Control device, system and control method

Abstract

To prevent traveling of a following vehicle from being hindered due to a difference in time required for a predetermined process in a factory for manufacturing a plurality of types of moving bodies in a mixed manner.SOLUTION: A control device that controls an operation of at least some of a plurality of types of moving bodies in a factory for manufacturing the plurality of types of moving bodies in a mixed manner, includes a control instruction creation unit. The plurality of types of moving bodies include a first type of moving body and a second type of moving body that requires a longer time required for a predetermined process in the factory than the first type of moving body. The control instruction creation unit creates a control instruction so as to adjust an inter-moving-body distance between a preceding moving body and a following moving body in a process before starting the predetermined process. The control instruction creation unit creates the control instruction such that a second distance that is an inter-moving-body distance in a case where the preceding moving body is the second type of moving body is larger than a first distance that is an inter-moving-body distance in a case where the preceding moving body is the first type of moving body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] In the vehicle manufacturing process, a technology for driving a vehicle by autonomous driving is known (for example, 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 such a vehicle manufacturing process, different types of vehicles may be mixed and transported while maintaining a predetermined inter-vehicle distance. However, even in the same process, the time required may vary depending on the type of vehicle. If a vehicle that requires a longer time for the process is followed by a vehicle that requires a shorter time for the process, the inter-vehicle distance with the following vehicle may become congested, causing the following vehicle to stop or decelerate, and there is a risk that the transportation of the following vehicle may be hindered.

Means for Solving the Problems

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

[0006] (1) According to one aspect of the present disclosure, in a factory where a plurality of types of moving bodies are mixed and manufactured, a control device is provided that controls the operations of at least some of the plurality of types of moving bodies. This control device includes a control instruction creation unit that creates a control instruction for instructing control content to a moving body to be controlled. The plurality of types of moving bodies include a first type of moving body and a second type of moving body that requires a longer time for a predetermined process in the factory than the first type of moving body. The control instruction creation unit creates the control instruction so as to adjust the distance between moving bodies between a preceding moving body and a subsequent moving body following the preceding moving body in a process before entering the predetermined process. The control instruction creation unit creates the control instruction such that a second distance, which is the distance between moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the second type of moving body, is larger than a first distance, which is the distance between moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the first type of moving body. According to the control device of this aspect, in a process before entering a predetermined process, a control instruction is created such that a second distance, which is the distance between moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the second type of moving body, is larger than a first distance, which is the distance between moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the first type of moving body. For this reason, it is possible to ensure a longer time until a subsequent moving body enters the next process after the second type of moving body. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the subsequent moving body from entering the next process before the work on the second type of moving body in the next process is completed, and it is possible to suppress the subsequent moving body from stopping or decelerating, and it is possible to suppress the running of the subsequent moving body from being hindered. (2) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, in a factory where a plurality of types of moving bodies are manufactured in a mixed manner, a control device is provided for controlling the operations of at least some of the plurality of types of moving bodies. This control device includes a control instruction creation unit that creates a control instruction for instructing control content to a moving body to be controlled. The plurality of types of moving bodies include a first type of moving body and a second type of moving body whose time required for a predetermined process in the factory is longer than that of the first type of moving body. The control instruction creation unit creates the control instruction so as to adjust the distance between the preceding moving body and the succeeding moving body following the preceding moving body in a process before entering the predetermined process. The control instruction creation unit creates the control instruction such that a third distance, which is the distance between moving bodies when the succeeding moving body is the second type of moving body, is smaller than a first distance, which is the distance between moving bodies when the succeeding moving body is the first type of moving body. According to the control device of this aspect, in a process before entering a predetermined process, a control instruction is created such that a third distance, which is the distance between moving bodies when the succeeding moving body is the second type of moving body, is smaller than a first distance, which is the distance between moving bodies when the succeeding moving body is the first type of moving body. Therefore, the timing for the second type of moving body to enter the next process following the preceding moving body can be advanced, so that a longer time can be ensured until the succeeding moving body enters the next process following the second type of moving body. As a result, it is possible to suppress the succeeding moving body from entering the next process before the work on the second type of moving body in the next process is completed, and to suppress the running of the succeeding moving body from being hindered. (3) In the above embodiment, it further includes a type information acquisition unit that acquires type information, which is information regarding the type of the moving body, and a specifying unit that specifies a process required time, which is the time required to complete a predetermined work on the moving body in the predetermined process, using the type information. The control instruction creation unit may create the control instruction using the process required time. According to the control device of this form, since it acquires type information, specifies the process required time using the type information, and creates a control instruction using the process required time, it is possible to create an appropriate control instruction according to the process required time. (4) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, in a factory that manufactures a mixture of multiple types of moving bodies, a system for controlling the operations of at least some of the multiple types of moving bodies is provided. This system includes a control instruction creation unit that creates a control instruction for instructing control content to a moving body to be controlled. The multiple types of moving bodies include a first type of moving body and a second type of moving body whose time required for a predetermined process in the factory is longer than that of the first type of moving body. The control instruction creation unit creates the control instruction so as to adjust the distance between the preceding moving body and the succeeding moving body following the preceding moving body in the process before entering the predetermined process. The control instruction creation unit creates the control instruction so that a second distance, which is the distance between the moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the second type of moving body, is larger than a first distance, which is the distance between the moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the first type of moving body. According to the system of this form, in the process before entering the predetermined process, the control instruction is created so that the second distance, which is the distance between the moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the second type of moving body, is larger than the first distance, which is the distance between the moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the first type of moving body. For this reason, it is possible to ensure a longer time until the succeeding moving body enters the next process after the second type of moving body. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the succeeding moving body from entering the next process before the work on the second type of moving body in the next process is completed, and it is possible to suppress the running of the succeeding moving body from being hindered. (5) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, in a factory where multiple types of moving bodies are manufactured in a mixed manner, a control method for controlling the operations of at least some of the multiple types of moving bodies is provided. The multiple types of moving bodies include a first type of moving body and a second type of moving body whose time required for a predetermined process in the factory is longer than that of the first type of moving body. This control method creates a control instruction for instructing the control content for a moving body to be controlled so as to adjust the distance between the moving bodies between a preceding moving body and a succeeding moving body following the preceding moving body in a process before entering the predetermined process, and creates the control instruction such that a second distance, which is the distance between the moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the second type of moving body, is larger than a first distance, which is the distance between the moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the first type of moving body. According to the control method of this aspect, in a process before entering a predetermined process, a control instruction is created such that a second distance, which is the distance between the moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the second type of moving body, is larger than a first distance, which is the distance between the moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the first type of moving body. For this reason, it is possible to ensure a longer time until a succeeding moving body enters the next process after the second type of moving body, so it is possible to suppress the succeeding moving body from entering the next process before the work on the second type of moving body in the next process is completed, and it is possible to suppress the succeeding moving body from stopping or decelerating, and it is possible to suppress the running of the succeeding moving body from being hindered.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

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Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] A. First Embodiment: A-1. System Configuration: FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the system 10 of the first embodiment. The system 10 includes one or more vehicles 100 as moving bodies, a server 200, one or more external sensors 300, and a process management device 400 that manages the manufacture of the vehicles 100 in the factory.

[0009] In the present disclosure, a "moving body" means an object that can move, for example, a vehicle or an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (so-called flying car). The vehicle may be a vehicle that runs on wheels or a vehicle that runs on an endless track, and examples thereof include a passenger car, a truck, a bus, a two-wheeled vehicle, a four-wheeled vehicle, a tank, and a construction vehicle. The vehicle includes a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a gasoline vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and a fuel cell vehicle. 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 "running" can be appropriately replaced with "moving".

[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. The driving operation means an operation related to at least any one of "running", "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 autonomous control of Vehicle 100. In the vehicle 100 traveling by autonomous driving, a passenger who does not perform a driving operation may board. Passengers who do not perform a driving operation include, for example, a person simply sitting on the seat of Vehicle 100, or a person performing work different from the driving operation, such as assembly, inspection, and operation of switches, while boarding Vehicle 100. Note that driving by the driving operation of a passenger is sometimes called "human-driven".

[0011] In this specification, "remote control" includes "complete remote control" in which all of the operations of Vehicle 100 are completely determined from outside Vehicle 100, and "partial remote control" in which a part of the operations of Vehicle 100 is determined from outside Vehicle 100. Further, "autonomous control" includes "complete 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. In the following description, the control for the traveling of Vehicle 100 realized by remote control or autonomous control is also referred to as "travel control". Travel control corresponds to "movement control" in the present disclosure.

[0012] In this embodiment, the system 10 is used in the factory FC that manufactures the vehicle 100. The reference coordinate system of the factory FC is the global coordinate system GC. That is, any position within the factory FC is represented by the coordinates of X, Y, and Z in the global coordinate system GC. The 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 runway TR on which the vehicle 100 can travel. A plurality of external sensors 300 are installed along the runway TR in the factory FC. The positions of the respective external sensors 300 in the factory FC are adjusted in advance. The vehicle 100 moves from the first location PL1 to the second location PL2 through the runway TR by autonomous driving.

[0013] The external sensor 300 is a sensor located outside the vehicle 100 and acquires information regarding the vehicle 100. The external sensor 300 in this embodiment is a sensor that captures the vehicle 100 from outside the vehicle 100. Specifically, the external sensor 300 is constituted by a camera. The camera as the external sensor 300 captures an imaging image including the vehicle 100 and outputs the imaging image as a detection result. The external sensor 300 includes a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with other devices such as the server 200 by wired communication or wireless communication.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the system 10 according to 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 that are driven under the control of the vehicle control device 110, and a communication device 130 for communicating with an external device such as the server 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. In addition, the vehicle 100 may include various sensors (not shown) such as a vehicle speed sensor and a yaw rate sensor.

[0015] The vehicle control device 110 is configured by a computer including a processor 111, a memory 112, an input / output interface 113, and an internal bus 114. The processor 111, the memory 112, and the input / output interface 113 are connected so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally via the internal bus 114. An actuator group 120 and a communication device 130 are connected to the input / output interface 113. The processor 111 realizes various functions including the function as a vehicle control unit 115 by executing a program PG1 stored in the memory 112.

[0016] The vehicle control unit 115 causes the vehicle 100 to travel by controlling the actuator group 120. The vehicle control unit 115 can cause the vehicle 100 to travel by controlling the actuator group 120 using a travel control signal received from the server 200. The travel control signal is a control signal for causing the vehicle 100 to travel. 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.

[0017] The server 200 is configured by a computer including a processor 201, a memory 202, an input / output interface 203, and an internal bus 204. The processor 201, the memory 202, and the input / output interface 203 are connected so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally via the internal bus 204. A communication device 205 for communicating with various devices outside the server 200 is connected to the input / output interface 203. The communication device 205 can communicate with the vehicle 100 by wireless communication and can communicate with each external sensor 300 and the process management device 400 by wired communication or wireless communication. The server 200 corresponds to the "control device" in the present disclosure.

[0018] By executing the program PG2 stored in the memory 202, the processor 201 realizes various functions including the function as the remote control unit 210. In the present embodiment, the processor 201 functions as the remote control unit 210, the type information acquisition unit 212, and the identification unit 214.

[0019] The remote control unit 210 acquires the detection result by the sensor, generates a travel control signal for instructing the control content of the actuator group 120 of the vehicle 100 using the detection result, and transmits the travel control signal to the vehicle 100, thereby causing the vehicle 100 to travel by remote control. The processing procedure of the travel control realized by the remote control in the present embodiment will be described later. The remote control unit 210 may generate and output not only the travel control signal but also a control signal for controlling an actuator that operates various auxiliary machines provided in the vehicle 100, various equipment such as a wiper, a power window, and a lamp. That is, the remote control unit 210 may operate such various equipment and various auxiliary machines by remote control. In the following description, the travel control signal is also referred to as a "control instruction". The remote control unit 210 corresponds to the "control instruction creation unit" in the present disclosure.

[0020] The type information acquisition unit 212 acquires information indicating the type of the vehicle 100 to be controlled (hereinafter also referred to as "type information"). The "type of the vehicle 100" means an ID that identifies each individual vehicle 100, or an attribute to which the vehicle 100 belongs, such as the vehicle type or the destination of shipment of the vehicle 100.

[0021] The specific part 214 specifies the process required time. The "process required time" means the time required for a predetermined process in the manufacturing line. More specifically, it means the time required from when the vehicle 100 enters the process until the work to be performed on the vehicle 100 in the process is completed. Even for the same process, the content of the work to be performed may differ depending on the type of the vehicle 100. Therefore, the process required time may differ depending on the type of the vehicle 100. In the present embodiment, the process required time is preset for each type of the vehicle 100 and for each process, and is associated with each other as a database DB and stored in advance in the memory 202. Note that the "process" means not only the part mounting process for the vehicle 100 during manufacturing, but also any process performed until the shipment of the vehicle 100, such as an inspection process for the completed vehicle or a power supply process performed when transporting the completed vehicle to the yard.

[0022] The process management device 400 is a device for managing the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100. The process management device 400 is configured by a computer. The process management device 400 acquires information from various facilities in the factory FC, generates information regarding the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100 as a product, and manages it for each vehicle 100. In the following description, the information regarding the manufacturing process of the product is referred to as process information. In the present embodiment, the process information includes information indicating when, where, which worker, which product, and what work is planned to be performed, information indicating when, where, which worker, which product, and what work has been performed, and information indicating the progress status of the work. The process management device 400 includes a communication device (not shown) and transmits the process information to the server 200 by wired communication or wireless communication. Note that the functions of the process management device 400 may be implemented in the same device as the server 200. Also, the system 10 may not include the process management device 400.

[0023] A-2. Driving control: FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the travel control of the vehicle 100 in the first embodiment. In step S1, the remote control unit 210 acquires the vehicle position information of the vehicle 100 using the detection result output from the external sensor 300. The vehicle position information is the position information that serves as the basis for generating the 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 210 acquires the vehicle position information using the captured image obtained from the camera which is the external sensor 300.

[0024] Specifically, in step S1, the remote control unit 210 detects the outer shape of the vehicle 100 from the captured image, for example, 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 the 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 system 10 and is pre-stored in the memory 202 of the server 200. Examples of the detection model DM include a trained machine learning model trained to implement 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 210 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 the frames of the captured image using the optical flow method.

[0025] In step S2, the remote control unit 210 determines the target position that the vehicle 100 should next head towards. In the present embodiment, the target position is represented by the coordinates of X, Y, and Z in the global coordinate system GC. In the memory 202 of the server 200, a reference route RR, which is the route that the vehicle 100 should travel, is stored in advance. The route is represented by a node indicating the departure point, a node indicating the passing point, a node indicating the destination, and links connecting each node. The remote control unit 210 determines the target position that the vehicle 100 should next head towards by using the vehicle position information and the reference route RR. The remote control unit 210 determines the target position on the reference route RR ahead of the current position of the vehicle 100.

[0026] In step S3, the remote control unit 210 generates a driving control signal for driving the vehicle 100 towards the determined target position. The remote control unit 210 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 210 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 accelerates, and when the driving speed is higher than the target speed, the remote control unit 210 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 decelerates. Also, when the vehicle 100 is located on the reference route RR, the remote control unit 210 determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 100 does not deviate from the reference route RR, and when the vehicle 100 is not located on the reference route RR, in other words, when the vehicle 100 has deviated from the reference route RR, the remote control unit 210 determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 100 returns to the reference route RR.

[0027] In step S4, the remote control unit 210 transmits the generated driving control signal to the vehicle 100. The remote control unit 210 repeats operations such as acquisition of the position of the vehicle 100, determination of the target position, generation of the driving control signal, and transmission of the driving control signal at a predetermined cycle.

[0028] In step S5, the vehicle control unit 115 receives a driving control signal transmitted from the server 200. In step S6, the vehicle control unit 115 controls the actuator group 120 using the received driving control signal, causing the vehicle 100 to travel at the acceleration and steering angle represented by the driving control signal. The vehicle control unit 115 repeats the reception of the driving control signal and the control of the actuator group 120 at a predetermined cycle. According to the system 10 in this embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be driven by remote control, and the vehicle 100 can be moved without using conveying equipment such as a crane or a conveyor.

[0029] A-3. Control Instruction Creation Process: FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the control instruction creation process of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the above-described driving control is executed as basic control, and this process is executed in combination with such driving control.

[0030] In step S110, the type information acquisition unit 212 acquires the type information of the vehicle 100 and identifies the type of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the type information acquisition unit 212 acquires the captured image acquired by the external sensor 300 as the type information, and identifies the type of the vehicle 100 using the captured image. The type of the vehicle 100 included in the captured image can be obtained, for example, by inputting the captured image into a classification model that utilizes artificial intelligence. The classification model is prepared, for example, inside or outside the system 10 and is pre-stored in the memory 202 of the server 200. Examples of the classification model include a learned machine learning model that has been trained to be able to identify the vehicle type of the vehicle 100 included in the captured image. As this machine learning model, for example, a 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 the vehicle type of the vehicle 100 included in the training image.

[0031] In step S120, the specifying unit 214 specifies the process required time of the vehicle 100 in the next process by using the specified type of the vehicle 100. In the present embodiment, the specifying unit 214 specifies the next process of the vehicle 100 by using the process information about the vehicle 100 acquired from the process management device 400, and specifies the process required time in the next process of the vehicle 100 with reference to the above-described database DB. Note that the specifying unit 214 may specify the next process of the vehicle 100 based on the position of the vehicle 100 specified by using the captured image acquired from the external sensor 300.

[0032] In step S130, the remote control unit 210 creates a control instruction according to the specified process required time. The processing in this step will be described more specifically with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a first example of the control instruction creation process. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a second example of the control instruction creation process. FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a case where a water leakage inspection for injecting a liquid or a gas into the vehicle 100 by the robot RB is performed as the next process PLn. In FIGS. 5 and 6, a first type vehicle 101 and a second type vehicle 102 shown with hatching are shown. The first type vehicle 101 and the second type vehicle 102 are different from each other in type. Also, the process required time of the second type vehicle 102 in the next process PLn is longer than the process required time of the first type vehicle 101 in the next process PLn. Note that the first type vehicle 101 corresponds to the "first type moving body" in the present disclosure, and the second type vehicle 102 corresponds to the "second type moving body" in the present disclosure.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 5, when a plurality of first type vehicles 101 are conveyed, the remote control unit 210 creates control instructions for the respective first type vehicles 101 so that the inter-vehicle distance between the respective first type vehicles 101 becomes the distance D1. The distance D1 corresponds to the "first distance" in the present disclosure. Also, the "inter-vehicle distance" corresponds to the "distance between moving bodies" in the present disclosure.

[0034] When, as shown in FIG. 6, the first type of vehicle 101 and the second type of vehicle 102 are traveling mixedly, the remote control unit 210 creates a control instruction for the second type of vehicle 102 so that the inter-vehicle distance from the first type of vehicle 101 (hereinafter also referred to as the "following vehicle") located behind the second type of vehicle 102 becomes a distance D2 greater than the distance D1. More specifically, the remote control unit 210 creates a control instruction for instructing the second type of vehicle 102 to travel at a speed higher than that of the following vehicle. The "following vehicle" corresponds to the "following moving body" in the present disclosure. The distance D2 is preset according to the process required time of the second type of vehicle 102 in the next process PLn and corresponds to the "second distance" in the present disclosure. Thereby, after the second type of vehicle 102 enters the next process PLn, it is possible to ensure a long time until the following vehicle enters the next process PLn following the second type of vehicle 102. That is, it is possible to suppress the following vehicle from entering the next process PLn before the work on the second type of vehicle 102 in the next process PLn is completed, and it is possible to suppress the following vehicle from being stopped or decelerated, and it is possible to suppress the running of the following vehicle from being hindered.

[0035] Also, the inter-vehicle distance between the first type of vehicle 101 (hereinafter also referred to as the "preceding vehicle") located in front of the second type of vehicle 102 and the second type of vehicle 102 becomes a distance D3 smaller than the distance D1. The distance D3 corresponds to the "third distance" in the present disclosure. The "preceding vehicle" corresponds to the "preceding moving body" in the present disclosure. Thereby, since the timing for the second type of vehicle 102 to enter the next process PLn following the preceding vehicle can be advanced, it is possible to ensure a long time until the following vehicle enters the next process PLn following the second type of vehicle 102. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the following vehicle from entering the next process PLn before the work on the second type of vehicle 102 in the next process PLn is completed, and it is possible to suppress the following vehicle from being stopped or decelerated, and it is possible to suppress the running of the following vehicle from being hindered.

[0036] In step S140, the remote control unit 210 transmits the created control instruction to the vehicle 100.

[0037] According to the system 10 of the embodiment described above, before entering the next process PLn, a control instruction is created such that the distance D2 between the second type of vehicle 102 and the vehicle following the second type of vehicle 102 is greater than the distance D1 between the first type of vehicle 101 and the vehicle following the first type of vehicle 101. Therefore, it is possible to ensure a longer time until the vehicle following the second type of vehicle 102 enters the next process PLn. Thus, it is possible to suppress the situation where the following vehicle enters the next process PLn before the work on the second type of vehicle 102 in the next process PLn is completed and the following vehicle stops or decelerates, and it is possible to suppress the running of the following vehicle from being obstructed.

[0038] Also, before entering the next process PLn, a control instruction is created such that the distance D3 between the second type of vehicle 102 and the vehicle preceding the second type of vehicle 102 is smaller than the distance D1 between the first type of vehicle 101 and the vehicle preceding the first type of vehicle 101. Therefore, it is possible to advance the timing at which the second type of vehicle 102 enters the next process PLn after the preceding vehicle, and thus it is possible to ensure a longer time until the vehicle following the second type of vehicle 102 enters the next process PLn. As a result, it is possible to suppress the situation where the following vehicle enters the next process PLn before the work on the second type of vehicle 102 in the next process PLn is completed and the following vehicle stops or decelerates, and it is possible to suppress the running of the following vehicle from being obstructed.

[0039] Also, since the type information is acquired, the required time for the process is specified using the type information, and the control instruction is created using the required time for the process, an appropriate control instruction can be created according to the required time for the process.

[0040] B. Second Embodiment: FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the system 10v in the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the system 10v is different from the first embodiment in that it does not include the server 200. Also, the vehicle 100v in this embodiment can travel by autonomous control of the vehicle 100v. Regarding other configurations, they are the same as those in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0041] In this embodiment, the processor 111v of the vehicle control device 110v functions as a vehicle control unit 115v, a type information acquisition unit 192, and a specifying unit 194 by executing a program PG1 stored in a memory 112v. The vehicle control unit 115v acquires a detection result by a sensor, generates a travel control signal using the detection result, and outputs the generated travel control signal to operate an actuator group 120, thereby enabling the vehicle 100v to travel by autonomous control. The vehicle control unit 115v in the second embodiment corresponds to the "control instruction creation unit" in the present disclosure. In this embodiment, in addition to the program PG1, a detection model DM, a reference route RR, and a database DB are stored in advance in the memory 112v. The vehicle control device 110v in the second embodiment corresponds to the "control device" in the present disclosure.

[0042] In this embodiment, the type information acquisition unit 192 may specify its own type using a captured image as in the first embodiment, or type information indicating its own type may be stored in advance in the memory 112v, and the type information may be acquired to obtain its own type.

[0043] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for travel control of the vehicle 100v in the second embodiment. In step S11, the processor 111v acquires vehicle position information using the detection result output from a camera which is an external sensor 300. In step S11 in this embodiment, the processor 111v acquires vehicle position information using the captured image and the vehicle speed in the same manner as step S1 in FIG. 3. In step S12, the processor 111v determines a target position to which the vehicle 100v should next head. In step S13, the processor 111v generates a travel control signal for causing the vehicle 100v to travel toward the determined target position. In step S14, the processor 111v controls the actuator group 120 using the generated travel control signal, thereby causing the vehicle 100v to travel according to the parameters represented by the travel control signal. The processor 111v repeats the acquisition of vehicle position information, determination of the target position, generation of the travel control signal, and control of the actuator group 120 at a predetermined cycle. According to the system 10v in this embodiment, the vehicle 100v can be caused to travel by autonomous control of the vehicle 100v without remotely controlling the vehicle 100v by the server 200.

[0044] C. Other Embodiments: (C1) In the above embodiment, the specifying unit 214 specifies the process required time of the vehicle 100 in the next process in step S120 shown in FIG. 4, and in step S130, creates a control instruction for the vehicle 100 according to the process required time, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The specifying unit 214 may specify the process required time of the vehicle 100 in two or more processes ahead instead of the next process, and create a control instruction for the vehicle 100 according to the required time. In other words, the remote control unit 210 may create a control instruction to adjust the inter-vehicle distance between the following vehicle of the vehicle 100 and the vehicle 100 in preparation for two or more processes ahead. Even in such a form, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0045] (C2) In the above embodiment, the remote control unit 210 creates a control instruction for instructing the second type of vehicle 102 to travel at a speed higher than that of the following vehicle, and transmits the control instruction to the second type of vehicle 102, so that the inter-vehicle distance between the second type of vehicle 102 and the following vehicle is the distance D2. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The remote control unit 210 may create a control instruction for instructing the following vehicle to travel at a speed lower than that of the second type of vehicle 102, and transmit the control instruction to the following vehicle, so that the inter-vehicle distance between the second type of vehicle 102 and the following vehicle is the distance D2. That is, the remote control unit 210 may create a control instruction for setting the inter-vehicle distance between the second type of vehicle 102, which is the preceding vehicle, and the following vehicle of the second type of vehicle 102 to the distance D2 by controlling at least one of them. Even in such a form, the inter-vehicle distance between the second type of vehicle 102 and the following vehicle can be ensured, so that it is possible to prevent the inter-vehicle distance between the second type of vehicle 102 and the following vehicle from being congested and the following vehicle from stopping, and to prevent the running of the following vehicle from being hindered.

[0046] (C3) In the above embodiment, the remote control unit 210 creates a control instruction for instructing the second type of vehicle 102 to travel at a speed higher than that of the following vehicle, that is, a control instruction for instructing the second type of vehicle 102 to travel at a specific speed according to the process required time. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The remote control unit 210 may generate numerical values representing the degree of acceleration and deceleration according to the process required time, for example, numerical values such as "+1" and "+2", as control instructions, and transmit them to the vehicle 100 together with normal control instructions. The vehicle control unit 115 that has received such a control instruction controls the actuator group 120 so that the vehicle 100 travels at a speed obtained by adding a speed correction corresponding to the numerical values such as "+1" and "+2" to the normal running speed. Even in such a form, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0047] (C4) In each of the above embodiments, the external sensor 300 is a camera. In contrast, the external sensor 300 may not be a camera, and for example, it may be a distance measuring device. The distance measuring device may be, 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 vehicle 100. In this case, the server 200 or the vehicle 100 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.

[0048] (C5) In the first embodiment, the server 200 executes the processes from the acquisition of vehicle position information to the generation of the driving control signal. In contrast, at least a part of the processes from the acquisition of vehicle position information to the generation of the driving control signal may be executed by the vehicle 100. For example, the following forms (1) to (4) may be used.

[0049] (1) The server 200 may acquire vehicle position information, determine the target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head, and generate a route from the current position of the vehicle 100 represented by the acquired vehicle position information to the target position. The server 200 may generate a route to the target position between the current position and the destination, or may generate a route to the destination. The server 200 may transmit the generated route to the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 may generate a driving control signal so that the vehicle 100 travels on the route received from the server 200, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal.

[0050] (2) The server 200 may acquire vehicle position information and transmit the acquired vehicle position information to the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 may determine the target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head, generate a route from the current position of the vehicle 100 represented by the received vehicle position information to the target position, generate a driving control signal so that the vehicle 100 travels on the generated route, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal.

[0051] (3) In the forms (1) and (2) above, an internal sensor is mounted on the vehicle 100, and the detection result 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. The internal sensor is a sensor mounted on the vehicle 100. The internal sensor may include, for example, a sensor for detecting the motion state of the vehicle 100, a sensor for detecting the operating state of each part of the vehicle 100, and a sensor for detecting the environment around the vehicle 100. Specifically, the internal sensor may include, for example, a camera, LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic sensor, GPS sensor, acceleration sensor, gyro sensor, etc. For example, in the form (1) above, the server 200 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the route when generating the route. In the form (1) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal. In the form (2) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the route when generating the route. In the form (2) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0052] (4) In the forms (1) to (3) above, the remote control unit 210 may generate a control instruction for instructing a driving speed according to the required time of the process, or a numerical value representing the degree of acceleration and deceleration according to the required time of the process, and transmit it to the vehicle 100 together with the created route or the acquired vehicle position information.

[0053] (C6) In the second embodiment above, an internal sensor is mounted on the vehicle 100v, and the detection result 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 result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the route when generating the route. The vehicle 100v may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0054] (C7) In the above-described embodiment in which the vehicle 100 can travel by autonomous control, the vehicle 100 acquires vehicle position information using the detection results of the external sensor 300. On the other hand, an internal sensor is mounted on the vehicle 100, and the vehicle 100 acquires vehicle position information using the detection results of the internal sensor, determines the target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head, generates a route from the current position of the vehicle 100 represented in the acquired vehicle position information to the target position, generates a driving control signal for traveling along the generated route, and may control the actuator of the vehicle 100 using the generated driving control signal. In this case, the vehicle 100 can travel without using the detection results of the external sensor 300 at all. Note that the vehicle 100 may acquire a target arrival time and traffic jam information from outside the vehicle 100 and reflect the target arrival time and traffic jam information in at least one of the route and the driving control signal. Further, all of the functional configurations of the system 10 may be provided in the vehicle 100. That is, the processing realized by the system 10 in the present disclosure may be realized by the vehicle 100 alone.

[0055] (C8) In the first embodiment, the server 200 automatically generates the driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 100. On the other hand, the server 200 may generate the driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 100 according to the operation of an external operator located outside the vehicle 100. For example, an external operator operates a control device including a display for displaying a captured image output from the external sensor 300, a steering wheel for remotely operating the vehicle 100, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a communication device for communicating with the server 200 by wired or wireless communication, and the server 200 may generate a driving control signal corresponding to the operation applied to the control device.

[0056] In each of the above embodiments, the vehicle 100 only needs to be configured to be movable by autonomous driving. For example, it may be in the form of a platform having the configuration described below. Specifically, in order for the vehicle 100 to exhibit the three functions of "running", "turning", and "stopping" by autonomous driving, the vehicle 100 only needs to include at least a control device that controls the running of the vehicle 100 and actuators such as a driving device, a steering device, and a braking device. When the vehicle 100 acquires information from the outside for autonomous driving, the vehicle 100 may further include a communication device. That is, for the vehicle 100 that can be moved by autonomous driving, at least a part of the interior parts such as the driver's seat and the dashboard does not have to be installed, at least a part of the exterior parts such as the bumper and the fender does not have to be installed, and the body shell does not have to be installed. In this case, until the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory FC, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be installed on the vehicle 100, or after the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory FC in a state where the remaining parts such as the body shell are not installed on the vehicle 100, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be installed on the vehicle 100. 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 vehicle 100, 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 vehicle 100 in the first embodiment.

[0057] (C10) The vehicle 100 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 function of the vehicle 100. For example, the platform of the vehicle 100 may be manufactured by combining a front module that constitutes the front part of the platform, a central module that constitutes the central part of the platform, and a rear module that constitutes the rear part of the platform. Note that the number of modules constituting the platform is not limited to three, and may be two or less or four or more. Further, in addition to or instead of the platform, parts of the vehicle 100 different from the platform may be modularized. Further, each type of module may include any exterior parts such as bumpers and grills, and any interior parts such as seats and consoles. Further, not limited to the vehicle 100, any form 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, etc., or by integrally molding at least a part of the module by casting as one part. 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 the 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.

[0058] (C11) Using the running of the vehicle 100 by autonomous driving to transport the vehicle 100 is also called "self-propelled transport". Further, the configuration for realizing self-propelled transport is also called "vehicle remote control autonomous driving transport system". Further, the production method of producing the vehicle 100 using self-propelled transport is also called "self-propelled production". In self-propelled production, for example, in the factory FC that manufactures the vehicle 100, at least a part of the transport of the vehicle 100 is realized by self-propelled transport.

[0059] In each of the above embodiments, some or all of the functions and processes implemented software may be implemented hardware-wise. Also, some or all of the functions and processes implemented hardware-wise may be implemented software-wise. As the hardware for implementing the various functions in each of the above embodiments, various circuits such as integrated circuits and discrete circuits may be used, for example.

[0060] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the technical features in 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 some or all of the above-described problems or to achieve some 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.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0061] 10, 10v... systems, 100, 100v... vehicles, 101... first type of vehicle, 102... second type of vehicle, 110, 110v... vehicle control devices, 111, 111v... processors, 112, 112v... memories, 113... input / output interfaces, 114... internal buses, 115, 115v... vehicle control units, 120... actuator groups, 130... communication devices, 192... type information acquisition units, 194... specifying units, 200... servers, 201... processors, 202... memories, 203... input / output interfaces, 204... internal buses, 205... communication devices, 210... remote control units, 212... type information acquisition units, 214... specifying units, 300... external sensors, 400... process management devices, D1, D2, D3... distances, DB... databases, DM... detection models, FC... factories, GC... global coordinate systems, PG1, PG2... programs, PL1... first location, PL2... second location, PLn... next process, RB... robots, RR... reference paths, TR... runways

Claims

1. In a factory that manufactures a mixture of multiple types of moving bodies, a control device that controls the operation of at least some of the multiple types of moving bodies, comprising a control instruction creation unit that creates a control instruction for instructing control content to a moving body to be controlled, wherein the multiple types of moving bodies include a first type of moving body and a second type of moving body that requires a longer time for a predetermined process in the factory than the first type of moving body, the control instruction creation unit creates the control instruction so as to adjust the distance between the moving bodies between a preceding moving body and a succeeding moving body following the preceding moving body in a process before entering the predetermined process, the control instruction creation unit creates the control instruction such that a second distance, which is the distance between the moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the second type of moving body, is greater than a first distance, which is the distance between the moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the first type of moving body, Control device.

2. In a factory that manufactures a mixture of multiple types of moving bodies, a control device that controls the operation of at least some of the multiple types of moving bodies, comprising a control instruction creation unit that creates a control instruction for instructing control content to a moving body to be controlled, wherein the multiple types of moving bodies include a first type of moving body and a second type of moving body that requires a longer time for a predetermined process in the factory than the first type of moving body, the control instruction creation unit creates the control instruction so as to adjust the distance between the moving bodies between a preceding moving body and a succeeding moving body following the preceding moving body in a process before entering the predetermined process, the control instruction creation unit creates the control instruction such that a third distance, which is the distance between the moving bodies when the succeeding moving body is the second type of moving body, is smaller than a first distance, which is the distance between the moving bodies when the succeeding moving body is the first type of moving body, Control device.

3. The control device according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a type information acquisition unit that acquires type information, which is information regarding the type of the moving body, and a specifying unit that specifies a process required time, which is the time required to complete a predetermined operation on the moving body in the predetermined process, using the type information, wherein the control instruction creation unit creates the control instruction using the process required time, Control device.

4. In a factory that manufactures a mixture of multiple types of moving bodies, a system for controlling the operations of at least some of the multiple types of moving bodies, comprising a control instruction creation unit that creates a control instruction for instructing control content to a moving body to be controlled, wherein the multiple types of moving bodies include a first type of moving body and a second type of moving body that takes a longer time than the first type of moving body for a predetermined process in the factory, wherein the control instruction creation unit creates the control instruction so as to adjust the distance between moving bodies between a preceding moving body and a succeeding moving body following the preceding moving body in a process before entering the predetermined process, wherein the control instruction creation unit creates the control instruction such that a second distance, which is the distance between moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the second type of moving body, is greater than a first distance, which is the distance between moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the first type of moving body, system.

5. In a factory that manufactures a mixture of multiple types of moving bodies, a control method for controlling the operations of at least some of the multiple types of moving bodies, wherein the multiple types of moving bodies include a first type of moving body and a second type of moving body that takes a longer time than the first type of moving body for a predetermined process in the factory, in a process before entering the predetermined process, creating a control instruction for instructing control content to a moving body to be controlled so as to adjust the distance between moving bodies between a preceding moving body and a succeeding moving body following the preceding moving body, comprising the step of creating the control instruction such that a second distance, which is the distance between moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the second type of moving body, is greater than a first distance, which is the distance between moving bodies when the preceding moving body is the first type of moving body, control method.

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