Vehicle inspection system, and method for controlling the vehicle inspection system

Abstract

This technology provides a way to prevent the wheels from deviating from the drum. [Solution] The vehicle inspection system comprises a vehicle capable of driving by unmanned operation, an inspection device having a drum that rotates while supporting the vehicle's wheels, a sensor that outputs sensor information for detecting when there is a possibility of the wheels deviating from the drum, a detection unit that uses the sensor information to detect when there is a possibility of the wheels deviating from the drum, and a control unit that, when it is detected that there is a possibility of the wheels deviating from the drum, controls the peripheral speed of at least one of the wheels and the drum to reduce the difference between the wheel peripheral speed and the drum peripheral speed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle inspection system and a method for controlling the vehicle inspection system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, vehicles that travel autonomously or under remote control are known (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When inspecting a vehicle using inspection equipment having a drum that rotates while supporting the vehicle's wheels, such as a drum tester or a brake tester, in this inspection, the wheels may be rotated by the driving force of the drum or the drum may be rotated by the driving force of the wheels. When inspecting a vehicle using the running of a driverless vehicle, the inventors of the present application have found that if there is a difference between the circumferential speed of the drum and the circumferential speed of the wheels, the wheels may deviate from the drum.

Means for Solving the Problems

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

[0006] (1) According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle inspection system is provided. The vehicle inspection system comprises a vehicle capable of driving by unmanned operation, an inspection device having a drum that rotates while supporting the wheels of the vehicle, a sensor that outputs sensor information for detecting when there is a possibility that the wheels will deviate from the drum, a detection unit that uses the sensor information to detect when there is a possibility that the wheels will deviate from the drum, and a control unit that, when it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheels will deviate from the drum, controls the peripheral speed of at least one of the wheels and the drum to reduce the difference between the peripheral speed of the wheels and the peripheral speed of the drum. According to this embodiment, when inspecting a vehicle using the driving of the vehicle by unmanned operation, the detection unit can use the sensor information to detect when there is a possibility that the wheels will deviate from the drum. When it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheels will deviate from the drum, the control unit can suppress the wheels from deviating from the drum by controlling the peripheral speed of at least one of the wheels and the drum to reduce the difference between the peripheral speed of the wheels and the drum. Therefore, the vehicle inspection system can reduce the possibility of the wheels deviating from the drum and the vehicle coming into contact with other objects. (2) In the above configuration, if the rotation of the drum stops during an inspection in which the drum is rotated by the driving force of the wheels, and it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheels may deviate from the drum, the control unit may reduce the wheel peripheral speed to reduce the difference between the wheel peripheral speed and the drum peripheral speed. In this configuration, if the rotation of the drum stops during an inspection in which the drum is rotated by the driving force of the wheels, the control unit can reduce the wheel peripheral speed to reduce the difference between the wheel peripheral speed and the drum peripheral speed, thereby preventing the wheels from deviating from the drum. (3) In the above configuration, if, during an inspection in which the wheel is rotated by the driving force of the drum, it is detected that the wheel is rotating at a peripheral speed different from a predetermined specified peripheral speed, and that there is a possibility that the wheel may deviate from the drum, the control unit may reduce the difference between the wheel peripheral speed and the drum peripheral speed by controlling the drum peripheral speed according to the wheel peripheral speed. According to this configuration, if the wheel rotates at a peripheral speed different from the specified peripheral speed during an inspection in which the wheel is rotated by the driving force of the drum, the control unit can do the following: In this case, the control unit can reduce the difference between the wheel peripheral speed and the drum peripheral speed by controlling the drum peripheral speed according to the wheel peripheral speed, thereby suppressing the wheel from deviating from the drum. (4) In the above configuration, if it is detected that the wheel may deviate from the drum, the control unit may reduce the difference between the wheel circumferential speed and the drum circumferential speed by controlling the circumferential speed of the controlled object so that the rate of change of the circumferential speed of the wheel and the drum falls within a predetermined range. In this configuration, the control unit can change the circumferential speed of the controlled object gradually without abruptly changing it. This makes it possible to avoid the wheel becoming more likely to deviate from the drum due to abrupt changes in the circumferential speed of the controlled object. (5) In the above configuration, the sensor includes an acceleration sensor that measures the acceleration of the vehicle and outputs the acceleration as sensor information, and the detection unit may use the acceleration to detect when there is a possibility that the wheels will deviate from the drum. In this configuration, the detection unit can use the acceleration of the vehicle to detect when there is a possibility that the wheels will deviate from the drum. (6) In the above configuration, the sensor includes a steering angle sensor that measures the actual steering angle of the vehicle and outputs the actual steering angle as sensor information, and the detection unit may use the actual steering angle to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel will deviate from the drum. In this configuration, the detection unit can use the actual steering angle of the vehicle to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel will deviate from the drum. (7) In the above configuration, the sensor includes a laser sensor that detects when an object enters a predetermined detection range and outputs the detection result as sensor information, and the detection unit may use the detection result to detect that there is a possibility that the wheel will deviate from the drum. In this configuration, the detection unit can use the detection result of the laser sensor to detect that there is a possibility that the wheel will deviate from the drum. (8) In the above configuration, the sensor includes a photoelectric sensor that detects the presence of an object on the light beam by irradiating a light beam at a predetermined position and outputs the detection result as sensor information, and the detection unit may use the detection result to detect that there is a possibility that the wheel will deviate from the drum. In this configuration, the detection unit can use the detection result of the photoelectric sensor to detect that there is a possibility that the wheel will deviate from the drum. (9) In the above configuration, the sensor includes a sensor that outputs sensor information capable of acquiring the position of the vehicle, and the detection unit may use the position of the vehicle acquired using the sensor information to detect when there is a possibility that the wheels will deviate from the drum. In this configuration, the detection unit can use the position of the vehicle acquired using the sensor information to detect when there is a possibility that the wheels will deviate from the drum. (10) In the above configuration, the detection unit may be provided with a plurality of sensors, and the detection unit may use the sensor information output from each of the plurality of sensors to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel will deviate from the drum. In this configuration, the detection unit can use the sensor information output from each of the plurality of sensors to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel will deviate from the drum. As a result, the detection unit can more reliably detect when there is a possibility that the wheel will deviate from the drum. (11) According to other embodiments of the present disclosure, a control method is provided. The control method comprises a detection step of detecting that there is a possibility that a wheel of a vehicle capable of running autonomously is about to deviate from a drum that rotates while supporting the wheel, and a control step of controlling the peripheral speed of at least one of the wheel and the drum to reduce the difference between the peripheral speed of the wheel and the peripheral speed of the drum when it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheel is about to deviate from the drum. According to this embodiment, by performing the detection step and the control step in this order, it is possible to detect that there is a possibility that the wheel is about to deviate from the drum and to reduce the difference between the peripheral speed of the wheel and the peripheral speed of the drum. This makes it possible to suppress the wheel from deviating from the drum. This disclosure can be implemented in various forms other than the vehicle inspection system and the control method for the vehicle inspection system described above. For example, it can be implemented in the form of a method for manufacturing the vehicle inspection system, a computer program that implements the control method for the vehicle inspection system, and a non-temporary recording medium on which the computer program is stored. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle inspection system in the first embodiment. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle inspection system in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] A diagram showing the configuration of the inspection equipment in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] A flowchart illustrating a method for remotely controlling a vehicle. [Figure 5] A flowchart illustrating the first control method. [Figure 6] A flowchart illustrating the second control method. [Figure 7] An explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of the vehicle inspection system in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] A diagram showing the configuration of the inspection equipment in the second embodiment. [Figure 9] A flowchart illustrating the autonomous control method of a vehicle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] A. First Embodiment: Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle inspection system 50 in the first embodiment. The vehicle inspection system 50 comprises one or more vehicles 100 as mobile entities, a server 200, one or more external sensors 300, a detection sensor 700, and inspection equipment 900.

[0009] In this disclosure, “mobile object” means an object that can move, such as a vehicle or an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (so-called flying car). A vehicle may be a wheeled vehicle or a tracked vehicle, such as a passenger car, truck, bus, motorcycle, car, tank, or construction vehicle. Vehicles include electric vehicles (BEVs: Battery Electric Vehicles), gasoline vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. If the mobile object is not a vehicle, the terms “vehicle” and “car” in this disclosure may be replaced with “mobile object” as appropriate, and the term “driving” may be replaced with “moving” as appropriate.

[0010] Vehicle 100 is configured to operate autonomously. "Autonomous operation" means operation without the operation of a passenger. Operation refers to operations related to at least one of the following: "going," "turning," or "stopping" of vehicle 100. Autonomous operation is achieved by automatic or manual remote control using a device located outside vehicle 100, or by autonomous control of vehicle 100. Vehicle 100 operating autonomously may have passengers on board who do not perform operation. Passengers who do not perform operation include, for example, people simply sitting in the seats of vehicle 100, or people performing tasks other than operation, such as assembly, inspection, or operating switches, while on board vehicle 100. Operation by a passenger is sometimes called "manned operation."

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

[0012] In this embodiment, the vehicle inspection system 50 is used to inspect the manufactured vehicle 100 at the factory FC where the vehicle 100 is manufactured. In other words, in this embodiment, the vehicle inspection system 50 is used for the new vehicle inspection of the vehicle 100 as stipulated in the Road Transport Vehicle Act. The new vehicle inspection is an inspection performed in order to put the vehicle 100 into use for the first time. The new vehicle inspection is also called the final inspection. The reference coordinate system of the factory FC is the global coordinate system GC, and any position within the factory FC can be represented by the X, Y, Z coordinates in the global coordinate system GC. The factory FC comprises a first location PL1 and a second location PL2. The first location PL1 and the second location PL2 are connected by a track TR on which the vehicle 100 can travel. Multiple external sensors 300 are installed along the track TR in the factory FC. The position of each external sensor 300 in the factory FC is pre-adjusted. The vehicle 100 moves from the first location PL1 to the second location PL2 via the track TR by unmanned operation. Then, vehicle 100 is inspected using inspection equipment 900 installed at the second location, PL2.

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

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

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

[0016] The detection sensor 700 outputs sensor information to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91. The sensor information is, for example, information related to the operation of the vehicle 100. Information related to the operation of the vehicle 100 is, for example, information representing physical quantities related to the vehicle 100, the behavior of the wheel 190 on the drum 91, the displacement of the vehicle 100's positioning point, etc. In this embodiment, the detection sensor 700 is an acceleration sensor 140 mounted on the vehicle 100. The acceleration sensor 140 measures the acceleration applied to the vehicle 100 and outputs the acceleration of the vehicle 100 as sensor information. The acceleration sensor 140 is, for example, a single-axis acceleration sensor capable of measuring the acceleration applied to the vehicle 100 in the longitudinal direction D1. In this case, the acceleration sensor 140 is mounted on the vehicle 100 such that its axis is aligned with the longitudinal direction D1 of the vehicle 100.

[0017] Figure 3 shows the configuration of the inspection equipment 900 in the first embodiment. The inspection equipment 900 includes a drum 91, a motor 92, a peripheral speed sensor 93, a drum control device 95, and a communication device 99.

[0018] The drum 91 rotates while supporting the wheel 190. The drum 91 is also called a roller. The drum 91 is rotatable about a central axis extending in the left-right direction D2 of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, a drum unit 910 consisting of multiple drums 91 is provided for each wheel 190. The drum unit 910 in this embodiment has a main drum 911 and a sub-drum 912, which are drums 91 capable of gripping the wheel 190. The main drum 911 and the sub-drum 912 are arranged to face each other along the front-rear direction D1 of the vehicle 100. For example, if the vehicle 100 is a four-wheeled vehicle, the inspection equipment 900 has a total of four drum units 910: a first front drum unit, a second front drum unit, a first rear drum unit, and a second rear drum unit. Therefore, in this case, the inspection equipment 900 has a total of eight drums 91. The main drum 911 and sub-drum 912 of the first front drum unit each rotate while supporting the left front wheel of the vehicle 100. The main drum 911 and sub-drum 912 of the second front drum unit each rotate while supporting the right front wheel of the vehicle 100. The main drum 911 and sub-drum 912 of the first rear drum unit each rotate while supporting the left rear wheel of the vehicle 100. The main drum 911 and sub-drum 912 of the second rear drum unit each rotate while supporting the right rear wheel of the vehicle 100. In the following, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the main drum 911 and the sub-drum 912, they will simply be referred to as "drum 91".

[0019] Motor 92 rotates the drum 91. In this embodiment, a motor 92 is provided for each drum 91. Peripheral speed sensor 93 detects the drum peripheral speed, which is the peripheral speed of the drum 91. The unit of drum peripheral speed is, for example, km / h. In this embodiment, a peripheral speed sensor 93 is provided for each drum 91. The drum control device 95 controls the drum peripheral speed by controlling the operation of the motor 92. In this embodiment, the drum control device 95 can control the drum peripheral speed by controlling the motor 92 using the drum control signal received from the server 200. The drum control signal is a control signal for controlling the drum peripheral speed. The communication device 99 communicates with external devices such as the server 200 via wireless communication.

[0020] In an inspection using the inspection equipment 900, the vehicle 100 is inspected with the wheels 190 mounted on the drum 91. The inspection equipment 900 is, for example, a brake tester. The brake tester is used to test the braking performance of the vehicle 100. In an inspection using the brake tester, for example, with the shift position of the vehicle 100 set to the neutral range, the brake tester rotates the wheels 190 using the driving force of the drum 91. The vehicle 100 then applies a predetermined braking force to each wheel 190, thereby reducing the wheel circumferential speed, which is the circumferential speed of the wheels 190. The unit of wheel circumferential speed is, for example, km / h. This tests the braking force of the braking system. If both the inspection equipment 900 and the vehicle 100 are operating normally, the wheel circumferential speed increases as the drum circumferential speed increases due to the driving force of the drum 91. As the wheel circumferential speed decreases due to the braking force of the vehicle 100, the drum circumferential speed decreases. In other words, during the inspection in which the wheel 190 is rotated by the driving force of the drum 91, the wheel peripheral speed and the drum peripheral speed are linked.

[0021] Furthermore, the inspection equipment 900 may be, for example, a drum tester. The drum tester is used to inspect the power performance of the vehicle 100. In an inspection using a drum tester, for example, with the shift position of the vehicle 100 set to the drive range, the vehicle 100 rotates the drum 91 at a predetermined peripheral speed by the driving force of the wheels 190. Then, based on the difference between the vehicle 100's travel speed, calculated using the drum peripheral speed output from the peripheral speed sensor 93, and the speed displayed on the speedometer, the error of the speedometer relative to the actual travel speed of the vehicle 100 is inspected. When both the inspection equipment 900 and the vehicle 100 are operating normally, as the wheel peripheral speed increases due to the driving force of the wheels 190, the drum peripheral speed increases. As the wheel peripheral speed decreases, the drum peripheral speed decreases. In other words, during the inspection in which the drum 91 is rotated by the driving force of the wheels 190, the wheel peripheral speed and the drum peripheral speed are linked.

[0022] Furthermore, the inspection equipment 900 may be a device that integrates a brake tester and a drum tester to achieve the functions of both a brake tester and a drum tester. Also, the uses of the inspection equipment 900 are not limited to those described above. The brake tester in the inspection equipment 900 may, for example, be used to inspect the operation of an anti-lock braking system.

[0023] Here, during the inspection in which the drum 91 is rotated by the driving force of the wheel 190, if the drum 91 locks up and stops rotating, the wheel circumferential speed may become greater than the drum circumferential speed. Also, during the inspection in which the wheel 190 is rotated by the driving force of the drum 91, if the wheel 190 locks up and stops rotating, the drum circumferential speed may become greater than the wheel circumferential speed. Also, during the inspection in which the wheel 190 is rotated by the driving force of the drum 91, if a braking force greater than a predetermined braking force is applied to the wheel 190, the wheel circumferential speed may decrease below the planned speed. In this case, the drum circumferential speed may be maintained at the predetermined circumferential speed. If the wheel circumferential speed decreases below the planned speed and the drum circumferential speed is maintained at the predetermined circumferential speed, the drum circumferential speed may become greater than the wheel circumferential speed. Also, during the inspection in which the wheel 190 is rotated by the driving force of the drum 91, if the shift position of the vehicle 100 unintentionally switches from the neutral range to the parking range, the wheel circumferential speed may decrease below the planned speed. In this case, the drum circumferential speed may be maintained at a predetermined circumferential speed. If the wheel circumferential speed decreases below the planned level and the drum circumferential speed is maintained at the predetermined circumferential speed, the drum circumferential speed may become greater than the wheel circumferential speed. Also, during the inspection in which the wheel 190 is rotated by the driving force of the drum 91, if the shift position of the vehicle 100 unintentionally switches from the neutral range to the drive range, the wheel circumferential speed may increase above the planned level. In this case, the drum circumferential speed may be maintained at a predetermined circumferential speed. If the wheel circumferential speed increases above the planned level and the drum circumferential speed is maintained at the predetermined circumferential speed, the wheel circumferential speed may become greater than the drum circumferential speed. Thus, a difference may occur between the drum circumferential speed and the wheel circumferential speed. If a difference occurs between the drum circumferential speed and the wheel circumferential speed, the wheel 190 may deviate from the drum 91. If the wheel 190 deviates from the drum 91, there is a risk that the vehicle 100 will come into contact with another object.

[0024] Therefore, when the server 200 detects that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91, it reduces the difference between the wheel's peripheral speed and the drum's peripheral speed. This reduces the possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91 and the vehicle 100 will come into contact with another object. The possibility of the wheel 190 deviating from the drum 91 includes at least one of the following: the possibility of the wheel 190 deviating from the drum 91 in the longitudinal direction D1 of the vehicle 100, and the possibility of the wheel 190 deviating from the drum 91 in the lateral direction D2 of the vehicle 100.

[0025] As shown in Figure 2, the server 200 is composed of a computer comprising a processor 201, memory 202, an input / output interface 203, and an internal bus 204. The processor 201, memory 202, and input / output interface 203 are connected via the internal bus 204 to enable bidirectional communication. A communication device 205 for communicating with various external devices of the server 200 is connected to the input / output interface 203. 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 processor 201 implements various functions, including those of a detection unit 211 and a remote control unit 212, by executing a program PG2 stored in memory 202.

[0026] The detection unit 211 uses sensor information output from the detection sensor 700 to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91. In this embodiment, the detection unit 211 uses the acceleration of the vehicle 100 as sensor information output from the acceleration sensor 140 mounted on the vehicle 100 to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91. Specifically, as described above, when both the inspection equipment 900 and the vehicle 100 are operating normally, the wheel circumferential speed and the drum circumferential speed are linked. Therefore, when both the inspection equipment 900 and the vehicle 100 are operating normally, the acceleration applied to the vehicle 100 is close to zero. However, when there is a difference between the wheel circumferential speed and the drum circumferential speed and the wheel 190 deviates from the drum 91, the acceleration applied to the vehicle 100 increases compared to when both the inspection equipment 900 and the vehicle 100 are operating normally. Therefore, the detection unit 211 can use the acceleration applied to the vehicle 100 to detect signs that the wheel 190 is about to deviate from the drum 91. In this embodiment, when the acceleration of the vehicle 100 is outside a predetermined threshold range, the detection unit 211 detects that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 is about to deviate from the drum 91. The detection unit 211 may also output a message from an output device (not shown) indicating that it has detected the possibility of the wheel 190 deviating. The output device may be, for example, a display device such as a monitor or a notification device such as a speaker.

[0027] The remote control unit 212 acquires detection results from the external sensor 300, generates a driving control signal to control the actuator group 120 of the vehicle 100 using the detection results, and transmits the driving control signal to the vehicle 100, thereby driving the vehicle 100 by remote control. When the wheels 190 are rotated by the driving force of the drum 91, the remote control unit 212 generates a drum control signal to rotate the drum 91 at a predetermined drum peripheral speed and transmits the drum control signal to the inspection equipment 900. In this way, the remote control unit 212 rotates the drum 91 by remote control.

[0028] Furthermore, if it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 may deviate from the drum 91, the remote control unit 212 controls the peripheral speed of at least one of the wheel 190 and the drum 91 to reduce the difference between the peripheral speed of the wheel and the peripheral speed of the drum. If it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 may deviate from the drum 91 because the wheel 190 is rotating at a peripheral speed different from the specified peripheral speed during an inspection in which the wheel 190 is rotated by the driving force of the drum 91, the remote control unit 212 does the following: In this case, the remote control unit 212 controls the drum peripheral speed according to the peripheral speed of the wheel. Specifically, if the drum peripheral speed is greater than the peripheral speed of the wheel, the remote control unit 212 reduces the drum peripheral speed. If the drum peripheral speed is less than the peripheral speed of the wheel, the remote control unit 212 increases the drum peripheral speed. Also, if it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 may deviate from the drum 91 because the rotation of the drum 91 stops during an inspection in which the drum 91 is rotated by the driving force of the wheel 190, the remote control unit 212 does the following: In this case, the remote control unit 212 reduces the wheel circumferential speed. When it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 may deviate from the drum 91, the braking force is zero, and the remote control unit 212 reduces the wheel circumferential speed by increasing the braking force of the vehicle 100 from zero. On the other hand, when it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 may deviate from the drum 91, the braking force is not zero, and the remote control unit 212 reduces the wheel circumferential speed by increasing the braking force of the vehicle 100 from the current braking force. The current braking force can be estimated, for example, based on the most recent driving control signal transmitted from the server 200 to the vehicle 100. In this way, the remote control unit 212 reduces the difference between the wheel circumferential speed and the drum circumferential speed.

[0029] The external sensor 300 is a sensor located outside the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the external sensor 300 is a sensor that detects the vehicle 100 from outside the vehicle 100. 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 or wireless communication.

[0030] Specifically, the external sensor 300 is comprised of a camera. The camera, acting as the external sensor 300, captures images of the vehicle 100 and outputs the captured images as detection results.

[0031] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for vehicle 100 driving control in the first embodiment. In the processing procedure shown in Figure 4, the processor 201 of the server 200 functions as a remote control unit 212 by executing program PG2. The processor 111 of the vehicle 100 functions as a vehicle control unit 115 by executing program PG1.

[0032] 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 the position information that forms the basis for generating the 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 vehicle position information using the captured image acquired from the camera, which is the external sensor 300.

[0033] In detail, in step S1, the processor 201 detects the outline of the vehicle 100 from the captured image, calculates the coordinates of the vehicle 100's positioning point in the coordinate system of the captured image, i.e., the local coordinate system, and obtains the position of the vehicle 100 by converting the calculated coordinates to coordinates in the global coordinate system GC. The outline 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, within or outside the vehicle inspection system 50 and pre-stored in the memory 202 of the server 200. Examples of the detection model DM include a pre-trained machine learning model that has been trained to implement either semantic segmentation or instance segmentation. As this machine learning model, for example, a convolutional neural network (CNN) trained by supervised learning using a training dataset can be used. The training dataset includes, for example, multiple training images containing vehicle 100, and labels indicating whether each region in the training images represents vehicle 100 or something other than vehicle 100. During CNN training, it is preferable to update the CNN parameters using backpropagation to reduce the error between the output result of the detection model DM and the labels. Furthermore, the processor 201 can obtain the orientation of vehicle 100 by, for example, using the optical flow method, estimating it based on the direction of the vehicle 100's movement vector calculated from the positional changes of the vehicle 100's feature points between frames of the captured images.

[0034] In step S2, the processor 201 of the server 200 determines the next target location that the vehicle 100 should head to. In this embodiment, the target location is represented by X, Y, Z coordinates in the global coordinate system GC. The memory 202 of the server 200 pre-stores a reference route RR, which is the path that the vehicle 100 should travel. The route is represented by a node indicating the starting point, nodes indicating waypoints, a node indicating the destination, and links connecting each node. The processor 201 uses the vehicle position information and the reference route RR to determine the next target location that the vehicle 100 should head to. The processor 201 determines the target location on the reference route RR beyond the vehicle 100's current location.

[0035] In step S3, the processor 201 of the server 200 generates a driving control signal to drive the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. The processor 201 calculates the vehicle's speed from the change in the vehicle's position and compares the calculated speed with the target speed. Overall, the processor 201 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 accelerates if the speed is lower than the target speed, and determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 decelerates if the speed is higher than the target speed. Furthermore, if the vehicle 100 is located on the reference path RR, the processor 201 determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 100 does not deviate from the reference path RR, and if the vehicle 100 is not located on the reference path RR, in other words, if the vehicle 100 has deviated from the reference path RR, the processor 201 determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 100 returns to the reference path RR.

[0036] In step S4, the processor 201 of the server 200 transmits the generated driving control signal to the vehicle 100. The processor 201 repeats the acquisition of vehicle position information, determination of target position, generation of driving control signal, and transmission of driving control signal at predetermined intervals.

[0037] In step S5, the processor 111 of the vehicle 100 receives a driving control signal transmitted from the server 200. In step S6, the processor 111 of the vehicle 100 controls the actuator group 120 using the received driving control signal, thereby driving the vehicle 100 at the acceleration and steering angle indicated in the driving control signal. The processor 111 repeats the reception of the driving control signal and the control of the actuator group 120 at predetermined intervals. According to the vehicle inspection system 50 of this embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be driven by remote control, and the vehicle 100 can be moved without using transport equipment such as cranes or conveyors.

[0038] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the control method of the vehicle inspection system 50 in an inspection in which the wheels 190 are rotated by the driving force of the drum 91. The control method shown in Figure 5 is executed repeatedly at a predetermined cycle during the period from the start to the end of the inspection, for example.

[0039] In step S101, the server 200 sends a request signal to the vehicle 100 to acquire sensor information output from the acceleration sensor 140. Upon receiving the request signal, the vehicle 100 sends the sensor information output from the acceleration sensor 140 to the server 200 in step S102. If the acceleration of the vehicle 100 is within the threshold range (step S103: No), the server 200 terminates this flow. On the other hand, if the acceleration of the vehicle 100 is outside the threshold range (step S103: Yes), in step S104, the server 200 detects that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91. In step S105, the server 200 generates a drum control signal to control the drum peripheral speed according to the wheel peripheral speed. In step S106, the server 200 sends the generated drum control signal to the inspection equipment 900. Upon receiving the drum control signal, the inspection equipment 900, in step S107, uses the received drum control signal to control the motor 92, thereby rotating the drum 91 at a circumferential speed corresponding to the wheel circumferential speed. This reduces the difference between the wheel circumferential speed and the drum circumferential speed in the vehicle inspection system 50.

[0040] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the control method of the vehicle inspection system 50 in an inspection in which the drum 91 is rotated by the driving force of the wheels 190. The control method shown in Figure 6 is executed repeatedly at a predetermined cycle during the period from the start to the end of the inspection, for example.

[0041] In step S201, the server 200 sends a request signal to the vehicle 100 to acquire sensor information output from the acceleration sensor 140. Upon receiving the request signal, the vehicle 100 sends the sensor information output from the acceleration sensor 140 to the server 200 in step S202. If the acceleration of the vehicle 100 is within the threshold range (step S203: No), the server 200 terminates this flow. On the other hand, if the acceleration of the vehicle 100 is outside the threshold range (step S203: Yes), in step S204, the server 200 detects that there is a possibility that the wheels 190 will deviate from the drum 91. In step S205, the server 200 generates a driving control signal to reduce the wheel circumferential speed. In step S206, the server 200 sends the generated driving control signal to the vehicle 100. Upon receiving the driving control signal, the vehicle 100 uses the received driving control signal to control the actuator group 120, thereby reducing the wheel circumferential speed. This allows the vehicle inspection system 50 to reduce the difference between the wheel circumferential speed and the drum circumferential speed.

[0042] According to the first embodiment described above, when inspecting the vehicle 100 using the unmanned operation of the vehicle 100, the detection unit 211 of the server 200 can use sensor information to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91. When it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91, the remote control unit 212 of the server 200 can do the following. In this case, the remote control unit 212 generates a control signal to control the peripheral speed of at least one of the wheel 190 and the drum 91 so as to reduce the difference between the peripheral speed of the wheel and the peripheral speed of the drum, and transmits it to the controlled object, thereby suppressing the wheel 190 from deviating from the drum 91. Thus, the vehicle inspection system 50 can remotely reduce the possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91 and the vehicle 100 will come into contact with another object.

[0043] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment described above, by executing the detection step and the control step in this order, it is possible to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91 and reduce the difference between the wheel peripheral speed and the drum peripheral speed. This makes it possible to suppress the wheel 190 from deviating from the drum 91. The detection step is a step of detecting when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91, which rotates while supporting the wheel 190 of the vehicle 100 that can be driven by unmanned operation. The detection step corresponds to steps S101 to S104 in Figure 5 and steps S201 to S204 in Figure 6. The control step is a step of controlling the peripheral speed of at least one of the wheel 190 and the drum 91 in order to reduce the difference between the wheel peripheral speed and the drum peripheral speed when it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91. The control step corresponds to steps S105 to S107 in Figure 5 and steps S205 to S207 in Figure 6.

[0044] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment described above, if the rotation of the drum 91 stops during inspection in which the drum 91 is rotated by the driving force of the wheel 190, the remote control unit 212 can do the following. In this case, the remote control unit 212 can reduce the difference between the wheel peripheral speed and the drum peripheral speed by reducing the wheel peripheral speed, thereby suppressing the wheel 190 from deviating from the drum 91.

[0045] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment described above, if the wheel 190 rotates at a peripheral speed different from the specified peripheral speed during an inspection in which the wheel 190 is rotated by the driving force of the drum 91, the remote control unit 212 can do the following. In this case, the remote control unit 212 can reduce the difference between the wheel peripheral speed and the drum peripheral speed by controlling the drum peripheral speed according to the wheel peripheral speed, thereby suppressing the wheel 190 from deviating from the drum 91.

[0046] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment described above, the vehicle inspection system 50 includes an acceleration sensor 140 as a detection sensor 700. When the acceleration of the vehicle 100 is outside the threshold range, the detection unit 211 can detect that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91. In other words, the detection unit 211 can use the acceleration of the vehicle 100 to detect that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91.

[0047] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment described above, the detection sensor 700 may be a single-axis acceleration sensor capable of measuring the acceleration applied to the vehicle 100 in the longitudinal direction D1. In this configuration, the detection unit 211 can more reliably detect when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91 in the longitudinal direction D1 of the vehicle 100.

[0048] The acceleration sensor 140 may also be a single-axis acceleration sensor capable of measuring acceleration applied to the vehicle 100 in the left-right direction D2. In this configuration, the detection unit 211 can more reliably detect when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91 in the left-right direction D2 of the vehicle 100. The acceleration sensor 140 may also be a two-axis acceleration sensor capable of measuring acceleration applied to two of the vehicle 100 in the longitudinal direction D1, left-right direction D2, and up-down direction D3. In this configuration, the detection unit 211 can more reliably detect when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91. The acceleration sensor 140 may also be a three-axis acceleration sensor capable of measuring acceleration applied to the vehicle 100 in three directions: the longitudinal direction D1, left-right direction D2, and up-down direction D3. In this configuration, the detection unit 211 can more reliably detect when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91.

[0049] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment described above, the detection unit 211 can detect when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91 by using sensor information output from a detection sensor 700 that is pre-installed on the vehicle 100. As a result, the vehicle inspection system 50 can detect when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91 without having to install the detection sensor 700 outside the vehicle 100. Therefore, the installation cost of the vehicle inspection system 50 can be reduced.

[0050] B. Second Embodiment: Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of the vehicle inspection system 50v in the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the vehicle inspection system 50v differs from the first embodiment in that it does not have a server 200. Also, in this embodiment, the vehicle 100v can be driven by autonomous control of the vehicle 100v. In addition, in this embodiment, the configuration of the inspection equipment 900v differs from the first embodiment. Other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0051] Figure 8 shows the configuration of the inspection equipment 900v in the second embodiment. In this embodiment, a drum unit 910 having two drums 91, a main drum 911 and a sub-drum 912, is provided for every 190 wheels on the front wheels of the vehicle 100v. A single drum 913, as a single drum 91, is provided for every 190 wheels on the rear wheels of the vehicle 100v. For example, if the vehicle 100v is a four-wheeled vehicle, the inspection equipment 900v has a total of six drums 91: a first front drum unit, a second front drum unit, a first rear single drum, and a second rear single drum. The first front drum unit and the second front drum unit are the same as in the first embodiment. The first rear single drum rotates while supporting the left rear wheel of the vehicle 100v. The second rear single drum rotates while supporting the right rear wheel of the vehicle 100v. Hereafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the main drum 911, the sub-drum 912, and the single drum 913, they will simply be referred to as "drum 91".

[0052] In this embodiment, the processor 111v of the vehicle control device 110v functions as a detection unit 116 and a vehicle control unit 115v by executing the program PG1 stored in the memory 112v. The detection unit 211 uses sensor information output from the detection sensor 700 to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91. The vehicle control unit 115v acquires the output result from the external sensor 300, generates a driving control signal using the output result, and outputs the generated driving control signal to operate the actuator group 120, thereby enabling the vehicle 100v to be driven autonomously. Furthermore, when it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91, the vehicle control unit 115v controls the wheel circumferential speed to reduce the difference between the wheel circumferential speed and the drum circumferential speed. In this embodiment, in addition to the program PG1, the detection model DM and the reference path RR are pre-stored in the memory 112v.

[0053] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for vehicle 100V's driving control in the second embodiment. In the processing procedure shown in Figure 9, the vehicle 100V's processor 111V functions as a vehicle control unit 115V by executing program PG1.

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

[0055] According to the second embodiment described above, when inspecting vehicle 100v using the unmanned operation of vehicle 100v, the detection unit 211 of the vehicle control device 110v can use sensor information to detect when there is a possibility that the wheels 190 may deviate from the drum 91. When it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheels 190 may deviate from the drum 91, the vehicle control unit 115v of the vehicle control device 110v can do the following. In this case, the vehicle control unit 115v can generate a driving control signal to control the wheel circumferential speed so as to reduce the difference between the wheel circumferential speed and the drum circumferential speed. The vehicle control unit 115v can then use the generated driving control signal to control the actuator group 120, thereby suppressing the wheels 190 from deviating from the drum 91. Therefore, the vehicle inspection system 50v can reduce the possibility that the wheels 190 may deviate from the drum 91 and the vehicle 100v may come into contact with another object through the autonomous control of vehicle 100v.

[0056] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment described above, the vehicle control device 110v can use sensor information output from the detection sensor 700 mounted on the vehicle 100v to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91 and control the wheel circumferential speed. In other words, when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91, the vehicle control device 110v can control the wheel circumferential speed without exchanging information with the server 200 or the external sensor 300. As a result, the vehicle inspection system 50v can quickly change the wheel circumferential speed. Therefore, the vehicle inspection system 50v can further suppress the wheel 190 from deviating from the drum 91.

[0057] C. Other embodiments: (C1) If it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91, the control units 115v and 212 may do the following. In this case, the control units 115v and 212 may reduce the difference between the wheel circumferential speed and the drum circumferential speed by controlling the circumferential speed of the controlled object so that the rate of change of the circumferential speed of the controlled object falls within a predetermined threshold range. In this configuration, the control units 115v and 212 can change the circumferential speed of the controlled object gradually without abruptly changing it. This makes it possible to avoid the wheel 190 becoming more likely to deviate from the drum 91 due to a sudden change in the circumferential speed of the controlled object.

[0058] (C2) The detection sensor 700 may be a steering angle sensor that measures the actual steering angle of the vehicle 100, 100v and outputs the actual steering angle of the vehicle 100, 100v as sensor information. In this case, if the travel trajectory of the vehicle 100, 100v determined by the actual steering angle of the vehicle 100, 100v deviates from a predetermined trajectory range, the detection units 116, 211 may detect that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91. In this configuration, the detection units 116, 211 can use the actual steering angle of the vehicle 100, 100v to detect that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91.

[0059] (C3) The detection sensor 700 may be a laser sensor that detects when an object enters a predetermined detection range and outputs the detection result as sensor information. The laser sensor is installed in advance at a location different from the vehicles 100 and 100v. In this case, when the laser sensor detects that a positioning point of the vehicles 100 and 100v, such as the bumper or the wheel 190, has entered the detection range, the detection units 116 and 211 may detect that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91. In this configuration, the detection units 116 and 211 can use the detection result of the laser sensor to detect that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91. In addition, in this configuration, the detection units can use the sensor information output from the detection sensor 700, which is installed at a location different from the vehicles 100 and 100v, to detect that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91. As a result, the vehicle inspection system 50,50v can detect the possibility of the wheel 190 deviating from the drum 91 even if the detection sensor 700 is not installed on the vehicle 100,100v. Therefore, the vehicle inspection system 50,50v can be used for various types of vehicles 100,100v. This improves the versatility of the vehicle inspection system 50,50v.

[0060] (C4) The detection sensor 700 may be a photoelectric sensor that detects the presence of an object on a light beam by irradiating it at a predetermined position and outputs the detection result as sensor information. The photoelectric sensor is installed in advance at a location different from the vehicle 100,100v. In this case, the detection units 116,211 may detect whether or not the positioning points of the vehicle 100,100v, such as the wheel 190, are on the light beam, and whether or not the wheel 190 is likely to deviate from the drum 91. In this configuration, the detection units 116,211 can use the detection result of the photoelectric sensor to detect whether or not the wheel 190 is likely to deviate from the drum 91.

[0061] (C5) The detection sensor 700 may be a sensor that outputs sensor information capable of acquiring the position of the vehicle 100,100v. In this case, if the position of the vehicle 100,100v is outside a predetermined range, the detection units 116,211 may detect that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 may deviate from the drum 91. In this configuration, the detection units 116,211 can use the position of the vehicle 100,100v to detect that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 may deviate from the drum 91. In this configuration, the detection sensor 700 may also be an external sensor 300 that has been pre-installed in the factory FC for driving the vehicle 100,100v by unmanned operation. In this configuration, the vehicle inspection system 50,50v can detect that there is a possibility that the wheel 190 may deviate from the drum 91 by having the external sensor 300 also function as the detection sensor 700, without having to specifically install a dedicated detection sensor 700 outside the vehicle 100,100v. Therefore, the installation costs of the 50,50V vehicle inspection system can be reduced.

[0062] (C6) The vehicle inspection systems 50 and 50v may be equipped with multiple detection sensors 700. In this configuration, the detection units 116 and 211 can use the sensor information output from each of the multiple detection sensors 700 to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91. This allows the detection units 116 and 211 to more reliably detect when there is a possibility that the wheel 190 will deviate from the drum 91.

[0063] (C7) A drum 91 may be provided for each of the multiple wheels 190 located along the left-right direction D2 of the vehicle 100, 100v. For example, if the vehicle 100, 100v is a four-wheeled vehicle, the inspection equipment 900, 900v may have the following configuration: The inspection equipment 900, 900v may have one front drum unit supporting the left front wheel and the right front wheel of the vehicle 100, 100v, and one rear drum unit supporting the left rear wheel and the right rear wheel of the vehicle 100, 100v. The inspection equipment 900, 900v may have one front drum unit supporting the left front wheel and the right front wheel of the vehicle 100, 100v, and one rear single drum supporting the left rear wheel and the right rear wheel of the vehicle 100, 100v. Thus, the configuration of the number and arrangement of drums 91 in the inspection equipment 900, 900v is not limited to the above.

[0064] (C8) The vehicle inspection system 50, 50v may be used for purposes other than new vehicle inspections of vehicles 100, 100v. For example, the vehicle inspection system 50, 50v may be used for the periodic inspection of vehicles 100, 100v as stipulated in the Road Transport Vehicle Act. A periodic inspection is an inspection conducted to allow continued use of vehicles 100, 100v even after the expiration of the validity period of the vehicle inspection certificate. The vehicle inspection system 50, 50v may also be used for periodic inspections as stipulated in the Road Transport Vehicle Act. A periodic inspection is an inspection that users of vehicles 100, 100v are required to perform periodically. Periodic inspections are also called statutory inspections. Even in this configuration, if the possibility of the wheel 190 deviating from the drum 91 is detected, the vehicle inspection system 50, 50v can reduce the difference between the wheel circumferential speed and the drum circumferential speed. In this way, the vehicle inspection system 50, 50v can suppress the wheel 190 from deviating from the drum 91. Therefore, the vehicle inspection system 50,50v can reduce the possibility of the wheels 190 deviating from the drum 91 and the vehicles 100,100v coming into contact with other objects.

[0065] (C9) At least some of the functions of the server 200 may be a function of the vehicle control devices 110, 110v, a function of the inspection equipment 900, 900v, or a function of the external sensor 300. Also, at least some of the functions of the vehicle control devices 110, 110v may be a function of the server 200, a function of the inspection equipment 900, 900v, or a function of the external sensor 300. In this configuration, the configuration of the vehicle inspection systems 50, 50v can be changed as appropriate.

[0066] (C10) In each of the above embodiments, the external sensor 300 is not limited to a camera, but may be, for example, a distance measuring device. The distance measuring device may be, for example, LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging). In this case, the detection result output by the external sensor 300 may be 3D point cloud data representing vehicles 100 and 100v. In this case, the server 200 and vehicles 100 and 100v may acquire vehicle position information by template matching using the 3D point cloud data as a detection result and pre-prepared reference point cloud data.

[0067] (C11) In the first embodiment described above, the server 200 performs the processing from acquiring vehicle position information to generating a driving control signal. In contrast, the vehicle 100 may perform at least a part of the processing from acquiring vehicle position information to generating a driving control signal. For example, the following forms (1) to (3) may be used.

[0068] (1) The server 200 may acquire vehicle location information, determine the next target location that vehicle 100 should head to, and generate a route from the vehicle 100's current location, as shown in the acquired vehicle location information, to the target location. The server 200 may generate a route to the target location between the current location and the destination, or it may generate a route to the destination. The server 200 may transmit the generated route to vehicle 100. Vehicle 100 may generate a driving control signal so that vehicle 100 travels along the route received from the server 200, and may use the generated driving control signal to control the actuator group 120.

[0069] (2) The server 200 may acquire vehicle location information and transmit the acquired vehicle location information to the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 may determine the next target location to which the vehicle 100 should go, generate a route from the vehicle 100's current location shown in the received vehicle location information to the target location, generate a driving control signal so that the vehicle 100 travels along the generated route, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal.

[0070] (3) In the embodiments of (1) and (2) above, the vehicle 100 is equipped with internal sensors, and the detection results output from the internal sensors may be used in at least one of the generation of a route and the generation of a driving control signal. The internal sensors are sensors mounted on the vehicle 100. The internal sensors may include, for example, sensors that detect the motion state of the vehicle 100, sensors that detect the operating state of each part of the vehicle 100, and sensors that detect the environment around the vehicle 100. Specifically, the internal sensors may include, for example, cameras, LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic sensors, GPS sensors, acceleration sensors 140, gyro sensors, etc. For example, in the embodiment of (1) above, the server 200 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the route when generating a route. In the embodiment of (1) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the driving control signal when generating a driving control signal. In the embodiment of (2) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the route when generating a route. In the embodiment described in (2) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0071] (C12) In the second embodiment described above, the vehicle 100v is equipped with an internal sensor, and the detection result output from the internal sensor may be used in at least one of the generation of the route and the generation of the driving control signal. For example, the vehicle 100v may acquire the detection result from the internal sensor and reflect the detection result from the internal sensor in the route when generating the route. The vehicle 100v may acquire the detection result from the internal sensor and reflect the detection result from the internal sensor in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0072] (C13) In the second embodiment described above, the vehicle 100v acquires vehicle position information using the detection results of the external sensor 300. In contrast, the vehicle 100v may be equipped with an internal sensor, and the vehicle 100v may acquire vehicle position information using the detection results of the internal sensor, determine the target position to which the vehicle 100v should go next, generate a route from the current location of the vehicle 100v represented in the acquired vehicle position information to the target position, generate a driving control signal for driving along the generated route, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal. In this case, the vehicle 100v can drive without using the detection results of the external sensor 300 at all. The vehicle 100v may also acquire target arrival time and congestion information from outside the vehicle 100v and reflect the target arrival time and congestion information in at least one of the route and the driving control signal. Furthermore, all the functional configurations of the vehicle inspection system 50v may be provided in the vehicle 100v. That is, the processing realized by the vehicle inspection system 50v in this disclosure may be realized by the vehicle 100v alone.

[0073] (C14) In the first embodiment described above, the server 200 automatically generates a driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 100. Alternatively, 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 that includes a display for displaying captured images 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.

[0074] (C15) In each of the above embodiments, the vehicles 100 and 100v only need to be configured to be able to move by unmanned operation, and may be in the form of a platform having the configuration described below. Specifically, in order for the vehicles 100 and 100v to perform the three functions of "driving," "turning," and "stopping" by unmanned operation, they only need to be equipped with at least a vehicle control device 110 and 110v and an actuator group 120. When the vehicles 100 and 100v acquire information from the outside for unmanned operation, the vehicles 100 and 100v may further be equipped with a communication device 130. That is, the vehicle 100 that can move by unmanned operation does not need to have at least some of the interior parts such as the driver's seat and dashboard installed, at least some of the exterior parts such as the bumper and fender installed, and does not need to have a body shell installed. In this case, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100, 100v before it is shipped from the factory FC, or the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100, 100v after it has been shipped from the factory FC, while the remaining parts such as the body shell are not attached to the vehicle 100, 100v. Each part may be attached to the vehicle 100, 100v from any direction, such as the top, bottom, front, rear, right, or left, and each part may be attached from the same direction or from different directions. The positioning of the platform can also be determined in the same way as the vehicle 100, 100v in the first embodiment.

[0075] (C16) Vehicles 100, 100v may be manufactured by combining multiple modules. A module means a unit composed of one or more parts grouped together according to the configuration and function of the vehicle 100, 100v. For example, the platform of vehicle 100, 100v may be manufactured by combining a front module that constitutes the front part of the platform, a central module that constitutes the middle part of the platform, and a rear module that constitutes the rear part of the platform. The number of modules that constitute the platform is not limited to three, and may be two or fewer, or four or more. In addition to the platform, or in place of the platform, parts of vehicle 100, 100v that are different from the platform may be modularized. Various modules may also include any exterior parts such as bumpers and grilles, or any interior parts such as seats and consoles. Furthermore, not limited to vehicles 100, 100v, any type of mobile body may be manufactured by combining multiple modules. Such modules may be manufactured, for example, by joining multiple parts by welding or fasteners, or by integrally molding at least a part of the module as a single part by casting. A molding technique that integrally molds at least a portion of a module as a single component is also called Gigacast or Megacast. By using Gigacast, parts of a mobile body that were conventionally formed by joining multiple components can be formed as single components. For example, the forward module, central module, and rear module mentioned above may be manufactured using Gigacast.

[0076] (C17) Transporting the 100,100v vehicles using unmanned operation is also called "autonomous transport." The configuration for realizing autonomous transport is also called a "vehicle remote control autonomous driving transport system." Furthermore, a production method that uses autonomous transport to produce the 100,100v vehicles is also called "autonomous production." In autonomous production, for example, in a factory cluster (FC) that manufactures the 100,100v vehicles, at least a portion of the transport of the 100,100v vehicles is realized by autonomous transport.

[0077] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from its spirit. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described in the summary of the invention can be replaced or combined as appropriate in order to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or to 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 deleted as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 50, 50V... Vehicle inspection system, 91... Drum, 92... Motor, 93... Peripheral speed sensor, 96... Drum control device, 99... Communication device for inspection equipment, 100, 100V... Vehicle, 110, 110V... Vehicle control device, 111, 111V... Processor for vehicle control device, 112, 112V... Memory for vehicle control device, 113... Input / output interface for vehicle control device, 114... Internal bus for vehicle control device, 115, 115V... Vehicle control unit, 116, 211... Detection unit, 120... Actuator group, 130... Communication device for vehicle, 140... Acceleration sensor, 190... Wheel, 200... Server, 201…Server processor, 202…Server memory, 203…Server input / output interface, 204…Server internal bus, 205…Server communication device, 212…Remote control unit, 300…External sensor, 700…Detection sensor, 900, 900v…Inspection equipment, 910…Drum unit, 911…Main drum, 912…Sub-drum, 913…Single drum, D1…Front / back direction, D2…Left / right direction, D3…Up / down direction, DM…Detection model, FC…Factory, GC…Global coordinate system, PG1, PG2…Program, PL1…First location, PL2…Second location, RR…Reference path, TR…Track

Claims

1. It is a vehicle inspection system, Vehicles that can be driven without a driver, An inspection device having a drum that rotates while supporting the wheels of the vehicle, A sensor that outputs sensor information for detecting when there is a possibility that the wheel will deviate from the drum, A detection unit that uses the aforementioned sensor information to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel will deviate from the drum, A vehicle inspection system comprising: a control unit that controls the peripheral speed of at least one of the wheel and the drum in such a way that it reduces the difference between the peripheral speed of the wheel and the peripheral speed of the drum when it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheel may deviate from the drum.

2. A vehicle inspection system according to claim 1, A vehicle inspection system in which, during an inspection in which the drum is rotated by the driving force of the wheels, the rotation of the drum stops, and if it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheels may deviate from the drum, the control unit reduces the wheel circumferential speed to reduce the difference between the wheel circumferential speed and the drum circumferential speed.

3. A vehicle inspection system according to claim 1, A vehicle inspection system in which, during an inspection in which the wheel is rotated by the driving force of the drum, if it is detected that the wheel is rotating at a peripheral speed different from a predetermined specified peripheral speed, and there is a possibility that the wheel may deviate from the drum, the control unit controls the peripheral speed of the drum according to the peripheral speed of the wheel, thereby reducing the difference between the peripheral speed of the wheel and the peripheral speed of the drum.

4. A vehicle inspection system according to claim 1, A vehicle inspection system in which, when it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheel may deviate from the drum, the control unit controls the circumferential speed of the controlled object so that the rate of change of the circumferential speed of the wheel or the drum falls within a predetermined range, thereby reducing the difference between the circumferential speed of the wheel and the circumferential speed of the drum.

5. A vehicle inspection system according to claim 1, The sensor includes an acceleration sensor that measures the acceleration of the vehicle and outputs the acceleration as sensor information. The detection unit is a vehicle inspection system that uses the acceleration to detect when there is a possibility that the wheels will deviate from the drum.

6. A vehicle inspection system according to claim 1, The sensor includes a steering angle sensor that measures the actual steering angle of the vehicle and outputs the actual steering angle as sensor information. The detection unit is a vehicle inspection system that uses the actual steering angle to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel may deviate from the drum.

7. A vehicle inspection system according to claim 1, The sensor includes a laser sensor that detects when an object enters a predetermined detection range and outputs the detection result as sensor information. The vehicle inspection system includes a detection unit that uses the detection result to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel may deviate from the drum.

8. A vehicle inspection system according to claim 1, The sensor includes a photoelectric sensor that detects the presence of an object on a light ray by irradiating it at a predetermined position and outputs the detection result as sensor information. The vehicle inspection system includes a detection unit that uses the detection result to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel may deviate from the drum.

9. A vehicle inspection system according to claim 1, The sensor includes a sensor that outputs sensor information capable of acquiring the position of the vehicle, The detection unit is a vehicle inspection system that detects when there is a possibility that the wheels will deviate from the drum, using the position of the vehicle obtained using the sensor information.

10. A vehicle inspection system according to claim 1, The system includes multiple of the aforementioned sensors, The detection unit is a vehicle inspection system that uses the sensor information output from each of the plurality of sensors to detect when there is a possibility that the wheel will deviate from the drum.

11. A control method, A detection step for detecting the possibility that a wheel may deviate from a drum that rotates while supporting the wheel of a vehicle capable of driving autonomously, A control method comprising: a control step of controlling the peripheral speed of at least one of the wheel and the drum in order to reduce the difference between the peripheral speed of the wheel and the peripheral speed of the drum when it is detected that there is a possibility that the wheel may deviate from the drum.

Images