Vehicle remote control system

Abstract

To provide a vehicle remote control system capable of accurately stopping a vehicle at a desired stopping position.SOLUTION: A vehicle remote control system 1 comprises: a remote control unit 20 for inputting instruction data and operating a start command for a vehicle 10 and a stop command for the vehicle 10; a self-position estimation unit 41 for estimating a self-position P1 of the vehicle 10; a route generation unit 43 that, when the instruction data is input via the remote control unit 20, sets stopping position coordinates P2 for the vehicle 10 and generates a travel route S1 to the stopping position coordinates P2; and a path following control unit 44 that, when the start command for the vehicle 10 is operated on the remote control unit 20, controls the vehicle 10 to follow the travel path S1 generated by the path generation unit 43 toward the stop position coordinates P2 based on the self-position P1. The path following control unit 44 controls the vehicle 10 to stop when the stop command for the vehicle 10 is operated on the remote control unit 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle remote control system. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a remote control device that instructs a vehicle to move by remote control, and includes an input means for inputting operation information related to the movement of the vehicle, a transmission means for transmitting the input operation information to the vehicle, a determination means for determining whether the relationship between the vehicle and the device satisfies a condition that allows the operator to confirm safety, and a prohibition means for prohibiting remote control of the vehicle when the determination means determines that the condition that allows safety confirmation is not satisfied. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-265288 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As described above, remote control devices (vehicle remote control systems) that move vehicles by remote control are known. However, such vehicle remote control systems do not take into consideration control of the vehicle's stopping position, leaving room for improvement. For example, at work sites such as ports, cargo such as marine containers may be loaded onto a trailer vehicle using a crane. In this case, external factors such as wind may cause the marine container lifted by the crane to sway. As a result, the actual position of the marine container may deviate from the predetermined cargo loading position for loading the marine container onto the trailer. This may require adjustment of this deviation. Therefore, there is a need for a technology that allows a vehicle to stop at a desired stopping position with precision.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle remote control system that can stop a vehicle at a desired stopping position with high accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle remote control system for driving a vehicle by remote control, comprising: a remote control unit for inputting instruction data that is an instruction regarding a stopping position of the vehicle, and for operating instructions to start the vehicle and stop the vehicle; a self-position estimation unit for estimating the vehicle's own position; a route generation unit for setting the stopping position coordinates of the vehicle according to the instruction data when the instruction data is input in the remote control unit and generating a driving route from the self-position estimated by the self-position estimation unit to the stopping position coordinates; and a path following control unit for controlling the vehicle to follow and drive toward the stopping position coordinates along the driving route generated by the route generation unit based on the self-position estimated by the self-position estimation unit when an instruction to start the vehicle is operated in the remote control unit, and the path following control unit controls the vehicle to stop when an instruction to stop the vehicle is operated in the remote control unit.

[0007] In such a vehicle remote control system, a remote operator uses a remote control unit to issue instructions regarding the vehicle's stopping position, instructions to start the vehicle, and instructions to stop the vehicle. When an instruction regarding the vehicle's stopping position is issued using the remote control unit, the vehicle's stopping position coordinates are set according to the instruction regarding the vehicle's stopping position, and a driving route from the vehicle's current position to the stopping position coordinates is generated. When an instruction to start the vehicle is issued using the remote control unit, the vehicle is controlled to travel along the driving route toward the stopping position coordinates based on the vehicle's current position. After that, when an instruction to stop the vehicle is issued using the remote control unit, the vehicle is controlled to stop. In this way, the remote operator can appropriately adjust the vehicle's stopping position by issuing an instruction to stop the vehicle using the remote control unit while checking the situation around the vehicle. Therefore, the vehicle can be stopped accurately at the desired stopping position.

[0008] (2) In the above (1), the instruction data may include an instruction for the vehicle's driving direction or an instruction for stop instruction coordinates that are the vehicle's stopping position. When an instruction for the vehicle's driving direction is input to the remote control unit, the route generation unit may set stop instruction coordinates along the driving direction based on the vehicle's own position. When an instruction for the vehicle's stop instruction coordinates is input to the remote control unit, the route generation unit may set the stop instruction coordinates input to the remote control unit as the stop instruction coordinates. In this configuration, by inputting an instruction for the vehicle's driving direction (forward or backward) using the remote control unit, the remote operator can cause the vehicle to move forward straight toward the front stop position coordinates or move backward straight toward the rear stop position coordinates. By inputting an instruction for the vehicle's stop instruction coordinates using the remote control unit, the remote operator can not only move the vehicle forward straight or backward straight toward the stop position coordinates, but also move the vehicle forward left or right and backward left or right toward the stop position coordinates that are the stop instruction coordinates, regardless of the driving direction.

[0009] (3) In the above (1) or (2), the path following control unit may control the vehicle to stop if the remote control unit does not operate to instruct the vehicle to stop even after the vehicle has traveled a specified distance. In this configuration, even if the remote control unit forgets to operate to instruct the vehicle to stop, the vehicle will automatically stop after traveling a specified distance. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from continuing to travel without stopping. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, the vehicle can be stopped at a desired stopping position with high accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic overall view showing an example of an area in which a vehicle equipped with a vehicle remote control system according to an embodiment of the present invention travels. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle remote control system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3]3 is a graph showing changes in the speed of a vehicle traveling based on instructions from the slow speed start instruction button and instructions from the stop instruction button shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle together with a travel route. [Figure 5] 3 is a schematic diagram showing a pattern in which a vehicle travels based on instructions given by a forward instruction button, a reverse instruction button, and a stop position coordinate input unit shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 6] 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure executed by a path generating unit shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 7] 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure executed by a path following control unit shown in FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0013] (Embodiment) 1 is a schematic overall view showing an example of an area in which a vehicle 10 equipped with a vehicle remote control system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention travels. The vehicle remote control system 1 is a system that causes the vehicle 10 to travel by remote control.

[0014] The vehicle 10 is a vehicle that pulls a trailer, such as a truck or a tractor head, but is not limited to these. The vehicle 10 travels to a loading and unloading site, such as a port. However, the vehicle 10 may also travel to a construction site or within a factory, for example.

[0015] After departing from the departure and arrival point shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 stops at a preset loading position next to the baggage collection point N. The loading position is a position where a marine container K is loaded onto the vehicle 10. The loading position may be set to temporarily stop the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 travels to the loading position in an autonomous driving manner. For example, a plurality of marine containers K are collected at the baggage collection point N.

[0016] A crane (not shown) for lifting a marine container K is installed near the baggage collection point N. A remote operator is waiting around the baggage loading position. The remote operator operates a remote control 20 (described later) to adjust the stopping position of the vehicle 10. The stopping position is the position where the vehicle 10 is finally desired to stop.

[0017] The remote operator adjusts the stopping position of the vehicle 10 so that the marine container K lifted by the crane is loaded at an appropriate position on the loading platform of the vehicle 10. After adjusting the stopping position of the vehicle 10 (after stopping the vehicle 10 at the stopping position), the marine container K is loaded onto the vehicle 10. The remote operator may also be a person who gives a signal for the vehicle 10 to stop at the stopping position.

[0018] 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle remote control system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle remote control system 1 has a remote controller 20. The remote controller 20 is a remote operation unit for inputting instruction data that is an instruction regarding the stopping position of the vehicle 10, and for performing operations for instructing the vehicle 10 to start and stop. The instruction data will be described in detail later.

[0019] Specifically, the remote controller 20 has a forward command button 21 , a reverse command button 22 , a slow start command button 23 , a stop command button 24 , a stop command coordinate input unit 25 , and a communication device 27 .

[0020] The forward instruction button 21 is a button that the remote operator uses to instruct the vehicle 10 to move forward. The reverse instruction button 22 is a button that the remote operator uses to instruct the vehicle 10 to move backward. Therefore, by providing the remote control 20 with the forward instruction button 21 and the reverse instruction button 22, the remote operator can instruct the vehicle 10 to move forward or backward.

[0021] The slow speed start instruction button 23 is a button that the remote operator uses to instruct the vehicle 10 to start at a slow speed. Starting at a slow speed means that the vehicle 10 starts at a speed of, for example, 5 km / h or less, but the speed of the vehicle 10 when starting at a slow speed is not limited to this. Starting the vehicle 10 at a slow speed makes it possible to easily adjust the stopping position. The distance that the vehicle 10 travels when starting at a slow speed is, for example, 1 m to 5 m.

[0022] The stop instruction button 24 is a button used by the remote operator to instruct the vehicle 10 to stop. For example, the stop instruction button 24 is operated by the remote operator when the vehicle 10 arrives in front of a stopping position. That is, more specifically, the stopping position is the position where the remote operator stops the vehicle 10 after pressing the stop instruction button 24.

[0023] Fig. 3 is a graph showing the change in speed of vehicle 10 traveling based on instructions from slow speed start instruction button 23 and instructions from stop instruction button 24 shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 3, the horizontal axis represents the traveling time of vehicle 10 (unit: [s]), and the vertical axis represents the traveling speed of vehicle 10 (unit: [km / h]).

[0024] 3, time t1 on the horizontal axis is the time when the slow speed start instruction button 23 is pressed on the remote control 20. At time t1, the traveling speed of the vehicle 10 is 0 km / h. That is, the vehicle 10 is stopped at time t1.

[0025] At time t2, the traveling speed of the vehicle 10 reaches 5 km / h, which is an example of a very slow speed. Between time t1 and time t2, the vehicle 10 accelerates.

[0026] Time t3 is the time when the stop command button 24 is pressed on the remote control 20. Between time t2 and time t3, the vehicle 10 coasts at, for example, 5 km / h.

[0027] Time t4 is the time when the stop command button 24 is pressed and the vehicle 10 stops at the stop position. Between time t3 and time t4, the vehicle 10 decelerates. The traveling speed of the vehicle 10 at time t4 is 0 km / h.

[0028] Referring again to FIG. 2, the stop instruction coordinate input unit 25 inputs the stop instruction coordinates of the vehicle 10. The stop instruction coordinates are the coordinates of a position designated by the remote operator as a stop target for the vehicle 10. The position coordinates are expressed, for example, as two-dimensional coordinates (XY coordinates) as a horizontal position. The position coordinates may also be expressed as two-dimensional coordinates (XY coordinates) and an azimuth angle. The stop instruction coordinates will be described in detail later.

[0029] The communication device 27 transmits instructions regarding the stopping position of the vehicle 10 to the vehicle 10 by wireless communication. Specifically, the communication device 27 transmits instructions input from the forward instruction button 21, reverse instruction button 22, slow speed start instruction button 23, and stop instruction button 24, and stop instruction coordinates input from the stop instruction coordinate input unit 25 to the vehicle 10. That is, the above-mentioned instruction data includes an instruction for the traveling direction D1 (see FIG. 4) of the vehicle 10, or an instruction for the stop instruction coordinates that are the stopping position of the vehicle 10.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 2, the vehicle 10 includes a GPS receiver 31, a laser sensor 32, a communication device 33, a driving unit 51, and a storage unit 52.

[0031] The GPS receiver 31 receives radio signals from a plurality of GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites and measures the vehicle's own position P1 (described later) as position information.

[0032] The laser sensor 32 detects obstacles in the traveling direction D1 (see FIG. 4) of the vehicle 10. The obstacles may be, for example, workers working in a workshop or a shipping container K present in the workshop. The laser sensor 32 may use a ranging technology such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). Note that a camera may be used instead of the laser sensor 32 to detect the obstacles.

[0033] The communicator 33 performs wireless communication with the communicator 27 of the remote controller 20. Specifically, the communicator 33 receives instruction data transmitted from the communicator 27.

[0034] The traveling drive unit 51 is a device for driving the vehicle 10. The traveling drive unit 51 has, for example, a traveling motor that drives the vehicle 10 and a steering motor that steers the vehicle 10, although not shown.

[0035] The storage unit 52 stores the travel routes S1 and S2 of the vehicle 10 generated by the route generation unit 43, which will be described later. The storage unit 52 has a storage medium. The storage medium may be, for example, a magnetic medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a semiconductor memory such as a solid state drive (SSD), or an optical medium such as a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc, but is not limited to these. The storage medium may also be, for example, a cloud storage.

[0036] The vehicle remote control system 1 has a controller 40 mounted on the vehicle 10. In this embodiment, one controller 40 is mounted on the vehicle 10. The controller 40 is composed of a CPU, RAM, ROM, an input / output interface, etc. The controller 40 controls the traveling drive unit 51 based on the position information input from the GPS receiver 31, the detection information input from the laser sensor 32, and the instruction data input from the communication device 33.

[0037] The controller 40 includes a self-position estimation unit 41, a route generation unit 43, and a route following control unit 44.

[0038] The self-position estimation unit 41 estimates the self-position P1 of the vehicle 10. Specifically, the self-position estimation unit 41 estimates the self-position P1 of the vehicle 10 based on the position information acquired by the GPS receiver 31. The self-position P1 is, for example, the current traveling position of the vehicle 10. The self-position P1 is expressed, for example, by two-dimensional coordinates (XY coordinates) and an azimuth angle.

[0039] For example, a satellite positioning system (GNSS / GPS) is used as the self-location estimation technology. Alternatively, the self-location may be estimated by point cloud matching based on point cloud data obtained from a LiDAR. However, in this embodiment, the self-location estimation technology is not limited to these, and other techniques such as a SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) method or an inertial measurement unit (IMU) may also be used.

[0040] 4 is a schematic diagram showing vehicle 10 together with a travel route S1. When instruction data is input to remote control 20, route generation unit 43 sets stopping position coordinates P2 of vehicle 10 according to the instruction data, and generates a travel route S1 from self-position P1 estimated by self-position estimation unit 41 to stopping position coordinates P2.

[0041] In addition, when instruction data is input via the remote control 20, the route generation unit 43 sets the stopping position coordinates P3 (see Figure 5) of the vehicle 10 according to the instruction data, and generates a driving route S2 from the vehicle's own position P1 to the stopping position coordinates P3.

[0042] As described above, the instruction data received by the communication device 33 is input to the route generation unit 43. The route generation unit 43 stores the generated travel routes S1 and S2 in the storage unit 52.

[0043] The traveling direction D1 of the vehicle 10 described above is, for example, the direction in which the vehicle 10 travels along a traveling route S1 from its own position P1 toward a stopping position coordinate P2. In this embodiment, the traveling route S1 is a straight line. The traveling routes S1 and S2 and the stopping position coordinates P2 and P3 will be described in detail below.

[0044] 5 is a schematic diagram showing a pattern in which the vehicle 10 travels based on instructions from the forward instruction button 21, the reverse instruction button 22, and the stop instruction coordinate input unit 25 shown in Fig. 2. When an instruction for the travel direction D1 of the vehicle 10 is input via the remote control 20, the route generation unit 43 sets a stop position coordinate P2 along the travel direction D1 based on the vehicle's own position P1.

[0045] Furthermore, when an instruction for stop instruction coordinates of the vehicle 10 is input via the remote controller 20, the route generating unit 43 sets the stop instruction coordinates input via the remote controller 20 as stop position coordinates P3.

[0046] Specifically, when the remote operator presses the forward instruction button 21 and the reverse instruction button 22 on the remote controller 20, the route generation unit 43 sets a stopping position coordinate P2 on the traveling route S1 along the traveling direction D1. At this time, the route generation unit 43 sets the stopping position coordinate P2 at a position, for example, several meters or several tens of meters away from the vehicle's own position P1 in the traveling direction D1. In other words, the distance of the traveling route S1 is, for example, several meters or several tens of meters.

[0047] Furthermore, when the remote operator operates the stop instruction coordinate input unit 25 of the remote controller 20 to directly specify a stop instruction coordinate, the route generation unit 43 sets the stop instruction coordinate as the stop position coordinate P3 regardless of the traveling direction D1. Therefore, the stop position coordinate P3, which is the stop instruction coordinate, may not exist in the traveling direction D1. When setting the stop position coordinate P3, it is not necessary to input the vehicle's own position P1.

[0048] When the stop position coordinate P3 is set, the route generation unit 43 generates a travel route S2 from the vehicle's own position P1 to the stop position coordinate P3. Therefore, the stop position coordinate P3 exists on the travel route S2. The travel route S2 is, for example, curved. The route generation unit 43 sets the stop position coordinate P3 at a position, for example, several meters or several tens of meters away from the vehicle's own position P1. In other words, the distance of the travel route S2 is determined by the stop instruction coordinate input via the remote control 20. The distance of the travel route S2 is, for example, several meters or several tens of meters.

[0049] The stopping position coordinates P2 and P3 are, for example, the positions where a crane for lifting a marine container is installed at a loading and unloading site such as a port, but the stopping position coordinates P2 and P3 are not limited to this. For example, the stopping position coordinates P2 and P3 may be the position where earth and sand are unloaded at a construction site or the position where unloading is performed in a factory.

[0050] 2, the route generation unit 43 has a following feasibility determination unit 45. Based on the travel routes S1 and S2 generated by the route generation unit 43, the following feasibility determination unit 45 determines whether the vehicle 10 can travel along the travel routes S1 and S2. When this travel is not possible, for example, the stop position coordinate P2 and the stop position coordinate P3 are located inside the vehicle turning radius of the vehicle 10. In this case, the vehicle 10 is physically unable to travel along the travel routes S1 and S2.

[0051] When an instruction to start the vehicle 10 is operated on the remote control 20, the route following control unit 44 controls the vehicle 10 to travel along the travel route S1 generated by the route generation unit 43 toward the stopping position coordinate P2, based on the self-position P1 estimated by the self-position estimation unit 41. The route following control unit 44 may read out the travel route S1 from the storage unit 52.

[0052] Furthermore, when an instruction to start the vehicle 10 is operated on the remote control 20, the path following control unit 44 controls the vehicle 10 to travel along the travel path S2 generated by the route generation unit 43 toward the stopping position coordinate P3, based on the self-position P1 estimated by the self-position estimation unit 41. The path following control unit 44 may read out the travel path S2 from the storage unit 52.

[0053] When an operation to instruct vehicle 10 to stop is performed on remote control 20, route following control unit 44 controls vehicle 10 to stop. Vehicle 10 travels so as to follow travel route S1 toward stop position coordinate P2. Vehicle 10 also travels so as to follow travel route S2 toward stop position coordinate P3. The remote operator presses stop instruction button 24 on remote control 20 when vehicle 10 arrives just before the desired stop position where vehicle 10 is to be stopped. This causes vehicle 10 to stop at the desired stop position.

[0054] Furthermore, if the vehicle 10 has traveled a specified distance but no operation to instruct the vehicle 10 to stop is performed on the remote controller 20, the path following control unit 44 controls the vehicle 10 to stop. As a result, even if the remote operator forgets to perform an operation to instruct the vehicle 10 to stop, the vehicle 10 will automatically stop after traveling a specified distance.

[0055] The specified distance is, for example, equal to the distance from the vehicle's own position P1 to the stop position coordinate P2 in the traveling direction D1 described above. The specified distance is also, for example, equal to the distance from the vehicle's own position P1 to the stop position coordinate P3. The specified distance is, for example, 20 m, but is not limited to 20 m.

[0056] Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the process executed by the path generating unit 43 shown in Fig. 2. This process is executed when instruction data is input via the remote control 20.

[0057] 6, first, the route generation unit 43 determines whether or not instruction data has been input from the remote control 20 via the communication device 33 (step S101). When the route generation unit 43 determines that instruction data has not been input, it ends this process. When the route generation unit 43 determines that instruction data has been input, it acquires the self-position P1 estimated by the self-position estimation unit 41 (step S102).

[0058] Thereafter, the route generation unit 43 determines whether or not the traveling direction D1 has been instructed by the remote control 20 (whether the forward instruction button 21 or the reverse instruction button 22 has been pressed) (step S103). When the route generation unit 43 determines that the traveling direction D1 has been instructed, it subsequently determines whether or not the forward instruction button 21 has been pressed on the remote control 20 (step S104).

[0059] When the route generation unit 43 determines that the forward instruction button 21 has been pressed, it sets a stopping position coordinate P2 forward in the traveling direction D1 with respect to the vehicle 10 (step S105). When the route generation unit 43 determines in step S104 that the reverse instruction button 22 has been pressed, it sets a stopping position coordinate P2 backward in the traveling direction D1 with respect to the vehicle 10 (step S106).

[0060] Then, the route generation unit 43 generates a travel route S1 to the stop position coordinates P2 based on the own position P1 of the vehicle 10 (step S107).

[0061] Thereafter, the route generation unit 43 determines whether or not the vehicle 10 can travel by following the travel route S1 using the following feasibility determination unit 45 (step S108). When the following feasibility determination unit 45 determines that the vehicle 10 can travel by following the travel route S1, the route generation unit 43 saves and stores the travel route S1 in the storage unit 52 (step S109). Thereafter, the route generation unit 43 ends this process.

[0062] If the route generation unit 43 determines in step S108 that it is impossible for the vehicle 10 to travel along the travel route S1, for example, when the stopping position coordinates P2 and P3 are located inside the vehicle turning radius of the vehicle 10, the route generation unit 43 terminates this process.

[0063] When the route generation unit 43 determines in step S103 that the driving direction D1 has not been instructed (when it determines that the stop instruction coordinate input unit 25 on the remote control 20 has been operated), it sets the stop instruction coordinate inputted in the stop instruction coordinate input unit 25 as the stop position coordinate P3 of the vehicle 10 (step S110).

[0064] Then, the route generation unit 43 generates a travel route S2 to the stop position coordinates P3 based on the own position P1 of the vehicle 10 (step S107). The subsequent steps are the same as those described above.

[0065] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the process executed by the path following control unit 44 shown in Fig. 2. This process is executed when an operation to instruct the vehicle 10 to start moving is performed on the remote control 20.

[0066] 7, first, the route following control unit 44 determines whether or not the travel routes S1 and S2 generated by the route generation unit 43 are stored in the storage unit 52 (step S201). When the route following control unit 44 determines that the travel routes S1 and S2 are not stored in the storage unit 52, the process ends.

[0067] When the route following control unit 44 determines that the travel routes S1 and S2 are stored in the storage unit 52, it acquires the self-position P1 estimated by the self-position estimation unit 41 (step S202). Subsequently, the route following control unit 44 acquires the stop position coordinate P2 or the stop position coordinate P3 set by the route generation unit 43 (step S203).

[0068] Thereafter, the path following control unit 44 determines whether or not the slow speed start instruction button 23 has been pressed on the remote control 20 (step S204). When the path following control unit 44 determines that the slow speed start instruction button 23 has not been pressed, it repeats step S204 again.

[0069] When it is determined that the slow speed start instruction button 23 has been pressed, the path following control unit 44 acquires the self-position P1 estimated by the self-position estimation unit 41 (step S205).

[0070] Next, the route following control unit 44 controls the driving unit 51 to drive the vehicle 10 toward the stopping position coordinate P2 or the stopping position coordinate P3 while following the driving route S1 or the driving route S2 read out from the memory unit 52 (step S206).

[0071] Then, the path following control unit 44 determines whether the stop instruction button 24 on the remote control 20 has been pressed (step S207). When the path following control unit 44 determines that the stop instruction button 24 has been pressed, the path following control unit 44 controls the travel drive unit 51 to decelerate and stop the vehicle 10 (step S208). Thereafter, the path following control unit 44 ends this process.

[0072] If the path following control unit 44 determines in step S207 that the stop instruction button 24 has not been pressed, it determines whether or not an obstacle has been detected by the laser sensor 32 (step S209). If the path following control unit 44 determines that an obstacle has been detected, it controls the travel drive unit 51 to bring the vehicle 10 to an emergency stop (step S210).

[0073] If it is determined in step S209 that no obstacle has been detected, the path following control unit 44 acquires the self-position P1 estimated by the self-position estimation unit 41 (step S211). Subsequently, the path following control unit 44 determines whether the vehicle 10 has traveled a specified distance based on the self-position P1 (step S212).

[0074] If the path following control unit 44 determines that the vehicle 10 has traveled the specified distance, it controls the travel drive unit 51 to decelerate and stop the vehicle 10 (step S213). Thereafter, the path following control unit 44 ends this process. If the path following control unit 44 determines in step S212 that the vehicle 10 has not traveled the specified distance, it executes step S205 again.

[0075] As described above, a marine container K may be loaded onto a vehicle 10 at a port or the like. Depending on the driver who drives the vehicle manually, the vehicle may stop at the wrong loading position each time. Therefore, the vehicle 10 is driven automatically to the loading position and stopped there. In this case, due to external factors such as wind, the actual position of the marine container K lifted by the crane may deviate from the loading position for loading the marine container K onto the vehicle 10. Therefore, the position where the vehicle 10 is stopped and the position of the marine container K lifted by the crane will not match. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust these positions to match.

[0076] In addition, in the past, the vehicle was sometimes stopped at a predetermined loading position by moving the vehicle forward and backward with a fixed steering angle. When the vehicle is a combination vehicle having a tractor head and a semi-trailer, the angle of the fixed steering angle of the vehicle relative to the vehicle's direction of travel may gradually change due to external factors such as wind when the vehicle is driven with a fixed steering angle. In this case, the vehicle ends up stopping at a different loading position each time. Therefore, the position where the vehicle is stopped does not match the loading position. When a vehicle with a fixed steering angle is stopped at a position that is different from the predetermined loading position, it is difficult for a remote operator to adjust the vehicle's stopping position.

[0077] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, a remote operator uses the remote controller 20 to issue instructions regarding the stopping position of the vehicle 10, instructions to start the vehicle 10, and instructions to stop the vehicle 10. When an instruction regarding the stopping position of the vehicle 10 is issued on the remote controller 20, the stopping position coordinate P2 or the stopping position coordinate P3 of the vehicle 10 is set in accordance with the instruction regarding the stopping position of the vehicle 10, and a driving route S1, S2 from the vehicle's own position P1 to the stopping position coordinate P2 or the stopping position coordinate P3 is generated. Then, when an instruction to start the vehicle 10 is issued on the remote controller 20, the vehicle 10 is controlled to travel along the driving route S1, S2 toward the stopping position coordinate P2 or the stopping position coordinate P3 based on the vehicle's own position P1. Thereafter, when an instruction to stop the vehicle 10 is issued on the remote controller 20, the vehicle 10 is controlled to stop. In this manner, in this embodiment, the remote operator can appropriately adjust the stopping position of the vehicle 10 by operating the remote controller 20 to instruct the vehicle 10 to stop while checking the situation around the vehicle 10. Therefore, the vehicle 10 can be stopped accurately at the desired stopping position.

[0078] Furthermore, the marine container K is loaded from vertically above the vehicle 10. Sensors for monitoring the vehicle 10 are provided around the vehicle 10. These sensors cannot detect the positions of the marine container K and the vehicle 10. However, in this embodiment, a remote operator can adjust the positions of the marine container K and the vehicle 10 by operating the remote control 20.

[0079] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the instruction data includes an instruction for the driving direction D1 of the vehicle 10 or an instruction for stop instruction coordinates that are a stopping position of the vehicle 10, and when an instruction for the driving direction D1 of the vehicle 10 is input via the remote control 20, the route generation unit 43 sets a stop position coordinate P2 along the driving direction D1 based on the vehicle's own position P1, and when an instruction for the stop instruction coordinates of the vehicle 10 is input via the remote control 20, the route generation unit 43 sets the stop instruction coordinates as stop position coordinates P3 regardless of the driving direction D1. In this configuration, by inputting an instruction for the driving direction D1 (forward or backward) of the vehicle 10 via the remote control 20, the remote operator can move the vehicle 10 forward straight toward the forward stop position coordinate P2 or move the vehicle 10 backward straight toward the rearward stop position coordinate P2. By inputting the stop instruction coordinates of the vehicle 10 using the remote controller 20, the remote operator can not only move the vehicle 10 forward or backward in a straight line toward the stop position coordinate P2, but also move the vehicle 10 forward or backward to the left or right toward the stop position coordinate P3, which is the stop instruction coordinate, regardless of the traveling direction D1.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the vehicle 10 has traveled a specified distance but no operation to instruct the vehicle 10 to stop is performed using the remote control 20, the path following control unit 44 controls the vehicle 10 to stop. In this configuration, even if the remote operator forgets to perform an operation to instruct the vehicle 10 to stop using the remote control 20, the vehicle 10 will automatically stop after traveling a specified distance. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle 10 from continuing to travel without stopping.

[0081] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the communication device 27 transmits instruction data to the vehicle 10 via wireless communication, but the present invention is not particularly limited to such a configuration. For example, the remote control 20 may further include an instruction data processing unit, and the instruction data processing unit may aggregate the instruction data. The instruction data may be transmitted from the communication device 27 to the vehicle 10 via the instruction data processing unit.

[0082] In the above embodiment, the instruction data received by the communication device 33 is input to the path generation unit 43, but this is not particularly limited to such a configuration. For example, the controller 40 may further include an instruction data acquisition unit, which may acquire the instruction data received by the communication device 33. The instruction data may be input to the path generation unit 43 from the instruction data acquisition unit.

[0083] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, one controller 40 is mounted on the vehicle 10, but this is not a particular limitation. For example, a plurality of controllers 40 may be mounted on the vehicle 10. In one example, two controllers 40 may be mounted on the vehicle 10. In this case, one controller 40 may be provided with a route generation unit 43, and the other controller 40 may be provided with a route following control unit 44.

[0084] In the above embodiment, the travel path S2 is curved, but is not limited to such a form. For example, the travel path S2 may be linear. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1...vehicle remote control system, 10...vehicle, 20...remote control (remote operation unit), 41...self-position estimation unit, 43...route generation unit, 44...route following control unit, D1...driving direction, S1, S2...driving route, P1...self-position, P2...stopping position coordinates, P3...stopping position coordinates.

Claims

1. A vehicle remote control system for running a vehicle by remote control, a remote control unit for inputting instruction data that is an instruction regarding a stopping position of the vehicle, and for performing operations of instructing the vehicle to start and instructing the vehicle to stop; a self-position estimation unit that estimates a self-position of the vehicle; a route generation unit that sets a stop position coordinate of the vehicle according to the instruction data when the instruction data is input to the remote control unit, and generates a travel route from the self-position estimated by the self-position estimation unit to the stop position coordinate; a route following control unit that controls the vehicle to travel along the travel route generated by the route generation unit toward the stop position coordinates based on the self-position estimated by the self-position estimation unit when an operation to instruct the vehicle to start is performed by the remote control unit; and Equipped with The path following control unit A vehicle remote control system that controls the vehicle to stop when an instruction to stop the vehicle is performed in the remote control unit.

2. The instruction data includes an instruction for a traveling direction of the vehicle or an instruction for a stop instruction coordinate that is a stop position of the vehicle, 2. The vehicle remote control system according to claim 1, wherein when an instruction for the driving direction of the vehicle is input to the remote control unit, the route generation unit sets the stop position coordinates along the driving direction based on the vehicle's own position, and when an instruction for the stop instruction coordinates of the vehicle is input to the remote control unit, the route generation unit sets the stop instruction coordinates input to the remote control unit as the stop position coordinates.

3. 2. The vehicle remote control system according to claim 1, wherein the path following control unit controls the vehicle to stop if the remote control unit does not perform an operation to instruct the vehicle to stop even after the vehicle has traveled a specified distance.

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