system

Abstract

This prevents vehicles from deviating from the rollers during inspection. [Solution] The system comprises a vehicle capable of driving autonomously, an inspection device having rollers that rotate while supporting the vehicle's wheels, a first sensor for detecting the vehicle's position, a second sensor for detecting the vehicle's position which has higher accuracy in detecting the vehicle's position than the first sensor, and a control device that acquires vehicle position information using at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor and controls the vehicle using the position information, wherein if predetermined conditions including the vehicle being positioned on the rollers are not met, the control device acquires position information using the first sensor, and if the conditions are met, it acquires position information using at least the second sensor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a system.

Background Art

[0002] A technique for driving a vehicle by autonomous driving in a vehicle manufacturing process is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Inspections are known in which the wheels are rotated on rollers without moving the vehicle. For example, in an inspection of a vehicle's drive device, the rollers are driven to rotate by the driving rotation of the wheels, and in an inspection of a vehicle's braking device, the wheels are driven to rotate by the driving rotation of the rollers. If the position of the vehicle shifts left and right during these inspections, the vehicle may deviate from the rollers and it may become impossible to continue the inspection. Therefore, a technique for suppressing the deviation of the vehicle being inspected from the rollers is desired.

Means for Solving the Problems

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

[0006] (1) According to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, a system is provided. The system comprises a vehicle capable of driving autonomously, an inspection device having rollers that rotate while supporting the wheels of the vehicle, a first sensor for detecting the position of the vehicle, a second sensor for detecting the position of the vehicle having a higher accuracy in detecting the position of the vehicle than the first sensor, and a control device that acquires position information of the vehicle using at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor and controls the vehicle using the position information, the control device which acquires the position information using the first sensor if a predetermined condition, including that the vehicle is positioned on the rollers, is not met, and acquires the position information using at least the second sensor if the condition is met. This type of system can prevent vehicles from deviating from the rollers during inspection. (2) In the system of the above form, the conditions may further include that the rotational speed of the wheel or the rotational speed of the roller is equal to or greater than a predetermined rotational speed. The higher the rotation speed of the wheels and rollers, the more likely the vehicle is to shift from side to side. With this type of system, in situations where the vehicle is prone to shifting from side to side, the second sensor, which has higher accuracy in detecting the vehicle's position than the first sensor, is used to acquire positional information, thereby suppressing the vehicle from deviating from the rollers during inspection. (3) In the system of the above form, the conditions may further include that the degree of variation in the position of the vehicle detected by the first sensor is greater than or equal to a predetermined degree. The greater the variation in the vehicle's position detected by the first sensor, the greater the discrepancy between the vehicle's position detected by the first sensor and its actual position, making it easier for the vehicle to deviate from the rollers during inspection. In this type of system, when the variation in the vehicle's position detected by the first sensor is large, the second sensor is used to acquire positional information, thereby suppressing the vehicle from deviating from the rollers during inspection. (4) In the system of the above form, the control device may, when the above conditions are met, acquire the position information using the first sensor and the second sensor, and change the contribution of the first sensor and the contribution of the second sensor to the position information according to the rotational speed of the wheel or the rotational speed of the roller. To prevent the vehicle from deviating from the rollers during inspection, it is preferable to precisely adjust the vehicle's position as the rotation speed of the wheels and rollers increases. With this type of system, the contribution of the first sensor and the second sensor to the vehicle's position information is changed according to the degree of variation in the vehicle's position detected by the first sensor, thereby allowing for precise adjustment of the vehicle's position on the rollers. (5) In the system of the above form, the control device may, when the above conditions are met, acquire the position information using the first sensor and the second sensor, and change the contribution of the first sensor and the contribution of the second sensor to the position information according to the degree of variation in the position of the vehicle detected by the first sensor. The greater the variation in the vehicle's position, the more difficult it becomes to precisely adjust the vehicle's position. With this type of system, the contribution of the first sensor and the second sensor to the vehicle's position information is changed according to the degree of variation in the vehicle's position detected by the first sensor, thereby allowing for precise adjustment of the vehicle's position on the roller. This disclosure can also be implemented in various forms other than systems. For example, it can be implemented in the form of control methods, vehicles, server devices, inspection equipment, computer programs, and recording media on which computer programs are stored. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the server device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the inspection equipment according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] An explanatory diagram showing how a vehicle is driven by remote control. [Figure 6] A flowchart showing the processing procedure for vehicle driving control according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] An explanatory diagram showing how vehicles are inspected. [Figure 8] A flowchart showing the processing procedure for deviation prevention control in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] A flowchart showing the processing procedure for vehicle driving control in the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] A. First Embodiment: Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of system 10 in the first embodiment. System 10 comprises a vehicle 100, a server device 200, an external sensor 300, and inspection equipment 400. In this embodiment, system 10 is used in a factory cluster (FC) that manufactures the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the server device 200 corresponds to the "control device" in this disclosure, the external sensor 300 corresponds to the "first sensor" in this disclosure, and the position sensor 470 of the inspection equipment 400 corresponds to the "second sensor" in this disclosure.

[0009] In this embodiment, vehicle 100 is a four-wheeled electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle). Vehicle 100 may be a passenger car, a bus, a truck, or the like. The drive system of vehicle 100 may be front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or four-wheel drive. Vehicle 100 is not limited to electric vehicles; for example, it may be a gasoline car, a hybrid car, or a fuel cell vehicle. Vehicle 100 is not limited to four wheels; for example, it may be a three-wheeled or six-wheeled vehicle.

[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] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of vehicle 100. Vehicle 100 is equipped with four wheels 101. The four wheels 101 include a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels. In this embodiment, vehicle 100 is configured to be driven by remote control. Vehicle 100 includes a vehicle control device 110 that controls various parts of vehicle 100, a group of actuators 120 that are driven under the control of the vehicle control device 110, a communication device 130 for communicating with the outside, and a wheel speed sensor 140 for detecting the rotational speed of the wheels 101. The group of actuators 120 includes actuators for a drive system that generates the propulsion force of vehicle 100, actuators for a steering system that changes the direction of travel of vehicle 100, and actuators for a braking system that generates the braking force of vehicle 100.

[0013] 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 communicably connected bidirectionally via the internal bus 114. An actuator group 120, a communication device 130, and a wheel speed sensor 140 are connected to the input / output interface 113. The communication device 130 communicates with the server device 200 by wireless communication. Note that the communication device 130 may communicate with an external sensor 300 or inspection equipment 400 by wireless communication.

[0014] The processor 111 functions as a travel control unit 115 by executing a computer program PG1 stored in advance in the memory 112. When a passenger is on board the vehicle 100, the travel control unit 115 can control the actuator group 120 according to the operation of the passenger to cause the vehicle 100 to travel. Regardless of whether a passenger is on board the vehicle 100 or not, the travel control unit 115 can control the actuator group 120 using the travel control signal received from the server device 200 to cause the vehicle 100 to travel. In the present embodiment, the travel control signal includes the acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 100 as parameters. Note that 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.

[0015] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the server device 200. The server device 200 is located outside the vehicle 100. The server device 200 is constituted by a computer including a processor 201, a memory 202, an input / output interface 203, and an internal bus 204. The processor 201, the memory 202, and the input / output interface 203 are communicably connected bidirectionally via the internal bus 204. A communication device 205 for communicating with the outside is connected to the input / output interface 203. In the present embodiment, the communication device 205 communicates with the vehicle 100 by wireless communication and communicates with the external sensor 300 and the inspection facility 400 by wired communication or wireless communication.

[0016] By executing a computer program PG2 stored in advance in the memory 202, the processor 201 functions as a vehicle remote control unit 211 that remotely controls the vehicle 100, a facility remote control unit 212 that remotely controls the inspection facility 400, and an inspection result generation unit 213 that generates an inspection result of the vehicle 100.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the external sensor 300 is located outside the vehicle 100. The external sensor 300 is used to detect the position of the vehicle 100. In the present embodiment, the external sensor 300 is a camera provided in the factory FC. The external sensor 300 includes a communication device not shown and communicates with the server device 200 by wired communication or wireless communication.

[0018] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the inspection facility 400. The inspection facility 400 is a facility for inspecting the vehicle 100. In the present embodiment, the inspection facility 400 includes a roller 410, a motor 420 that rotates the roller 410, a facility control device 430 that controls each part of the inspection facility 400, a communication device 440 that communicates with the outside, a rotation speed sensor 450 that detects the rotation speed of the roller 410, a braking force sensor 460 that detects the braking force of the vehicle 100 applied to the roller 410, and a position sensor 470 that detects the position of the vehicle 100. <着

[0019] The rollers 410 are installed on the road surface. The rollers 410 are configured to rotate while supporting the wheels 101. In this embodiment, the inspection equipment 400 is configured to support one front wheel with two small-diameter rollers and one rear wheel with one large-diameter roller. In other words, in this embodiment, the inspection equipment 400 has six rollers 410. Small-diameter rollers are rollers 410 with a small diameter, and large-diameter rollers are rollers 410 with a large diameter. The inspection equipment 400 has multiple motors 420. The multiple motors 420 include motors 420 for rotating the rollers 410 for the front wheels and motors 420 for rotating the rollers 410 for the rear wheels. The inspection equipment 400 may also be configured to support one front wheel with one large-diameter roller and one rear wheel with two small-diameter rollers. The inspection equipment 400 may be configured to support one front wheel with two small-diameter rollers and one rear wheel with two small-diameter rollers.

[0020] The equipment control device 430 is comprised of a computer comprising a processor 431, a memory 432, an input / output interface 433, and an internal bus 434. The processor 431, the memory 432, and the input / output interface 433 are connected via the internal bus 434 to enable bidirectional communication. The input / output interface 433 is connected to a motor 420, a communication device 440, a rotational speed sensor 450, a braking force sensor 460, and a position sensor 470. In this embodiment, the communication device 440 communicates with the server device 200 via wireless or wired communication. The communication device 440 may also communicate with the vehicle 100 via wireless communication.

[0021] The position sensor 470 detects the position of the vehicle 100. The accuracy of position detection of the vehicle 100 by the position sensor 470 is higher than the accuracy of position detection of the vehicle 100 by the external sensor 300. In this disclosure, position detection accuracy means the degree of agreement between the position detected by the sensor and the actual position. In this embodiment, the position sensor 470 is a laser displacement meter, and detects the left-right position of the vehicle 100 relative to the inspection equipment 400 by irradiating the vehicle 100 with laser light from the side of the vehicle 100. The position resolution of the position sensor 470 is higher than the position resolution of the external sensor 300. The variation in position detected by the position sensor 470 is smaller than the variation in position detected by the external sensor 300. Note that the position sensor 470 is not limited to a laser displacement meter, but may be, for example, a sonar.

[0022] The processor 431 functions as an inspection execution unit 435 that performs an inspection of the vehicle 100 by executing a computer program PG4 pre-stored in memory 432. In this embodiment, the inspection execution unit 435 performs an inspection of the vehicle 100 in response to control signals transmitted from the server device 200. Specifically, the inspection execution unit 435 controls the motor 420, detects the rotational speed using the rotational speed sensor 450, detects the braking force using the braking force sensor 460, and detects the position of the vehicle 100 using the position sensor 470.

[0023] In this embodiment, the inspection equipment 400 has the function of a drum tester that inspects the drive system of the vehicle 100 by driving the roller 410 to rotate with the rotation of the wheel 101, and the function of a brake tester that inspects the braking system of the vehicle 100 by driving the wheel 101 to rotate with the rotation of the roller 410. However, the inspection equipment 400 does not have to have either the drum tester function or the brake tester function. If the inspection equipment 400 does not have the brake tester function, the inspection equipment 400 does not have to have the motor 420 and the brake force sensor 460.

[0024] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing how vehicle 100 travels remotely within a factory FC. In this embodiment, system 10 is used in a factory FC where vehicle 100 is manufactured. 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 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.

[0025] In this embodiment, the first location PL1 is where the vehicle 100 is assembled. At the time of assembly at the first location PL1, the vehicle 100 is equipped with at least a vehicle control device 110, an actuator group 120, and a communication device 130. Therefore, at the time of assembly at the first location PL1, the vehicle 100 is ready to be driven by remote control. The vehicle 100 assembled at the first location PL1 is moved from the first location PL1 to the second location PL2 via the track TR by remote control from the server device 200. The second location PL2 is where the vehicle 100 is inspected. Inspection equipment 400 is located at the second location PL2. After passing the inspection at the second location PL2, the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory FC.

[0026] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for controlling the driving of vehicle 100 in this embodiment. In step S1, the processor 201 of the server device 200 acquires vehicle position information using the detection result 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 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.

[0027] 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 system 10 and pre-stored in the memory 202 of the server device 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.

[0028] In step S2, the processor 201 of the server device 200 determines the next target location to which the vehicle 100 should go. 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 device 200 pre-stores a reference route RR, which is the route 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 to which the vehicle 100 should go. The processor 201 determines the target location on the reference route RR beyond the current location of the vehicle 100.

[0029] In step S3, the processor 201 of the server device 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.

[0030] In step S4, the processor 201 of the server device 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.

[0031] In step S5, the processor 111 of the vehicle control device 110 receives a driving control signal transmitted from the server device 200. In step S6, the processor 111 controls the actuator group 120 using the received driving control signal, thereby driving the vehicle 100 at the acceleration and steering angle expressed 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 system 10 in 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.

[0032] Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the inspection of vehicle 100. As shown in the upper part of Figure 7, prior to the inspection of vehicle 100, the vehicle remote control unit 211 of the server device 200 remotely controls vehicle 100 to move it onto the rollers 410, and stops vehicle 100 on the rollers 410 so that the front and rear axle Cv of vehicle 100 and the front and rear axle Ce of the inspection equipment 400 overlap in a top view. Here, the front and rear axle Cv of vehicle 100 is the axle that passes through the centers of the left and right front wheels and the centers of the left and right rear wheels in a top view, and the front and rear axle Ce of the inspection equipment 400 is the axle that passes through the centers of the left and right front rollers 410 and the centers of the left and right rear rollers 410 in a top view. In the following description, the state in which there is no misalignment between the vehicle 100 and the roller 410 means that, in a top view, there is no misalignment between the longitudinal axle Cv of the vehicle 100 and the longitudinal axle Ce of the inspection equipment 400, and the state in which there is misalignment between the vehicle 100 and the roller 410 means that, in a top view, there is a misalignment between the longitudinal axle Cv of the vehicle 100 and the longitudinal axle Ce of the inspection equipment 400.

[0033] In a drive inspection of the vehicle 100's drive system, the vehicle remote control unit 211 drives the wheel 101, which is supported by the roller 410, to rotate the roller 410, thereby causing the roller 410 to rotate as a result. In a drive inspection, the peripheral speed of the driven wheel 101 and the peripheral speed of the driven roller 410 are the same, so the longitudinal position of the vehicle 100 does not change. The vehicle remote control unit 211 remotely controls the vehicle 100 so that the rotational speed of the wheel 101 reaches a predetermined target rotational speed. The equipment remote control unit 212 remotely controls the inspection equipment 400 and detects the rotational speed of the roller 410 using the rotational speed sensor 450. After the rotational speed of the wheel 101 reaches the target rotational speed, the vehicle remote control unit 211 stops the rotation of the wheel 101. When the rotation of the wheel 101 stops, the rotation of the roller 410 also stops. The inspection result generation unit 213 generates a drive inspection result using the detection result of the rotational speed of the roller 410. The drive inspection result includes at least one of the following: information on whether the drive system of the vehicle 100 operated correctly, and information on whether the speedometer of the vehicle 100 showed the correct value.

[0034] In a braking test to inspect the braking system of vehicle 100, the equipment remote control unit 212 drives the wheel 101 to rotate by driving the roller 410 while the wheel 101 is supported by the roller 410. In a braking test, the peripheral speed of the driving roller 410 and the peripheral speed of the driven wheel 101 are the same, so the longitudinal position of vehicle 100 does not change. The equipment remote control unit 212 remotely controls the inspection equipment 400 so that the rotational speed of the roller 410 reaches a predetermined target rotational speed. When the rotational speed of the roller 410 reaches the target rotational speed, the vehicle remote control unit 211 remotely controls vehicle 100 to activate the vehicle's braking system, and the equipment remote control unit 212 stops the transmission of driving force from the motor 420 to the roller 410. The equipment remote control unit 212 uses a braking force sensor 460 to detect the braking force applied to the roller 410 from the vehicle 100's braking system. The inspection result generation unit 213 generates braking inspection results using the braking force detection results. The braking inspection results include information on whether or not the braking system of the vehicle 100 operated correctly.

[0035] As shown in the lower part of Figure 7, the position of the vehicle 100 relative to the roller 410 may shift from side to side during drive testing or braking testing. This displacement of the vehicle 100 can be caused, for example, by misalignment of the wheels 101 relative to the roller 410 or by vibrations of the vehicle 100. The displacement of the vehicle 100 can also occur due to the inability to precisely control the position of the vehicle 100 because of low accuracy in detecting the position of the vehicle 100. The larger the displacement d of the vehicle 100 relative to the roller 410, the higher the possibility that the wheels 101 will deviate from the roller 410. If the wheels 101 deviate from the roller 410, the inspection cannot be continued. Therefore, the server device 200 corrects the displacement of the vehicle 100 by remotely controlling the steering device of the vehicle 100 so that the displacement d does not exceed a predetermined allowable range during drive testing or braking testing.

[0036] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for deviation prevention control, which prevents the wheels 101 from deviating from the rollers 410 during inspection. In this embodiment, the deviation prevention control is repeatedly executed by the processor 201 of the server device 200 from the time the vehicle 100 enters the range in which the position sensor 470 can detect the vehicle 100 until the inspection of the vehicle 100 is completed.

[0037] When deviation prevention control is initiated, in step S110, the server device 200 determines whether predetermined conditions are met. In this embodiment, the predetermined conditions are that the vehicle 100 is positioned on the roller 410 and the rotational speed of the wheel 101 detected by the wheel speed sensor 140 is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed. The predetermined speed can be, for example, the rotational speed of the wheel 101 at which the peripheral speed of the wheel 101 is 40 kilometers per hour. Alternatively, the predetermined conditions may be that the vehicle 100 is positioned on the roller 410 and the rotational speed of the roller 410 detected by the rotational speed sensor 450 is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed. Furthermore, the predetermined conditions may be independent of the rotational speed of the wheel 101 or the roller 410. For example, the predetermined conditions may simply be that the vehicle 100 is positioned on the roller 410.

[0038] If it is determined in step S110 that the predetermined conditions are met, the server device 200 uses the vehicle position information acquired using the external sensor 300 for position control of the vehicle 100 in step S120. Conversely, if it is determined in step S110 that the predetermined conditions are not met, the server device 200 uses the vehicle position information acquired using the position sensor 470 for position control of the vehicle 100 in step S125.

[0039] In step S130, the server device 200 determines whether the positional displacement of the vehicle 100 is within an acceptable range. In this embodiment, the server device 200 determines that the positional displacement of the vehicle 100 is within an acceptable range if the amount of positional displacement d of the vehicle 100 is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, and determines that the positional displacement of the vehicle 100 is outside an acceptable range if the amount of positional displacement d of the vehicle 100 exceeds the threshold. The server device 200 calculates the amount of positional displacement d of the vehicle 100 using the position information of the front and rear axis Ce of the inspection equipment 400, which is stored in the memory 202, and the vehicle position information adopted in step S120 or step S125.

[0040] In this embodiment, the server device 200 determines the tolerance range according to the rotational speed of the wheel 101. The higher the rotational speed of the wheel 101 and the roller 410, the more rapidly the displacement of the vehicle 100 expands. In order to prevent the wheel 101 from deviating from the roller 410, it is preferable to correct the displacement of the vehicle 100 earlier, especially when the rotational speed of the wheel 101 and the roller 410 is high. For this reason, the server device 200 determines the threshold so that the tolerance range narrows as the rotational speed of the wheel 101 increases. For example, the server device 200 can determine the threshold using the rotational speed of the wheel 101 obtained from the wheel speed sensor 140 and a table in which rotational speeds and thresholds are pre-stored in the memory 202. In other embodiments, the tolerance range may be fixed.

[0041] If it is determined in step S130 that the vehicle 100's misalignment is outside the acceptable range, the server device 200 corrects the vehicle 100's misalignment in step S140 by remotely controlling the vehicle 100's steering system. The server device 200 may also decelerate the rotation of the wheels 101 and rollers 410 in addition to correcting the vehicle 100's misalignment. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S130 that the vehicle 100's misalignment is within the acceptable range, the server device 200 skips the process in step S140. After that, the server device 200 repeats the deviation prevention control from step S110 again. The server device 200 repeats the deviation prevention control until the inspection of the vehicle 100 is completed.

[0042] According to the system 10 of this embodiment described above, the server device 200 controls the position of the vehicle 100 using the external sensor 300 if predetermined conditions, including the vehicle 100 being located on the roller 410, are not met, and controls the position of the vehicle 100 using the position sensor 470, which has a higher detection accuracy for detecting the position of the vehicle 100 than the external sensor 300, when the predetermined conditions are met. As a result, the left and right position of the vehicle 100 on the roller 410 can be precisely adjusted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle 100 from deviating from the roller 410 during inspection.

[0043] Furthermore, in drive and braking tests, the higher the rotational speed of the wheels 101 and rollers 410, the more rapidly the displacement of the vehicle 100 increases. For this reason, when the rotational speed of the wheels 101 and rollers 410 is high, it is preferable to precisely adjust the position of the vehicle 100 to prevent displacement. Also, when the rotational speed of the wheels 101 and rollers 410 is high, it is preferable to correct any displacement of the vehicle 100 as soon as possible. To address this problem, in this embodiment, the server device 200 controls the position of the vehicle 100 using the position sensor 470 when the vehicle 100 is positioned on the rollers 410 and the rotational speed of the wheels 101 is above a predetermined speed. Therefore, the left-right position of the vehicle 100 on the rollers 410 can be precisely adjusted when the rotational speed of the wheels 101 and rollers 410 is high. In addition, the server device 200 narrows the allowable range of displacement of the vehicle 100 as the rotational speed of the wheels 101 increases. Therefore, even when the rotational speed of the wheels 101 and rollers 410 is high, the displacement of the vehicle 100 can be corrected early.

[0044] B. Second Embodiment: Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle 100 in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the system 10 does not include a server device 200, and the vehicle 100 is driven by autonomous control of the vehicle 100 rather than by remote control from the server device 200, which is different from the first embodiment. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified. In the second embodiment, the vehicle control device 110 corresponds to the "control device" in this disclosure.

[0045] In this embodiment, the reference path RR and detection model DM are pre-stored in the memory 112 of the vehicle control device 110. The communication device 130 can communicate with the external sensor 300 and inspection equipment 400 via wireless communication. The processor 111 functions as a driving control unit 115, an equipment remote control unit 116, and an inspection result generation unit 117 by executing the computer program PG1 pre-stored in the memory 112. In this embodiment, the driving control unit 115 generates its own driving control signals to drive the vehicle 100. The function of the equipment remote control unit 116 is the same as that of the equipment remote control unit 212 in the first embodiment, and it remotely controls the inspection equipment 400. The inspection result generation unit 117 is the same as that of the inspection result generation unit 213 in the first embodiment, and it generates inspection results for the vehicle 100.

[0046] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for controlling the driving of the vehicle 100 in the second embodiment. In step S21, the processor 111 of the vehicle control device 110 acquires vehicle position information using the detection result output from the camera, which is an external sensor 300. In step S22, the processor 111 determines the target position to which the vehicle 100 should next go. In step S23, the processor 111 generates a driving control signal to drive the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. In step S24, the processor 111 controls the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal to drive the vehicle 100 according to the parameters expressed 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 actuator group 120 at predetermined intervals. Therefore, according to the system 10 in 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 device 200.

[0047] According to the system 10 of this embodiment described above, the vehicle 100 can be inspected without remotely controlling the vehicle 100 by the server device 200, and it is possible to prevent the vehicle 100 from deviating from the roller 410 during inspection.

[0048] C. Other embodiments: (C1) In each of the above embodiments, deviation prevention control is performed by the server device 200 or the vehicle control device 110. In contrast, in other embodiments, the equipment control device 430 of the inspection equipment 400 may perform deviation prevention control. This configuration also prevents the vehicle 100 from deviating from the roller 410 during inspection. In this configuration, the equipment control device 430 corresponds to the "control device" in this disclosure.

[0049] (C2) In each of the above embodiments, the server device 200 and the vehicle control device 110 change the allowable range of positional deviation according to the rotational speed of the wheels 101 in the deviation prevention control. In contrast, in other embodiments, the server device 200 and the vehicle control device 110 may change the allowable range of positional deviation according to the degree of variation in the position of the vehicle 100 detected within a predetermined period. The greater the degree of variation in the position of the detected vehicle 100, the higher the possibility that there is a discrepancy between the position of the vehicle 100 recognized by the server device 200 and the actual position of the vehicle 100, and the higher the possibility that the vehicle 100 will deviate from the roller 410. Also, the greater the degree of variation in the position of the detected vehicle 100, the higher the possibility that the actual position of the vehicle 100 is unstable, and the higher the possibility that the vehicle 100 will deviate from the roller 410. For this reason, by narrowing the allowable range of positional deviation as the degree of variation in the position of the detected vehicle 100 increases, it is possible to effectively suppress the vehicle 100 from deviating from the roller 410 during inspection.

[0050] (C3) In each of the above embodiments, the server device 200 and the vehicle control device 110 control the position of the vehicle 100 by adopting the vehicle position information acquired using the external sensor 300 if predetermined conditions, including the vehicle 100 being located on the roller 410, are not met in the deviation prevention control, and control the position of the vehicle 100 by adopting the vehicle position information acquired using the position sensor 470 if the above predetermined conditions are met. In other words, before and after the predetermined conditions are met, the ratio of the contribution of the external sensor 300 to the contribution of the position sensor 470 to the vehicle position information is changed all at once from 0:100 to 100:0. In contrast, in other embodiments, the server device 200 and the vehicle control device 110 may change the ratio of the contribution of the external sensor 300 to the contribution of the position sensor 470 to the vehicle position information in stages after the predetermined conditions are met. Here, the contribution to the vehicle position information refers to the degree of influence of the position detected by each sensor on the position represented in the vehicle position information. For example, if the contribution of the external sensor 300 to the vehicle position information is increased relatively, the position represented in the vehicle position information will approach the position detected by the external sensor 300. If the contribution of the position sensor 470 to the vehicle position information is increased relatively, the position represented in the vehicle position information will approach the position detected by the position sensor 70.

[0051] <Method 1 for changing contribution level> The server device 200 and the vehicle control device 110 may stepwise change the ratio of the contribution of the external sensor 300 to the contribution of the position sensor 470 to the vehicle position information, depending on the rotational speed of the wheel 101 or the roller 410. In this case, the server device 200 and the vehicle control device 110 may determine the value of n between 0 and 100 depending on the rotational speed of the wheel 101 or the roller 410, calculate the position coordinates of the vehicle 100 by multiplying the position coordinates of the vehicle 100 detected by the external sensor 300 by (100-n)% + the position coordinates of the vehicle 100 detected by the position sensor 470 by n%, and use the calculated position coordinates for position control of the vehicle 100. In order to prevent the vehicle 100 from deviating from the roller 410, it is preferable for the server device 200 and the vehicle control device 110 to increase the value of n as the rotational speed of the wheel 101 or the roller 410 increases, or in other words, to relatively increase the contribution of the position sensor 470 as the rotational speed of the wheel 101 or the roller 410 increases.

[0052] <Method 2 for changing contribution level> The server device 200 and the vehicle control device 110 may stepwise change the ratio of the contribution of the external sensor 300 to the contribution of the position sensor 470 to the vehicle position information, according to the degree of variation in the position of the vehicle 100 detected by the external sensor 300. In this case, the server device 200 and the vehicle control device 110 may determine the value of n between 0 and 100 according to the degree of variation in the position of the vehicle 100 detected by the external sensor 300, calculate the position coordinates of the vehicle 100 by multiplying the position coordinates of the vehicle 100 detected by the external sensor 300 by (100-n)% + the position coordinates of the vehicle 100 detected by the position sensor 470 by n%, and use the calculated position coordinates for position control of the vehicle 100. In order to prevent the vehicle 100 from deviating from the roller 410, it is preferable for the server device 200 and the vehicle control device 110 to increase the value of n as the degree of variation in the position of the vehicle 100 detected by the external sensor 300 increases; in other words, it is preferable to relatively increase the contribution of the position sensor 470 as the degree of variation in the position of the vehicle 100 detected by the external sensor 300 increases.

[0053] (C4) In each of the above embodiments, the server device 200 and the vehicle control device 110 control the position of the vehicle 100 using the position sensor 470 of the inspection equipment 400 when predetermined conditions are met, including the vehicle 100 being located on the roller 410, in the deviation prevention control. In contrast, in other embodiments in which a position sensor for detecting the position of the vehicle 100 relative to the inspection equipment 400 is mounted on the vehicle 100, the server device 200 and the vehicle control device 110 may control the position of the vehicle 100 using the position sensor mounted on the vehicle 100. In this case, the position sensor mounted on the vehicle 100 corresponds to the "second sensor" in this disclosure.

[0054] (C5) 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 the vehicle 100. In this case, the server device 200 and the vehicle 100 may acquire vehicle position information by template matching using the 3D point cloud data as the detection result and pre-prepared reference point cloud data.

[0055] (C6) In the first embodiment described above, the server device 200 performs the processing from acquiring vehicle position information to generating a driving control signal. Alternatively, 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.

[0056] (1) The server device 200 may acquire vehicle position 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 position information, to the target location. The server device 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 device 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 device 200, and may use the generated driving control signal to control the actuator group 120.

[0057] (2) The server device 200 may acquire vehicle position information and transmit the acquired vehicle position 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 position 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.

[0058] (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, gyro sensors, etc. For example, in the embodiment of (1) above, the server device 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.

[0059] (C7) In the second embodiment described above, the vehicle 100 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 100 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 100 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.

[0060] (C8) In the second embodiment described above, the vehicle 100 acquires vehicle position information using the detection results of the external sensor 300. In contrast, the vehicle 100 may be equipped with an internal sensor, and the vehicle 100 may acquire vehicle position information using the detection results of the internal sensor, 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 acquired vehicle position information to the target location, 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 100 can drive without using the detection results of the external sensor 300 at all. The vehicle 100 may also acquire the target arrival time and congestion information from outside the vehicle 100 and reflect the target arrival time and congestion information in at least one of the route and the driving control signal.

[0061] (C9) In the first embodiment described above, the server device 200 automatically generates a driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 100. Alternatively, the server device 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, an external operator may operate a control device that includes a display for displaying captured images output from an 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 device 200 via wired or wireless communication, and the server device 200 may generate a driving control signal in accordance with the operation applied to the control device.

[0062] (C10) In each of the above embodiments, the vehicle 100 only needs to have a configuration that allows it to move by unmanned operation, and may be in the form of a platform having the configuration described below. Specifically, in order for the vehicle 100 to perform the three functions of "driving," "turning," and "stopping" by unmanned operation, it is sufficient to have at least a vehicle control device 110 and an actuator group 120. When the vehicle 100 acquires information from the outside for unmanned operation, the vehicle 100 may further have 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 attached, it does not need to have at least some of the exterior parts such as the bumper and fender attached, and it does not need to have a body shell attached. 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 has been shipped from the factory FC without the remaining parts such as the body shell attached to the vehicle 100. Each component may be attached to the vehicle 100 from any direction, such as the top, bottom, front, rear, right, or left side, and 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 for the vehicle 100 in the first embodiment.

[0063] (C11) Vehicle 100 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 vehicle 100. For example, the platform of vehicle 100 may be manufactured by combining a front module that constitutes the front part of the platform, a central module that constitutes the central part of the platform, and a rear module that constitutes the rear part of the platform. The number of modules that constitute the platform is not limited to three, but may be two or fewer, or four or more. In addition to the platform, or in place of the platform, parts of vehicle 100 other than 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 vehicle 100, 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. The molding method of integrally molding at least a part of a module as a single part 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 front module, central module, and rear module mentioned above may be manufactured using Gigacast.

[0064] (C12) Transporting vehicle 100 using the unmanned operation of vehicle 100 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 vehicle 100 is also called "autonomous production." In autonomous production, for example, at a factory FC that manufactures vehicle 100, at least a portion of the transport of vehicle 100 is realized by autonomous transport.

[0065] (C13) In each of the above embodiments, some or all of the functions and processes implemented in software may be implemented in hardware. Also, some or all of the functions and processes implemented in hardware may be implemented in software. As hardware for implementing the various functions in each of the above embodiments, various circuits such as integrated circuits and discrete circuits may be used.

[0066] 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 in 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]

[0067] 10...System, 100...Vehicle, 101...Wheel, 110...Vehicle control device, 111...Processor, 112...Memory, 113...Input / Output Interface, 114...Internal Bus, 115...Driving Control Unit, 116...Equipment Remote Control Unit, 117...Inspection Result Generation Unit, 120...Actuator Group, 130...Communication Device, 140...Wheel Speed ​​Sensor, 200...Server Device, 201...Processor, 202...Memory, 203...Input / Output Interface, 204... Internal bus, 205...Communication device, 211...Vehicle remote control unit, 212...Equipment remote control unit, 213...Inspection result generation unit, 300...External sensor, 400...Inspection equipment, 410...Roller, 420...Motor, 430...Equipment control device, 431...Processor, 432...Memory, 433...Input / output interface, 434...Internal bus, 435...Inspection execution unit, 440...Communication device, 450...Rotation speed sensor, 460...Braking force sensor, 470...Position sensor

Claims

1. It is a system, Vehicles that can be driven without a driver, An inspection device having rollers that rotate while supporting the wheels of the aforementioned vehicle, A first sensor for detecting the position of the vehicle, A second sensor for detecting the position of the vehicle, wherein the second sensor has a higher accuracy in detecting the position of the vehicle compared to the first sensor, A control device that acquires the position information of the vehicle using at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor, and controls the vehicle using the position information, wherein if a predetermined condition including the vehicle being positioned on the roller is not met, the control device acquires the position information using the first sensor, and if the condition is met, the control device acquires the position information using at least the second sensor, A system that includes these features.

2. The system according to claim 1, The system further includes the condition that the rotational speed of the wheel or the rotational speed of the roller is equal to or greater than a predetermined rotational speed.

3. The system according to claim 1, The system further includes the condition that the degree of variation in the position of the vehicle detected by the first sensor is greater than or equal to a predetermined degree.

4. The system according to claim 1, The control device, when the above conditions are met, The position information is acquired using the first sensor and the second sensor. A system that changes the contribution of the first sensor and the second sensor to the position information according to the rotational speed of the wheel or the rotational speed of the roller.

5. The system according to claim 1, The control device, when the above conditions are met, The position information is acquired using the first sensor and the second sensor. A system that changes the contribution of the first sensor and the second sensor to the position information according to the degree of variation in the position of the vehicle detected by the first sensor.

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