure state that hinders at least one of the movement to the target position and the automatic driving operation of the operation; A step of determining the level of the failure state, whether the acquired failure state belongs to a first level in which the mobile body avoids the obstacle by automatic driving, a second level in which the remote operator is made to perform an auxiliary operation of automatic driving while continuing the automatic driving under the supervision of the remote monitor, a third level in which the mobile body is driven by remote driving from the monitoring device, or a fourth level in which the dispatch of a dispatched worker who performs a manual operation is requested; A step of making a support request when it is determined that the state belongs to any of the second level, the third level, and the fourth level; and An automatic driving support method for a mobile body comprising the same.

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