Judgment System

Abstract

This technology provides a method for accurately determining whether or not a moving object is located at a predetermined, appropriate position. [Solution] The determination system comprises a mobile body that can be moved by unmanned operation, a sensor configured to detect objects, an acquisition unit that acquires mobile body information representing at least one of the type and shape of the mobile body, a determination unit that determines determination conditions according to the mobile body information, and a determination unit that uses the detection results from the sensor and the determination conditions to determine whether or not the mobile body is at a predetermined location.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a determination system.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for driving a vehicle autonomously or by remote control in the vehicle manufacturing process.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When a moving object such as a vehicle is not in an appropriate position, it may affect the operations performed on the moving object or the control of the moving object. Therefore, a technique for accurately determining whether the moving object is in an appropriate position is desired.

Means for Solving the Problems

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

[0006] (1) According to one aspect of this disclosure, a determination system is provided. This determination system includes a sensor configured to be able to detect an object, an acquisition unit that acquires moving object information representing at least one of the type and shape of the moving object, a determination unit that determines determination conditions according to the moving object information, and a determination unit that uses the detection result by the sensor and the determination conditions to determine whether the moving object is at a predetermined position. According to this aspect, it is possible to accurately determine whether various moving objects with different types and shapes are at a predetermined appropriate position. (2) In the above embodiment, a plurality of sensors are provided, each of the plurality of sensors is arranged at a different position, the plurality of sensors are configured to detect the presence or absence of the object, and the determination condition may represent the detection pattern of the presence or absence of the object for each of the sensors. According to this embodiment, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not there is a moving object at an appropriate position using a simple presence or absence sensor such as a photoelectric sensor. (3) In the above embodiment, a plurality of sensors are provided, each of the plurality of sensors is arranged at a different position, the plurality of sensors are configured to detect the distance to the object, and the determination condition may represent a pattern of threshold ranges for the distance for each sensor. According to this embodiment, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not there is a moving object at an appropriate position using a simple distance measuring sensor. (4) In the above configuration, the system may further include an abnormality output unit that outputs an abnormality signal including at least one of a signal for notifying an abnormality and a signal for changing the position of the moving body when the moving body is not in the predetermined position. This configuration allows for appropriate action to be taken when the moving body is not in the appropriate position. (5) In the above embodiment, the system may further include a movement control unit that moves the mobile body by the unmanned operation, and a start output unit that outputs a start signal for starting work on the mobile body. The sensor may be placed in the work area where the work is performed, the determination unit may determine whether the mobile body is in the predetermined position after the mobile body has been stopped in the work area by the unmanned operation, and the start output unit may output the start signal if the mobile body is in the predetermined position. In this embodiment, the movement of the mobile body to the work area and the determination of whether the mobile body is in the appropriate position in the work area can be performed automatically, and the work can be started automatically if the mobile body is in the appropriate position. This disclosure can be implemented in forms other than the judgment system described above, such as a server, a mobile device, a judgment method, a program for implementing the judgment method, a non-temporary recording medium on which the program is recorded, or a program product. The program product may be provided, for example, as a recording medium on which the program is recorded, or as a program product that can be distributed via a network. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] An explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of the system in the first embodiment. [Figure 2] A diagram illustrating an example of position determination in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] A flowchart illustrating the processing procedure for vehicle driving control in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] Flowchart of the position adjustment process in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] A diagram illustrating an example of position determination in the second embodiment. [Figure 6] A diagram illustrating the object sensor group in the third embodiment. [Figure 7] An explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of the system in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 8] A flowchart illustrating the processing procedure for vehicle driving control in the fourth embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] A. First Embodiment: Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of system 50 in the first embodiment. System 50 comprises one or more vehicles 100 as mobile bodies, a server 200, one or more external sensors 300, an object sensor group 400, and one or more work devices 500. In this embodiment, system 50 is used as a determination system that performs position determination, which will be described later.

[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, 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 system 50 is used in the factory FC that manufactures the vehicle 100. The reference coordinate system of the factory FC is the global coordinate system GC, and any position within the factory FC can be represented by the coordinates X, Y, and Z in the global coordinate system GC. Note that in FIG. 1, arrows indicating the X, Y, and Z directions orthogonal to each other are shown. The X and Y directions are directions parallel to the horizontal plane, and the Z direction is the direction along the vertically upward direction. The arrows indicating the X, Y, and Z directions are appropriately illustrated in other figures so that the illustrated directions correspond to those in FIG. 1.

[0013] The factory FC includes a first location PL1 and a second location PL2. The first location PL1 and the second location PL2 are connected by a runway TR on which the vehicle 100 can travel. A plurality of external sensors 300 are installed along the runway TR in the factory FC. The positions of each external sensor 300 in the factory FC are adjusted in advance. The vehicle 100 moves from the first location PL1 to the second location PL2 through the runway TR by autonomous driving.

[0014] The first location PL1 and the second location PL2 correspond to workplaces where operations related to the vehicle 100 are performed. The operations may be various operations such as the assembly of the vehicle 100, the assembly of parts to the vehicle 100, the inspection, maintenance, repair, standby, and shipment of the vehicle 100.

[0015] In this embodiment, the operation at the second location PL2 is performed in a state where the vehicle 100 is stopped facing a predetermined direction d1. "The vehicle 100 faces the predetermined direction d1" means that the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100 is along the predetermined direction d1, and the front end of the vehicle 100 is located on the forward side of the predetermined direction d1 with respect to the rear end. The predetermined direction d1 is the direction in which the terminal portion on the second location PL2 side of the runway TR extends toward the second location PL2. More specifically, the predetermined direction d1 is the +X direction. Hereinafter, the front-rear direction and the left-right direction of the vehicle 100 are also simply referred to as the "left-right direction" and the "front-rear direction", respectively.

[0016] Vehicle 100 includes a vehicle control device 110 for controlling each part of vehicle 100, an actuator group 120 including one or more actuators driven under the control of vehicle control device 110, and a communication device 130 for communicating with an external device such as server 200 by wireless communication. The actuator group 120 includes an actuator of a driving device for accelerating vehicle 100, an actuator of a steering device for changing the traveling direction of vehicle 100, and an actuator of a braking device for decelerating vehicle 100.

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

[0018] Object sensor group 400 includes one or more object sensors 401. In the present embodiment, object sensor group 400 includes a plurality of object sensors 401. Object sensor 401 is configured to be able to detect an object. In the present embodiment, object sensor 401 is configured as a presence / absence sensor that can detect the presence or absence of an object. More specifically, object sensor 401 is configured as a photoelectric sensor that non - contact detects the presence or absence of an object by irradiating the object with detection light LD. The detection method of the photoelectric sensor may be arbitrary, such as transmissive type, retro - reflective type, object - reflective type, etc. Each object sensor 401 is arranged at a different position. In the present embodiment, each object sensor 401 is arranged at a second place PL2 as a work place. Hereinafter, the irradiation direction of the detection light LD from object sensor 401 is also simply referred to as the "irradiation direction".

[0019] The object sensor group 400 is used for position determination. Position determination is the determination of whether or not the vehicle 100 is in a predetermined appropriate position. The appropriate position is defined as the position where the vehicle 100 should be located for at least a certain period of time. The appropriate position is used, for example, to carry out various processes related to the vehicle 100 more appropriately. More specifically, the appropriate position is used to carry out work related to the vehicle 100 more appropriately and to control the driving position of the vehicle 100 more precisely.

[0020] The work equipment 500 is placed at the work site. The work equipment 500 is used for work at the work site. In this embodiment, the work equipment 500 is configured to perform work using control signals received from an external device such as a server 200. Figure 1 shows a robot configured to perform work as an example of the work equipment 500. The work equipment 500 is not limited to a robot, but may be various devices and equipment fixed at the work site, such as a roller device described later, or it may be equipment configured to be movable at the work site.

[0021] The vehicle control device 110 is composed of a computer comprising a processor 111, a memory 112, an input / output interface 113, and an internal bus 114. The processor 111, the memory 112, and the input / output interface 113 are connected via the internal bus 114 to enable bidirectional communication. The input / output interface 113 is connected to an actuator group 120 and a communication device 130. The processor 111 implements various functions, including those of a vehicle control unit 115, by executing a program PG1 stored in the memory 112.

[0022] The vehicle control unit 115 drives the vehicle 100 by controlling the actuator group 120. The vehicle control unit 115 can drive the vehicle 100 by controlling the actuator group 120 using the driving control signal received from the server 200. The driving control signal is a control signal for driving the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the driving control signal includes the acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 100 as parameters. In other embodiments, the driving control signal may include the speed of the vehicle 100 as a parameter instead of, or in addition to, the acceleration of the vehicle 100.

[0023] Server 200 is 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 Server 200 is connected to the input / output interface 203. The communication device 205 can communicate with the vehicle 100 and terminal devices 450 owned by the user via wireless communication. The communication device 205 can also communicate with each external sensor 300 via wired or wireless communication. The user refers to the user of System 50 or the factory FC, for example, the manager or worker of the factory FC. Various information such as the program PG2, the detection model DM, and the database DB is stored in memory 202. The processor 201 executes the program PG2 stored in the memory 202 to realize various functions, including those of a remote control unit 210, acquisition unit 215, determination unit 220, judgment unit 225, abnormal output unit 230, and start output unit 235.

[0024] The remote control unit 210 acquires detection results from sensors, 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. In this embodiment, the remote control unit 210 corresponds to the mobile control unit in this disclosure. The mobile control unit moves the mobile body by unmanned operation.

[0025] The acquisition unit 215 acquires vehicle information. The vehicle information is information representing at least one of the type and shape of the vehicle 100. Here, "shape" includes the dimensions of the vehicle 100, such as the width and overall length. The width refers to the external dimensions of the vehicle 100 in the left-right direction, that is, the dimension from the left end to the right end of the vehicle 100. The overall length refers to the external dimensions of the vehicle 100 in the front-rear direction, that is, the dimension from the front end to the rear end of the vehicle 100. The vehicle information may be, for example, individual information of the vehicle 100, or information representing the model, type, and specifications of the vehicle 100. The acquisition unit 215 may acquire identification information entered by the user via various input devices, acquire identification information from a two-dimensional code attached to the vehicle 100, or acquire identification information from a management device that manages the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100. The user refers to a user of the system 50 or the factory FC, for example, a manager or worker of the factory FC. As an input device, for example, a terminal device 450 may be used.

[0026] The determination unit 220 determines the judgment conditions according to the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit 215. The judgment conditions are conditions related to the detection of objects by the object sensor group 400. The judgment conditions are used in position determination. In this embodiment, the judgment conditions represent combination patterns of detection results for the presence or absence of each object sensor 401. Hereinafter, such combination patterns of detection results will also be simply referred to as "detection patterns". For example, the determination unit 220 determines the judgment conditions as the first judgment conditions according to the vehicle information of vehicle 100A. The determination unit 220 also determines the judgment conditions as the second judgment conditions according to the vehicle information of vehicle 100B. The total length LB of vehicle 100B is greater than the total length LA of vehicle 100A. Also, the width WB of vehicle 100B is greater than the width WA of vehicle 100A.

[0027] In this embodiment, the determination unit 220 determines the judgment conditions by referring to the database DB based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit 215. The database DB stores vehicle information for each vehicle 100 and the judgment conditions associated with each vehicle information.

[0028] The determination unit 225 performs position determination using the detection results from the object sensor 401 and the determination conditions determined by the decision unit 220. In this embodiment, the determination unit 225 determines that the vehicle 100 is in the correct position if the detection pattern of the presence or absence of each object sensor 401 matches the detection pattern represented by the determination conditions.

[0029] The abnormality output unit 230 outputs an abnormality signal if the vehicle 100 is not in the correct position. The abnormality signal includes at least one of the following signals: an alert signal and a position change signal.

[0030] An alert signal is a signal used to notify the user of an abnormality. The alert signal is output to various alert devices. These alert devices may be, for example, terminal devices 450, or display devices, speakers, or alarm devices installed in the factory fuel cell.

[0031] The position change signal is a signal for changing the position of the vehicle 100. More specifically, the position change signal is a signal for moving the vehicle 100 to the correct position. The position change signal can also be said to be a signal for correcting the position of the vehicle 100 so that it is in the correct position. In this embodiment, the abnormality output unit 230 outputs a driving control signal as the position change signal. The position change signal is also output to the vehicle 100. In other embodiments, the position change signal does not have to be a signal for moving the vehicle 100 to the correct position; for example, it may be a signal for moving the vehicle 100 away from the work area.

[0032] The start output unit 235 outputs a start signal. The start signal is a signal to start work related to the vehicle 100. The start output unit 235 outputs a start signal when the vehicle 100 is in the correct position. The start output unit 235 does not output a start signal when the vehicle 100 is not in the correct position. For example, if the work is started triggered by the operation of the work equipment 500, the start signal is output to the work equipment 500. Alternatively, if the work is started triggered by the operation of the vehicle 100, such as when unmanned operation of the vehicle 100 is used for the work, the start signal may be output to the vehicle 100.

[0033] Figure 2 illustrates an example of position determination in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, in this embodiment, six object sensors 401, more specifically, object sensors 401A, 401B, 401C, 401D, 401E, and 401F are arranged at the second location PL2.

[0034] In this embodiment, each object sensor 401 is arranged in a line along a predetermined direction d1, that is, along the X direction. Furthermore, each object sensor 401 is arranged so that its respective irradiation direction da is in the same direction. More specifically, each object sensor 401 is arranged so as to face the +Y direction. With this arrangement, the object detection range DR by the object sensor group 400 is set to the region on the +Y direction side of each object sensor 401. The positions of object sensors 401A, 401B, 401C, 401D, 401E, and 401F in the predetermined direction d1 are also referred to as sensor positions PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, PS5, and PS6, respectively. More specifically, the sensor position of a certain object sensor 401 corresponds to the position of the detection light LD of that object sensor 401 in the predetermined direction d1. In Figure 2, the detection light LD is shown by a dashed line.

[0035] In Figure 2, judgment examples J1a and J1b are examples where position determination is performed for vehicle 100A, respectively. Judgment example J2 is an example where position determination is performed for vehicle 100B. In Figure 2, object sensors 401 with a detection result of "present" are hatched with diagonal lines. In Figure 2, object sensors 401 with a detection result of "absent" are shown in white.

[0036] In this embodiment, the first determination condition determined according to the vehicle information of vehicle 100A represents the first presence / absence pattern PP1. That is, in the position determination for vehicle 100A, if the detection pattern of presence or absence of each object sensor 401 matches the first presence / absence pattern PP1, it is determined that vehicle 100A is located in the correct position. The first presence / absence pattern PP1 is a detection pattern in which the detection results of object sensors 401A, 401B, 401C, 401D, 401E, and 401F are absent, absent, present, present, absent, and absent, respectively. In determination example J1a, since the detection pattern matches the first presence / absence pattern PP1, it is determined that vehicle 100A is located in the correct position. On the other hand, in determination example J1b, since the detection pattern is different from the first presence / absence pattern PP1, it is determined that vehicle 100A is not located in the correct position. More specifically, in judgment example J1b, the detection results for object sensors 401A, 401B, 401C, 401D, 401E, and 401F are none, present, present, present, present, none, and none, respectively.

[0037] In this embodiment, the second determination condition, which is determined according to the vehicle information of vehicle 100B, represents the second presence / absence pattern PP2. The second presence / absence pattern PP2 is a pattern in which the detection results of object sensors 401A, 401B, 401C, 401D, 401E, and 401F are absent, present, present, present, present, and absent, respectively. In determination example J2, since the detection pattern matches the second presence / absence pattern PP2, it is determined that vehicle 100B is in the correct position.

[0038] As described above, the inventors of this invention have found that by setting determination conditions in position determination according to the type and shape of the vehicle 100, position determination can be performed with higher accuracy. For example, if common determination conditions are used for vehicles 100A and 100B, which have different shapes, it is difficult to perform accurate position determination for both vehicles 100A and 100B due to the differences in their shapes. In contrast, by setting an appropriate position according to each vehicle 100, the decrease in accuracy of position determination caused by such differences can be suppressed. Furthermore, as a result, it becomes easier to position the vehicle 100 in the appropriate position according to the result of the position determination, and various processes related to the vehicle 100 can be carried out more appropriately.

[0039] In this embodiment, if other objects besides the vehicle 100 are not considered within the detection range DR, a portion of the vehicle 100 is located at the sensor position of the object sensor 401 where the detection result is "present". Conversely, no portion of the vehicle 100 is located at the sensor position of the object sensor 401 where the detection result is "absent" within the detection range DR. As a result, in this embodiment, the vehicle 100 in the correct position is positioned such that a portion of the vehicle 100 is located within the "present" range expressed in the judgment condition, and does not extend into the "absent" range. For example, in the judgment example J1a of Figure 2, the vehicle 100A is located in range RG1 such that a portion of the vehicle 100A is located at sensor positions PS3 and PS4. Range RG1 is the range in the X direction between sensor position PS2 and sensor position PS5, with sensor positions PS2 and PS5 as the boundary. In addition, in judgment example J2, vehicle 100B is located in range RG2 such that a portion of vehicle 100B is located at sensor positions PS2, PS3, PS4, and PS5. Range RG2 is the range in the X direction between sensor position PS1 and sensor position PS6, with sensor positions PS1 and PS6 as the boundary. Note that ranges RG1 and RG2 do not include the boundary. Thus, in this embodiment, by using a plurality of object sensors 401 arranged in line in the X direction for position determination, it is possible to determine whether or not vehicle 100 is located within a predetermined range in the X direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, by using determination conditions that represent presence / absence patterns including not only "absence" but also "presence," the position of vehicle 100 in the correct position can be controlled more precisely.

[0040] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for controlling the movement of the vehicle 100 in the first embodiment. In the processing procedure shown in Figure 3, the processor 201 of the server 200 functions as a remote control unit 210 by executing program PG2. The processor 111 of the vehicle 100 functions as a vehicle control unit 115 by executing program PG1.

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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 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 including the vehicle 100, and labels indicating whether each region in the training image represents the vehicle 100 or a region other than the vehicle 100. During CNN training, it is preferable that the CNN parameters be updated using backpropagation to reduce the error between the output result of the detection model DM and the label. Furthermore, the processor 201 can obtain the orientation of vehicle 100 by, for example, using the optical flow method, estimating the orientation of the vehicle 100's movement vector calculated from the positional changes of the vehicle 100's feature points between frames of the captured image.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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 system 50 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.

[0047] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the position adjustment process in this embodiment. In step S10, the acquisition unit 215 acquires vehicle information of vehicle 100. In step S20, the determination unit 220 determines the determination conditions according to the vehicle information acquired in step S100.

[0048] In step S30, the remote control unit 210 drives the vehicle 100 to the second location PL2 by unmanned operation and stops the vehicle 100 at the second location PL2. In step S30, the remote control unit 210 generates a driving control signal to stop the vehicle 100 at the appropriate position at the second location PL2 and outputs it to the vehicle 100. However, in step S30, the actual position of the vehicle 100 may differ from the assumed position due to environmental factors such as disturbances or internal factors of the system 50 such as communication delays, and the vehicle 100 may not actually stop at the appropriate position.

[0049] In step S40, the determination unit 225 performs a position determination. That is, the position determination in step S40 is performed after the vehicle 100 has stopped at the work site. If the vehicle 100 is in the correct position in step S40, the start output unit 235 outputs a start signal in step S50. The work starts when step S50 is executed. Step S40 may also be triggered by the detection of the vehicle 100 stopping, for example, by an external sensor 300 or an internal sensor mounted on the vehicle 100. This would suppress misjudgments in position determination caused by the movement of the vehicle 100.

[0050] If the vehicle 100 is not in the correct position in step S40, the start signal is not output and steps S60 and S70 are executed. In steps S60 and S70, the abnormality output unit 230 outputs an abnormality signal. More specifically, in step S60, the abnormality output unit 230 outputs a notification signal. Also, in step S70, the abnormality output unit 230 outputs a position change signal. After the completion of step S70, the abnormality output unit 230 returns to step S40. That is, in the second step S40, the position determination is performed again with the position of the vehicle 100 corrected by the position change signal.

[0051] In other embodiments, the determination unit 225 may, for example, after the completion of step S30, determine whether the elapsed time since the vehicle 100 stopped in step S30 is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference time, and if the elapsed time is equal to or greater than the reference time, terminate the position adjustment process without executing step S70. In this case, the abnormality output unit 230 may output a signal to the terminal device 450 or the like to inform the user that the elapsed time is equal to or greater than the reference time. This prevents the position determination from being repeated when the vehicle 100 cannot smoothly position itself in the correct position.

[0052] According to the system 50 of this embodiment described above, whether or not a vehicle 100 is within a reference range is determined using the detection result from the object sensor 401 and the determination conditions determined according to the vehicle information. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not a vehicle 100 is in the correct position for various vehicles 100 of different types and shapes.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the object sensor 401 is configured to detect the presence or absence of an object, and the determination condition represents the detection pattern of the presence or absence of an object for each object sensor 401. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the vehicle 100 is in the correct position using a simple presence or absence sensor such as a photoelectric sensor.

[0054] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an abnormality signal is output if the vehicle 100 is not in the correct position. The abnormality signal includes at least one of a notification signal for reporting the abnormality and a position change signal for changing the position of the vehicle 100. Therefore, for example, the user who is notified of the abnormality by the notification signal, or the device that receives the position change signal, can move the vehicle 100 to the correct position or move the vehicle 100 away from the work area so as not to obstruct the work of subsequent vehicles 100. In this way, the situation when the vehicle 100 is not in the correct position can be dealt with appropriately.

[0055] In the first embodiment, the abnormality output unit 230 may output a position change signal when the magnitude of the pattern difference, which is the difference between the detection result by the object sensor group 400 and the judgment condition, is a first difference, and output a notification signal when the magnitude of the pattern difference is a second difference. The second difference is larger than the first difference. In the first embodiment, the pattern difference is expressed as the number or ratio of detection results in which the presence or absence pattern of the detection result and the presence or absence pattern of the judgment condition do not match. The larger the pattern difference, the higher the probability that the vehicle 100 is located further away from the correct position. That is, if the position of the vehicle 100 when the pattern difference is a first difference is called the first position, and the position of the vehicle 100 when the pattern difference is a second difference is called the second position, then the second position is more likely to be further away from the correct position than the first position. In this way, if the vehicle 100 is relatively close to the correct position, the position of the vehicle 100 can be appropriately corrected by the position change signal without notifying the user of the abnormality, and if the vehicle 100 is relatively far from the correct position, the user can be notified of the abnormality. As a result, compared to, for example, a case where a notification signal is output uniformly when the vehicle 100 is not in the correct position, it is possible to suppress unnecessary notifications of abnormalities when the vehicle 100 can be appropriately corrected by the position change signal.

[0056] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, a position change signal may be output when the magnitude of the pattern difference is a first difference, and a driving control signal for braking the vehicle 100 may be output when the magnitude of the pattern difference is a third difference. The third difference is larger than the first difference. The third difference and the second difference described above may be the same magnitude. In this way, when the vehicle 100 is relatively close to the correct position, the position of the vehicle 100 can be appropriately corrected by the position change signal, and when the vehicle 100 is relatively far from the correct position, the vehicle 100 can be braked. Therefore, compared to a case where the vehicle 100 is uniformly braked when the vehicle 100 is not in the correct position, for example, it is possible to suppress unnecessary braking of the vehicle 100 when appropriate position correction of the vehicle 100 by the position change signal is possible. As a result, for example, the driving of each vehicle 100 and work on each vehicle 100 can be performed more smoothly.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an object sensor group 400 is placed at the work site, and after the vehicle 100 is stopped at the work site by unmanned operation, a position determination is performed. If the vehicle 100 is in the correct position during the position determination, a start signal is output to begin work at the work site. Therefore, the movement of the vehicle 100 to the work site and the position determination can be performed automatically, and work can be started automatically when the vehicle 100 is in the appropriate position.

[0058] In other embodiments, the number of object sensors 401 included in the object sensor group 400 does not have to be 6; it may be 5 or less, or 7 or more. Also, for example, in position determination, instead of using multiple object sensors 401 arranged in the X direction, or in addition to that, multiple object sensors 401 arranged in the Y direction may be used to determine whether the vehicle 100 is located within a predetermined range in the Y direction. This allows for more precise control of the position and angle of the vehicle 100 when it is in the correct position. Furthermore, for example, the orientation determination of the vehicle 100 using an external sensor 300 or an internal sensor may be used in combination with the position determination. In this case, for example, a start signal may be output when the vehicle 100 is in the correct position and its orientation is a predetermined orientation.

[0059] B. Second Embodiment: Figure 5 illustrates an example of position determination in the second embodiment. In this embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the object sensor 402 included in the object sensor group 400b is configured as a distance sensor capable of detecting the distance from the object sensor 402 to an object. The determination condition represents a combination pattern of distance threshold ranges for each object sensor 402. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0060] The object sensor 402 is configured as a distance measuring sensor that detects the distance from the object sensor 402 to an object. The distance measuring method of the distance measuring sensor can be any method, such as optical, radio wave, or ultrasonic. In this embodiment, the object sensor 402 is configured as a laser distance measuring sensor that detects the distance to an object non-contact by irradiating the object with laser light as detection light. Hereinafter, the distance detected by the object sensor 402 will also be referred to as the "detected distance".

[0061] In this embodiment, the object sensor group 400b includes four object sensors 402, more specifically, object sensors 402A, 402B, 402C, and 402D. Object sensors 402A and 402B are arranged in a line along a predetermined direction d1. Object sensors 402A and 402B are arranged so that their respective illumination directions da face the same +Y direction. Object sensors 402C and 402D are arranged in a line along the predetermined direction d1 at the +Y direction position of object sensors 402A and 402B. Object sensors 402C and 402D are arranged so that their respective illumination directions db face the same -Y direction. Furthermore, object sensors 402A and 402B and object sensors 402C and 402D are arranged so that they face each other in the Y direction. With this arrangement, the object detection range DRb by the object sensor group 400b is set to the region on the +Y side of object sensors 402A and 402B, and on the -Y side of object sensors 402C and 402D. In this embodiment, sensor positions PS1 and PS3 are the same, and sensor positions PS2 and PS4 are the same. In other embodiments, sensor positions PS1 and PS3 may be different, and sensor positions PS2 and PS4 may be different.

[0062] More specifically, object sensors 402A and 402B are positioned so that their detection light illuminates the first side of the vehicle 100 when it is facing a predetermined direction d1 in the correct position. Object sensors 402C and 402D are positioned so that their detection light illuminates the second side of the vehicle 100 when it is facing a predetermined direction d1 in the correct position. The second side is the side opposite to the first side. In this embodiment, the first side is the right side and the second side is the left side.

[0063] In Figure 5, determination examples J3a and J3b are examples in which position determination is performed for vehicle 100A, respectively. Determination example J4 is an example in which position determination is performed for vehicle 100B. In this embodiment, the first determination condition determined according to the vehicle information of vehicle 100A represents the first distance pattern PD1. That is, in the position determination for vehicle 100A, if the combination pattern of detection distances of each object sensor 402 matches the first distance pattern PD1, it is determined that vehicle 100A is in the correct position. The first distance pattern PD1 is a detection pattern in which the detection distances of object sensors 402A, 402B, 402C, and 402D are within the first threshold range, second threshold range, third threshold range, and fourth threshold range, respectively. The first threshold range, second threshold range, third threshold range, and fourth threshold range are threshold ranges that include distances DS1, DS2, DS3, and DS4, respectively. In judgment example J3a, the detection pattern matches the first distance pattern PD1, so it is determined that vehicle 100A is in the correct position. On the other hand, in judgment example J3b, the detection pattern is different from the first distance pattern PD1, so it is determined that vehicle 100A is not in the correct position. More specifically, in judgment example J3b, the detection distances of object sensors 402A, 402B, 402C, and 402D are distances DS1, DS2b, DS3, and DS4b, respectively. Distance DS2b is a distance smaller than the second threshold range. Distance DS4b is a distance smaller than the fourth threshold range.

[0064] In this embodiment, the second determination condition, which is determined according to the vehicle information of vehicle 100B, represents the second distance pattern PD2. The second distance pattern PD2 is a detection pattern in which the detection distances of object sensors 402A, 402B, 402C, and 402D are within the fifth threshold range, sixth threshold range, seventh threshold range, and eighth threshold range, respectively. The fifth threshold range, sixth threshold range, seventh threshold range, and eighth threshold range are threshold ranges that include distances DS5, DS6, DS7, and DS8, respectively. In determination example J4, since the detection pattern matches the second distance pattern PD2, it is determined that vehicle 100B is in the correct position.

[0065] According to the system 50 in the second embodiment described above, the object sensor 402 is configured to detect the distance to an object, and the determination condition represents a combination pattern of detected distances for each object sensor 402. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the vehicle 100 is in the correct position using a simple distance measuring sensor such as a laser distance measuring sensor.

[0066] In other embodiments, the number of object sensors 402 included in the object sensor group 400b does not have to be four; it may be three or fewer, or five or more. Also, for example, in the second embodiment, only object sensors 402A and 402B may be used for position determination. That is, only the object sensors 402 arranged so as to illuminate the first side of the vehicle 100 may be used for position determination. However, as described in the second embodiment, using both the object sensor 402 arranged so as to illuminate the first side and the object sensor 402 arranged so as to illuminate the second side for position determination allows for more accurate position determination. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress misdetermination caused by foreign objects other than the vehicle 100.

[0067] In the second embodiment, the abnormality output unit 230 may output a position change signal when the magnitude of the pattern difference, which is the difference between the detection result by the object sensor group 400 and the judgment condition, is a first difference, and output a notification signal when the magnitude of the pattern difference is a second difference. In the second embodiment, the pattern difference is represented, for example, as the maximum value of the difference in detected distance or the average value of the difference in detected distance between the distance pattern as a detection result and the distance pattern as a judgment condition. In the second embodiment, a position change signal may be output when the magnitude of the pattern difference is a first difference, and a driving control signal for braking the vehicle 100 may be output when the magnitude of the pattern difference is a third difference.

[0068] C. Third Embodiment: Figure 6 illustrates the object sensor group 400c in the third embodiment. In this embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the object sensor group 400c is located on the work equipment 500b, which is a roller device installed at the second location PL2. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0069] The work equipment 500b is installed at the second location PL2. The work equipment 500b is configured as an inspection device for inspecting the vehicle 100. The work equipment 500b comprises a roller 510, a device control unit 520, and a device sensor 530.

[0070] The rollers 510 are installed, for example, on the road surface of the work area or on a platform on which the vehicle 100 is placed, so that the vehicle 100 can travel over the rollers 510. The rollers 510 are configured to rotate while supporting the wheels 101 of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the work equipment 500b has a roller unit 511 for each wheel 101. In this embodiment, the roller unit 511 has two rollers 510, a front roller 510A and a rear roller 510B. The front roller 510A is positioned on the +X side of the rear roller 510B. That is, the work equipment 500b is configured to support each wheel 101 with two rollers 510, and has a total of eight rollers 510. In Figure 6, the rollers 510 are hatched. In this embodiment, the work equipment 500b is used with each wheel 101 of the vehicle 100 facing the +X direction supported by each roller unit 511. In other embodiments, a single roller unit 511 may be provided for each pair of front wheels and each pair of rear wheels, configured to support both left and right wheels 101 together. Furthermore, the roller unit 511 may be configured, for example, to support one front wheel with a roller 510 and one rear wheel with two rollers 510, or to support one front wheel with two rollers 510 and one rear wheel with two rollers 510.

[0071] The equipment control unit 520 is configured, for example, by a computer and controls various parts of the work equipment 500b. The equipment sensors 530 include, for example, a rotation speed sensor for detecting the rotation speed of the roller 510 and a braking force sensor for detecting the braking force of the vehicle 100 on the roller 510.

[0072] The work device 500b has at least one of a first function and a second function. The first function is to inspect the vehicle 100 by rotating the roller 510 in accordance with the rotation of the wheel 101 on the roller 510. The second function is to inspect the vehicle 100 by rotating the roller 510 in accordance with the rotation of the wheel 101 on the roller 510. The first function is used, for example, to inspect the running condition of the vehicle 100 or to inspect the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100. A roller device having the first function is also called a "drum tester". The second function is used, for example, to inspect the braking performance of the vehicle 100. A roller device having the second function is also called a "brake tester". A roller device having the second function is equipped, for example, with one or more motors for driving the roller 510 to rotate and a braking force sensor.

[0073] As shown in Figure 6, in this embodiment, object sensors 401A, 401B, 401C, and 401D are provided corresponding to each roller unit 511. Furthermore, each object sensor 402 is positioned so that detection light LD is irradiated onto the wheel 101 on the roller 510 through the gap GP between the front roller 510A and the rear roller 510B of each roller unit 511. More specifically, as shown in the upper part of Figure 6, the detection light LD is irradiated onto the tip of the portion of each wheel 101 that protrudes downward from the body of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, object sensors 402A and 402B are positioned so that their respective irradiation directions da are both in the -Y direction. The detection light LD from object sensors 402A and 402B is irradiated from the +Y direction onto the left side of each wheel 101 on the right side of the vehicle 100. Object sensors 402C and 402D are positioned so that their respective irradiation directions db are both in the +Y direction. The detection light LDs from object sensors 402A and 402B are shone from the positive and negative directions onto the right side of each wheel 101 on the left side of the vehicle 100.

[0074] In the third embodiment, the position adjustment process shown in Figure 4 is performed, similar to the first embodiment. For example, in step S30, the remote control unit 210 stops the vehicle 100 at the second location PL2 so that each wheel 101 is positioned on each roller 510 of the work equipment 500, which is a roller device. In step S50, the start output unit 235 transmits a start signal to at least one of the vehicle 100 and the work equipment 500b. For example, if a start signal is transmitted to the work equipment 500b, the equipment control unit 520 uses the received start signal as a trigger to start an inspection using the rollers 510.

[0075] The system 50 in the third embodiment described above can accurately determine whether or not a vehicle 100 of different types and shapes is in the correct position. In this embodiment, the object sensor group 400c is arranged on the roller device so that the detection light LD is irradiated onto the wheel 101 on the roller 510 through the gap GP between the front roller 510A and the rear roller 510B. This allows for accurate determination of whether or not the vehicle 100 on the roller 510 is in the correct position, and also allows for a more space-saving configuration of the roller device and the object sensor group 400c compared to a configuration where the roller device and the object sensor group 400c are arranged separately. In other embodiments, the object sensor 401, which is a presence / absence sensor as described in the first embodiment, may be arranged on the work equipment 500b, which is the roller device.

[0076] D. Fourth Embodiment: Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of system 50v in the fourth embodiment. In this embodiment, system 50v differs from the first embodiment in that it does not have a server 200. Also, in this embodiment, vehicle 100 can be driven by autonomous control of vehicle 100. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0077] In this embodiment, the processor 111 of the vehicle control device 110 functions as a vehicle control unit 115v, acquisition unit 215, determination unit 220, judgment unit 225, abnormality output unit 230, and start output unit 235 by executing the program PG1 stored in the memory 112. The vehicle control unit 115v acquires the output results from the sensors, generates a driving control signal using the output results, and outputs the generated driving control signal to operate the actuator group 120, thereby enabling the vehicle 100 to be driven autonomously. The vehicle control unit 115v in this embodiment corresponds to the movement control unit in this disclosure. In this embodiment, in addition to the program PG1, the memory 112 has a detection model DM, a reference path RR, and a database DB pre-stored in it. In this embodiment, the communication device 130 is configured to communicate with various external devices such as each external sensor 300 and terminal device 450.

[0078] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for vehicle 100 driving control in the fourth embodiment. In the processing procedure shown in Figure 8, the processor 111 of the vehicle 100 functions as a vehicle control unit 115v by executing the program PG1.

[0079] In step S901, 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 S902, the processor 111 determines the target position to which the vehicle 100 should next go. In step S903, the processor 111 generates a driving control signal to drive the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. In step S904, the processor 111 controls the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal 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 actuators at a predetermined cycle. According to the system 50v 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 200.

[0080] In this embodiment, the position adjustment process shown in Figure 4 is performed by the processor 111 of the vehicle 100. For example, in step S30, the vehicle control unit 115v of the vehicle 100 stops the vehicle 100 at the work site through autonomous control. Also, in step S70, the abnormality output unit 230 of the vehicle 100 corrects the position of the vehicle 100 by operating the actuator group 120 using, for example, a driving control signal to stop the vehicle 100 at the correct position.

[0081] The system 50v in the fourth embodiment described above can accurately determine whether or not various vehicles 100 are in the correct position. In the fourth embodiment, the object sensor group 400 may be configured in the same way as in the first embodiment, the same way as in the second embodiment, or the same way as in the third embodiment.

[0082] E. Other embodiments: (E1) In each of the above embodiments, the object sensor group 400 may include, for example, a presence / absence sensor and a distance measuring sensor. That is, a presence / absence sensor and a distance measuring sensor may be used for position determination.

[0083] (E2) In each of the above embodiments, an abnormal signal is output if the vehicle 100 is not in the correct position, but an abnormal signal does not have to be output. In this case, the system 50 may be configured to simply output the position determination result, for example, when the vehicle 100 is not in the correct position, or regardless of whether the vehicle 100 is in the correct position or not. Also in this case, the system 50 does not have to be equipped with an abnormal output unit 230.

[0084] (E3) In each of the above embodiments, a start signal is output when the vehicle 100 is in the correct position, but a start signal does not have to be output. In this case, for example, the operation may be started manually by a user who has confirmed that the vehicle 100 is in the correct position. Also in this case, the system 50 does not have to be equipped with a start output unit 235.

[0085] (E4) In each of the above embodiments, the object sensor group 400 is placed in the work area and an appropriate position is set within the work area, but it is not limited to this. For example, the object sensor group 400 may be placed on or near the track TR and an appropriate position may be set on the track TR.

[0086] (E5) In the above embodiment, the position determination is performed when the vehicle 100 is stopped, but it is not limited to this, and for example, the position determination may be performed when the vehicle 100 is moving.

[0087] (E6) In each of the above embodiments, various functional units in the system 50, such as the acquisition unit 215, the determination unit 220, the judgment unit 225, the abnormal output unit 230, and the start output unit 235, may be provided in the vehicle 100. In this case, as described in the fourth embodiment, all of the acquisition unit 215, the determination unit 220, the judgment unit 225, the abnormal output unit 230, and the start output unit 235 may be provided in the vehicle 100, or some of these functional units may be provided in the vehicle 100. In addition, in the system 50, some or all of these functional units may be provided in external devices, for example, the server 200 and the vehicle 100.

[0088] (E7) 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, a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) device. 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 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.

[0089] For example, a LiDAR device may be used as the object sensor 401. In this case, the LiDAR device as the external sensor 300 may be used as the object sensor 401. Also, if the object sensor 401 is configured to detect multiple locations on a single object with a single sensor, such as a LiDAR device, only a single object sensor 401 may be used for position determination. Even in this case, it is possible to perform position determination using the determination condition as a presence / absence pattern described in the first embodiment, or position determination using the determination condition as a distance pattern described in the second embodiment.

[0090] (E8) 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.

[0091] (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.

[0092] (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.

[0093] (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. Examples of internal sensors include cameras, LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic sensors, GPS sensors, acceleration sensors, 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 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 driving control signal when generating a driving control signal.

[0094] (E9) In the fourth 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.

[0095] (E10) In the fourth 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. Furthermore, all the functional configurations of the system 50v may be provided in the vehicle 100. That is, the processing realized by the system 50v in this disclosure may be realized by the vehicle 100 alone.

[0096] (E11) 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.

[0097] (E12) 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 take 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, at least some of the exterior parts such as the bumper and fender attached, and 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.

[0098] (E13) 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.

[0099] (E14) 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.

[0100] In each of the above embodiments, some or all of the functions and processes implemented in software may be implemented in hardware. Conversely, 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.

[0101] 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]

[0102] 50, 50V... System, 100, 100A, 100B... Vehicle, 101... Wheel, 110... Vehicle control device, 111... Processor, 112... Memory, 113... Input / Output interface, 114... Internal bus, 115, 115V... Vehicle control unit, 120... Actuator group, 130... Communication device, 200... Server, 201... Processor, 202... Memory, 203... Input / Output interface, 204... Internal bus, 205... Communication device 510…Remote control unit, 215…Acquisition unit, 220…Decision unit, 225…Judgment unit, 230…Abnormal output unit, 235…Start output unit, 300…External sensor, 400, 400b, 400c…Object sensor group, 401, 402…Object sensor, 450…Terminal device, 500, 500b…Work equipment, 510…Roller, 510A…Front roller, 510B…Rear roller, 511…Roller unit, 520…Equipment control unit, 530…Equipment sensor

Claims

1. A mobile vehicle that can be moved by unmanned operation, A sensor configured to detect objects, An acquisition unit that acquires mobile body information representing at least one of the type and shape of the mobile body, A determination unit that determines the determination conditions according to the aforementioned moving body information, A determination system comprising: a determination unit that determines whether or not the moving object is at a predetermined position using the detection result from the sensor and the determination conditions.

2. A determination system according to claim 1, The aforementioned sensors are provided in multiple quantities, The aforementioned multiple sensors are each placed in different positions. The plurality of sensors are configured to detect the presence or absence of the object, The determination conditions represent a determination system that indicates the detection pattern of the presence or absence of the object for each sensor.

3. A determination system according to claim 1, The aforementioned sensors are provided in multiple quantities, The aforementioned multiple sensors are each placed in different positions. The plurality of sensors are configured to detect the distance to the object, The determination condition is a determination system that represents a pattern of the threshold range of the distance for each sensor.

4. The determination system according to claim 1, further, A determination system comprising an abnormality output unit that outputs an abnormality signal including at least one of a signal for notifying an abnormality and a signal for changing the position of the moving body when the moving body is not in the predetermined position.

5. A determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further, A movement control unit that moves the mobile body by the aforementioned unmanned operation, It includes a start output unit that outputs a start signal for initiating work on the aforementioned mobile body, The sensor is placed in the work area where the work is performed. The determination unit determines whether the mobile body is in the predetermined position after it has been stopped at the work site by the unmanned operation. The start output unit is a determination system that outputs the start signal when the moving body is in the predetermined position.

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