system

Abstract

This prevents the accuracy of vehicle control from decreasing due to unevenness on the road. [Solution] The system comprises an uneven portion that is at least one of a protrusion configured to be able to freely protrude from the track on which the vehicle travels and a recess configured to be able to freely recess from the track, the uneven portion configured so that the vehicle can ride over it, and an unevenness control unit that controls the difference in elevation between the uneven portion and the track by operating the uneven portion.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for running a vehicle autonomously or by remote control during the vehicle manufacturing process. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2017-538619 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In some factories, roads used for manufacturing and inspecting vehicles are provided with protrusions that vehicles can ride over. Vibrations generated in the vehicle when the vehicle rides over a protrusion allow the driver to know when the vehicle is entering or exiting a specific section within the factory. However, the inventors of the present application have discovered that when a vehicle is driven autonomously, the protrusions may cause a decrease in the accuracy of vehicle control. This problem is not limited to protrusions, but also applies to any recesses within the factory that vehicles can ride over. [Means for solving the problem]

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

[0006] (1) According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a system including an uneven portion that is at least one of a protrusion configured to freely protrude from a road on which a vehicle travels and a recessed portion configured to freely retract from the road, the uneven portion configured so that the vehicle can ride over it, and an unevenness control unit that controls a difference in elevation between the uneven portion and the road by operating the uneven portion. According to this embodiment, the difference in elevation between the uneven portion and the road can be controlled by the operation of the uneven portion, so by reducing the difference in elevation, it is possible to prevent the accuracy of vehicle control from being reduced due to the uneven portion. (2) In the above aspect, the unevenness control unit may control the elevation difference to a first difference when the vehicle is driven by a passenger of the vehicle and travels on the road, and may control the elevation difference to a second difference smaller than the first difference when the vehicle is driven automatically. According to this aspect, when the vehicle is driven manually, unevenness can be used more effectively to notify the passenger that the vehicle is entering or exiting a predetermined section, and when the vehicle is driven automatically, a decrease in the accuracy of vehicle control due to unevenness can be suppressed. (3) In the above aspect, the unevenness control unit may control the elevation difference using at least one of the vehicle identification information and process information related to the vehicle manufacturing process. According to this aspect, the elevation difference can be appropriately controlled to the first difference or the second difference depending on the type of vehicle and the manufacturing process. (4) In the above aspect, the unevenness control unit may determine whether the automatic driving or the manned driving is to be performed, and control the elevation difference according to the determination result. According to this aspect, the elevation difference can be more reliably controlled to the first difference when the manned driving is to be performed, and to the second difference when the automatic driving is to be performed. (5) In the above embodiment, the uneven portion may be the protrusion, and the unevenness control unit may control the height difference by operating the protrusion to control the degree of protrusion of the protrusion. In addition to the above-described system form, the present disclosure can be realized in the form of, for example, a control device, a vehicle, a control method, a program for realizing the control method, a non-transitory recording medium on which the program is recorded, a program product, etc. Note that the program product may be provided as a recording medium on which the program is recorded, or may be provided as a program product that can be distributed via a network, for example. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a concave-convex portion in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for vehicle travel control in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart of an unevenness control process in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart of an unevenness control process in the second embodiment. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating concave and convex portions in the third embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for vehicle travel control in a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] A. First embodiment: 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a system 50 according to a first embodiment. The system 50 includes one or more vehicles 100, a server 200, one or more external sensors 300, and one or more uneven portions 60. The system 50 is configured as a control system that controls the uneven portions 60.

[0009] Vehicle 100 may be a vehicle that runs on wheels or tracks, and may be, for example, a passenger car, a truck, a bus, a two-wheeled vehicle, a four-wheeled vehicle, a tank, a construction vehicle, etc. Vehicle 100 includes an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle), a gasoline-powered vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and a fuel cell vehicle.

[0010] The vehicle 100 is configured to be capable of traveling by unmanned driving. "Unmanned driving" refers to driving without the driver's control. Driving control refers to operations related to at least one of "running," "turning," and "stopping" of the vehicle 100. Unmanned driving is achieved by automatic or manual remote control using a device located outside the vehicle 100, or by autonomous control of the vehicle 100. A vehicle 100 traveling by unmanned driving may have a driver on board who does not operate the vehicle. Examples of drivers who do not operate the vehicle include a person simply sitting in a seat in the vehicle 100, or a person who is riding in the vehicle 100 and performing work other than driving operations, such as assembly, inspection, or switch operation. Note that driving by a driver operating the vehicle is sometimes referred to as "manned driving." In other words, "manned driving" refers to manual driving by a driver. Unmanned driving achieved by automatic remote control or autonomous control of the vehicle 100 is also referred to as "autonomous driving." Furthermore, operation by manual remote control is also referred to as "remote manual operation." Manned operation and remote manual operation are collectively referred to simply as "manual operation." Note that remote manual operation is not performed in this embodiment.

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

[0012] In this embodiment, the system 50 is used in a factory FC that manufactures vehicles 100. The reference coordinate system of the factory FC is a global coordinate system GC, and any position in the factory FC can be expressed by X, Y, and Z coordinates in the global coordinate system GC. The factory FC has a first location PL1 and a second location PL2. The first location PL1 and the second location PL2 are connected by a road TR along which the vehicle 100 can travel. In the factory FC, a plurality of external sensors 300 are installed along the road TR. The position of each external sensor 300 in the factory FC is adjusted in advance. The vehicle 100 moves from the first location PL1 to the second location PL2 along the road TR in an unmanned operation.

[0013] The vehicle 100 includes a vehicle control device 110 for controlling each part of the vehicle 100, an actuator group 120 including one or more actuators that are driven under the control of the vehicle control device 110, and a communication device 130 for communicating via wireless communication with external devices such as a server 200. The actuator group 120 includes an actuator for a drive device for accelerating the vehicle 100, an actuator for a steering device for changing the traveling direction of the vehicle 100, and an actuator for a braking device for decelerating the vehicle 100.

[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 via the internal bus 114 to enable bidirectional communication. The input / output interface 113 is connected to a group of actuators 120, a communication device 130, and an internal sensor 140. The processor 111 executes a program PG1 stored in the memory 112 to realize various functions including a function as a vehicle control unit 115.

[0015] The internal sensor 140 is a sensor mounted on the vehicle 100. The internal sensor 140 may include, for example, a sensor that detects the motion state of the vehicle 100, a sensor that detects the operating state of each part of the vehicle 100, a sensor that detects the environment around the vehicle 100, and a sensor that detects the environment inside the vehicle 100. For example, in this embodiment, the internal sensor 140 includes a shift position sensor that measures the shift position of a transmission provided in the vehicle 100, and a vehicle speed sensor that measures the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100. In addition to the shift position sensor and the vehicle speed sensor, the internal sensor 140 may include various sensors such as a camera, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device, a millimeter-wave radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a GPS sensor, a wheel speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and various encoders that detect the operation of each part of the vehicle 100.

[0016] The vehicle control unit 115 controls the actuator group 120 to cause the vehicle 100 to travel. The vehicle control unit 115 controls the actuator group 120 using a travel control signal received from the server 200 to cause the vehicle 100 to travel, regardless of whether a passenger is on board the vehicle 100. The travel control signal is a control signal for causing the vehicle 100 to travel. In this embodiment, the travel control signal includes the acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 100 as parameters. In other embodiments, the travel control signal may include the speed of the vehicle 100 as a parameter instead of or in addition to the acceleration of the vehicle 100. Note that, when a passenger is on board the vehicle 100, the vehicle control unit 115 controls the actuator group 120 in accordance with the passenger's travel operation to cause the vehicle 100 to travel.

[0017] The external sensor 300 is a sensor located outside the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the external sensor 300 is a sensor that captures the vehicle 100 from outside the vehicle 100. Specifically, the external sensor 300 is configured by a camera. The camera as the external sensor 300 captures an image of the vehicle 100 and outputs the captured image as a detection result. The external sensor 300 is equipped with a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with other devices such as the server 200 via wired communication or wireless communication.

[0018] One or more uneven portions 60 are provided on the track TR. Each uneven portion 60 is at least one of a protrusion configured to freely protrude from the track TR and a recess configured to freely retract from the track TR. The uneven portions 60 are configured to be able to be ridden by the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the uneven portions 60 are protrusions. The shape of the protrusions may be any shape, such as a shape with a flat upper end, a shape with a mountain-like upper end, or a shape with a curved upper end. Furthermore, the size of the protrusions may be any size as long as the protrusions are configured to be able to be ridden by the vehicle 100. For example, the lateral width of the protrusions may be any width, such as a width spanning a single wheel or a width spanning two wheels, in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 100.

[0019] The uneven portion 60 is configured to be able to change the unevenness height of the uneven portion 60, i.e., the difference in elevation between the uneven portion 60 and the road surface RS of the track TR, by the operation of the uneven portion 60. Hereinafter, the difference in elevation between the uneven portion 60 and the road surface RS will also be simply referred to as the "difference in elevation of the uneven portion 60" or "difference in elevation." When the uneven portion 60 is a protrusion, the difference in elevation of the uneven portion 60 refers to the difference in elevation between the top of the protrusion and the road surface RS. Furthermore, when the uneven portion 60 is a protrusion, as in this embodiment, the degree to which the protrusion protrudes from the track TR, more specifically, the height of the protrusion, is changed, thereby changing the difference in elevation of the uneven portion 60. That is, in this embodiment, the greater the degree to which the uneven portion 60 protrudes as a protrusion, the greater the difference in elevation of the uneven portion 60. The difference in elevation of the uneven portion 60 may be changeable in at least two stages, or may be changeable in three or more stages or continuously. In this embodiment, the uneven portion 60 is configured to be able to change the height difference within a range that allows the vehicle 100 to ride over the uneven portion 60 .

[0020] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the uneven portion 60 in this embodiment. In FIG. 2, the uneven portion 60 includes an uneven portion 60A and an uneven portion 60B, which are protrusions. In the traveling direction d1 of the vehicle 100, the uneven portion 60B is located forward of the uneven portion 60A. The traveling direction d1 is a direction in which the second location PL2 side in FIG. 1 is the forward side and the first location PL1 side is the rear side. The left side of FIG. 2 illustrates the uneven portion 60 when the height difference is a first difference h1. The right side of FIG. 2 illustrates the uneven portion 60 when the height difference is a second difference h2. The second difference h2 is smaller than the first difference h1. In this embodiment, the second difference h2 is zero. That is, in this embodiment, when the height difference of the uneven portion 60 is the second difference h2, the uneven portion 60 does not protrude or sink into the road surface RS. In other embodiments, the second difference h2 does not have to be zero.

[0021] The height difference of the uneven portion 60 is controlled using the uneven portion operation unit 70 under the control of the uneven portion control unit 220, which will be described later. The uneven portion operation unit 70 is configured, for example, by a drive unit such as a motor that generates a drive force, and various transmission mechanisms that transmit the drive force generated by the drive unit to the uneven portion 60. The uneven portion operation unit 70 may be configured, for example, to change the height difference of the uneven portion 60 by moving the uneven portion 60 up and down, or may be configured to change the height difference of the uneven portion 60 by rotating the uneven portion 60. Furthermore, the uneven portion operation unit 70 may be provided in common to a plurality of uneven portions 60, or may be provided for each uneven portion 60.

[0022] When the vehicle 100 is being driven by a driver, the passengers of the vehicle 100 can use the vibrations generated in the vehicle 100 when the vehicle 100 goes over the uneven portion 60 to know whether the vehicle 100 is entering or exiting a predetermined section within the factory FC. For example, in the example on the left side of FIG. 2 , the passengers of the vehicle 100 can use the vibrations of the vehicle 100 caused by the uneven portions 60A and 60B to know that the vehicle 100 has entered a section ahead of the uneven portions 60A and 60B in the traveling direction d1, or that the vehicle 100 has exited a section behind the uneven portions 60A and 60B in the traveling direction d1. Also, in the example on the left side of FIG. 2 , for example, by using the uneven portions 60A and 60B in combination, the passengers of the vehicle 100 can know that the vehicle 100 is in a section where the front wheels FW of the vehicle 100 are located between the uneven portions 60A and 60B.

[0023] The server 200 is configured as 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 via the internal bus 204 to enable bidirectional communication. A communication device 205 is connected to the input / output interface 203 for communicating with various devices external to the server 200. The communication device 205 can communicate with the vehicle 100 via wireless communication and can communicate with each external sensor 300 via wired or wireless communication. The memory 202 stores various information including a program PG2, a reference route RR, a detection model DM, and unevenness data DU. The processor 201 executes the program PG2 stored in the memory 202 to realize various functions, including those of the remote control unit 210 and the unevenness control unit 220.

[0024] The remote control unit 210 acquires the detection results from the sensors, generates a driving control signal for controlling the actuator group 120 of the vehicle 100 using the detection results, and transmits the driving control signal to the vehicle 100, thereby causing the vehicle 100 to drive by remote control.

[0025] The unevenness control unit 220 is configured to be able to control the height difference of the unevenness portion 60 by operating the unevenness portion 60. In the present embodiment, the unevenness control unit 220 controls the unevenness operation unit 70 to operate the unevenness portion 60 and control the height difference of the unevenness portion 60. More specifically, the unevenness control unit 220 controls the height difference by operating the unevenness portion 60 as a protrusion using the unevenness operation unit 70 and controlling the degree of protrusion of the unevenness portion 60. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the unevenness control unit 220 realizes predetermined control regarding the unevenness portion 60. The predetermined control is control that controls the height difference to a second difference h2 when the vehicle 100 travels on the road TR by automatic driving, and controls the height difference to a first difference h1 when the vehicle 100 travels on the road TR by manual driving by a passenger of the vehicle 100, i.e., by manned driving. In this embodiment, in the specified control, when the vehicle 100 is driven automatically, the elevation difference of all uneven portions 60 in the factory FC is controlled to the second difference h2, and when the vehicle 100 is driven manned, the elevation difference of all uneven portions 60 is controlled to the first difference h1.

[0026] Furthermore, in this embodiment, unevenness control unit 220 controls the elevation difference using predetermined information for controlling the elevation difference. The predetermined information includes at least one of identification information of vehicle 100 and process information related to the manufacturing process of vehicle 100. The identification information may be, for example, individual information of vehicle 100, or information indicating the model, type, and specifications of vehicle 100. The process information may be, for example, information indicating the content of each work process included in the manufacturing process, or information indicating the progress of each work process.

[0027] More specifically, the unevenness control unit 220 controls the elevation difference by referring to the unevenness data DU based on predetermined information. The unevenness data DU includes predetermined information and elevation difference information associated with the predetermined information. The elevation difference information is information representing the elevation difference. The unevenness data DU is defined to enable the predetermined control. For example, when the driving mode performed in the factory FC is differentiated depending on the individual vehicle 100, model, type, and specifications, in the unevenness data DU, elevation difference information representing the first difference h1 is associated with identification information representing the vehicle 100 that is being driven by a driver, and elevation difference information representing the second difference h2 is associated with identification information representing the vehicle 100 that is being driven automatically. Note that the vehicle that is being driven by a driver may not have a function for performing unmanned driving. Furthermore, for example, in a factory FC, if it is determined whether automatic or manual operation is to be performed depending on the content and progress of a work process, in the unevenness data DU, elevation difference information representing the first difference h1 is associated with process information representing a work process in which manned operation is performed, and elevation difference information representing the second difference h2 is associated with process information representing a work process in which automatic operation is performed. By defining the unevenness data DU in this way, it is possible to achieve predetermined control by simply referencing the unevenness data DU based on predetermined information, without directly determining the operation mode, such as automatic operation or manned operation.

[0028] 3 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for driving control of the vehicle 100 in the first embodiment. In the processing procedure in FIG. 3, the processor 201 of the server 200 functions as the remote control unit 210 by executing the program PG2. Also, the processor 111 of the vehicle 100 functions as the vehicle control unit 115 by executing the program PG1.

[0029] In step S1, the processor 201 of the server 200 acquires vehicle position information using the detection results output from the external sensor 300. The vehicle position information is position information that serves as the basis for generating a driving control signal. In this embodiment, the vehicle position information includes the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 in the global coordinate system GC of the factory FC. Specifically, in step S1, the processor 201 acquires the vehicle position information using a captured image acquired from a camera, which is the external sensor 300.

[0030] In detail, in step S1, the processor 201, for example, detects the outer shape of the vehicle 100 from the captured image, calculates the coordinates of the positioning point of the vehicle 100 in the coordinate system of the captured image, i.e., the local coordinate system, and converts the calculated coordinates into coordinates in the global coordinate system GC, thereby acquiring 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. The detection model DM may be, for example, a trained machine learning model that has been trained to achieve 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 may be used. The training dataset may, for example, include a plurality of training images including the vehicle 100 and labels indicating whether each region in the training image represents the vehicle 100 or a region other than the vehicle 100. During CNN training, it is preferable to update the parameters of the CNN by backpropagation (error backpropagation method) so as to reduce the error between the output result of the detection model DM and the label. In addition, the processor 201 can acquire the orientation of the vehicle 100 by estimating it based on the orientation of the movement vector of the vehicle 100 calculated from the positional change of the feature points of the vehicle 100 between frames of the captured image using, for example, an optical flow method.

[0031] In step S2, the processor 201 of the server 200 determines a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head. In this embodiment, the target position is represented by X, Y, and Z coordinates in the global coordinate system GC. A reference route RR, which is a route to be traveled by the vehicle 100, is stored in advance in the memory 202 of the server 200. The route is represented by nodes indicating the departure point, nodes indicating passing points, nodes indicating the destination, and links connecting the nodes. The processor 201 uses the vehicle position information and the reference route RR to determine a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head. The processor 201 determines a target position on the reference route RR that is ahead of the current location of the vehicle 100.

[0032] In step S3, the processor 201 of the server 200 generates a travel control signal for causing the vehicle 100 to travel toward the determined target position. The processor 201 calculates the travel speed of the vehicle 100 from the change in the position of the vehicle 100 and compares the calculated travel speed with the target speed. When the travel speed is lower than the target speed, the processor 201 determines an acceleration such that the vehicle 100 accelerates. When the travel speed is higher than the target speed, the processor 201 determines an acceleration such that the vehicle 100 decelerates. Furthermore, when the vehicle 100 is located on the reference route RR, the processor 201 determines a steering angle and acceleration such that the vehicle 100 does not deviate from the reference route RR. 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 a steering angle and acceleration such that the vehicle 100 returns to the reference route RR.

[0033] In step S4, the processor 201 of the server 200 transmits the generated driving control signal to the vehicle 100. The processor 201 repeats, at a predetermined cycle, the acquisition of vehicle position information, the determination of a target position, the generation of a driving control signal, and the transmission of the driving control signal.

[0034] In step S5, the processor 111 of the vehicle 100 receives the 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 causing the vehicle 100 to drive at the acceleration and steering angle indicated in the driving control signal. The processor 111 repeats receiving the driving control signal and controlling the actuator group 120 at a predetermined cycle. According to the system 50 of this embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be driven by remote control, and the vehicle 100 can be moved without using transportation equipment such as a crane or conveyor.

[0035] As described above, for example, when the vehicle 100 is driven by a driver, the uneven portion 60 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is useful in that it can notify the passengers that the vehicle 100 is entering or exiting a predetermined section. However, the inventors of the present application have found that when the vehicle 100 is driven autonomously, the uneven portion 60 may cause a decrease in the accuracy of vehicle control during autonomous driving. More specifically, when the uneven portion 60 is a protrusion as in the present embodiment, the vehicle 100 may be decelerated by the uneven portion 60 as the vehicle 100 ascends the uneven portion 60 from the road TR during a relatively early period in which the vehicle 100 travels over the uneven portion 60, and the actual speed of the vehicle 100 may be lower than the expected speed. The expected speed here corresponds to the traveling speed of the vehicle 100 when the vehicle 100 travels on the road TR without the uneven portion 60 using a traveling control signal. Furthermore, in this embodiment, in a relatively later stage of the period in which the vehicle 100 travels over the uneven portion 60, the vehicle 100 is accelerated by the uneven portion 60 when the vehicle 100 descends from the uneven portion 60 onto the road TR, and the actual speed of the vehicle 100 may become higher than the expected speed. As a result, the uneven portion 60 may cause a decrease in the accuracy of speed control of the vehicle 100 and a decrease in the accuracy of position control of the vehicle 100. Furthermore, the greater the difference in elevation of the uneven portion 60, the greater the effect of the uneven portion 60 on the accuracy of vehicle control.

[0036] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the unevenness control process in this embodiment. The unevenness control process shown in FIG. 4 is executed by the processor 201 for each vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the unevenness control process is executed before the vehicle 100 starts traveling. "Start of traveling" means that the vehicle 100 starts traveling on the road TR. Note that in other embodiments, the unevenness control process may be executed for each vehicle 100 and for each uneven portion group including one or more uneven portions 60. In this case, it is preferable that the unevenness control process for a certain uneven portion group be executed before the vehicle 100 approaches that uneven portion group.

[0037] In step S10 of Fig. 4, the unevenness control unit 220 acquires predetermined information. In step S20, the unevenness control unit 220 controls the elevation difference of the unevenness portion 60 using the predetermined information acquired in step S10 and the unevenness data DU. As a result, in this embodiment, when the vehicle 100 is driven by a driver, the elevation difference of the unevenness portion 60 is controlled to a first difference h1, as shown on the left side of Fig. 2. On the other hand, when the vehicle 100 is driven by an autonomous driver, the elevation difference is controlled to a second difference h2, as shown on the right side of Fig. 2.

[0038] According to the system 50 of the present embodiment described above, the difference in elevation between the uneven portion 60 configured so that the vehicle 100 can get over and the road surface RS of the track TR is controllable by the operation of the uneven portion 60. Therefore, by making the difference in elevation smaller depending on the situation, it is possible to prevent the accuracy of vehicle control from being reduced due to the uneven portion 60.

[0039] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the vehicle 100 is driven by a driver, the elevation difference of the uneven portion 60 is controlled to a first difference h1, and when the vehicle 100 is driven by an autonomous driving system, the elevation difference of the uneven portion 60 is controlled to a second difference h2 that is smaller than the first difference h1. Therefore, when the vehicle 100 is driven by a driver, the uneven portion 60 can be used more effectively to notify the passengers that the vehicle 100 is entering or exiting a predetermined section, and when the vehicle 100 is driven by an autonomous driving system, a decrease in the accuracy of vehicle control due to the uneven portion 60 can be suppressed. Therefore, the uneven portion 60 can be used more appropriately.

[0040] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the second difference h2 is zero, it is possible to more effectively prevent a decrease in the accuracy of vehicle control due to the unevenness portion 60. In particular, in this embodiment, a plurality of unevenness portions 60 are provided, and before the vehicle 100 starts traveling, the elevation difference of each unevenness portion 60 is controlled to the first difference h1 when the vehicle 100 is traveling under manned driving, and the elevation difference of each unevenness portion 60 is controlled to zero when the vehicle 100 is traveling under autonomous driving. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent a decrease in the accuracy of vehicle control due to the unevenness portion 60.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the height difference is controlled using at least one of the identification information and process information of the vehicle 100. Therefore, the height difference of the uneven portion 60 can be appropriately controlled to the first difference h1 or the second difference h2 depending on the type and manufacturing process of the vehicle 100. Furthermore, the height difference can be controlled to the first difference h1 or the second difference h2 by simple control.

[0042] B. Second embodiment: 5 is a flowchart of the unevenness control process in the second embodiment. Unlike the first embodiment, in the second embodiment, the unevenness control unit 220 executes a determination process and changes the height difference of the unevenness portion 60 in accordance with the determination result of the determination process, thereby realizing predetermined control. The system 50 in the second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment in the aspects not specifically described.

[0043] The determination process is a process for determining the driving mode of the vehicle 100. In the present embodiment, in the determination process, the unevenness control unit 220 determines whether the driving mode executed for the vehicle 100 is manned driving or autonomous driving. In the determination process, the unevenness control unit 220 may determine the driving mode using, for example, the predetermined information described in the first embodiment. In this case, the unevenness control unit 220 may determine the driving mode by, for example, referring to a database based on the predetermined information. The database may include the predetermined information and the driving mode associated with the predetermined information. In addition, in the determination process, the unevenness control unit 220 may acquire mode information indicating the driving mode for each vehicle 100 and determine the driving mode using the mode information. The mode information may be input by a user of the system 50, for example, via an input device (not shown) configured to be able to communicate with the server 200. The input device may be a terminal device such as a tablet terminal operated by the user. The user may be, for example, a manager of the system 50 or the factory FC, or a worker at the factory FC. In addition, in the determination process, for example, when an occupant of the vehicle 100 is detected at a predetermined timing, the unevenness control unit 220 may determine that manned driving of the vehicle 100 is to be performed, and when an occupant of the vehicle 100 is not detected at a predetermined timing, the unevenness control unit 220 may determine that autonomous driving of the vehicle 100 is to be performed. In this case, a camera or a LiDAR device may be used to detect the occupant. Furthermore, the external sensor 300 or the internal sensor 140 may be used to detect the occupant.

[0044] In step S100, the unevenness control unit 220 executes a determination process. If it is determined in step S100 that manned operation will be performed, in step S105 the unevenness control unit 220 controls the elevation difference of the unevenness portion 60 to a first difference h1. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S100 that automatic operation will be performed, in step S110 the unevenness control unit 220 controls the elevation difference of the unevenness portion 60 to a second difference h2.

[0045] According to the system 50 of the second embodiment described above, a determination process is executed to determine whether automatic driving or manned driving will be performed, and the elevation difference of the uneven portion 60 is controlled according to the determination result of the determination process. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably control the elevation difference to the first difference h1 when manned driving is performed, and to the second difference h2 when automatic driving is performed.

[0046] In other embodiments, the unevenness control unit 220 may execute the unevenness control process including the determination process one or more times at predetermined time intervals, for example, before the vehicle 100 starts traveling, and also after the vehicle 100 starts traveling. In this way, for example, even if the driving mode of the vehicle 100 is changed after the vehicle 100 starts traveling, the elevation difference of the unevenness portion 60 can be more flexibly controlled in accordance with the driving mode of the vehicle 100.

[0047] C. Third embodiment: 6 is a diagram illustrating the uneven portion 60c in the third embodiment. Unlike the first embodiment, the uneven portion 60c in the second embodiment is not a protrusion, but a recess such as a depression or a groove. Similar to the protrusion in the first embodiment, the shape and size of the recess may be arbitrary as long as the uneven portion 60c can be ridden by the vehicle 100. The system 50 in the third embodiment is similar to the first embodiment in the aspects not specifically described.

[0048] When the uneven portion 60c is a recess, as in the present embodiment, the height difference of the uneven portion 60c is changed by changing the depth of the recess from the track TR. That is, in the present embodiment, the greater the depth of the uneven portion 60c as a recess, the greater the height difference of the uneven portion 60c. The depth of the uneven portion 60c as a recess is changed by changing the height position of the bottom portion 61, which is configured to be operable by the unevenness operation unit 70. The bottom portion 61 forms the bottom surface of the uneven portion 60c as a recess. In the present embodiment, the "height difference of the uneven portion 60c" refers to the height difference between the road surface RS and the lowest end of the bottom surface formed by the bottom portion 61. In the present embodiment, the second difference h2 is zero, as in the first embodiment, and therefore, when the height difference of the uneven portion 60c is the second difference h2, the uneven portion 60c does not protrude or sink from the road surface RS.

[0049] Even when the uneven portion 60c is a recess as in the present embodiment, the passengers of the vehicle 100 can use the uneven portion 60c to know when the vehicle 100 is entering or exiting a predetermined section within the factory FC. Note that in the present embodiment, in a relatively early stage of the period in which the vehicle 100 travels over the uneven portion 60c, the vehicle 100 may be accelerated by the uneven portion 60c when the vehicle 100 descends from the road TR onto the uneven portion 60c. Furthermore, in a relatively later stage of the period in which the vehicle 100 travels over the uneven portion 60c, the vehicle 100 may be decelerated by the uneven portion 60c when the vehicle 100 ascends from the uneven portion 60c onto the road TR.

[0050] The system 50 in the third embodiment described above can also perform the bumpy control process shown in Figure 4 and the bumpy control process shown in Figure 5, thereby preventing a decrease in the accuracy of vehicle control due to the bumpy section 60c.

[0051] D. Fourth embodiment: 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system 50v in the fourth embodiment. The device configuration of the vehicle in this embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, so for convenience, the vehicle in this embodiment will be referred to as a vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 in this embodiment can travel by autonomous control of the vehicle 100. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0052] In this embodiment, the communication device 130 of the vehicle 100 can communicate with the external sensor 300. The processor 111 of the vehicle control device 110 functions as a vehicle control unit 115v by executing a program PG1 stored in the memory 112. The vehicle control unit 115v acquires output results from the sensors, generates a driving control signal using the output results, and outputs the generated driving control signal to operate the actuator group 120, thereby enabling the vehicle 100 to drive by autonomous control. In this embodiment, in addition to the program PG1, a detection model DM and a reference route RR are pre-stored in the memory 112.

[0053] 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the driving control of the vehicle 100 in the fourth embodiment. In the processing procedure of FIG. 8, the processor 111 of the vehicle 100 functions as a vehicle control unit 115v by executing a program PG1.

[0054] In step S901, the processor 111 of the vehicle control device 110 acquires vehicle position information using the detection results output from the camera, which is the external sensor 300. In step S902, the processor 111 determines a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next head. In step S903, the processor 111 generates a driving control signal for driving the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. In step S904, the processor 111 controls the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal, thereby causing the vehicle 100 to drive in accordance with parameters represented in the driving control signal. The processor 111 repeats the acquisition of vehicle position information, determination of the target position, generation of the driving control signal, and control of the actuators at a predetermined cycle. According to the system 50v of this embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be driven by autonomous control of the vehicle 100 without remote control of the vehicle 100 by the server 200.

[0055] In this embodiment, the processor 201 of the server 200 does not function as the remote control unit 210 and does not generate or transmit a driving control signal. In other embodiments, the processor 201 may have a function to transmit, to the vehicle 100, a control signal for starting the vehicle 100 to drive by autonomous control or a control signal for stopping the vehicle 100 to drive by actual control, for example.

[0056] The system 50v in the fourth embodiment described above can also perform the bumpy control process shown in Figure 4 and the bumpy control process shown in Figure 5, thereby preventing a decrease in the accuracy of vehicle control due to the bumpy section 60.

[0057] E. Other Embodiments: (E1) In each of the above embodiments, a predetermined control is executed with respect to the uneven portion 60, but the predetermined control does not have to be executed. For example, the unevenness control unit 220 may use predetermined information to reduce the difference in elevation of the uneven portion 60 in a situation where more accurate driving control is desired when the vehicle 100 is traveling by autonomous driving, regardless of the driving mode of the vehicle 100. Situations where more accurate driving control is desired include, for example, a situation where the vehicle 100 is traveling at a higher speed, a situation where the density of vehicles 100 on the road TR is high, or a situation where the distance between vehicles 100 on the road TR is small.

[0058] Furthermore, the unevenness control unit 220 may make the difference in elevation of the uneven portions 60A, 60B greater when the front wheels FW of the vehicle 100 enter the uneven portions 60A, 60B than when the front wheels FW exit the uneven portions 60A, 60B. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the accuracy of vehicle control when the vehicle 100 exits the uneven portions 60A, 60B, and it is also possible to prevent the front wheels FW from unintentionally going over the uneven portions 60A, 60B when the vehicle 100 enters the uneven portions 60A, 60B. Note that in this configuration, the difference in elevation of the uneven portions 60A and the difference in elevation of the uneven portions 60B may be different from each other. For example, when the front wheels FW enter a predetermined area between the uneven portions 60A, 60B, the height difference of the uneven portion 60B may be made higher than the height difference of the uneven portion 60A, and when the front wheels FW exit the predetermined area, the height difference of the uneven portion 60B may be made lower than the height difference of the uneven portion 60A. In this way, when the front wheels FW enter the predetermined area, the vehicle 100 can be appropriately kept in a section where the front wheels FW are located in the predetermined area, and a decrease in the accuracy of vehicle control when the front wheels FW exit the predetermined area can be suppressed. Note that the same control as above may be executed for other wheels, not just the front wheels FW.

[0059] (E2) In each of the above embodiments, the server 200 includes the unevenness control unit 220. However, a control device different from the server 200 may include the unevenness control unit 220.

[0060] For example, in the fourth embodiment, the vehicle 100 may include the unevenness control unit 220. In this embodiment, for example, the unevenness control process of FIG. 4 or 5 may be executed by the unevenness control unit 220 of the vehicle 100. Also, in this embodiment, the unevenness control unit 220 of the vehicle 100 may, for example, when the vehicle is running under autonomous control, control the height difference of the unevenness portion 60 to the second difference h2 before the start of running and control the height difference of the unevenness portion 60 to the first difference h1 after the running is completed, and may realize predetermined control by not changing the height difference of the unevenness portion 60 when the vehicle is not running under autonomous control. In this embodiment, the server 200 may be omitted.

[0061] (E3) In each of the above embodiments, for example, a first uneven portion may be a protrusion and a second uneven portion may be a recess among the plurality of uneven portions 60. Also, for example, one uneven portion 60 may function as both a protrusion and a recess by being configured to freely both protrude from and sink into the track TR depending on its movement.

[0062] (E4) 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, a LiDAR device. In this case, the detection result output by the external sensor 300 may be three-dimensional point cloud data representing the vehicle 100. In this case, the server 200 or the vehicle 100 may acquire vehicle position information by template matching using the three-dimensional point cloud data as the detection result and reference point cloud data prepared in advance.

[0063] (E5) In the first embodiment, the processes from obtaining vehicle position information to generating a driving control signal are executed by the server 200. However, at least a part of the processes from obtaining vehicle position information to generating a driving control signal may be executed by the vehicle 100. For example, the following forms (1) to (3) may be used.

[0064] (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 location of the vehicle 100 indicated in the acquired vehicle position information to the target position. The server 200 may generate a route to the target position between the current location and the destination, or may generate a route to the destination. The server 200 may transmit the generated route to the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 may generate a driving control signal so that the vehicle 100 drives on the route received from the server 200, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal.

[0065] (2) Server 200 may acquire vehicle position information and transmit the acquired vehicle position information to vehicle 100. Vehicle 100 may determine a target position to which vehicle 100 should next head, generate a route from the current location of vehicle 100 indicated in the received vehicle position information to the target position, generate a driving control signal so that vehicle 100 travels on the generated route, and control actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal.

[0066] (3) In the above embodiments (1) and (2), the vehicle 100 may be equipped with an internal sensor, and detection results output from the internal sensor may be used for at least one of generating a route and generating a driving control signal. For example, in the above embodiment (1), the server 200 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensor and, when generating a route, reflect the detection results of the internal sensor in the route. In the above embodiment (1), the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensor and, when generating a driving control signal, reflect the detection results of the internal sensor in the driving control signal. In the above embodiment (2), the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensor and, when generating a route, reflect the detection results of the internal sensor in the route. In the above embodiment (2), the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensor and, when generating a driving control signal, reflect the detection results of the internal sensor in the route.

[0067] (E6) In the second embodiment, the vehicle 100 may be equipped with an internal sensor, and the detection results output from the internal sensor may be used for at least one of generating a route and generating a driving control signal. For example, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensor and, when generating a route, reflect the detection results of the internal sensor in the route. The vehicle 100 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensor and, when generating a driving control signal, reflect the detection results of the internal sensor in the driving control signal.

[0068] (E7) In the second embodiment, the vehicle 100 acquires vehicle position information using the detection results of the external sensor 300. Alternatively, the vehicle 100 may be equipped with an internal sensor. The vehicle 100 may acquire vehicle position information using the detection results of the internal sensor, determine a target position to which the vehicle 100 should next travel, generate a route from the current location of the vehicle 100 represented in the acquired vehicle position information to the target position, generate a driving control signal for traveling along the generated route, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal. In this case, the vehicle 100 can travel without using any of the detection results of the external sensor 300. The vehicle 100 may acquire a target arrival time or traffic congestion information from outside the vehicle 100 and reflect the target arrival time or traffic congestion information in at least one of the route and the driving control signal. Furthermore, all of the functional configuration of the system 50v may be provided in the vehicle 100. In other words, the processing implemented by the system 50v in the present disclosure may be implemented by the vehicle 100 alone.

[0069] (E8) In the first to third embodiments described above, the server 200 automatically generates a driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 100. However, the server 200 may generate a driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 100 in accordance with the operation of an external operator located outside the vehicle 100. For example, the external operator may operate a control device including a display that displays an image output from the external sensor 300, a steering wheel for remotely controlling the vehicle 100, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a communication device for communicating with the server 200 via wired or wireless communication, and the server 200 may generate a driving control signal in accordance with the operation applied to the control device.

[0070] That is, in each of the above embodiments, the server 200 may be configured to be able to perform remote manual driving. Note that in the predetermined control, when the vehicle 100 travels on the road TR by remote manual driving, the elevation difference of the uneven portion 60 may be controlled to the first difference h1 or the second difference h2. For example, in a configuration in which the control device is configured so that the vibration of the vehicle 100 when going over the uneven portion 60 is visually, audibly, or tactilely reproduced using the detection results of the external sensor 300 or the internal sensor 140, when the vehicle 100 travels on the road TR by remote manual driving, the elevation difference may be controlled to the first difference h1. In this way, the external operator can use the uneven portion 60 to know when the vehicle 100 is entering or exiting a predetermined section.

[0071] (E9) In each of the above embodiments, the vehicle 100 may be configured to be able to travel by unmanned driving, and may be in the form of a platform having the configuration described below, for example. Specifically, the vehicle 100 may be configured to have at least a vehicle control device 110 and an actuator group 120 to perform the three functions of "running," "turning," and "stopping" by unmanned driving. When the vehicle 100 acquires information from the outside for unmanned driving, the vehicle 100 may further be configured with a communication device 130. In other words, the vehicle 100 that can travel by unmanned driving may not be equipped with at least some of its interior parts, such as a driver's seat and a dashboard, may not be equipped with at least some of its exterior parts, such as bumpers and fenders, and may not be equipped with a body shell. In this case, the remaining parts, such as the body shell, may be attached to the vehicle 100 before the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory FC, or the remaining parts, such as the body shell, may be attached to the vehicle 100 after the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory FC without the remaining parts, such as the body shell. Each component may be attached from any direction, such as the upper, lower, front, rear, right or left side of the vehicle 100, and may be attached from the same direction or from different directions. Note that the position of the platform configuration may also be determined in the same manner as for the vehicle 100 in the first embodiment.

[0072] (E10) The vehicle 100 may be manufactured by combining multiple modules. A module refers to a unit composed of one or more parts grouped according to the configuration or function of the vehicle 100. For example, the platform of the vehicle 100 may be manufactured by combining a front module that forms the front portion of the platform, a central module that forms the center portion of the platform, and a rear module that forms the rear portion of the platform. The number of modules that form 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 vehicle 100 that are different from the platform may be modularized. The various modules may include optional exterior parts such as bumpers and grilles, or optional interior parts such as seats and consoles. Such modules may be manufactured, for example, by joining multiple parts using welding or fasteners, or by integrally molding at least a portion of the module as a single part by casting. The molding method of integrally molding at least a portion of the module as a single part is also called gigacasting or megacasting. By using Gigacast, each part of the vehicle 100 that was previously formed by joining multiple parts can be formed as a single part. For example, the front module, center module, and rear module described above may be manufactured using Gigacast.

[0073] (E11) Transporting vehicle 100 by using the unmanned driving of vehicle 100 is also called "self-propelled transport." The configuration for realizing self-propelled transport is also called a "vehicle remote-controlled autonomous transport system." The production method for producing vehicle 100 by using self-propelled transport is also called "self-propelled production." In self-propelled production, for example, at a factory FC where vehicle 100 is manufactured, at least a portion of the transport of vehicle 100 is realized by self-propelled transport.

[0074] In each of the above embodiments, some or all of the functions and processes implemented by software may be implemented by hardware. Furthermore, some or all of the functions and processes implemented by hardware may be implemented by software. Hardware for implementing the various functions in each of the above embodiments may be implemented by various circuits, such as integrated circuits and discrete circuits.

[0075] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention section can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve some or all of the above-described problems or achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 50, 50v...system, 60, 60A, 60B, 60c...uneven portion, 61...bottom portion, 70...uneven operation portion, 100...vehicle, 110...vehicle control device, 111...processor, 112...memory, 113...input / output interface, 114...internal bus, 115, 115v...vehicle control unit, 120...actuator group, 130...communication device, 140...internal sensor, 200...server, 201...processor, 202...memory, 203...input / output interface, 204...internal bus, 205...communication device, 210...remote control unit, 220...uneven control unit, 300...external sensor

Claims

1. 1. A system comprising: an uneven portion that is at least one of a protrusion configured to be freely protruding from a road on which a vehicle travels and a recess configured to be freely recessed from the road, the uneven portion being configured so that the vehicle can ride over it; and an unevenness control unit that controls the difference in elevation between the unevenness portion and the track by operating the unevenness portion.

2. 10. The system of claim 1, The unevenness control unit is When the vehicle is driven by a passenger of the vehicle and travels on the road, the elevation difference is controlled to a first difference; When the vehicle travels on the road by automatic driving, the elevation difference is controlled to a second difference smaller than the first difference. system.

3. 3. The system of claim 2, The unevenness control unit controls the elevation difference using at least one of identification information of the vehicle and process information related to a manufacturing process of the vehicle.

4. 3. The system of claim 2, The unevenness control unit determines whether the automatic driving or the manned driving will be performed, and controls the elevation difference according to the determination result.

5. 5. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the uneven portion is the protrusion, The unevenness control unit controls the height difference by operating the protrusion to control the degree of protrusion of the protrusion.

Images