Control device and control system

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of appropriately determining whether instructions are transmitted to a target vehicle.SOLUTION: A control device includes: an actual data acquisition unit that acquires actual data of at least one of a mark displayed on an external monitor mounted on a moving body that can be moved by remote control and acquired information acquired using the mark and including identification information for identifying the moving body; a reference data acquisition unit that acquires reference data corresponding to the actual data; and a remote control unit that remotely controls the moving body, which makes difference in processing related to the movement of the moving body between a case where the actual data and the reference data match and a case where the actual data and the reference data do not match.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an instruction to execute a predetermined operation is given to a vehicle to be remotely controlled, and it is confirmed that the remote control is executed on the desired vehicle by detecting whether or not the instructed operation has been executed using a sensor arranged outside the vehicle (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the conventional technology, there may be a case where a non-target vehicle existing around the target vehicle to which an instruction to execute a predetermined operation is given executes the same operation as the target vehicle for some reason. In particular, when the instructed operation is an operation to turn on a light mounted on the vehicle, etc., and the operation executed by the vehicle is a standard operation, there may be a case where the non-target vehicle executes the same operation as the target vehicle. When the non-target vehicle executes the same operation as the target vehicle, it may not be possible to appropriately determine whether an instruction has been transmitted to the target vehicle. Such a problem is common not only in vehicles but also in moving bodies.

Means for Solving the Problems

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

[0006] (1) According to the first aspect of the present disclosure, a control device is provided. The control device includes: an actual data acquisition unit that acquires at least one of actual data including a landmark displayed on an external monitor mounted on a movable body movable by remote control and acquisition information acquired using the landmark and including identification information for identifying the movable body; a reference data acquisition unit that acquires reference data corresponding to the actual data; and a remote control unit that remotely controls the movable body and performs different processes related to the movement of the movable body depending on whether the actual data matches the reference data or not. According to this aspect, the control device can determine whether an instruction can be transmitted to the movable body to be controlled without detecting by an external sensor whether the operation instructed to the movable body to be controlled has been executed by collating the actual data acquired using the landmark with the reference data. Thereby, the control device can more appropriately determine whether an instruction can be transmitted to the movable body to be controlled. Further, the control device can perform different processes related to the movement of the movable body depending on whether the actual data matches the reference data or not. That is, the control device can perform different processes related to the movement of the movable body according to the determination result of whether an instruction can be transmitted to the movable body. (2) In the above-described form, the identification information is stored in the first memory of the movement control device mounted on the moving body and the second memory of the control device, respectively. The items of the first identification information as the identification information stored in the first memory are set according to the manufacturing process being executed on the moving body. The control device further includes a process acquisition unit that acquires process information indicating the manufacturing process being executed on the moving body. When the actual data acquisition unit acquires the first identification information represented by the mark as the actual data, the reference data acquisition unit may at least acquire, as the reference data, information about the items corresponding to the manufacturing process specified by the process information among the second identification information as the identification information stored in the second memory. According to this form, when the control device acquires the first identification information represented by the mark as the actual data, it can acquire, as the reference data, information about the items corresponding to the manufacturing process specified by the process information among the second identification information. In this way, the control device can acquire, as the reference data, the information of the items necessary when collating the actual data and the reference data. (3-1) In the above-described form, the identification information is stored in the first memory of the movement control device mounted on the moving body and the second memory of the control device, respectively. When the mark is generated using at least the first identification information as the identification information stored in the first memory, and when the first identification information represented by the mark includes unique information unique to the moving body, when the actual data acquisition unit acquires the first identification information represented by the mark as the actual data, the reference data acquisition unit may at least acquire, as the reference data, the second identification information as the identification information stored in the second memory, which includes the unique information. According to this form, when the mark is generated using the first identification information and the first identification information represented by the mark includes unique information, the control device collates the first identification information represented by the mark and the second identification information acquired as the reference data. Thereby, the control device can determine whether it can transmit an instruction to the moving body to be controlled. (3-2) In the above-described form, the identification information is stored in the first memory of the movement control device mounted on the moving body and the second memory of the control device, respectively. When the mark is generated using the second identification information without using the first identification information, and when the second identification information represented by the mark includes the unique information, when the actual data acquisition unit acquires the second identification information represented by the mark as the actual data, the reference data acquisition unit may at least acquire the first identification information including the unique information as the reference data. According to this form, when the mark is generated using the second identification information without using the first identification information, and when the second identification information represented by the mark includes the unique information, the control device collates the second identification information represented by the mark with the first identification information acquired as the reference data. Thereby, the control device can determine whether it can transmit an instruction to the moving body to be controlled. (3-3) In the above-described form, the identification information is stored in the first memory of the movement control device mounted on the moving body and the second memory of the control device, respectively. When the mark is generated using at least the first identification information, and the first identification information represented by the mark includes non-unique information other than the unique information without including the unique information, when the actual data acquisition unit acquires, as the actual data, the non-unique information included in the first identification information represented by the mark and the unique information acquired using the access information represented by the mark, which is access information for accessing the first memory, the reference data acquisition unit may at least acquire the second identification information including the unique information and the non-unique information as the reference data. According to this form, when the mark is generated using at least the first identification information, and the first identification information represented by the mark includes non-unique information without including the unique information, the control device collates the non-unique information included in the first identification information represented by the mark with the non-unique information acquired as the reference data. Further, the control device collates the unique information acquired using the access information represented by the mark with the unique information acquired as the reference data. Thereby, the control device can determine whether it can transmit an instruction to the moving body to be controlled. (4) According to the second aspect of the present disclosure, a control system is provided. The control system includes a mobile body that can be moved by remote control, and a control device installed at a location different from the mobile body. The mobile body includes a communication device and a mobile body control device. The communication device includes a generation unit that generates a landmark using at least identification information for identifying the mobile body acquired from at least one of the control device and the mobile body control device, and an external monitor that displays the landmark. The control device includes an actual data acquisition unit that acquires actual data of at least one of the landmark displayed on the external monitor and acquisition information acquired using the landmark and including the identification information, a reference data acquisition unit that acquires reference data corresponding to the actual data, and a remote control unit that remotely controls the mobile body and performs different processes related to the movement of the mobile body depending on whether the actual data and the reference data match or do not match. According to this aspect, the control system can generate a landmark using at least the identification information acquired from at least one of the control device and the mobile body control device. Then, the control system can determine whether an instruction can be transmitted to the mobile body to be controlled without detecting by an external sensor whether the operation instructed to the mobile body to be controlled has been executed by comparing the actual data acquired using the landmark with the reference data. Thereby, the control system can more appropriately determine whether an instruction can be transmitted to the mobile body to be controlled. Further, the control system can perform different processes related to the movement of the mobile body depending on whether the actual data and the reference data match or do not match. That is, the control system can perform different processes related to the movement of the mobile body according to the determination result of whether an instruction can be transmitted to the mobile body. (5) According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a control system is provided. The control system includes a moving body movable by remote control and a control device installed at a location different from the moving body. The moving body includes a communication device having an external monitor that displays a landmark acquired from the control device. The control device includes a memory that stores identification information for identifying the moving body, a generation unit that generates the landmark using at least the identification information stored in the memory, an actual data acquisition unit that acquires at least actual data of at least one of the landmark displayed on the external monitor and acquisition information acquired using the landmark and including the identification information, a reference data acquisition unit that acquires reference data corresponding to the actual data, and a remote control unit that remotely controls the moving body and performs different processes related to the movement of the moving body depending on whether the actual data matches the reference data or not. According to this aspect, the control device can generate a landmark using the identification information stored in the memory. Then, the control system can determine whether an instruction can be transmitted to the moving body to be controlled without detecting by an external sensor whether the operation instructed to the moving body to be controlled has been executed by comparing the actual data acquired using the landmark with the reference data. Thereby, the control system can more appropriately determine whether an instruction can be transmitted to the moving body to be controlled. Further, the control system can perform different processes related to the movement of the moving body depending on whether the actual data matches the reference data or not. That is, the control system can perform different processes related to the movement of the moving body according to the determination result of whether an instruction can be transmitted to the moving body. The present disclosure can be implemented in various forms other than the above control device and control system. For example, it can be implemented in the form of a moving body controlled by a control device, a manufacturing method of at least any one of the control device, the control system, and the moving body, a control method of at least any one of the control device, the control system, and the moving body, an identification method of the moving body and a communication device mounted on the moving body, a remote control method of the moving body, a computer program for realizing the method, a non-transitory recording medium on which the computer program is recorded, and the like.

Brief Description of Drawings

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Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] A. First Embodiment: FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a control system 50. The control system 50 includes one or more vehicles 100 as moving bodies, a remote control device 200 as a control device, and one or more external sensors 300. The control system 50 is a system for driving a target vehicle 100t without accidentally driving a non-target vehicle 100n. The target vehicle 100t is a vehicle 100 to be remotely controlled. The non-target vehicle 100n is another vehicle 100 different from the target vehicle 100t. In the following, when it is not necessary to distinguish between each vehicle 100n, 100t, it is simply referred to as "vehicle 100".

[0009] In the present disclosure, a "moving body" means an object that can move, and for example, a vehicle or an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (so-called flying car). The vehicle may be a vehicle that travels by wheels or a vehicle that travels by an endless track, and for example, a passenger car, a truck, a bus, a two-wheeled vehicle, a four-wheeled vehicle, a tank, a construction vehicle, etc. The vehicle includes battery electric vehicles (BEVs), gasoline vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. When the moving body is other than a vehicle, the expressions "vehicle" and "car" in the present disclosure can be appropriately replaced with "moving body", and the expression "travel" can be appropriately replaced with "move".

[0010] Vehicle 100 is configured to be capable of traveling by autonomous driving. "Autonomous driving" means driving without relying on the driving operations of passengers. Driving operations refer to operations related to at least any one of "driving forward", "turning", and "stopping" of vehicle 100. Autonomous driving is realized by automatic or manual remote control using a device located outside vehicle 100, or by the autonomous control of vehicle 100. A passenger who does not perform driving operations may board vehicle 100 while it is traveling autonomously. Passengers who do not perform driving operations include, for example, a person simply sitting in the seat of vehicle 100, or a person performing tasks different from driving operations, such as assembly, inspection, and operation of switches, while boarding vehicle 100. Note that driving by the driving operations of passengers is sometimes referred to as "driver-operated driving".

[0011] In this specification, "remote control" includes "full remote control" in which all the operations of vehicle 100 are completely determined from outside vehicle 100, and "partial remote control" in which some of the operations of vehicle 100 are determined from outside vehicle 100. Also, "autonomous control" includes "full autonomous control" in which vehicle 100 autonomously controls its own operations without receiving any information from a device outside vehicle 100, and "partial autonomous control" in which vehicle 100 autonomously controls its own operations using the information received from a device outside vehicle 100.

[0012] In this embodiment, the control system 50 is used in the factory FC where vehicle 100 is manufactured. The reference coordinate system of factory FC is the global coordinate system GC, and any position within factory FC can be represented by the coordinates of X, Y, and Z in the global coordinate system GC. Factory FC includes a first location PL1 and a second location PL2. The first location PL1 and the second location PL2 are connected by a road TR on which vehicle 100 can travel. A plurality of external sensors 300 are installed along the road TR in factory FC. The positions of the respective external sensors 300 in factory FC are adjusted in advance. Vehicle 100 moves from the first location PL1 to the second location PL2 through the road TR by autonomous driving.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system 50 in the first embodiment. The vehicle 100 includes a vehicle control device 110 for controlling each part of the vehicle 100, an actuator group 120 including one or more actuators driven under the control of the vehicle control device 110, and a vehicle communication device 130 for communicating with an external device such as the remote control device 200 by wireless communication. The actuator group 120 includes an actuator of a driving device for accelerating the vehicle 100, an actuator of a steering device for changing the traveling direction of the vehicle 100, and an actuator of a braking device for decelerating the vehicle 100.

[0014] The vehicle control device 110 is configured by a computer including a processor 111, a first memory 112, an input / output interface 113, and an internal bus 114. The processor 111, the first memory 112, and the input / output interface 113 are connected so as to be communicable bidirectionally via the internal bus 114. The actuator group 120 and the vehicle communication device 130 are connected to the input / output interface 113. The processor 111 realizes various functions including the function as the vehicle control unit 115 by executing the program PG1 stored in the first memory 112.

[0015] The vehicle control unit 115 runs the vehicle 100 by controlling the actuator group 120. The vehicle control unit 115 can run the vehicle 100 by controlling the actuator group 120 using the travel control signal received from the remote control device 200. The travel control signal is a control signal for running the vehicle 100. In the present embodiment, the travel control signal includes the acceleration and the steering angle of the vehicle 100 as parameters. In other embodiments, the travel control signal may include the speed of the vehicle 100 as a parameter instead of or in addition to the acceleration of the vehicle 100.

[0016] In this embodiment, in each manufacturing process, vehicle identification information VI of predetermined items is written into the first memory 112. As a result, the first memory 112 stores vehicle identification information VI of predetermined items according to the manufacturing process. That is, the items of the vehicle identification information VI stored in the first memory 112 are set according to the manufacturing process. The vehicle identification information VI is information for identifying a plurality of vehicles 100. The vehicle identification information VI is information including at least one of unique information and non-unique information, and includes information of one or more items. The unique information is information unique to each vehicle 100 that can uniquely identify the vehicle 100. The unique information is, for example, a vehicle identification number assigned to each vehicle 100 so as not to overlap among a plurality of vehicles 100. The vehicle identification number is, for example, a VIN number. The non-unique information is information regarding the vehicle 100 other than the unique information. The non-unique information is, for example, part number information regarding the part numbers of the hardware and software mounted on the vehicle 100. The non-unique information may be specification information regarding the specifications of the vehicle 100, or destination information regarding the region and country of the destination of the vehicle 100. Further, the non-unique information may be an in-plant identification number assigned to each vehicle 100 for identifying a plurality of vehicles 100 within one factory FC. Note that the vehicle identification information VI may include, for example, time-series data representing the transition of a state quantity indicating the state of a mounted device mounted on the vehicle 100. In this case, the vehicle identification information VI may include, for example, time-series data representing the transition of the charge rate of the main battery that supplies power to the driving motor. Further, the vehicle identification information VI may include numerical information calculated by performing arithmetic processing using a predetermined function on numerical information representing a vehicle identification number, part number information, specification information, destination information, in-plant identification number, etc. Hereinafter, the vehicle identification information VI stored in the first memory 112 is also referred to as "first vehicle identification information VI1".

[0017] The vehicle communication device 130 includes a processor 131, a third memory 132, an input / output interface 133, an internal bus 134, and an external monitor 135. The processor 131, the third memory 132, the input / output interface 133, and the external monitor 135 are connected so as to be capable of two-way communication via the internal bus 134. Connected to the input / output interface 133 is a communication unit 136 for communicating with various devices external to the vehicle communication device 130. The communication unit 136 can communicate with the remote control device 200 and the external sensor 300 by wireless communication, and can communicate with the vehicle control device 110 by wired communication or wireless communication. The external monitor 135 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. The external monitor 135 is disposed at a position visible from outside the vehicle 100. The processor 131 realizes various functions including functions as a generation unit 138 and a display control unit 139 by executing a program PG3 stored in the third memory 132.

[0018] The generation unit 138 generates a landmark MA. In the present embodiment, the generation unit 138 acquires first vehicle identification information VI1 including unique information from the vehicle control device 110. Then, the generation unit 138 generates a QR code (registered trademark, hereinafter omitted) representing the acquired first vehicle identification information VI1 and its own communication identification information CI as the landmark MA. The communication identification information CI is information for identifying a plurality of vehicle communication devices 130. The communication identification information CI includes, for example, access information and a terminal unique ID. The access information is information indicating an access destination for accessing the vehicle communication device 130. The access information includes, for example, the IP address and port number of the vehicle communication device 130. The terminal unique ID is an identifier assigned to each vehicle communication device 130 so as not to overlap among a plurality of vehicle communication devices 130. The terminal unique ID is, for example, the MAC address of the vehicle communication device 130.

[0019] Note that in this embodiment, the mark MA is a code representing various types of information. For example, it may be a one-dimensional code such as a barcode, a stacked two-dimensional code, or a matrix two-dimensional code other than a QR code. In other embodiments, the mark MA may be a character string representing various types of information such as vehicle identification information VI, or may be different characters, figures, symbols, three-dimensional shapes, colors, or a logo combining these according to various types of information such as vehicle identification information VI.

[0020] The display control unit 139 causes the external monitor 135 to display the mark MA generated by the generation unit 138. At this time, the display control unit 139 may cause the external monitor 135 to display the mark MA according to a predetermined display pattern. For example, the display control unit 139 may cause the external monitor 135 to display the same mark MA in different display patterns for the host vehicle 100 and other vehicles 100.

[0021] The external sensor 300 is a sensor located outside the vehicle 100. The external sensor 300 in this embodiment is a sensor that captures the vehicle 100 from outside the vehicle 100. The external sensor 300 includes a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with other devices such as the remote control device 200 by wired communication or wireless communication.

[0022] Specifically, the external sensor 300 is constituted by a camera. The camera as the external sensor 300 images the vehicle 100 and outputs a captured image as a detection result. Hereinafter, the camera as the external sensor 300 is also referred to as an "external camera 310".

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the remote control device 200 is installed at a location different from the vehicle 100. The remote control device 200 realizes various functions including the function of the production instruction server 210 and the function of the autonomous driving server 220. The production instruction server 210 transmits a driving instruction for causing the target vehicle 100t to travel by remote control to the autonomous driving server 220. When the autonomous driving server 220 receives a driving instruction for causing the target vehicle 100t to travel from the production instruction server 210, the autonomous driving server 220 causes the target vehicle 100t to travel.

[0024] Here, the remote control device 200 causes the target vehicle 100t to travel by transmitting an instruction to the target vehicle 100t using, for example, access information for accessing the target communication device 130t. The target communication device 130t is a vehicle communication device 130 that is planned to be mounted on the target vehicle 100t and is pre-registered in the production management database DP stored in the second memory 202. However, within the same network, the same IP address may be assigned to multiple devices. If the same IP address as that of the vehicle communication device 130 mounted on the target vehicle 100t is also assigned to other devices used in the factory FC, the following possibilities may occur. In this case, there may be a possibility that the remote control device 200 transmits an instruction to another device having the same IP address as that of the vehicle communication device 130 mounted on the target vehicle 100t. As a result, there may be a case where the target vehicle 100t cannot be made to travel. Also, if the same IP address as that of the vehicle communication device 130 mounted on the target vehicle 100t is also assigned to the vehicle communication device 130 mounted on the non-target vehicle 100n, the following possibilities may occur. In this case, there may be a possibility that the remote control device 200 transmits an instruction to another vehicle communication device 130 having the same IP address as that of the vehicle communication device 130 mounted on the target vehicle 100t and mounted on the non-target vehicle 100n. As a result, there may be a possibility of accidentally causing the non-target vehicle 100n to travel. Also, when the vehicle communication device 130 is replaced due to a failure or the like, the vehicle communication device 130 that was planned to be mounted on the target vehicle 100t may be mounted on the non-target vehicle 100n after being repaired or the like. In this case, there may be a possibility that the remote control device 200 transmits an instruction to the target communication device 130t mounted on the non-target vehicle 100n. As a result, there may be a possibility of accidentally causing the non-target vehicle 100n to travel. From the above, there may be a case where the above problems occur by determining whether an instruction can be transmitted to the target vehicle 100t using only the access information. Therefore, the remote control device 200 uses the mark MA to determine whether an instruction can be transmitted to the target vehicle 100t.When the remote control device 200 determines that it can send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, it remotely controls the operation of the target vehicle 100t via the vehicle communication device 130 to make the target vehicle 100t run.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, the remote control device 200 is composed of a computer including a processor 201, a second memory 202, an input / output interface 203, and an internal bus 204. The processor 201, the second memory 202, and the input / output interface 203 are connected in a bidirectional communicable manner via the internal bus 204. A remote communication device 205 for communicating with various external devices of the remote control device 200 is connected to the input / output interface 203. The remote communication device 205 can communicate with the vehicle 100 by wireless communication and can communicate with each external sensor 300 by wired communication or wireless communication.

[0026] Various information including the production management database DP is stored in the second memory 202. The production management database DP is a database that associates the vehicle identification information VI of one or more vehicles 100 including the target vehicle 100t with the communication identification information CI of the vehicle communication device 130 that is planned to be installed in each vehicle 100. Hereinafter, the vehicle identification information VI stored in the second memory 202 is also referred to as "second vehicle identification information VI2". When it is not necessary to distinguish each vehicle identification information VI1, IN2, it is simply referred to as "vehicle identification information VI".

[0027] By executing the program PG2 stored in the second memory 202, the processor 201 realizes various functions including functions as an actual data acquisition unit 211, a process acquisition unit 212, a reference data acquisition unit 213, and a remote control unit 214.

[0028] The actual data acquisition unit 211 acquires at least one of the actual data of the landmark MA displayed on the external monitor 135 and the acquisition information acquired using the landmark MA and including the vehicle identification information VI. In the present embodiment, the actual data acquisition unit 211 acquires a captured image from an external camera 310 capable of imaging an area where the target vehicle 100t is expected to exist. Then, the actual data acquisition unit 211 searches for the landmark MA in the captured image. When the actual data acquisition unit 211 discovers the landmark MA in the captured image, it decodes the discovered landmark MA. As a result, the actual data acquisition unit 211 acquires, as actual data, the acquisition information represented by the landmark MA, including the first vehicle identification information VI1 including unique information and the communication identification information CI.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, when a plurality of landmarks MA are discovered in the captured image because a plurality of vehicles 100 exist within the imaging range RG of the external camera 310, the actual data acquisition unit 211 decodes, for example, all the landmarks MA. As a result, the actual data acquisition unit 211 acquires acquisition information for each of all candidate vehicles 100c that may be the target vehicle 100t.

[0030] The process acquisition unit 212 shown in FIG. 2 acquires process information indicating the manufacturing process being executed on the target vehicle 100t. The process information is, for example, a process ID indicating the manufacturing process being executed on the target vehicle 100t. The process ID is an identifier assigned to each manufacturing process so as not to overlap among a plurality of manufacturing processes. The process information is generated, for example, by detecting feature points capable of identifying a plurality of manufacturing processes from a captured image of the target vehicle 100t and specifying the manufacturing process being executed on the target vehicle 100t. The process information may be generated by specifying the manufacturing process being executed on the target vehicle 100t using manufacturing management information indicating the manufacturing status of each vehicle 100 in the factory FC.

[0031] The reference data acquisition unit 213 acquires reference data corresponding to the actual data. The reference data is data to be acquired for identifying the target vehicle 100t and the non-target vehicle 100n by collating with the actual data. For example, when the actual data acquisition unit 211 acquires the mark MA as the actual data, the reference data acquisition unit 213 acquires the mark MA to be acquired as the reference data. When the actual data acquisition unit 211 acquires the acquisition information represented by the mark MA as the actual data, the reference data acquisition unit 213 acquires the information corresponding to the acquisition information as the reference data.

[0032] In the present embodiment, the reference data acquisition unit 213 acquires, as the reference data, information on items corresponding to the manufacturing process specified by the process information among the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t and the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t. Specifically, the reference data acquisition unit 213 uses the process database DF stored in the second memory 202 to acquire items corresponding to the manufacturing process specified by the process information. Thereby, the reference data acquisition unit 213 specifies items corresponding to the manufacturing process specified by the process information. The process database DF is a database in which items of the first vehicle identification information VI1 are associated with each manufacturing process. The reference data acquisition unit 213 acquires the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the specified items corresponding to the manufacturing process. For example, when the manufacturing process being executed on the target vehicle 100t is the first manufacturing process, and in the first manufacturing process, the vehicle identification number and the part number information are written in the first memory 112, the items corresponding to the manufacturing process specified by the process information are the vehicle identification number and the part number information. In this case, when the vehicle identification number, the part number information, the specification information, the destination information, and the factory identification number are stored as the vehicle identification information VI in the second memory 202, the reference data acquisition unit 213 acquires the vehicle identification number and the part number information without acquiring the specification information, the destination information, and the factory identification number stored in the second memory 202. Further, the reference data acquisition unit 213 uses the production management database DP stored in the second memory 202 to acquire the communication identification information CI associated with the unique information of the target vehicle 100t.

[0033] The remote control unit 214 determines whether it can send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t by comparing the actual data with the reference data. Then, when the remote control unit 214 determines that it can send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, it sends a driving control signal to the target vehicle 100t to drive the target vehicle 100t by remote control. Thereby, the remote control unit 214 drives the target vehicle 100t without accidentally driving the non-target vehicle 100n.

[0034] The remote control unit 214 performs different processes regarding the driving of the vehicle 100 depending on whether the actual data matches the reference data or not. The remote control unit 214 compares the actual data with the reference data. And when the actual data matches the reference data, the remote control unit 214 determines that it can send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, so it is okay to drive the target vehicle 100t. When it is determined that an instruction can be sent to the target vehicle 100t, the remote control unit 214 acquires the detection result by the sensor, generates a driving control signal for controlling the actuator group 120 of the target vehicle 100t using the detection result, and sends the driving control signal to the target vehicle 100t. Thereby, the remote control unit 214 drives the target vehicle 100t without driving the non-target vehicle 100n. On the other hand, when the actual data does not match the reference data, the remote control unit 214 determines that it cannot send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, so it determines that the target vehicle 100t should not be driven. When it is determined that an instruction cannot be sent to the target vehicle 100t, the remote control unit 214 ends the process without sending a driving control signal to the target vehicle 100t.

[0035] In this embodiment, the remote control unit 214 identifies the target vehicle 100t and the non-target vehicle 100n by collating the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the landmark MA and the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t, and checks whether the vehicle is the target vehicle 100t. The remote control unit 214 collates the communication identification information CI represented by the landmark MA and the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t to check whether the target communication device 130t is mounted on the target vehicle 100t as scheduled in the production management database DP. When the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the landmark MA matches the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t and the communication identification information CI represented by the landmark MA matches the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t, the remote control unit 214 makes the following judgment. In this case, since the remote control unit 214 can send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, it is determined that the target vehicle 100t may be driven. On the other hand, when at least one of the case where the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the landmark MA does not match the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t and the case where the communication identification information CI represented by the landmark MA does not match the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t applies, the remote control unit 214 makes the following judgment. In this case, since the remote control unit 214 cannot send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, it is determined that the target vehicle 100t should not be driven.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1, when the actual data acquisition unit 211 acquires the vehicle identification information VI of a plurality of candidate vehicles 100c, the remote control unit 214 collates the actual data and the reference data for each candidate vehicle 100c, for example. Then, when the actual data and the reference data of the candidate vehicle 100c match, the remote control unit 214 determines that the candidate vehicle 100c is the target vehicle 100t and that the target vehicle 100t may be driven. On the other hand, when the actual data and the reference data of the candidate vehicle 100c do not match, the remote control unit 214 determines that the candidate vehicle 100c is a non-target vehicle 100n and that the target vehicle 100t should not be driven.

[0037] In addition, when the actual data acquisition unit 211 acquires the mark MA as actual data, the reference data acquisition unit 213 acquires the mark MA as reference data corresponding to the actual data. In this case, the remote control unit 214 collates the mark MA displayed on the external monitor 135 with the mark MA acquired as reference data. Then, when the mark MA displayed on the external monitor 135 matches the mark MA acquired as reference data, the remote control unit 214 can transmit an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, and thus determines that the target vehicle 100t may be caused to travel. On the other hand, when the mark MA displayed on the external monitor 135 does not match the mark MA acquired as reference data, the remote control unit 214 cannot transmit an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, and thus determines that the target vehicle 100t should not be caused to travel.

[0038] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of travel control when the vehicle 100 is caused to travel by remote control. The flow shown in FIG. 3 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle, for example, during a period in which the target vehicle 100t travels by remote control.

[0039] In step S1, the remote control unit 214 of the remote control device 200 acquires vehicle position information using the detection result output from the external sensor 300. The vehicle position information is position information that serves as a basis for generating a travel control signal. In the present embodiment, the vehicle position information includes the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 in the global coordinate system GC of the factory FC. Specifically, in step S1, the remote control unit 214 acquires the vehicle position information using the captured image acquired from the camera which is the external sensor 300.

[0040] Specifically, in step S1, the remote control unit 214 detects the outer shape of the vehicle 100 from, for example, a captured image, calculates the coordinates of the measurement points of the vehicle 100 in the coordinate system of the captured image, that is, the local coordinate system, and converts the calculated coordinates into coordinates in the global coordinate system GC, thereby obtaining the position of the vehicle 100. The outer shape of the vehicle 100 included in the captured image can be detected, for example, by inputting the captured image into a detection model DM that utilizes artificial intelligence. The detection model DM is prepared, for example, inside or outside the control system 50 and is stored in advance in the second memory 202. Examples of the detection model DM include a trained machine learning model trained to realize either semantic segmentation or instance segmentation. As this machine learning model, for example, a convolutional neural network (hereinafter, CNN) trained by supervised learning using a training dataset can be used. The training dataset has, for example, a plurality of training images including the vehicle 100 and a label indicating whether each region in the training image is a region indicating the vehicle 100 or a region indicating other than the vehicle 100. During the training of the CNN, it is preferable that the parameters of the CNN are updated by backpropagation (error backpropagation method) so as to reduce the error between the output result by the detection model DM and the label. Further, the remote control unit 214 can obtain the orientation of the vehicle 100 by estimating, for example, based on the direction of the movement vector of the vehicle 100 calculated from the position change of the feature points of the vehicle 100 between frames of the captured image using the optical flow method.

[0041] In step S2, the remote control unit 214 determines the target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head. In the present embodiment, the target position is represented by the coordinates of X, Y, and Z in the global coordinate system GC. The second memory 202 stores in advance a reference route RR which is the route along which the vehicle 100 should travel. The route is represented by nodes indicating the departure point, nodes indicating passing points, nodes indicating the destination, and links connecting the respective nodes. The remote control unit 214 determines the target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head using the vehicle position information and the reference route RR. The remote control unit 214 determines the target position on the reference route RR ahead of the current position of the vehicle 100.

[0042] In step S3, the remote control unit 214 generates a driving control signal for driving the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. The remote control unit 214 calculates the driving speed of the vehicle 100 from the change in the position of the vehicle 100 and compares the calculated driving speed with the target speed. Overall, when the driving speed is lower than the target speed, the remote control unit 214 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 accelerates, and when the driving speed is higher than the target speed, the remote control unit 214 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 decelerates. Further, when the vehicle 100 is located on the reference route RR, the remote control unit 214 determines the steering angle and the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 does not deviate from the reference route RR, and when the vehicle 100 is not located on the reference route RR, in other words, when the vehicle 100 has deviated from the reference route RR, the remote control unit 214 determines the steering angle and the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 returns to the reference route RR.

[0043] In step S4, the remote control unit 214 transmits the generated driving control signal to the vehicle 100. The processor 201 repeats the acquisition of vehicle position information, determination of the target position, generation of the driving control signal, and transmission of the driving control signal, etc. at a predetermined cycle.

[0044] In step S5, the vehicle control unit 115 of the vehicle control device 110 mounted on the vehicle 100 receives a travel control signal transmitted from the remote control device 200. In step S6, the vehicle control unit 115 of the vehicle 100 controls the actuator group 120 using the received travel control signal, thereby causing the vehicle 100 to travel at the acceleration and steering angle represented by the travel control signal. The processor 111 repeats the reception of the travel control signal and the control of the actuator group 120 at a predetermined cycle. According to the control system 50 in the present embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be remotely controlled to travel, and the vehicle 100 can be moved without using a conveying facility such as a crane or a conveyor.

[0045] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a determination method in the first embodiment for determining whether an instruction can be transmitted to the target vehicle 100t. When the vehicle 100 is caused to travel by remote control, it is necessary to confirm that an instruction can be transmitted to the target vehicle 100t before starting the travel. Therefore, the flow shown in FIG. 4 is executed, for example, before starting the travel of the target vehicle 100t. By doing so, the target vehicle 100t can be caused to travel without accidentally causing the non-target vehicle 100n to travel. Note that the flow shown in FIG. 4 may be executed at a predetermined cycle during the travel of the target vehicle 100t. By doing so, it is possible to confirm at a predetermined cycle that the remote control is being executed on the target vehicle 100t during the travel of the target vehicle 100t.

[0046] In step S101, the generation unit 138 of the vehicle communication device 130 acquires first vehicle identification information VI1 including unique information from the vehicle control device 110. In step S102, the generation unit 138 generates a QR code representing the acquired first vehicle identification information VI1 and its own communication identification information CI. In step S103, the display control unit 139 causes the external monitor 135 to display the QR code representing the first vehicle identification information VI1 and the communication identification information CI. Each step from step S101 to step S103 is executed for each vehicle 100.

[0047] In step S104, the actual data acquisition unit 211 of the remote control device 200 transmits an image request signal for acquiring a captured image to an external camera 310 capable of imaging an area where the target vehicle 100t is expected to be present. The external camera 310 that has received the image request signal transmits the captured image to the remote control device 200 in step S105. In step S106, the actual data acquisition unit 211 of the remote control device 200 searches for a QR code in the captured image. When a QR code is found in the captured image (step S107: Yes), in step S108, the actual data acquisition unit 211 decodes the found QR code according to a predetermined code standard. As a result, the actual data acquisition unit 211 acquires, as actual data, acquisition information represented by the QR code, which includes first vehicle identification information VI1 including unique information and communication identification information CI. On the other hand, when a QR code cannot be found in the captured image (step S107: No), the control system 50 ends this flow. Note that the case where a QR code cannot be found in the captured image means, for example, that there is no QR code in the captured image because the vehicle 100 does not exist within the imaging range of the external camera 310 that generated the captured image. The case where a QR code cannot be found in the captured image may be the case where the QR code in the captured image cannot be recognized due to the low image quality of the captured image, or may be the case where there is no QR code in the captured image because the QR code is not displayed on the external monitor 135.

[0048] In step S109, the process acquisition unit 212 acquires process information. In step S110, the reference data acquisition unit 213 uses the process database DF to acquire items corresponding to the manufacturing process specified by the process information, thereby specifying items corresponding to the manufacturing process specified by the process information. In step S111, the reference data acquisition unit 213 acquires, as reference data, information about items corresponding to the manufacturing process specified by the process information among the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t and the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t.

[0049] In step S112, the remote control unit 214 collates the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the QR code with the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t. In step S113, the remote control unit 214 collates the communication identification information CI represented by the QR code with the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t. When the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the QR code matches the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t (step S112: Yes) and the communication identification information CI represented by the QR code matches the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t (step S113: Yes), the remote control unit 214 makes a determination as shown in step S114. In step S114, since the remote control unit 214 can send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, it determines that the target vehicle 100t may be driven. When at least one of the case where the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the QR code does not match the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t (step S112: No) and the case where the communication identification information CI represented by the QR code does not match the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t (step S113: No) applies, the remote control unit 214 makes a determination as shown in step S115. In step S115, since the remote control unit 214 cannot send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, it determines that the target vehicle 100t shall not be driven.

[0050] According to the first embodiment described above, the remote control device 200 can acquire, as actual data, acquisition information represented by the mark MA, which includes first vehicle identification information VI1 including unique information and communication identification information CI. The remote control device 200 can acquire, as reference data corresponding to the actual data, second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t and communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t. The remote control device 200 collates the first vehicle identification information VI1 as actual data with the second vehicle identification information VI2 as reference data to identify the target vehicle 100t and the non-target vehicle 100n, and can confirm whether the vehicle is the target vehicle 100t. The remote control device 200 collates the communication identification information CI as actual data with the communication identification information CI as reference data to confirm whether the target communication device 130t is mounted on the target vehicle 100t as expected. Thereby, when the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the mark MA matches the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t and the communication identification information CI represented by the mark MA matches the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t, the remote control device 200 can determine that it can send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t. When at least one of the case where the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the mark MA does not match the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t and the case where the communication identification information CI represented by the mark MA does not match the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t applies, the remote control device 200 can determine that it cannot send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t. In such a form, the remote control device 200 can determine whether it can send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t without detecting by the external sensor 300 whether the operation instructed to the target vehicle 100t has been executed. By doing so, even if various devices such as lights are not mounted on the target vehicle 100t or the various devices cannot be used because the target vehicle 100t is a vehicle 100 during manufacture, the remote control device 200 can determine whether it can send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t.Also, in such a form, the remote control device 200 can determine whether it can send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t by checking whether the target vehicle is the target vehicle 100t and whether the target communication device 130t is properly installed on the target vehicle 100t as planned. By doing so, it is possible to solve the problems that may occur when it is determined whether an instruction can be sent to the target vehicle 100t using only access information. Therefore, the remote control device 200 can more appropriately determine whether it can send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t.

[0051] Also, according to the first embodiment, the landmark MA is generated using the first vehicle identification information VI1. Therefore, the external monitor 135 of the vehicle communication device 130 mounted on the non-target vehicle 100n displays the landmark MA representing the first vehicle identification information VI1 of the non-target vehicle 100n. Therefore, the remote control device 200 can identify the target vehicle 100t and the non-target vehicle 100n by collating the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the landmark MA in the captured image with the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t. Thereby, the remote control device 200 can obtain the position and orientation of the target vehicle 100t by performing image analysis on the target vehicle 100t in the captured image.

[0052] Also, according to the first embodiment, the remote control device 200 searches for the landmark MA in the captured image in order to acquire actual data. At this time, if the IP address that was planned to be assigned to the target communication device 130t is, for some reason, not assigned to the target communication device 130t but is assigned to another device other than the vehicle 100 used in the factory FC, the landmark MA does not exist in the captured image. Therefore, when the remote control device 200 cannot find the landmark MA in the captured image, it can recognize that the IP address that was planned to be assigned to the target communication device 130t may be assigned to another device. When the remote control device 200 recognizes that the IP address that was planned to be assigned to the target communication device 130t may be assigned to another device, for example, it may notify the user by displaying warning information on the external monitor 135. By doing so, it is possible to notify the user that an instruction cannot be transmitted to the target vehicle 100t. Thereby, the possibility that the target vehicle 100t cannot be made to travel can be reduced.

[0053] Also, according to the first embodiment, the remote control device 200 collates the communication identification information CI represented by the landmark MA with the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t. Thereby, the remote control device 200 can confirm that the target communication device 130t is mounted on the target vehicle 100t as planned. By doing so, when the vehicle communication device 130 is replaced due to a failure or the like, the remote control device 200 can reduce the possibility of accidentally running the non-target vehicle 100n. Also, when another landmark MA different from the landmark MA to be displayed on the external monitor 135 is displayed on the external monitor 135 for some reason, the remote control device 200 can reduce the possibility of accidentally running the non-target vehicle 100n. Also, when a medium with another landmark MA printed thereon is arranged so as to cover the external monitor 135, the remote control device 200 can reduce the possibility of accidentally running the non-target vehicle 100n.

[0054] Also, according to the first embodiment, the items of the first vehicle identification information VI1 are set according to the manufacturing process. The remote control device 200 can acquire process information indicating the manufacturing process being executed on the target vehicle 100t. When the first vehicle identification information VI1 is acquired as actual data, the remote control device 200 can at least acquire, as reference data, information about items corresponding to the manufacturing process specified by the process information among the second vehicle identification information VI2. By doing so, when collating the actual data and the reference data, the remote control device 200 can acquire, as reference data, information about items necessary when collating the actual data and the reference data without acquiring information about unnecessary items as reference data.

[0055] Also, according to the first embodiment, the remote control device 200 can acquire acquisition information including the first vehicle identification information VI1 including unique information as actual data. The remote control device 200 can at least acquire, as reference data, the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information as reference data. By doing so, when collating the actual data and the reference data, the remote control device 200 can more accurately determine whether an instruction can be transmitted to the target vehicle 100t by using the unique information.

[0056] Also, according to the first embodiment, the vehicle communication device 130 can generate a mark MA representing the first vehicle identification information VI1 by using the first vehicle identification information VI1 acquired from the vehicle control device 110. By doing so, the vehicle communication device 130 can generate a mark MA representing the vehicle identification information VI without the production instruction server 210 as the remote control device 200 writing the second vehicle identification information VI2 into the third memory 132 in advance.

[0057] Further, according to the first embodiment, when the landmark MA is generated using at least the first vehicle identification information VI1 and the first vehicle identification information VI1 includes unique information, the remote control device 200 can operate as follows. In this case, the remote control device 200 can determine whether it can send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t without acquiring the first vehicle identification information VI1 as reference data or comparing the first vehicle identification information VI1 with the actual data.

[0058] Further, according to the first embodiment, when the remote control device 200 determines that it can send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, it can remotely control the target vehicle 100t to travel by sending a travel control signal to the target vehicle 100t. On the other hand, when the remote control device 200 determines that it cannot send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, it can end the process without sending a travel control signal to the target vehicle 100t, thereby, for example, stopping the non-target vehicle 100n without making it travel. That is, the remote control device 200 can perform different processes regarding the travel of the vehicle 100 depending on whether the actual data matches the reference data or not.

[0059] In addition, in the first embodiment, when the remote control device 200 determines that it can send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, it may send a driving control signal associated with the vehicle identification information VI as additional information to the vehicle 100. Then, the vehicle control device 110 that has received the driving control signal may use the additional information to determine whether to execute the control of the actuator group 120 using the driving control signal. In this case, for example, when the additional information matches the first vehicle identification information VI1, the vehicle control device 110 executes the control of the actuator group 120 using the driving control signal. When the additional information does not match the first vehicle identification information VI1, the vehicle control device 110 ends the process without executing the control of the actuator group 120 using the driving control signal. By doing so, even when the same IP address is assigned to multiple devices within the same network, the remote control device 200 can drive the target vehicle 100t without driving the non-target vehicle 100n. In addition, the remote control device 200 can reduce the possibility of not being able to drive the target vehicle 100t.

[0060] B. Second Embodiment: FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system 50a in the second embodiment. The control system 50a includes one or more vehicles 100a, a remote control device 200a as a control device, and one or more external cameras 310. In this embodiment, the method for generating the landmark MA and the method for determining whether an instruction can be sent to the target vehicle 100t are different from those in the first embodiment. Other configurations of the control system 50a are the same as those in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

[0061] The remote control device 200a realizes various functions including the functions of the production instruction server 210a and the self-driving server 220a. The production instruction server 210a transmits a driving control signal to the target vehicle 100t as a driving instruction for causing the target vehicle 100t to travel by remote control to the self-driving server 220. Further, the production instruction server 210a writes the second vehicle identification information VI2 of one or more vehicles 100a including the target vehicle 100t into the third memory 132a. When the self-driving server 220a receives a driving instruction for causing the target vehicle 100t to travel from the production instruction server 210a, it determines whether it can transmit an instruction to the target vehicle 100t. Then, when the self-driving server 220a determines that it can transmit an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, it remotely controls the operation of the target vehicle 100t via the vehicle communication device 130 to cause the target vehicle 100t to travel.

[0062] The remote control device 200a is composed of a computer including a processor 201a, a second memory 202a, an input / output interface 203, and an internal bus 204. By executing the program PG2a stored in the second memory 202a, the processor 201a realizes various functions including the functions as a writing unit 215, a device-side switching unit 216, an actual data acquisition unit 211a, a reference data acquisition unit 213a, and a remote control unit 214a.

[0063] The writing unit 215 writes the second vehicle identification information VI2 of one or more vehicles 100a including the target vehicle 100t, which is the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information, into the third memory 132a. For example, as in the first embodiment, when writing the second vehicle identification information VI2 into the third memory 132a, if among the plurality of vehicle communication devices 130, the vehicle communication device 130 mounted on the target vehicle 100t is predetermined, the writing unit 215 executes the following process. In this case, the writing unit 215 writes the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t into the third memory 132a without writing the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the non-target vehicle 100n into the third memory 132a. On the other hand, when writing the second vehicle identification information VI2 into the third memory 132a, if among the plurality of vehicle communication devices 130, the vehicle communication device 130 mounted on the target vehicle 100t is not predetermined, the writing unit 215 executes the following process. In this case, the writing unit 215 writes the second vehicle identification information VI2 of a plurality of vehicles 100a including the target vehicle 100t into the third memory 132a. At this time, the writing unit 215 may write the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the vehicle 100a scheduled to be produced within a period from the time when the second vehicle identification information VI2 is written into the third memory 132a to a predetermined time into the third memory 132a.

[0064] When the writing unit 215 writes the second vehicle identification information VI2 of a plurality of vehicles 100a into the third memory 132a, and when the mark MA represents access information without representing the vehicle identification information VI, the device-side switching unit 216 executes the following process. The device-side switching unit 216 uses the access information represented by the mark MA as a switching instruction to switch the settings of the vehicle communication device 130a, and transmits the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t, which is the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information, to the target communication device 130t. Thereby, the device-side switching unit 216 causes the vehicle communication device 130a to recognize that it is used for remote control of the target vehicle 100t, and causes the vehicle communication device 130a to switch its settings.

[0065] The actual data acquisition unit 211a acquires the acquisition information represented by the mark MA as actual data. The actual data acquisition unit 211a may further acquire the access information represented by the mark MA.

[0066] When the actual data acquisition unit 211a acquires the acquisition information including the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the mark MA, which is the first vehicle identification information VI1 including unique information, and the communication identification information CI represented by the mark MA, the reference data acquisition unit 213a executes the following processing. In this case, the reference data acquisition unit 213a acquires, as reference data, the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t, which is the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information, and the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t.

[0067] When the actual data acquisition unit 211a acquires the second vehicle identification information VI2 represented by the mark MA, which is the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information, the reference data acquisition unit 213a executes the following processing. In this case, the reference data acquisition unit 213a acquires the first vehicle identification information VI1 including unique information as reference data. At this time, the reference data acquisition unit 213a acquires, for example, the access information associated with the unique information of the target vehicle 100t using the production management database DP stored in the second memory 202a. Then, the reference data acquisition unit 213a acquires the first vehicle identification information VI1 using the acquired access information.

[0068] When the actual data acquisition unit 211 acquires acquisition information including the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the mark MA, which includes unique information, and the communication identification information CI, the remote control unit 214a executes the following processes. In this case, the remote control unit 214a collates the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the mark MA with the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t to identify the target vehicle 100t and the non-target vehicle 100n, and checks whether the vehicle is the target vehicle 100t. The remote control unit 214a collates the communication identification information CI represented by the mark MA with the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t to check whether the target communication device 130t is mounted on the target vehicle 100t as expected. When the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the mark MA matches the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t and the communication identification information CI represented by the mark MA matches the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t, the remote control unit 214a makes the following judgment. In this case, the remote control unit 214a determines that since it can send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, it is okay to drive the target vehicle 100t. On the other hand, when at least one of the case where the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the mark MA does not match the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t and the case where the communication identification information CI represented by the mark MA does not match the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t applies, the remote control unit 214a makes the following judgment. In this case, the remote control unit 214a determines that since it cannot send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, the target vehicle 100t should not be driven.

[0069] The second vehicle identification information VI2 represented by the mark MA, when the actual data acquisition unit 211 acquires the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information, the remote control unit 214a executes the following processes. In this case, the remote control unit 214a collates the second vehicle identification information VI2 represented by the mark MA with the first vehicle identification information VI1 acquired as reference data. Thereby, the remote control unit 214a identifies the target vehicle 100t and the non-target vehicle 100n, checks whether it is the target vehicle 100t, and checks whether the target communication device 130t is mounted on the target vehicle 100t as planned. When the second vehicle identification information VI2 represented by the mark MA matches the first vehicle identification information VI1 acquired as reference data, the remote control unit 214a can transmit an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, and thus determines that the target vehicle 100t may be driven. On the other hand, when the second vehicle identification information VI2 represented by the mark MA does not match the first vehicle identification information VI1 acquired as reference data, the remote control unit 214a cannot transmit an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, and thus determines that the target vehicle 100t should not be driven.

[0070] Vehicle 100a includes a vehicle control device 110a for controlling each part of vehicle 100a, an actuator group 120 including one or more actuators driven under the control of vehicle control device 110a, and a vehicle communication device 130a for communicating with an external device such as remote control device 200a by wireless communication.

[0071] Vehicle control device 110a is constituted by a computer including a processor 111a, a first memory 112a, an input / output interface 113, and an internal bus 114. By executing program PG1a stored in first memory 112a, processor 111a realizes various functions including a vehicle control unit 115 and functions as a vehicle-side switching unit 116.

[0072] When the second vehicle identification information VI2 of a plurality of vehicles 100a is written in the third memory 132a, the vehicle-side switching unit 116 acquires the first vehicle identification information VI1. When the acquired first vehicle identification information VI1 includes unique information, the vehicle-side switching unit 116 executes the following processing. In this case, the vehicle-side switching unit 116 recognizes that it is used for remote control of the own vehicle 100a among the plurality of vehicles 100a specified by the second vehicle identification information VI2 stored in the third memory 132a. Thereby, the vehicle-side switching unit 116 switches the setting of the vehicle control device 110a. When the acquired first vehicle identification information VI1 includes non-unique information without including unique information, the vehicle-side switching unit 116 executes the following processing. In this case, the vehicle-side switching unit 116 causes the vehicle communication device 130a to recognize that it is used for remote control of the vehicle 100a specified by the unique information included in the second vehicle identification information VI2 acquired from the remote control device 200a among the plurality of vehicles 100a specified by the second vehicle identification information VI2 stored in the third memory 132a, that is, the target vehicle 100t. Thereby, the vehicle-side switching unit 116 switches the setting of the vehicle communication device 130a.

[0073] The vehicle communication device 130a includes a processor 131a, a third memory 132a, an input / output interface 133, an internal bus 134, and an external monitor 135. The processor 131a realizes various functions including the functions as a generation unit 138a and a display control unit 139a by executing a program PG3a stored in the third memory 132a.

[0074] The generation unit 138a generates a QR code as a landmark MA by different methods according to whether or not the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the non-target vehicle 100n is written in the third memory 132a.

[0075] When the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t is written in the third memory 132a without the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the non-target vehicle 100n being written, the generation unit 138a executes the following process. The generation unit 138a generates a QR code representing the second vehicle identification information VI2 by using the second vehicle identification information VI2 written in the third memory 132a by the remote control device 200a. That is, in this case, the QR code is generated by using the second vehicle identification information VI2 without using the first vehicle identification information VI1.

[0076] When the second vehicle identification information VI2 of a plurality of vehicles 100a is written in the third memory 132a and the setting of the vehicle communication device 130a is switched by using the first vehicle identification information VI1 including the unique information, the generation unit 138a executes the following process. In this case, the generation unit 138a generates a QR code representing the first vehicle identification information VI1 including the unique information and the communication identification information CI of the vehicle communication device 130a. That is, in this case, the QR code is generated by using at least the first vehicle identification information VI1.

[0077] When the second vehicle identification information VI2 of a plurality of vehicles 100a is written in the third memory 132a and the first vehicle identification information VI1 includes non-unique information without including unique information, the generation unit 138a executes the following process. In this case, the generation unit 138a generates a QR code representing access information for accessing the vehicle communication device 130a. The display control unit 139a causes the external monitor 135 to display the QR code representing the access information. Thereby, the remote control device can transmit the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t including the unique information to the own vehicle 100a.

[0078] When the vehicle identification information VI of a plurality of vehicles 100a is written in the third memory 132a and the setting of the vehicle communication device 130a is switched using the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information, the generation unit 138a executes the following process. The generation unit 138a generates a QR code representing the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information corresponding to the unique information acquired from the remote control device 200a among the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the plurality of vehicles 100a stored in the third memory 132a. That is, in this case, the QR code is generated using the second vehicle identification information VI2 without using the first vehicle identification information VI1.

[0079] FIG. 6 is a first flowchart showing a determination method in the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a second flowchart showing a determination method in the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a third flowchart showing a determination method in the second embodiment. The flows shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 are executed, for example, before starting the running of the target vehicle 100t. Note that the flows shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 may be executed at a predetermined cycle during the running of the target vehicle 100t.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 6, when the writing unit 215 of the remote control device 200a has not written the second vehicle identification information VI2 in the third memory 132 (step S201: Yes), the writing unit 215 executes step S202. In step S202, the writing unit 215 writes, in the third memory 132a, the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information, which is the second vehicle identification information VI2 of one or more vehicles 100a including the target vehicle 100t.

[0081] When the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t is written in the third memory 132a without the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the non-target vehicle 100n being written (step S203: Yes), the generation unit 138a of the vehicle communication device 130a executes step S204. In step S204, the generation unit 138a generates a QR code representing the second vehicle identification information VI2 using the second vehicle identification information VI2 written in the third memory 132a by the remote control device 200a. In step S205, the display control unit 139a causes the external monitor 135 to display the QR code representing the second vehicle identification information VI2.

[0082] When the second vehicle identification information VI2 of a plurality of vehicles 100a is written in the third memory 132a (step S203: No), the vehicle-side switching unit 116 of the vehicle control device 110a executes step S206 shown in FIG. 7. In step S206, the vehicle-side switching unit 116 acquires the first vehicle identification information VI1.

[0083] When the acquired first vehicle identification information VI1 includes unique information (step S207: Yes), the vehicle-side switching unit 116 executes step S208. In step S208, the vehicle-side switching unit 116 causes the vehicle communication device 130a to recognize that it is to be used for remote control of the own vehicle 100a among the plurality of vehicles 100a specified by the second vehicle identification information VI2 stored in the third memory 132a. Thereby, the vehicle-side switching unit 116 switches the setting of the vehicle communication device 130a using the first vehicle identification information VI1 including unique information. In step S209, the generation unit 138a of the vehicle communication device 130a generates a QR code representing the first vehicle identification information VI1 including unique information and the communication identification information CI. In step S210, the display control unit 139a causes the external monitor 135 to display the QR code representing the first vehicle identification information VI1 including unique information and the communication identification information CI.

[0084] When the acquired first vehicle identification information VI1 contains non-unique information without containing unique information (step S207: No), the generation unit 138a of the vehicle communication device 130a executes step S211 shown in FIG. 8. In step S211, the generation unit 138 generates a QR code representing access information for accessing the vehicle communication device 130a. In step S212, the display control unit 139a causes the external monitor 135 to display the QR code representing the access information.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 6, in step S213, the actual data acquisition unit 211a of the remote control device 200a transmits an image request signal for acquiring a captured image to an external camera 310 capable of imaging an area where the target vehicle 100t is expected to be present. The external camera 310 that has received the image request signal transmits the captured image to the remote control device 200a in step S214. In step S215, the actual data acquisition unit 211a of the remote control device 200a searches for a QR code in the captured image. When a QR code is found in the captured image (step S216: Yes), in step S217, the actual data acquisition unit 211a decodes the found QR code according to a predetermined code standard to acquire the information represented by the QR code. On the other hand, when a QR code cannot be found in the captured image (step S216: No), the control system 50a ends this flow.

[0086] When the actual data acquisition unit 211a acquires the access information represented by the QR code (step S218: Yes), the device-side switching unit 216 executes step S219 shown in FIG. 8. In step S219, the device-side switching unit 216 uses the access information represented by the QR code to transmit, as a switching instruction, the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t, which is the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information, to the vehicle communication device 130a. The vehicle-side switching unit 116 of the vehicle communication device 130a that has received the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information executes step S220. In step S220, the vehicle-side switching unit 116 causes the vehicle communication device 130a to recognize that it is to be used for remote control of the target vehicle 100t among the plurality of vehicles 100a specified by the second vehicle identification information VI2 stored in the third memory 132a. Thereby, the vehicle-side switching unit 116 switches the settings of the vehicle communication device 130a using the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information. In step S221, the generation unit 138a generates a QR code representing the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information corresponding to the unique information acquired from the remote control device 200a among the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the plurality of vehicles 100a stored in the third memory 132a. In step S222, the display control unit 139a causes the external monitor 135 to display a QR code representing the access information.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 6, when the actual data acquisition unit 211a acquires the second vehicle identification information VI2 represented by the QR code and including unique information, the reference data acquisition unit 213a executes step S223. In step S223, the reference data acquisition unit 213a acquires the first vehicle identification information VI1 including unique information as reference data using the access information of the target communication device 130t. In step S224, the remote control unit 214a collates the second vehicle identification information VI2 represented by the QR code with the first vehicle identification information VI1 acquired using the access information of the target communication device 130t. When the second vehicle identification information VI2 represented by the QR code and the first vehicle identification information VI1 acquired using the access information of the target communication device 130t match (step S224: Yes), the remote control unit 214a makes a determination as shown in step S225. In step S225, the remote control unit 214a determines that since it can transmit an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, the target vehicle 100t may be allowed to travel. When the second vehicle identification information VI2 represented by the QR code and the first vehicle identification information VI1 acquired using the access information of the target communication device 130t do not match (step S224: No), the remote control unit 214a makes a determination as shown in step S226. In step S226, the remote control unit 214a determines that since it cannot transmit an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, the target vehicle 100t must not be allowed to travel.

[0088] When the actual data acquisition unit 211a acquires the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the QR code, which includes unique information, and the communication identification information CI represented by the QR code, the reference data acquisition unit 213a executes step S227 shown in FIG. 7. In step S227, the reference data acquisition unit 213a acquires, as reference data, the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t, which includes unique information, and the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t. In step S228, the remote control unit 214a collates the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the QR code with the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t. In step S229, the remote control unit 214a collates the communication identification information CI represented by the QR code with the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t. When the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the QR code matches the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t (step S228: Yes) and the communication identification information CI represented by the QR code matches the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t (step S229: Yes), the remote control unit 214a can transmit an instruction to the target vehicle 100t as shown in step S225 of FIG. 6, and thus determines that the target vehicle 100t may be driven. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, when at least one of the case where the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the QR code does not match the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t (step S228: No) and the case where the communication identification information CI represented by the QR code does not match the communication identification information CI of the target communication device 130t (step S229: No) applies, the remote control unit 214a cannot transmit an instruction to the target vehicle 100t as shown in step S226 of FIG. 6, and thus determines that the target vehicle 100t should not be driven.

[0089] According to the second embodiment described above, the remote control device 200a can write the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information into the third memory 132a by using the access information. As a result, the vehicle communication device 130a can execute the following processing. In this case, the vehicle communication device 130a can generate a mark MA representing the second vehicle identification information VI2 by using the second vehicle identification information VI2 acquired from the remote control device 200a. By doing so, it is possible to generate the mark MA representing the vehicle identification information VI without acquiring the first vehicle identification information VI1 from the vehicle control device 110a.

[0090] Further, according to the second embodiment described above, when the second vehicle identification information VI2 of a plurality of vehicles 100a is written in the third memory 132a and the first vehicle identification information VI1 includes unique information, the vehicle communication device 130a can execute the following processing. In this case, the vehicle communication device 130a can generate a mark MA representing the first vehicle identification information VI1 by using the first vehicle identification information VI1 without using the second vehicle identification information VI2.

[0091] Further, according to the second embodiment described above, when the second vehicle identification information VI2 of a plurality of vehicles 100a is written in the third memory 132a and the first vehicle identification information VI1 includes non-unique information without including unique information, the vehicle communication device 130a can execute the following processing. In this case, the vehicle communication device 130a can generate a QR code representing the access information. The vehicle communication device 130a can acquire the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information from the remote control device 200a by using the QR code representing the access information. As a result, the vehicle communication device 130a can generate a mark MA representing the second vehicle identification information VI2 by using the second vehicle identification information VI2.

[0092] Further, according to the second embodiment, when the mark MA is generated using the second vehicle identification information VI2 without using the first vehicle identification information VI1, and when the second vehicle identification information VI2 represented by the mark MA includes unique information, the remote control device 200a can execute the following processes. In this case, the remote control device 200a can acquire, as actual data, the second vehicle identification information VI2 represented by the mark MA, which is the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information. The remote control device 200a can acquire the first vehicle identification information VI1 including unique information as reference data corresponding to the actual data. The remote control device 200a collates the second vehicle identification information VI2 as actual data with the first vehicle identification information VI1 as reference data. Thereby, the remote control device 200a can determine whether it is possible to transmit an instruction to the target vehicle 100t when the mark MA is generated using the second vehicle identification information VI2 without using the first vehicle identification information VI1 and when the second vehicle identification information VI2 represented by the mark MA includes unique information.

[0093] Further, according to the second embodiment, when the mark MA is generated using at least the first vehicle identification information VI1, and when the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the mark MA includes unique information, the remote control device 200a can execute the following processes. In this case, the remote control device 200a can acquire, as actual data, the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the mark MA, which is the first vehicle identification information VI1 including unique information. The remote control device 200a can acquire the second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information as reference data corresponding to the actual data. The remote control device 200a collates the first vehicle identification information VI1 as actual data with the second vehicle identification information VI2 as reference data. Thereby, the remote control device 200a can determine whether it is possible to transmit an instruction to the target vehicle 100t when the mark MA is generated using at least the first vehicle identification information VI1 and when the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the mark MA includes unique information.

[0094] C. Third Embodiment: FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system 50b in the third embodiment. The control system 50b includes one or more vehicles 100b, a remote control device 200b as a control device, and one or more external cameras 310. In this embodiment, the item of the vehicle identification information VI represented by the landmark MA and the determination method for determining whether an instruction can be transmitted to the target vehicle 100t are different from those in the first embodiment. For other configurations of the control system 50b, they are the same as those in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified. For the same configurations as those in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned and the description thereof is omitted.

[0095] The remote control device 200b realizes various functions including the functions of the production instruction server 210b and the autonomous driving server 220b. The production instruction server 210b transmits a driving instruction for causing the target vehicle 100t to travel by remote control to the autonomous driving server 220. When the autonomous driving server 220b receives a driving instruction for causing the target vehicle 100t to travel from the production instruction server 210, the autonomous driving server 220b causes the target vehicle 100t to travel.

[0096] The remote control device 200b is configured by a computer including a processor 201b, a second memory 202b, an input / output interface 203, and an internal bus 204. By executing the program PG2b stored in the second memory 202b, the processor 201b realizes various functions including the functions of an actual data acquisition unit 211b, a reference data acquisition unit 213b, and a remote control unit 214b as a remote control unit.

[0097] When the landmark MA is generated using at least the first vehicle identification information VI1 and the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the landmark MA includes non-unique information without including unique information, the actual data acquisition unit 211b executes the following processing. In this case, the actual data acquisition unit 211b acquires, as actual data, the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the landmark MA, that is, the non-unique information represented by the landmark MA. Further, the actual data acquisition unit 211b accesses the first memory 112 using the access information represented by the landmark MA as actual data to acquire the unique information stored in the first memory 112.

[0098] When the mark MA is generated using at least the first vehicle identification information VI1, and the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the mark MA includes non-unique information without including unique information, the reference data acquisition unit 213b executes the following processing. In this case, as the reference data, the reference data acquisition unit 213b acquires the second vehicle identification information VI2 including the unique information of the target vehicle 100t and the non-unique information of the same item as the non-unique information included in the first vehicle identification information VI1 acquired as the actual data among the non-unique information of the target vehicle 100t.

[0099] When the landmark MA is generated using at least the first vehicle identification information VI1, and the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the landmark MA contains non-unique information without containing unique information, the remote control unit 214b executes the following processing. In this case, the remote control unit 214b collates the non-unique information represented by the landmark MA with the non-unique information of the target vehicle 100t acquired as reference data among the second vehicle identification information VI2. Further, the remote control unit 214b collates the unique information acquired by accessing the first memory 112 using the access information represented by the landmark MA with the unique information of the target vehicle 100t acquired as reference data among the second vehicle identification information VI2. When the non-unique information represented by the landmark MA matches the non-unique information of the target vehicle 100t acquired as reference data among the second vehicle identification information VI2, and the unique information acquired by accessing the first memory 112 using the access information represented by the landmark MA matches the unique information of the target vehicle 100t acquired as reference data among the second vehicle identification information VI2, the remote control unit 214b makes the following determination. In this case, the remote control unit 214b determines that since it can send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, the target vehicle 100t may be driven. On the other hand, when at least one of the following cases occurs: the non-unique information represented by the landmark MA does not match the non-unique information of the target vehicle 100t acquired as reference data among the second vehicle identification information VI2, and the unique information acquired by accessing the first memory 112 using the access information represented by the landmark MA does not match the unique information of the target vehicle 100t acquired as reference data among the second vehicle identification information VI2, the remote control unit 214b makes the following determination. In this case, the remote control unit 214b determines that since it cannot send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t, the target vehicle 100t shall not be driven.

[0100] The vehicle 100b includes a vehicle control device 110 for controlling each part of the vehicle 100b, an actuator group 120 including one or more actuators driven under the control of the vehicle control device 110, and a vehicle communication device 130b for communicating with an external device such as the remote control device 200b by wireless communication.

[0101] The vehicle communication device 130b includes a processor 131b, a third memory 132b, an input / output interface 133, an internal bus 134, and an external monitor 135. By executing a program PG3b stored in the third memory 132b, the processor 131b realizes various functions including a generation unit 138b and a display control unit 139.

[0102] The generation unit 138b acquires first vehicle identification information VI1 including non-unique information without including unique information from the vehicle control device 110. Then, the generation unit 138b generates a QR code representing the first vehicle identification information VI1 including non-unique information without including unique information as a landmark MA.

[0103] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a determination method in the third embodiment. The flow shown in FIG. 10 is executed, for example, before starting the travel of the target vehicle 100t. Note that the flow shown in FIG. 10 may be executed at a predetermined cycle during the travel of the target vehicle 100t.

[0104] In step S301, the generation unit 138b of the vehicle communication device 130 acquires first vehicle identification information VI1 including non-unique information without including unique information from the vehicle control device 110. In step S302, the generation unit 138b generates a QR code representing the acquired first vehicle identification information VI1. In step S303, the display control unit 139 causes the external monitor 135 to display the QR code representing the first vehicle identification information VI1. Each step from step S301 to step S303 is executed for each vehicle 100b.

[0105] In step S304, the actual data acquisition unit 211b of the remote control device 200b transmits an image request signal for acquiring a captured image to an external camera 310 capable of imaging an area where the target vehicle 100t is expected to be present. The external camera 310 that has received the image request signal transmits the captured image to the remote control device 200b in step S305. In step S306, the actual data acquisition unit 211b of the remote control device 200b searches for a QR code in the captured image. When a QR code is found in the captured image (step S307: Yes), in step S308, the actual data acquisition unit 211b decodes the found QR code according to a predetermined code standard. As a result, the actual data acquisition unit 211b acquires, as actual data, non-unique information represented by the landmark MA and unique information acquired by accessing the first memory 112 using the access information represented by the landmark MA. On the other hand, when a QR code cannot be found in the captured image (step S307: No), the control system 50b ends this flow.

[0106] In step S309, the reference data acquisition unit 213b acquires, as reference data, second vehicle identification information VI2 including unique information of the target vehicle 100t and non-unique information of the same item as the non-unique information included in the first vehicle identification information VI1 acquired as actual data among the non-unique information of the target vehicle 100t.

[0107] In step S310, the remote control unit 214b collates the non-unique information represented by the mark MA with the non-unique information of the target vehicle 100t acquired as reference data among the second vehicle identification information VI2. In step S311, the remote control unit 214b collates the unique information acquired by accessing the first memory 112 using the access information represented by the mark MA with the unique information of the target vehicle 100t acquired as reference data among the second vehicle identification information VI2. When the non-unique information represented by the mark MA matches the non-unique information of the target vehicle 100t acquired as reference data among the second vehicle identification information VI2 (step S310: Yes), and when the unique information acquired by accessing the first memory 112 using the access information represented by the mark MA matches the unique information of the target vehicle 100t acquired as reference data among the second vehicle identification information VI2 (step S311: Yes), the remote control unit 214b makes a determination as shown in step S312. In step S312, the remote control unit 214b determines that since an instruction can be transmitted to the target vehicle 100t, the target vehicle 100t may be driven. On the other hand, when at least one of the following cases holds: the non-unique information represented by the mark MA does not match the non-unique information of the target vehicle 100t acquired as reference data among the second vehicle identification information VI2 (step S310: No), and the unique information acquired by accessing the first memory 112 using the access information represented by the mark MA does not match the unique information of the target vehicle 100t acquired as reference data among the second vehicle identification information VI2 (step S311: No), the remote control unit 214b makes a determination as shown in step S313. In step S313, the remote control unit 214b determines that since an instruction cannot be transmitted to the target vehicle 100t, the target vehicle 100t must not be driven.

[0108] According to the above-described third embodiment, when the landmark MA is generated using at least the first vehicle identification information VI1, and the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the landmark MA includes non-unique information without including unique information, the remote control device 200b can execute the following processing. In this case, the remote control device 200a can use the non-unique information represented by the landmark MA as actual data. Further, the remote control device 200a can access the first memory 112 using the access information represented by the landmark MA as actual data, and thereby obtain the unique information stored in the first memory 112. The remote control device 200b can obtain second vehicle identification information VI2 including the unique information of the target vehicle 100t and the non-unique information of the same item as the non-unique information included in the first vehicle identification information VI1 obtained as actual data, among the non-unique information of the target vehicle 100t, as reference data corresponding to the actual data. The remote control device 200b can collate the non-unique information represented by the landmark MA with the non-unique information of the target vehicle 100t obtained as reference data among the second vehicle identification information VI2. The remote control device 200b can collate the unique information obtained by accessing the first memory 112 using the access information represented by the landmark MA with the unique information of the target vehicle 100t obtained as reference data among the second vehicle identification information VI2. Thereby, the remote control device 200b can determine whether or not to send an instruction to the target vehicle 100t when the landmark MA is generated using at least the first vehicle identification information VI1, and the first vehicle identification information VI1 represented by the landmark MA includes non-unique information without including unique information.

[0109] D. Fourth Embodiment: FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system 50v in the fourth embodiment. The vehicle 100v in this embodiment can further travel by autonomous control of the vehicle 100v. Regarding other configurations, they are the same as those in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0110] In this embodiment, the processor 111v of the vehicle control device 110v functions as a vehicle control unit 115v by executing a program PG1v stored in the memory 112v. The vehicle control unit 115v acquires the output result from a sensor, generates a driving control signal using the output result, and outputs the generated driving control signal to operate the actuator group 120, thereby enabling the vehicle 100v to travel by autonomous control. In this embodiment, in addition to the program PG1v, a detection model DM and a reference route RR are stored in advance in the memory 112v.

[0111] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of driving control when the vehicle 100v travels by autonomous control. The flow shown in FIG. 12 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle, for example, during a period when the vehicle 100v travels by autonomous control.

[0112] In step S901, the vehicle control unit 115v of the vehicle control device 110v acquires vehicle position information using the detection result output from a camera which is an external sensor 300. In step S902, the vehicle control unit 115v determines the target position to which the vehicle 100v should next head. In step S903, the vehicle control unit 115v generates a driving control signal for driving the vehicle 100v toward the determined target position. In step S904, the vehicle control unit 115v controls the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal, thereby driving the vehicle 100v according to the parameters represented in the driving control signal. The processor 111v repeats the acquisition of vehicle position information, determination of the target position, generation of the driving control signal, and control of the actuator at a predetermined cycle. According to the control system 50v in this embodiment, the vehicle 100v can be driven by autonomous control of the vehicle 100v without remotely controlling the vehicle 100v by the remote control device 200.

[0113] E. Other Embodiments: E-1. Other Embodiment 1: At least some functions of the remote control devices 200, 200a, and 200b may be a function of the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100v, or may be a function of the external sensor 300. Also, at least some functions of the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100v may be a function of the remote control devices 200, 200a, and 200b. For example, the generation units 138, 138a, and 138b may be a function of the remote control devices 200, 200a, and 200b. In this case, the generation units 138, 138a, and 138b generate the landmark MA using, for example, the second vehicle identification information VI2 of the target vehicle 100t stored in the second memories 202, 200a, and 200b. Then, the generation units 138, 138a, and 138b transmit the image data of the generated landmark MA to the vehicle communication devices 130, 130a, and 130b. The display control units 139, 139a of the vehicle communication devices 130, 130a cause the external monitor 135 to display the image data of the landmark MA received from the remote control devices 200, 200a. Even in such a form, the control systems 50, 50a can generate the landmark MA representing the vehicle identification information VI and cause the generated landmark MA to be displayed on the external monitor 135.

[0114] E-2. Other Embodiment 2: In each of the above embodiments, the external sensor 300 is not limited to a camera, and may be, for example, a distance measuring device. The distance measuring device is, for example, LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging). In this case, the detection result output by the external sensor 300 may be three-dimensional point cloud data representing the vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, and 100v. In this case, the servers 200, 200a, 200b and the vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v may acquire vehicle position information by template matching using the three-dimensional point cloud data as the detection result and the reference point cloud data prepared in advance.

[0115] E-3. Other Embodiment 3: In each of the embodiments from the first embodiment to the third embodiment described above, the servers 200, 200a, and 200b execute processes from the acquisition of vehicle position information to the generation of a travel control signal. On the other hand, at least a part of the processes from the acquisition of vehicle position information to the generation of a travel control signal may be executed by the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b. For example, the following forms (1) to (3) may be adopted.

[0116] (1) The servers 200, 200a, and 200b may acquire vehicle position information, determine the target position to which the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b should next travel, and generate a route from the current position of the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b represented by the acquired vehicle position information to the target position. The servers 200, 200a, and 200b may generate a route to the target position between the current position and the destination, or may generate a route to the destination. The servers 200, 200a, and 200b may transmit the generated route to the vehicle 100. The vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b may generate a travel control signal so that the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b travel on the route received from the servers 200, 200a, and 200b, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated travel control signal.

[0117] (2) The servers 200, 200a, and 200b may acquire vehicle position information and transmit the acquired vehicle position information to the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b. The vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b may determine the target position to which the vehicle 100 should next travel, generate a route from the current position of the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b represented by the received vehicle position information to the target position, generate a travel control signal so that the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b travel on the generated route, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated travel control signal.

[0118] (3) In the forms of (1) and (2) above, internal sensors are mounted on the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b, and the detection results output from the internal sensors may be used for at least one of the generation of the route and the generation of the driving control signal. The internal sensors are sensors mounted on the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b. The internal sensors may include, for example, sensors that detect the motion state of the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b, sensors that detect the operating states of each part of the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b, and sensors that detect the surrounding environment of the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b. Specifically, the internal sensors may include, for example, cameras, LiDAR, millimeter-wave radars, ultrasonic sensors, GPS sensors, acceleration sensors, gyro sensors, and the like. For example, in the form of (1) above, the servers 200, 200a, and 200b may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the route when generating the route. In the form of (1) above, the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal. In the form of (2) above, the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the route when generating the route. In the form of (2) above, the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0119] E-4. Other Embodiment 4: In the fourth embodiment above, an internal sensor is mounted on the vehicle 100v, and the detection results output from the internal sensor may be used for at least one of the generation of the route and the generation of the driving control signal. For example, the vehicle 100v may acquire the detection results of the internal sensor and reflect the detection results of the internal sensor in the route when generating the route. The vehicle 100v may acquire the detection results of the internal sensor and reflect the detection results of the internal sensor in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0120] E-5. Other Embodiment 5: In the above-described fourth embodiment, the vehicle 100v acquires vehicle position information using the detection results of the external sensor 300. In contrast, an internal sensor is mounted on the vehicle 100v, and the vehicle 100v acquires vehicle position information using the detection results of the internal sensor, determines the target position to which the vehicle 100v should next head, generates a route from the current position of the vehicle 100v represented in the acquired vehicle position information to the target position, generates a driving control signal for traveling along the generated route, and controls the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal. In this case, the vehicle 100v can travel without using the detection results of the external sensor 300 at all. Note that the vehicle 100v may acquire the target arrival time and traffic jam information from outside the vehicle 100v and reflect the target arrival time and traffic jam information in at least one of the route and the driving control signal.

[0121] E-6. Other Embodiment 6: In each of the first to third embodiments described above, the servers 200, 200a, and 200b automatically generate the driving control signals to be transmitted to the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b. In contrast, the server 200 may generate the driving control signals to be transmitted to the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b according to the operations of an external operator located outside the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b. For example, an external operator operates a control device including a display for displaying the captured image output from the external sensor 300, a steering wheel for remotely operating the vehicles 100, 100a, and 100b, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a communication device for communicating with the servers 200, 200a, and 200b by wired communication or wireless communication, and the servers 200, 200a, and 200b may generate driving control signals corresponding to the operations applied to the control device.

[0122] E-7. Other Embodiment 7: In each of the above embodiments, the vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v only need to be configured to be movable by autonomous driving. For example, they may be in the form of a platform having the configuration described below. Specifically, the vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v only need to include at least a vehicle control device 110, 110a, 110v and an actuator group 120 in order to perform three functions of "running", "turning", and "stopping" by autonomous driving. When the vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v acquire information from the outside for autonomous driving, the vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v may further include communication devices 130, 130a, 130b. That is, for the vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v that can be moved by autonomous driving, at least some of the interior parts such as the driver's seat and the dashboard do not have to be installed, and at least some of the exterior parts such as the bumper and the fender do not have to be installed, and the body shell does not have to be installed. In this case, until the vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v are shipped from the factory FC, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be installed on the vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v, or the vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v may be shipped from the factory FC in a state where the remaining parts such as the body shell are not installed on the vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v, and then the remaining parts such as the body shell may be installed on the vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v. Each part may be installed from any direction such as the upper side, the lower side, the front side, the rear side, the right side, or the left side of the vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v, and they may be installed from the same direction or from different directions respectively. Note that the positioning of the platform form can also be performed in the same manner as the vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v in the first embodiment.

[0123] E-8. Other Embodiment 8: Vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, and 100v may be manufactured by combining a plurality of modules. A module means a unit composed of one or more parts grouped according to the configuration and functions of vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, and 100v. For example, the platform of vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, and 100v may be manufactured by combining a front module that constitutes the front part of the platform, a central module that constitutes the central part of the platform, and a rear module that constitutes the rear part of the platform. Note that the number of modules constituting the platform is not limited to three, and may be two or less or four or more. Also, in addition to or instead of the platform, parts of vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, and 100v that are different from the platform may be modularized. Further, various modules may include any exterior parts such as bumpers and grills, and any interior parts such as seats and consoles. Also, not limited to vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, and 100v, any type of moving body may be manufactured by combining a plurality of modules. Such modules may be manufactured, for example, by joining a plurality of parts by welding or fixtures, or by integrally molding at least a part of the module as one part by casting. The molding method of integrally molding at least a part of the module as one part is also called gigacasting or megacasting. By using gigacasting, each part of a moving body that was conventionally formed by joining a plurality of parts can be formed as one part. For example, the above-mentioned front module, central module, and rear module may be manufactured using gigacasting.

[0124] E-9. Other Embodiment 9: The use of the driving of vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v by autonomous driving to transport the vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v is also referred to as "self-propelled transportation". Further, the configuration for realizing self-propelled transportation is also referred to as "vehicle remote control autonomous driving transportation system". Also, the production method of producing vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v using self-propelled transportation is also referred to as "self-propelled production". In self-propelled production, for example, in a factory FC that manufactures vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v, at least a part of the transportation of the vehicles 100, 100a, 100b, 100v is realized by self-propelled transportation.

[0125] E-10. Other Embodiment 10: In each of the above embodiments, part or all of the functions and processes realized software-wise may be realized hardware-wise. Also, part or all of the functions and processes realized hardware-wise may be realized software-wise. As the hardware for realizing various functions in each of the above embodiments, for example, various circuits such as integrated circuits and discrete circuits may be used.

[0126] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described in the summary of the invention can be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve part or all of the above-described problems, or to achieve part or all of the above-described effects. Also, if the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0127] 50, 50a, 50b, 50v... control system, 100, 100a, 100b, 100v... vehicle, 100c... candidate vehicle, 100n... non-target vehicle, 100t... target vehicle, 110, 110a, 110v... vehicle control device, 111, 111a, 111v... processor of the vehicle control device, 112, 112a, 112v... first memory, 113... input / output interface of the vehicle control device, 114... internal bus of the vehicle control device, 115, 115v... vehicle control unit, 116... vehicle-side switching unit, 120... actuator group, 130, 130a, 130b... vehicle communication device, 130t... target communication device, 131, 131a, 131b... processor of the vehicle communication device, 132, 132a, 132b... third memory, 133... input / output interface of the vehicle communication device, 134... internal bus of the vehicle communication device, 135... external monitor, 136... communication unit, 138, 138a, 138b... generation unit, 139, 139a... display control unit, 200, 200a, 200b... remote control device, 201, 201a, 201b... processor of the remote control device, 202, 202a, 202b... second memory, 203... input / output interface of the remote control device, 204... internal bus of the remote control device, 205... remote communication device, 210, 210a, 210b... production instruction server, 211, 211a, 211b... actual data acquisition unit, 212... process acquisition unit, 213, 213a, 213b... reference data acquisition unit, 214, 214a, 214b... remote control unit, 215... writing unit, 216... device-side switching unit, 220, 220a, 220b... autonomous server, 300... external sensor, 310... external camera, CI... communication identification information, DF... process database, DM... detection model, DP... production management database, FC... factory, GC... global coordinate system, MA... landmark, PG1, PG1a, PG1v, PG2, PG2a, PG2b, PG3, PG3a, PG3b... program, PL1... first location, PL2... second location, RG... imaging range, RR... reference route, TR... track, VI... vehicle identification information, VI1... first vehicle identification information, VI2... second vehicle identification information

Claims

1. A control device, a real data acquisition unit that acquires at least one of real data of a landmark displayed on an external monitor mounted on a mobile body movable by remote control and acquisition information acquired using the landmark, the acquisition information including identification information for identifying the mobile body; a reference data acquisition unit that acquires reference data corresponding to the real data; a remote control unit that remotely controls the mobile body, the remote control unit performing different processes related to the movement of the mobile body depending on whether the real data and the reference data match or do not match. A control device comprising:

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the identification information is stored in a first memory of a mobile body control device mounted on the mobile body and a second memory of the control device, respectively; items of first identification information as the identification information stored in the first memory are set according to a manufacturing process being executed on the mobile body; the control device further comprises a process acquisition unit that acquires process information indicating the manufacturing process being executed on the mobile body; when the real data acquisition unit acquires the first identification information represented by the landmark as the real data, the reference data acquisition unit acquires, as the reference data, at least information about items corresponding to the manufacturing process specified by the process information among second identification information as the identification information stored in the second memory. A control device.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the identification information is stored in a first memory of a mobile body control device mounted on the mobile body and a second memory of the control device, respectively; when the landmark is generated using at least the first identification information as the identification information stored in the first memory and the first identification information represented by the landmark includes unique information unique to the mobile body, and when the real data acquisition unit acquires the first identification information represented by the landmark as the real data, the reference data acquisition unit acquires, as the reference data, at least second identification information as the identification information stored in the second memory, the second identification information including the unique information. When the mark is generated using the second identification information without using the first identification information, and the second identification information represented by the mark includes the unique information, when the actual data acquisition unit acquires, as the actual data, the second identification information represented by the mark, the reference data acquisition unit at least acquires, as the reference data, the first identification information including the unique information, When the mark is generated using at least the first identification information, and the first identification information represented by the mark includes non-unique information other than the unique information without including the unique information, when the actual data acquisition unit acquires, as the actual data, the non-unique information included in the first identification information represented by the mark and the unique information acquired using access information represented by the mark for accessing the first memory, the reference data acquisition unit at least acquires, as the reference data, the second identification information including the unique information and the non-unique information, a control device.

4. A control system, A moving body movable by remote control, A control device installed at a location different from the moving body, The moving body includes a communication device and a movement control device, The communication device, A generation unit that generates a mark using at least identification information for identifying the moving body acquired from at least one of the control device and the movement control device, An external monitor that displays the mark, The control device, An actual data acquisition unit that acquires at least one of the actual data of the mark displayed on the external monitor and acquisition information acquired using the mark and including the identification information, A reference data acquisition unit that acquires reference data corresponding to the actual data, A remote control unit that remotely controls the moving body, and the remote control unit performs different processes regarding the movement of the moving body depending on whether the actual data and the reference data match or do not match, a control system.

5. A control system, A moving body movable by remote control, A control device installed at a location different from the moving body, The moving body includes a communication device having an external monitor that displays a mark acquired from the control device, The control device, A memory that stores identification information for identifying the moving body, A generation unit that generates the mark using at least the identification information stored in the memory; An actual data acquisition unit that acquires actual data of at least one of the mark displayed on the external monitor and acquisition information acquired using the mark, the acquisition information including the identification information; A reference data acquisition unit that acquires reference data corresponding to the actual data; A remote control unit that remotely controls the moving body, and that performs different processes regarding the movement of the moving body depending on whether the actual data matches the reference data or does not match the reference data. A control system comprising the remote control unit.

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