Management device and management method

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of allocating limited IP addresses to a mobile body so that the mobile body can move by unmanned driving.SOLUTION: A management device for managing IP addresses includes a release unit that releases the IP address assigned to a mobile body in order to move the mobile body when the mobile body has finished controlling its unmanned operation, and an allocation unit that assigns the released IP address to another mobile body that is scheduled to start controlling its unmanned operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a management device and a management method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technology for driving a vehicle autonomously or by remote control has been known (Patent Document 1). In this technology, data is transmitted and received between the vehicle and the outside via a communication network.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order to move a moving body such as a vehicle by autonomous driving, data may be transmitted and received between the moving body and the outside via a communication network. In this case, in order to transmit and receive data between the moving body and the outside, it is conceivable to assign a pre-prepared IP address to the moving body. However, the number of IP addresses is limited. A technology for assigning a limited number of IP addresses to a moving body in order to move the moving body by autonomous driving has not yet been proposed.

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 management device is provided. The management device for managing IP addresses includes a release unit that releases the IP address assigned to one mobile body for moving the one mobile body when the one mobile body finishes the control of autonomous driving, and an assignment unit that assigns the released IP address to another mobile body that is scheduled to start the control of autonomous driving. According to this aspect, the management device can assign limited IP addresses to mobile bodies without duplication in order to move the mobile bodies by autonomous driving. (2) In the above aspect, further, when at least one of the following cases occurs: when a predetermined time has elapsed since the one mobile body started the control of autonomous driving, and when a predetermined time has elapsed since the IP address was assigned to the one mobile body, and when the IP address assigned to the one mobile body is still assigned to the one mobile body without being released, a notification control unit that notifies the user of error information may be provided. According to this aspect, the management device can determine whether there is an obstacle in the management of the IP address according to at least one of the elapsed time since the one mobile body started the control of autonomous driving and the duration of use of the IP address assigned to the one mobile body. And when the management device determines that there is an obstacle in the management of the IP address, it can notify the user of error information. (3) In the above aspect, the management device manages a plurality of the IP addresses, and the management device may further include a notification control unit that notifies the user of error information when the number of mobile bodies executing the control of autonomous driving does not match the number of IP addresses assigned to the mobile bodies. According to this aspect, the management device can determine whether there is an obstacle in the management of the IP address by comparing the number of mobile bodies executing the control of autonomous driving with the number of IP addresses assigned to the mobile bodies. And when the management device determines that there is an obstacle in the management of the IP address, it can notify the user of error information. (4) In the above-described form, the moving body moves in the section from a predetermined starting point to an ending point by the driverless operation, and the releasing unit uses the position information of the one moving body to determine whether the one moving body has ended the driverless operation control. The position information may be obtained by using at least one of a detection result output from an external sensor that detects the one moving body from the outside and a detection result output from an internal sensor mounted on the moving body. According to this form, the management device can determine whether the one moving body has ended the driverless operation control by using the position information of the one moving body. (5) According to the second form of the present disclosure, a management method is provided. The management method for managing an IP address includes a releasing step of releasing the IP address assigned to the one moving body for moving the one moving body when the one moving body ends the driverless operation control, and an assigning step of assigning the released IP address to another moving body that is scheduled to start the driverless operation control. According to this form, in order to move the moving body by driverless operation, a limited number of IP addresses can be assigned to the moving bodies without duplication. (6) According to the third form of the present disclosure, a management system is provided. The management system for managing an IP address includes a sensor that detects a moving body from the outside, a releasing unit that releases the IP address assigned to the one moving body for moving the one moving body when the one moving body ends the driverless operation control, and an assigning unit that assigns the released IP address to another moving body that is scheduled to start the driverless operation control. According to this form, the management system can assign a limited number of IP addresses to the moving bodies without duplication in order to move the moving bodies by driverless operation. The present disclosure can be realized in various forms other than the above-described management device, management system, and management method. For example, it can be realized in the form of a manufacturing method of the management device and the management system, a control method of the management device and the management system, a computer program that realizes the control method, a non-transitory recording medium on which the computer program is recorded, and the like.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] A. First Embodiment: FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a system 50 in the first embodiment. The system 50 is a system for moving a moving body by autonomous driving. The system 50 includes one or more vehicles 100 as moving bodies, one or more external sensors 300, a management device 70, and a remote control device 80. The management device 70 manages one or more IP addresses X for autonomous driving. The IP address X for autonomous driving is an IP address prepared in advance for sending and receiving data between the vehicle 100 and the outside during the period when the vehicle 100 is executing autonomous driving control. In the present embodiment, the management device 70 manages a plurality of IP addresses X for autonomous driving. The remote control device 80 remotely controls the operation of the vehicle 100. In the present embodiment, the functions of the management device 70 and the remote control device 80 are realized by the server 200.

[0009] In the present disclosure, a "mobile object" 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, a construction vehicle, and the like. The vehicle includes a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a gasoline vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and a fuel cell vehicle. When the mobile object is other than a vehicle, the expressions "vehicle" and "car" in the present disclosure can be appropriately replaced with "mobile object", and the expression "run" can be appropriately replaced with "move".

[0010] The vehicle 100 is configured to be capable of running by autonomous driving. "Autonomous driving" means driving that does not depend on the driving operation of a passenger. The driving operation means an operation related to at least any one of "running", "turning", and "stopping" of the vehicle 100. Autonomous driving is realized by automatic or manual remote control using a device located outside the vehicle 100, or by autonomous control of the vehicle 100. A passenger who does not perform a driving operation may board the vehicle 100 that is running by autonomous driving. Passengers who do not perform a driving operation include, for example, a person simply sitting on the seat of the vehicle 100, and a person performing work different from the driving operation, such as assembly, inspection, and operation of switches, while boarding the vehicle 100. Note that driving by the driving operation of a passenger may be called "manned driving".

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

[0012] In this embodiment, the vehicle 100 travels through the target section TA from a predetermined starting point SP to an ending point EP by autonomous driving in a factory FC that manufactures the vehicle 100. The reference coordinate system of the factory FC is the global coordinate system GC, and any position within the factory FC can be represented by the coordinates of X, Y, and Z in the global coordinate system GC. In the factory FC, a plurality of external sensors 300 are installed along the road surface TR. The external sensor 300 is a sensor located outside the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, 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.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the system 50 in the first embodiment. The vehicle 100 includes a vehicle control device 110, an actuator group 120 including one or more actuators, a communication device 130 for communicating with an external device such as a server 200 by wireless communication, and an internal sensor 180. 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. The internal sensor 180 is a sensor mounted on the vehicle 100. The internal sensor 180 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 180 may include, for example, a camera, a LiDAR, a millimeter-wave radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a GPS sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and the like.

[0014] The vehicle control device 110 is configured by a computer including a processor 111, a memory 112, an input / output interface 113, and an internal bus 114. The processor 111, the memory 112, and the input / output interface 113 are connected to be communicable 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 a setting unit 115 and a function as a vehicle control unit 116 by executing a program PG1 stored in the memory 112.

[0015] The setting unit 115 sets an IP address to be used for transmitting and receiving data between the vehicle 100 and the outside. As shown in FIG. 1, when the vehicle 100 travels in the target section TA, the vehicle 100 receives an allocation notice indicating the allocated IP address X for driverless operation from the server 200. The setting unit 115 of the vehicle control device 110 mounted on the vehicle 100 that has received the allocation notice sets the IP address X for driverless operation allocated by the server 200 as the IP address to be used for communication with the outside. When the vehicle 100 travels in the non-target section NA, the vehicle 100 receives a cancellation notice from the server 200 indicating that the IP address X for driverless operation has been cancelled. The setting unit 115 of the vehicle control device 110 mounted on the vehicle 100 that has received the cancellation notice sets the unique IP address Y stored in the memory 112 of the vehicle control device 110 as the IP address to be used for communication with the outside. The unique IP address Y is an IP address allocated to each vehicle 100 so as not to overlap between the vehicles 100. In the present embodiment, the IP address X for driverless operation and the unique IP address Y are each an IP address for accessing the communication device 130 mounted on the vehicle 100. Note that when the vehicle 100 is in the process of being manufactured, the communication device 130 may not be mounted on the vehicle 100, or the function of the communication device 130 mounted on the vehicle 100 may not be realized. Therefore, when the vehicle 100 is in the process of being manufactured, the IP address X for driverless operation and the unique IP address Y may each be an IP address for accessing the terminal device. The terminal device is a device that is detachably attached to the vehicle 100 in order to complement the function of the communication device 130 mounted on the vehicle 100.

[0016] The vehicle control unit 116 shown in FIG. 2 controls the actuator group 120 to run the vehicle 100. The vehicle control unit 116 can run the vehicle 100 by controlling the actuator group 120 using the driving control signal received from the server 200. The driving control signal is a control signal for running the vehicle 100. In the present embodiment, the driving control signal includes the acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 100 as parameters. In other embodiments, the driving control signal may include the speed of the vehicle 100 as a parameter instead of or in addition to the acceleration of the vehicle 100.

[0017] The server 200 is composed of 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 to be communicable bidirectionally via the internal bus 204. A communication device 205 for communicating with various external 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 by wired communication or wireless communication. The processor 201 functions as an acquisition unit 211, an allocation unit 212, a release unit 213, a notification control unit 214, and a remote control unit 215 by executing a program PG2 stored in the memory 202.

[0018] The acquisition unit 211 acquires the position information of one vehicle 100 using at least one of the detection result output from an external sensor 300 including the one vehicle 100 in the detection range and the detection result output from an internal sensor 180 mounted on the one vehicle 100. Note that the acquisition unit 211 may acquire the position information of the one vehicle 100 using the detection result output from an internal sensor 180 mounted on another vehicle 100 and including the one vehicle 100 in the detection range.

[0019] The allocation unit 212 determines whether the scheduled start vehicle 100S, which is scheduled to start the unmanned driving control, has reached the start point SP where the unmanned driving control is to start, using the position information of the scheduled start vehicle 100S. When it is determined that the scheduled start vehicle 100S has reached the start point SP, the allocation unit 212 checks whether there is an IP address X for unmanned driving that can be assigned to the scheduled start vehicle 100S by referring to the address list LI stored in the memory 202 of the server 200. When there is an IP address X for unmanned driving that can be assigned to the scheduled start vehicle 100S, the allocation unit 212 assigns the IP address X for unmanned driving that can be assigned to the scheduled start vehicle 100S to the scheduled start vehicle 100S. The allocation unit 212 transmits an allocation notification to the scheduled start vehicle 100S. The allocation unit 212 deletes the IP address X for unmanned driving assigned to the scheduled start vehicle 100S from the address list LI. The address list LI is a list that shows the IP address X for unmanned driving that has not been assigned to any vehicle 100 and can be assigned to the scheduled start vehicle 100S.

[0020] The release unit 213 determines whether the scheduled end vehicle 100E, which is scheduled to end the unmanned driving control, has reached the end point EP where the unmanned driving control is to end, using the position information of the scheduled end vehicle 100E. Thereby, the release unit 213 determines whether the unmanned driving control has ended. When it is determined that the scheduled end vehicle 100E has ended the unmanned driving control, the release unit 213 releases the IP address X for unmanned driving that was assigned to the scheduled end vehicle 100E in order to move the scheduled end vehicle 100E by unmanned driving. The release unit 213 transmits a release notification indicating the released IP address X for unmanned driving to the scheduled end vehicle 100E. The release unit 213 adds the released IP address X for unmanned driving to the address list LI stored in the memory 2 of the server 200.

[0021] When a problem occurs in the management of the IP address X for unmanned driving, the notification control unit 214 notifies error information to a user such as an administrator via the notification unit 190. For example, the notification control unit 214 notifies the user of the error information by displaying the error information as character information on a display as the notification unit 190. The notification control unit 214 may notify the user of the error information by playing back the error information as voice information from a speaker as the notification unit 190. The notification control unit 214 may notify the user of the error information by operating various in-vehicle devices as the notification unit 190 according to a predetermined pattern. In the present embodiment, when a predetermined specific time has elapsed since a vehicle 100 started the control of unmanned driving, and the IP address X for unmanned driving assigned to the vehicle 100 is still assigned to the vehicle 100 without being released, the notification control unit 214 notifies the user of the error information. At this time, the specific time is determined based on, for example, the tact time for a specific manufacturing process.

[0022] The remote control unit 215 generates a driving control signal for controlling the actuator group 120 of the vehicle 100, and transmits the driving control signal to the vehicle 100, thereby driving the vehicle 100 by remote control.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the driving control of the vehicle 100 in the first embodiment.

[0024] In step S1, the processor 201 of the server 200 acquires vehicle position information using at least one of the detection result output from the external sensor 300 and the detection result output from the internal sensor 180. The vehicle position information is position information that serves as the basis for generating a driving 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. For example, in step S1, the processor 201 acquires the vehicle position information using the captured image obtained from a camera as the external sensor 300.

[0025] Specifically, in step S1, the processor 201 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 50 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 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 processor 201 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 by using the optical flow method.

[0026] In step S2, the processor 201 of the server 200 determines the target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head. In this 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 along which the vehicle 100 should travel, is stored in advance. The route is represented by a node indicating the starting point, a node indicating a passing point, a node indicating the destination, and links connecting each node. The processor 201 uses the vehicle position information and the reference route RR to determine the target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head. The processor 201 determines the target position on the reference route RR ahead of the current position of the vehicle 100.

[0027] In step S3, the processor 201 of the server 200 generates a driving control signal for driving the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. The processor 201 calculates the driving speed of the vehicle 100 from the 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 processor 201 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 accelerates, and when the driving speed is higher than the target speed, the processor 201 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 decelerates. Also, when the vehicle 100 is located on the reference route RR, the processor 201 determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 100 does not deviate from the reference route RR, and when the vehicle 100 is not located on the reference route RR, in other words, when the vehicle 100 has deviated from the reference route RR, the processor 201 determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 100 returns to the reference route RR.

[0028] In step S4, the processor 201 of the server 200 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 at a predetermined cycle.

[0029] In step S5, the processor 111 of the vehicle 100 receives a driving control signal transmitted from the server 200. In step S6, the processor 111 of the vehicle 100 controls the actuator group 120 using the received driving control signal, thereby driving the vehicle 100 at the acceleration and steering angle represented by the driving control signal. The processor 111 repeats the reception of the driving control signal and the control of the actuator group 120 at a predetermined cycle. According to the system 50 in the present embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be driven by remote control, and the vehicle 100 can be moved without using conveying facilities such as a crane or a conveyor.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for allocating an IP address X for driverless operation. The flow shown in FIG. 4 is executed, for example, when there is a vehicle 100S scheduled to start.

[0031] In step S101, the vehicle 100S scheduled to start transmits the detection result of the internal sensor 180 to the server 200 using the unique IP address Y. In other embodiments, the vehicle 100S scheduled to start may transmit the position information obtained using the detection result of the internal sensor 180 to the server 200. In step S102, the acquisition unit 211 of the server 200 acquires the position information of the vehicle 100S scheduled to start using the detection result of the internal sensor 180 received from the vehicle 100S scheduled to start. In step S103, the allocation unit 212 determines whether the vehicle 100S scheduled to start has reached the start point SP using the position information of the vehicle 100S scheduled to start. When it is determined that the vehicle 100S scheduled to start has reached the start point SP (step S103: Yes), in step S104, the allocation unit 212 checks whether there is an IP address X for driverless operation that can be allocated to the vehicle 100S scheduled to start by referring to the address list LI.

[0032] If there exists an IP address X for driverless operation that can be assigned to the scheduled start vehicle 100S (step S104: Yes), the allocation unit 212 executes step S105. In step S105, the allocation unit 212 assigns the IP address X for driverless operation that can be assigned to the scheduled start vehicle 100S to the scheduled start vehicle 100S. In step S106, the allocation unit 212 sends an allocation notification to the scheduled start vehicle 100S. In step S107, the allocation unit 212 deletes the IP address X for driverless operation assigned to the scheduled start vehicle 100S from the address list LI. If the scheduled start vehicle 100S receives the allocation notification (step S108: Yes), the setting unit 115 of the vehicle control device 110 mounted on the scheduled start vehicle 100S executes step S109. In step S109, the setting unit 115 sets the IP address X for driverless operation assigned by the server 200 as the IP address to be used for communication with the outside.

[0033] If there is no IP address X for driverless operation that can be assigned to the scheduled start vehicle 100S (step S104: No), the notification control unit 214 of the server 200 determines whether there is an obstacle in the management of the IP address X for driverless operation. If a predetermined time has elapsed since the control start time when a vehicle 100 starts the control of driverless operation (step S110: Yes), the notification control unit 214 notifies the user of error information in step S111.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for releasing the IP address X for driverless operation. The flow shown in FIG. 5 is executed, for example, when there exists a scheduled end vehicle 100E.

[0035] In step S201, the external sensor 300 that includes the vehicle 100E scheduled to end within the detection range transmits the detection result to the server 200. In step S202, the acquisition unit 211 of the server 200 acquires the position information of the vehicle 100E scheduled to end by using the detection result of the external sensor 300. In step S203, the release unit 213 determines whether the vehicle 100E scheduled to end has reached the end point EP by using the position information of the vehicle 100E scheduled to end. When it is determined that the vehicle 100E scheduled to end has reached the end point EP (step S203: Yes), in step S204, the release unit 213 determines that the vehicle 100E scheduled to end has terminated the unmanned driving control. In step S205, the release unit 213 releases the unmanned driving IP address X assigned to the vehicle 100E scheduled to end in order to move the vehicle 100E scheduled to end by unmanned driving. In step S206, the release unit 213 transmits a release notification to the vehicle 100E scheduled to end. In step S207, the release unit 213 adds the released unmanned driving IP address X to the address list LI. When the vehicle 100E scheduled to end receives the release notification (step S208: Yes), the setting unit 115 of the vehicle control device 110 mounted on the vehicle 100E scheduled to end executes step S209. In step S209, the setting unit 115 sets the unique IP address Y stored in the memory 112 as the IP address used for communication with the outside.

[0036] According to the above embodiment, the management device 70 can determine whether or not a vehicle 100 has terminated the unmanned driving control by using the position information of the vehicle 100. Then, when the management device 70 determines that the unmanned driving control has ended, the management device 70 can release the unmanned driving IP address X assigned to the vehicle 100 to move the vehicle 100. Then, the management device 70 can assign the released unmanned driving IP address X to another vehicle 100 scheduled to start the unmanned driving control. In this way, the management device 70 can assign the limited unmanned driving IP address X to the vehicle 100 without duplication in order to move the vehicle 100 by unmanned driving.

[0037] Further, according to the above embodiment, when a predetermined time has elapsed since a vehicle 100 started autonomous driving control, if the IP address X for autonomous driving assigned to the vehicle 100 is still assigned to the vehicle 100 without being released, the management device 70 can notify the user of error information.

[0038] Further, according to the above embodiment, the vehicle 100 can set an IP address for communication with the outside in response to the allocation notification and cancellation notification received from the server 200. Thereby, when the vehicle 100 travels in the target section TA, it can communicate with the outside using the IP address X for autonomous driving. Also, when the vehicle 100 travels in the non-target section NA, it can communicate with the outside using the unique IP address Y. Note that the types and numbers of IP addresses available to the vehicle 100 are not limited to the above.

[0039] B. Second Embodiment: FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the system 50v in the second embodiment. The system 50v includes one or more vehicles 100v, one or more external sensors 300, and a server 200v that realizes the functions of the management device 70. In this embodiment, the system 50v is different from the first embodiment in that it does not include the remote control device 80. Also, the vehicle 100v in this embodiment can travel by autonomous control of the vehicle 100v. For other configurations, they are the same as those in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0040] The processor 111v of the vehicle control device 110v functions as a setting unit 115 and a vehicle control unit 116v by executing a program PG1 stored in the memory 112v. The vehicle control unit 116v acquires the output result from the 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 PG1, a detection model DM, a reference route RR, and a unique IP address Y are stored in the memory 112v in advance.

[0041] By executing the program PG2 stored in the memory 202v, the processor 201v of the server 200v functions as an acquisition unit 211, an allocation unit 212, a release unit 213, and a notification control unit 214. In the present embodiment, in addition to the program PG1, an address list LI is stored in the memory 112v.

[0042] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the travel control of the vehicle 100v in the second embodiment.

[0043] In step S901, the processor 111v of the vehicle control device 110v acquires vehicle position information using the detection result output from the camera which is an external sensor 300. In step S902, the processor 111v determines the target position to which the vehicle 100v should next head. In step S903, the processor 111v generates a travel control signal for causing the vehicle 100v to travel toward the determined target position. In step S904, 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 in the travel control signal. The processor 111v repeats the acquisition of vehicle position information, the determination of the target position, the generation of the travel control signal, and the control of the actuator at a predetermined cycle. According to the system 50v in the present embodiment, the vehicle 100v can be caused to travel by the autonomous control of the vehicle 100v without remotely controlling the vehicle 100v by the server 200.

[0044] C. Other Embodiments: (C1) When a predetermined time has elapsed since the unmanned driving IP address X was assigned to a vehicle 100, if the unmanned driving IP address X assigned to the vehicle 100 is still assigned to the vehicle 100 without being released, the notification control unit 214 may notify the user of error information. In such a form, the management device 70 can determine whether there is an obstacle in the management of the unmanned driving IP address X according to the continuous use time of the unmanned driving IP address X.

[0045] (C2) When the number of vehicles 100 executing the control of unmanned driving does not match the number of unmanned driving IP addresses X assigned to the vehicles 100, the notification control unit 214 may notify the user of error information. In such a form, the management device 70 can determine whether there is an obstacle in the management of the unmanned driving IP address X by comparing the number of vehicles 100 executing the control of unmanned driving with the number of unmanned driving IP addresses X assigned to the vehicles 100.

[0046] (C3) 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, 100v. In this case, the servers 200, 200v and the vehicles 100, 100v may acquire the 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.

[0047] (C4) In the first embodiment, the process from the acquisition of the vehicle position information to the generation of the driving control signal is executed by the server 200. On the contrary, at least a part of the process from the acquisition of the 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 (3) may be adopted.

[0048] (1) The server 200 may acquire vehicle position information, determine a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head, and generate a route from the current position of the vehicle 100 represented in the acquired vehicle position information to the target position. The server 200 may generate a route to a target position between the current 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 travel 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 travel control signal.

[0049] (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 a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head, generate a route from the current position of the vehicle 100 represented in the received vehicle position information to the target position, generate a travel control signal so that the vehicle 100 travels on the generated route, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated travel control signal.

[0050] (3) In the forms (1) and (2) above, an internal sensor 180 is mounted on the vehicle 100, and the detection result output from the internal sensor 180 may be used for at least one of the generation of the route and the generation of the travel control signal. For example, in the form (1) above, the server 200 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor 180 and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor 180 in the route when generating the route. In the form (1) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor 180 and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor 180 in the travel control signal when generating the travel control signal. In the form (2) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor 180 and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor 180 in the route when generating the route. In the form (2) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor 180 and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor 180 in the travel control signal when generating the travel control signal.

[0051] (C5) In the second embodiment described above, the vehicle 100v is equipped with an internal sensor 180, and the detection result output from the internal sensor 180 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 180 and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor 180 in the route when generating the route. The vehicle 100v may acquire the detection result of the internal sensor 180 and reflect the detection result of the internal sensor 180 in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0052] (C6) In the second embodiment described above, the vehicle 100v acquires vehicle position information using the detection result of the external sensor 300. In contrast, the vehicle 100v is equipped with an internal sensor 180, and the vehicle 100v acquires vehicle position information using the detection result of the internal sensor 180, determines the target position that the vehicle 100v should head to next, 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 driving on 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 result 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.

[0053] (C7) In the first embodiment described above, the server 200 automatically generates the driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 100. In contrast, 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 the 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 wire or wireless communication, and the server 200 may generate a driving control signal corresponding to the operation applied to the control device.

[0054] (C8) In each of the above embodiments, the vehicles 100 and 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 and 100v only need to include at least a vehicle control device 110, 110v and an actuator group 120 in order to perform three functions of "running", "turning", and "stopping" by autonomous driving. When the vehicles 100 and 100v acquire information from the outside for autonomous driving, the vehicles 100 and 100v may further include a communication device 130. That is, for the vehicles 100 and 100v that can be moved by autonomous driving, at least a part of the interior parts such as the driver's seat and the dashboard may not be installed, at least a part of the exterior parts such as the bumper and the fender may not be installed, and the body shell may not be installed. In this case, until the vehicles 100 and 100v are shipped from the factory FC, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be installed on the vehicles 100 and 100v, or after the vehicles 100 and 100v are shipped from the factory FC in a state where the remaining parts such as the body shell are not installed on the vehicles 100 and 100v, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be installed on the vehicles 100 and 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 and 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 and 100v in the first embodiment.

[0055] (C9) The vehicles 100, 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 function of the vehicles 100, 100v. For example, the platform of the vehicles 100, 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. In addition to or instead of the platform, parts of the vehicles 100, 100v that are different from the platform may be modularized. Also, various modules may include arbitrary exterior parts such as bumpers and grills, and arbitrary interior parts such as seats and consoles. Further, not limited to the vehicles 100, 100v, a moving body in any form 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.

[0056] (C10) Using the driving of the vehicles 100, 100v by autonomous driving to transport the vehicles 100, 100v is also called "self-driving transportation". Also, the configuration for realizing self-driving transportation is also called "vehicle remote control autonomous driving transportation system". Further, the production method of producing the vehicles 100, 100v using self-driving transportation is also called "self-driving production". In self-driving production, for example, in the factory FC that manufactures the vehicles 100, 100v, at least a part of the transportation of the vehicles 100, 100v is realized by self-driving transportation.

[0057] 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 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 some or all of the above-described problems, or to achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Further, if the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0058] 50, 50v... system, 70... management device, 80... remote control device, 100, 100v... vehicle, 100E... vehicle scheduled to end, 100S... vehicle scheduled to start, 110, 110v... vehicle control device, 111, 111v... processor, 112, 112v... memory, 113... input / output interface of vehicle control device, 114... internal bus of vehicle control device, 115... setting unit, 116, 116v... vehicle control unit, 120... actuator group, 130... communication device of vehicle, 180... internal sensor, 190... notification unit, 200, 200v... server, 201, 201v... processor, 202, 202v... memory, 203... input / output interface of server, 204... internal bus of server, 205... communication device of server, 211... acquisition unit, 212... allocation unit, 213... release unit, 214... notification control unit, 215... remote control unit, 300... external sensor, DM... detection model, EP... end point, FC... factory, GC... global coordinate system, LI... address list, NA... non-target section, PG1, PG2... program, RR... reference route, SP... start point, TA... target section, TR... track, X... IP address for driverless operation, Y... unique IP address

Claims

1. A management device for managing IP addresses, comprising: a release unit that releases the IP address assigned to a first moving body for moving the first moving body when the first moving body ends the unmanned driving control; a management device comprising: an assignment unit that assigns the released IP address to another moving body scheduled to start the unmanned driving control.

2. The management device according to claim 1, further comprising: a notification control unit that notifies a user of error information when the IP address assigned to the first moving body is still assigned to the first moving body without being released in at least one of the cases where a predetermined time has elapsed since the first moving body started the unmanned driving control and a predetermined time has elapsed since the IP address was assigned to the first moving body.

3. The management device according to claim 1, wherein: the management device manages a plurality of the IP addresses; the management device further comprises: a notification control unit that notifies a user of error information when the number of moving bodies executing the unmanned driving control does not match the number of IP addresses assigned to the moving bodies.

4. The management device according to claim 1, wherein: the moving body moves by the unmanned driving in a section from a predetermined start point to an end point; the release unit determines whether the first moving body has ended the unmanned driving control by using the position information of the first moving body; the management device, wherein the position information is obtained by using at least one of a detection result output from an external sensor that detects the first moving body from the outside and a detection result output from an internal sensor mounted on the moving body.

5. A management method for managing IP addresses, comprising: a release step of releasing the IP address assigned to a first moving body for moving the first moving body when the first moving body ends the unmanned driving control; an assignment step of assigning the released IP address to another moving body scheduled to start the unmanned driving control.

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