Vehicle control system

Abstract

To improve operator efficiency by optimizing the stopping positions of autonomous, unmanned vehicles in various situations. [Solution] The control system 1 is a control system for a vehicle 2 capable of automatic driving, and includes a vehicle stop instruction unit 64a that gives a stop instruction to the vehicle 2, and a terminal 3 that communicates with the vehicle 2 and enables remote operation by operator A, and the vehicle stop instruction unit 64a has a first stop mode that stops the vehicle 2 at the timing when it receives an operation from operator A, a second stop mode that stops the vehicle 2 according to the position of operator A at the timing when it receives an operation from operator A, and a third stop mode that stops the vehicle at a preset designated stop position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a control system for a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as one of the special vehicles equipped with a work unit where an operator performs work, a garbage truck (dust collection truck) equipped with a garbage inlet as a work unit is known. In the garbage truck, an operator performs the work of throwing garbage into the garbage inlet. On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, on the condition that there is no person (operator) near the garbage inlet, by increasing the operating speed of the movable device that pushes the garbage into the storage box, it is proposed to improve the work efficiency while ensuring safety.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent years, driving a vehicle having the above-described work unit without a driver by autonomous driving has been studied and tested. If such driverless driving is realized, since it is not necessary for an operator to repeatedly board and alight for driving the vehicle and working on the work unit, it is expected that the work efficiency will be improved.

[0005] Such a driverless vehicle may be considered to stop at a preset parking position, or in the case of a garbage truck, to recognize garbage with a camera or a sensor and stop at the garbage accumulation location. However, there is a possibility that it is not necessarily the optimal place for the vehicle to stop depending on the road environment and the work environment, and there is room for further improvement.

[0006] The purpose of this disclosure is to address the above-mentioned challenges and to optimize the stopping position of autonomously driven unmanned vehicles in various situations, thereby improving the work efficiency of operators. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This disclosure is made to solve at least some of the aforementioned problems and can be implemented in the following embodiments or applications.

[0008] (1) The vehicle control system according to this application example is a vehicle control system capable of autonomous driving, and includes a vehicle stop instruction unit that issues a stop instruction to the vehicle, and a terminal that communicates with the vehicle and enables remote operation by an operator, and the vehicle stop instruction unit is capable of issuing stop instructions in at least two of the following stop modes: a first stop mode that stops the vehicle at the timing when it receives an operation from the operator, a second stop mode that stops the vehicle according to the operator's position at the timing when it receives an operation from the operator, and a third stop mode that stops the vehicle at a preset designated stop position.

[0009] In this application example, the vehicle stop instruction unit, which issues a stop command to an autonomously driving vehicle, has multiple stop modes with different stopping positions, allowing the operator to easily select a stop that suits the situation at the time. As a result, according to this application example, the stopping position of an autonomously driven vehicle can be optimized in various situations, thereby improving the operator's work efficiency.

[0010] (2) In the vehicle control system according to the application example of (1) above, the vehicle has a forward situation recognition unit capable of recognizing the situation in front of the vehicle, and in the third stop mode, the designated stop position is the stop candidate location recognized by the forward situation recognition unit from among a plurality of preset stop candidate locations. In this way, in the third stop mode, a plurality of stop candidate locations are stored, and the stop candidate location recognized by the vehicle's forward situation recognition unit is designated as the stop position, making it easy to identify the stop position.

[0011] (3) In the vehicle control system according to the application example of (2) above, in the third stop mode, if there are multiple candidate stop locations recognized by the forward situation recognition unit from among the multiple candidate stop locations, the vehicle stop instruction unit sets the candidate stop location closest to the vehicle as the designated stop position. This makes it possible to stop the vehicle at an appropriate location even when multiple candidate stop locations are recognized.

[0012] (4) In the vehicle control system according to the application example of (2) above, the vehicle stop instruction unit accepts the operation of the third stop mode only when the vehicle has a third stop mode among the stop modes and the forward situation recognition unit recognizes the candidate stop location. This makes it easy for the operator to confirm whether the vehicle has recognized the candidate stop location and helps to suppress erroneous operation by the operator.

[0013] (5) In the vehicle control system according to the application example of (1) above, in the second stop mode, the vehicle is stopped so that the rear end of the vehicle is at the position of the operator at the time the operation from the operator is received. In this way, in the second stop mode, the rear end of the vehicle is automatically stopped at the position of the operator, allowing the operator to easily perform work at the rear of the vehicle.

[0014] (6) In the vehicle control system according to the application example of (1) above, the terminal includes a display information generation unit that generates operation image information in which the operation icon for the first stop mode is displayed larger than the operation icons for the other stop modes when the terminal has a first stop mode among the stop modes. Since the first stop mode is a stop instruction of relatively high urgency, displaying it larger than the operation icons for the other stop modes makes it easier for the operator to recognize and operate. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the vehicle control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This block diagram shows the control configuration of the vehicle control system according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] These are example images (a) and (b) of the operation images displayed on the operator's terminal. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows the control procedures performed by the vehicle control system of this embodiment. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram of the first stop mode. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram for the second stop mode. [Figure 7] This is an explanatory diagram for the third stop mode. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle control system according to this embodiment, Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the vehicle control system according to this embodiment, and Figure 3 shows example images (a) and (b) of operation images displayed on the operator's terminal. The configuration of the vehicle control system of this embodiment will be described below based on these figures.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle control system 1 of the present embodiment includes an electric work vehicle (hereinafter referred to as vehicle 2) and a terminal 3 operated by operator A. In the vehicle control system 1 of the present embodiment, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, there is one operator A and one terminal 3, but it may include a plurality of operators and a plurality of terminals.

[0018] First, the structure of vehicle 2 will be described.

[0019] Vehicle 2 is an electric vehicle having a vehicle body 10, a mounting body 20 mounted on the vehicle body 10, a PTO unit 30 for driving the mounting body 20, an automatic driving device 40 for automatic driving, a VCU 50, and a vehicle storage unit 51, and is a work vehicle for performing specific work. In the present embodiment, vehicle 2 is a garbage collection vehicle (so-called garbage collection truck). The vehicle control system according to the present embodiment is applicable not only to garbage trucks but also to other work vehicles such as refrigerated trucks, dump trucks, mixer trucks, fire trucks, or crane trucks.

[0020] The vehicle body 10 includes a main frame 11, a battery 12, a driving unit 13 for traveling, wheels 14, and a cab 15.

[0021] The main frame 11 is a frame that supports the cab 15, the mounting body 20, and other heavy objects mounted on the vehicle body 10. The battery 12 is a power supply source that supplies power necessary for driving the vehicle body 10 and driving electric auxiliaries mounted on the vehicle 2. The driving unit 13 for traveling is a mechanism that converts the power supplied from the battery 12 into traveling power by a traveling motor and transmits it to the wheels 14. The wheels 14 are suspended on the main frame 11 and include front wheels 14F provided below the cab 15 in the vehicle height direction (Z direction in the figure) and rear wheels 14R driven by the driving unit 13 for traveling. The cab 15 is a structure including a driver's seat and the like, and is provided at the front part of the main frame 11 in the vehicle longitudinal direction (X direction in the figure).

[0022] The body 20 is a rubbish collection unit in which one or more operators A perform rubbish collection work from outside the vehicle, and has a cargo box section 21 and an input section 22.

[0023] The cargo box section 21 is the part that stores the garbage that is loaded into it. The cargo box section 21 also has a mechanism for discharging the stored garbage. For example, in the case of a so-called push-type garbage truck, a discharge plate is provided inside the cargo box section 21 that discharges the garbage by moving from the front of the vehicle (the back of the cargo box) towards the rear of the vehicle. Also, for example, in the case of a so-called dump-type garbage truck, a tilt mechanism is provided that lifts the front of the cargo box section 21 upward relative to the main frame.

[0024] The input section 22 has an input opening into which garbage is fed, and has a mechanism inside that collects the garbage and transfers it into the cargo box section 21. For example, in the case of a so-called press-type garbage truck, the input section 22 has a compression plate inside, and the fed-in garbage is compressed by the compression plate and transferred into the cargo box section 21. Alternatively, for example, in the case of a so-called roll-up type garbage truck, the input section 22 has a rotating plate inside, and the fed-in garbage is collected by the rotating plate and transferred into the cargo box section 21.

[0025] The PTO unit 30 converts power supplied from the battery 12 into rotational power to drive the various mechanisms of the body 20. Specifically, the PTO unit 30 includes a body motor 31 that is rotationally driven by power from the battery 12, and a hydraulic pump 33 that is driven by the rotational power of the body motor 31 transmitted via a belt 32.

[0026] The autonomous driving equipment 40 includes a vehicle communication unit 41, multiple cameras 42 for recognizing the situation around the vehicle, and an autonomous driving control unit 43 for controlling autonomous driving.

[0027] The vehicle communication unit 41 is a device capable of communicating with external devices such as the terminal 3, and in this embodiment, it is a wireless LAN transceiver.

[0028] Cameras 42 are installed on the left and right sides of the front and the left and right sides of the rear of the vehicle 2. Each camera 42 captures images (including still images and moving images) of the area around the vehicle 2. In addition, the cameras 42 may be capable of measuring the distance from the camera 42 to objects in the image, i.e., the distance from the vehicle 2, and outputting it as distance image data.

[0029] Specifically, camera 42FR (not shown), located on the front right side of the vehicle, captures images of the front and right side of vehicle 2; camera 42FL, located on the front left side of vehicle, captures images of the front and left side of vehicle 2; and camera 42RR (not shown), located on the rear right side of vehicle, and camera 42RL, located on the rear left side of vehicle, capture images of the rear of vehicle. Cameras 42FR and 42FL, located on the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle, are also pointed towards the cab 15, allowing them to capture people (such as operator A) getting in and out of the cab 15. Cameras 42RR and 42RL, located on the left and right sides of the rear of the vehicle, are also pointed towards the input opening of the input section 22, allowing them to capture the process of garbage being input. Hereafter, these four cameras 42FR, 42FL, 42RR, and 42RL may be collectively referred to as cameras 42.

[0030] The automatic driving control unit 43 is a control unit that controls the automatic driving of vehicle 2. More specifically, the automatic driving control unit 43 is a computer equipped with a central processing unit (CPU), main memory (ROM, RAM, etc.) used for storing control programs and control maps, input / output devices, timer counters, etc. The automatic driving control unit 43 is connected to various devices such as the vehicle communication unit 41, each camera 42, VCU 50, vehicle memory unit 51, PTO unit 30, etc., via the vehicle's internal communication network, CAN (Control Area Network).

[0031] The automatic driving control unit 43 can execute an automatic driving program that controls the driving drive unit 13 and other components to drive the unmanned vehicle 2 without human intervention in steering, acceleration, or braking. For example, the automatic driving control unit 43 in this embodiment has functions such as making the vehicle 2 follow an operator A walking in front of the vehicle 2, making the vehicle travel along a pre-registered route that visits garbage collection points, and making the vehicle take evasive action when it detects a person or obstacle in front of it. The automatic driving control unit 43 also has a function to stop the vehicle 2 in response to a stop command from the terminal 3.

[0032] Furthermore, the automatic driving control unit 43 includes a surrounding situation recognition unit 43a (forward situation recognition unit) that recognizes the situation around the vehicle 2, and a stop position setting unit 43b for automatically stopping the vehicle 2.

[0033] The surrounding environment recognition unit 43a has the function of recognizing objects around the vehicle from images captured by each of the cameras 42 described above. Specifically, the surrounding environment recognition unit 43a has a trained model (so-called AI: Artificial Intelligence) that has been trained to recognize objects such as people (including operator A), roads, other vehicles, buildings, garbage collection points, etc. from images. In this embodiment, the surrounding environment recognition unit 43a recognizes a person getting in and out of the cab 15 as operator A using the cameras 42FR and 42FL in front of the vehicle, and can measure the distance from the vehicle 2 to operator A continuously or periodically.

[0034] The stop position setting unit 43b has the function of automatically stopping (bringing to a halt) the vehicle 2 at a stop position corresponding to the stop instruction given from terminal 3. The specific stop position will be described later.

[0035] Vehicle 2 is also equipped with a VCU (Vehicle Control Unit) 50 for controlling all aspects of the vehicle other than autonomous driving. The VCU 50 is a computer that includes a central processing unit (CPU), main memory (ROM, RAM, etc.) for storing control programs and control maps, input / output devices, timer counters, etc. The VCU 50 is connected to various devices and other control units mounted on Vehicle 2 via a vehicle communication network called CAN (Control Area Network).

[0036] The vehicle storage unit 51 is a device capable of storing various types of information, such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), optical disc, or USB memory. In this embodiment, the vehicle storage unit 51 stores map information including the garbage collection route that the vehicle 2, which is a garbage truck, travels. The garbage collection route includes location information of garbage collection points, information on candidate stopping points corresponding to those garbage collection points, and image information of those garbage collection points to recognize them.

[0037] Next, we will explain the configuration of terminal 3.

[0038] Terminal 3 is an information terminal that communicates with vehicle 2 and enables remote operation by operator A, and can be, for example, a smartphone, smartwatch, smart glasses, tablet, mobile phone, etc. In this embodiment, terminal 3 will be described using a smartphone owned by operator A as an example. Operator A can operate terminal 3 by holding it in their hand, or by wearing it on their arm and operating it.

[0039] Terminal 3 includes a terminal communication unit 61, a display unit 62, a terminal storage unit 63, and a terminal control unit 64.

[0040] The terminal communication unit 61 is a device capable of communicating with external devices such as the vehicle communication unit 41 of the vehicle 2, and in this embodiment, it is a wireless LAN transceiver.

[0041] The display unit 62 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, and is configured to display various types of information. Furthermore, the display unit 62 is a touch panel and also serves as the operating unit for the terminal 3.

[0042] The terminal storage unit 63 is a device capable of storing various types of information, such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), optical disc, or USB memory. The terminal storage unit 63 in this embodiment stores information related to the three stop modes described later.

[0043] The terminal control unit 64 is a control unit that controls terminal 3. More specifically, the terminal control unit 64 is a computer equipped with a central processing unit (CPU), main memory (ROM, RAM, etc.) used for storing control programs and control maps, input / output devices, timer counters, etc. The terminal control unit 64 is communicated with the aforementioned terminal communication unit 61, display unit 62, and terminal storage unit 63.

[0044] The terminal control unit 64 communicates with the vehicle 2's automatic driving control unit 43 and can understand the vehicle 2's automatic driving status. For example, the terminal control unit 64 can acquire recognition information of the surrounding environment of vehicle 2 recognized by the surrounding environment recognition unit 43a. This surrounding environment recognition information includes, for example, image information captured by each camera 42, recognition information of operator A, recognition information of garbage collection points, etc.

[0045] Furthermore, the terminal control unit 64 can execute a start instruction program in which operator A instructs vehicle 2 to start following via terminal 3, and a stop instruction program instructing vehicle 2 to stop driving during automatic driving. In particular, the terminal control unit 64 of this embodiment has a vehicle stop instruction unit 64a and a display information generation unit 64b.

[0046] The vehicle stop instruction unit 64a has a set of stop instruction modes that are pre-assigned to the vehicle 2, and in this embodiment, it has three stop modes with different stopping positions. The vehicle stop instruction unit 64a has the function of issuing a stop instruction to the vehicle 2 via the terminal communication unit 61, according to the stop mode selected by operator A.

[0047] Specifically, the first stop mode is a stop mode in which vehicle 2 is stopped at the moment an operation is received from operator A.

[0048] The second stop mode is a stopping mode in which vehicle 2 is stopped according to the position of operator A at the time the operation from operator A is received. Specifically, in the second stop mode, vehicle 2 is stopped so that the rear end of vehicle 2 is positioned at the position of operator A at the time the operation from operator A is received.

[0049] The third stop mode is a stop mode in which vehicle 2 is stopped at a pre-set designated stop position. More specifically, in the third stop mode, the vehicle stop instruction unit 64a acquires stop candidate location information corresponding to garbage collection points stored in the vehicle memory unit 51 and sets stop candidate locations. From these multiple stop candidate locations, the vehicle stop instruction unit 64a designates the stop candidate location recognized in front of the vehicle by the vehicle's surrounding situation recognition unit 43a as the designated stop position and stops the vehicle 2 there. More specifically, in the third stop mode, if there are multiple stop candidate locations recognized by the surrounding situation recognition unit 43a from among the multiple stop candidate locations, the vehicle stop instruction unit 64a designates the stop candidate location closest to vehicle 2 as the designated stop position.

[0050] The display information generation unit 64b has the function of generating display information to be displayed on the display unit 62. For example, when the vehicle 2 is stopped, the display information generation unit 64b generates operation image information for issuing a start command to the vehicle 2 and displays it on the display unit 62. In addition, the display information generation unit 64b in this embodiment generates operation image information for operator A to issue a stop command. The display information generation unit 64b generates operation image information that allows operator A, who is performing garbage collection work, to easily select a stop mode. For example, the display information generation unit 64b generates operation image information that accepts operation for the third stop mode only when the vehicle 2's surrounding situation recognition unit 43a recognizes a candidate stop location. Furthermore, the display information generation unit 64b generates operation image information that displays the operation icon for the first stop mode, which may be a stop command of high urgency, larger than the operation icons for other stop modes. Specific operation images will be explained based on the image examples (a) and (b) in Figure 3.

[0051] Figure 3(a) shows an image of the operation when all three stop modes are selectable. As shown in the figure, the display unit 62 of terminal 3 displays the first icon B1 on the left side of the screen, which is an operation icon for selecting the first stop mode; the second icon B2 on the lower right side of the screen, which is an operation icon for selecting the second stop mode; and the third icon B3 on the upper right side of the screen, which is an operation icon for selecting the third stop mode.

[0052] Each icon is roughly rectangular, but the first icon B1 is displayed to occupy a larger area than the other icons, the second icon B2 and the third icon B3. In particular, the first icon B1 in this embodiment occupies more than twice the area of ​​the second icon B2 and the third icon B3.

[0053] The first icon B1 displays the words "STOP NOW" in two lines, indicating that vehicle 2 should be stopped immediately. The second icon B2 displays the word "HERE," indicating that operator A should stop at their current location. The third icon B3 displays a trash can symbol, representing a garbage collection point, indicating that the vehicle should be stopped at the garbage collection point. While the display format is not limited to these examples, using different representations for each icon makes it easier to distinguish between different stopping modes and helps prevent accidental operation.

[0054] Figure 3(b) shows an image of the operation when the surrounding situation recognition unit 43a of vehicle 2 has not recognized a candidate stop location. In this figure, the third icon B3 on the upper right side of the screen is not displayed on the display unit 62 of terminal 3 (shown by a dashed line), and it is not accepting operations from operator A. When a candidate stop location is recognized by the surrounding situation recognition unit 43a, the display information generation unit 64b switches to the image in Figure 3(a), and the vehicle stop instruction unit 64a begins to accept operations for the third stop mode.

[0055] Figure 4 shows a flowchart illustrating the control performed by the vehicle control system of this embodiment. The vehicle's starting and stopping control performed by the vehicle control system will be explained with reference to the explanatory diagrams for each stopping mode in Figures 5 to 7. Note that the flowchart in Figure 4 starts from the state where vehicle 2 is stopped, that is, the vehicle 2 is in the starting standby state.

[0056] First, in step S1, the terminal control unit 64 determines whether or not it has received a follow-up operation from operator A. If the result of this determination is true (Yes), and there is no operation from operator A, the flowchart is returned. On the other hand, if the result of this determination is true (Yes), that is, if operator A has given a start command operation, the terminal control unit 64 proceeds to the next step S2.

[0057] In step S2, the terminal control unit 64 instructs the vehicle 2 to start moving for follow-me driving. When follow-me driving begins, the terminal control unit 64 displays an operation image for stopping, generated by the display information generation unit 64b, on the display unit 62.

[0058] In the following step S3, the terminal control unit 64 determines whether or not it has received a stop operation from operator A. That is, it determines whether or not operator A has selected one of the first to third stop modes. If the first stop mode is selected, the terminal control unit 64 proceeds to step S4; if the second stop mode is selected, it proceeds to step S5; and if the third stop mode is selected, it proceeds to step S6.

[0059] In step S4, the vehicle stop instruction unit 64a of the terminal control unit 64 issues a stop instruction to the vehicle 2 using the first stop mode. In this case, as shown in Figure 5, the vehicle 2 stops immediately when operator A selects the first stop mode. Specifically, when the automatic driving control unit 43 of the vehicle 2 receives a stop instruction using the first stop mode from terminal 3, the stop position setting unit 43b sets a designated stop position at a position where the vehicle can stop with a predetermined deceleration and stops the vehicle.

[0060] In step S5, the vehicle stop instruction unit 64a of the terminal control unit 64 issues a stop instruction to vehicle 2 using the second stop mode. In this case, as shown in Figure 6, vehicle 2 travels until its rear end is at position A1, where operator A was when operator A selected the second stop mode, and then stops. Specifically, when the automatic driving control unit 43 of vehicle 2 receives a stop instruction using the second stop mode from terminal 3, the stop position setting unit 43b measures the distance to operator A (distance to position A1), sets the position where the rear end of vehicle 2 is at position A1 as the designated stop position, and stops the vehicle.

[0061] In step S6, the vehicle stop instruction unit 64a of the terminal control unit 64 issues a stop instruction to vehicle 2 using the third stop mode. In this case, as shown in Figure 7, when operator A selects the third stop mode, vehicle 2 travels to the nearest stop candidate location D1 corresponding to the nearest garbage collection point C1 in front of vehicle 2 and stops. Specifically, when the automatic driving control unit 43 of vehicle 2 receives a stop instruction using the third stop mode from terminal 3, the stop position setting unit 43b sets the nearest stop candidate location D1 to vehicle 2 among the stop candidate locations D1 and D2 corresponding to the garbage collection points C1 and C2 in front of vehicle 2, which are recognized by the surrounding situation recognition unit 43a, as the designated stop position and stops the vehicle.

[0062] Then, the terminal control unit 64 performs one of the processes from steps S4 to S6 and then proceeds to step S7. In step S7, the terminal control unit 64 confirms that vehicle 2 has stopped and returns this flowchart. The stopping of vehicle 2 may be confirmed by obtaining information about the stopping of vehicle 2 from, for example, the vehicle 2's automatic driving control unit 43 or VCU 50, or by operator A confirming the stopping and performing a stop confirmation operation on terminal 3.

[0063] In this embodiment, the control system 1 has a vehicle stop instruction unit 64a at terminal 3 that issues a stop command to the automatically driving vehicle 2, and has multiple stop modes with different stopping positions. This allows operator A to easily select a stop that suits the situation at the time. As a result, the stopping position of the automatically driving vehicle 2 can be optimized in various situations, and operator A's work efficiency can be improved.

[0064] Furthermore, in the control system 1 of this embodiment, in the third stop mode, the stop candidate location recognized by the surrounding situation recognition unit 43a from among a plurality of stop candidate locations corresponding to the garbage collection site is designated as the stop position. In this way, multiple stop candidate locations are stored in the third stop mode, and by designating the stop candidate location recognized by the surrounding situation recognition unit 43a of the vehicle 2 as the stop position, the stop position can be easily identified. For example, operator A can have the vehicle 2 automatically drive along the garbage collection route and issue a stop command using the third stop mode each time a garbage collection site is recognized, thereby stopping the vehicle 2 near the garbage collection site without performing detailed operations, and improving work efficiency.

[0065] Furthermore, in the control system 1 of this embodiment, in the third stop mode, if there are multiple stop candidate locations recognized by the surrounding situation recognition unit 43a from among the multiple stop candidate locations, the stop candidate location closest to the vehicle 2 is designated as the stop position. This makes it possible to stop the vehicle 2 at an appropriate location even when multiple stop candidate locations are recognized. For example, it becomes possible to stop at garbage collection points along the garbage collection route in order without skipping any along the way.

[0066] Furthermore, in the control system 1 of this embodiment, if the surrounding situation recognition unit 43a does not recognize a candidate stopping location, the operation for the third stopping mode is not accepted (the third icon B3 is hidden), and only when the surrounding situation recognition unit 43a recognizes a candidate stopping location is the operation for the third stopping mode accepted (the third icon B3 is displayed). This allows operator A to easily confirm whether or not the vehicle 2 has recognized a candidate stopping location, and also helps to suppress erroneous operation by operator A.

[0067] Furthermore, in the control system 1 of this embodiment, in the second stop mode, the vehicle 2 is stopped so that the rear end of the vehicle 2 is positioned at the operator's position at the time the operation from operator A is received. In this way, in the second stop mode, the rear end of the vehicle is automatically stopped at the position where operator A was, allowing operator A to easily perform tasks at the rear of the vehicle, such as loading garbage into the loading section 22 of the body 20.

[0068] Furthermore, in the control system 1 of this embodiment, the display information generation unit 64b generates operation image information in which the operation icon for the first stop mode (second icon B2) is displayed larger than the operation icons for the other stop modes (second icon B2, third icon B3). Since the first stop mode is a stop instruction of relatively high urgency, displaying it larger than the operation icons for the other stop modes makes it easier for operator A to recognize and operate.

[0069] This concludes the description of embodiments of the present invention. However, the specific configurations shown in these embodiments are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those shown in these embodiments.

[0070] For example, in this embodiment, the vehicle stop instruction unit 64a can issue stop instructions using three stop modes: a first stop mode, a second stop mode, and a third stop mode. However, it may also have only two of these stop modes. In other words, it is sufficient to have any combination of stop modes among the first stop mode and the second stop mode, the second stop mode and the third stop mode, and the first stop mode and the third stop mode.

[0071] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the stop position setting unit 43b sets multiple stop candidate locations in the third stop mode based on map information of the garbage collection route which includes stop candidate location information corresponding to garbage collection points in advance. However, the map information of the garbage collection route does not necessarily have to include stop candidate location information corresponding to garbage collection points. For example, when the surrounding situation recognition unit recognizes a garbage collection point from an image captured by the camera, the stop position setting unit may set the vicinity of the recognized garbage collection point as a stop candidate location and designate the stop candidate location closest to the vehicle as the specified stop position.

[0072] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the surrounding situation recognition unit 43a recognizes the surrounding situation of the vehicle 2 from images captured by each camera 42, but the equipment for recognizing the surrounding situation is not limited to cameras. For example, a sensor using laser light such as LiDAR or a sensor using millimeter waves such as millimeter-wave radar may be used as equipment for recognizing the surrounding situation.

[0073] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the vehicle communication unit 41 and the terminal communication unit 61 use wireless LAN, but the communication means is not limited to this, and may also be Bluetooth®, for example. Also, the vehicle communication unit and the terminal communication unit are not limited to being directly connected to each other for communication, but may be connected to each other via an external information network such as the Internet or a dedicated network.

[0074] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the automatic driving control unit 43 and the VCU 50 are mounted separately on the vehicle 2, but the VCU may also function as the automatic driving control unit.

[0075] Furthermore, although the terminal 3 in the above embodiment has a display unit 62 that also serves as an operating unit, it may also have other operating units such as a mouse, keyboard, or stylus.

[0076] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, map information including garbage collection routes is stored in the vehicle storage unit 51, but this information may also be stored in the terminal storage unit 63.

[0077] Furthermore, although the PTO unit 30 in the above embodiment has a mounting motor 31, a belt 32, and a hydraulic pump 33, the configuration of the PTO unit is not limited to this. For example, gears may be used instead of a belt, or a compressor may be used instead of a hydraulic pump. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0078] 1. Control System 2 vehicles 3 terminals 10 car bodies 11 Mainframe 12 batteries 13. Drive unit for traction 14(14F, 14R) wheels 15 Cab 20 Bodywork 21 Packing box section 22 Input section 30 PTO units 31. Motor for mounting 32 belts 33 Hydraulic pump 40 Autonomous driving equipment 41 Vehicle Communications Department 42 (42FL, 42FR, 42RL, 42RR) Camera 43 Automatic Driving Control Unit 43a Surrounding Situation Recognition Unit 43b Stop position setting section 51 Vehicle memory unit 61 Terminal Communications Section 62 Display section 63 Terminal Storage Unit 64 Terminal Control Unit 64a Vehicle Stop Indicator 64b Display information generation section Operator A B1 1st Icon B2 Second Icon B3 3rd icon C1, C2 Garbage Collection Point D1, D2 Candidate stop locations

Claims

1. A control system for vehicles capable of autonomous driving, It has a vehicle stop instruction unit that issues a stop instruction to the vehicle, and a terminal that communicates with the vehicle and enables remote operation by an operator, The aforementioned vehicle stop instruction unit is A first stop mode in which the vehicle is stopped at the timing when an operation is received from the operator, A second stop mode that stops the vehicle according to the operator's position at the time the operator's command is received, A third stop mode that stops the vehicle at a pre-set designated stopping position, A vehicle control system characterized by the ability to issue stop instructions using at least two of the following stop modes.

2. The aforementioned vehicle has a forward situation recognition unit capable of recognizing the situation in front of the vehicle, In the third stop mode, the vehicle stop instruction unit selects a stop candidate location recognized by the forward situation recognition unit from among a plurality of pre-set stop candidate locations as the designated stop position. A vehicle control system according to claim 1.

3. In the third stop mode, if there are multiple candidate stopping locations recognized by the forward situation recognition unit from among the multiple candidate stopping locations, the vehicle stop instruction unit shall set the candidate stopping location closest to the vehicle as the designated stopping position. The vehicle control system according to claim 2.

4. The vehicle stop instruction unit accepts the operation of the third stop mode only when the forward situation recognition unit recognizes the candidate stop location in the third stop mode. The vehicle control system according to claim 2.

5. In the second stop mode, the vehicle stop instruction unit stops the vehicle so that the rear end of the vehicle is positioned at the operator's position at the time the operation from the operator is received. A vehicle control system according to claim 1.

6. The terminal includes a display information generation unit that, when it has a first stop mode among the stop modes, generates operation image information that displays the operation icon for the first stop mode larger than the operation icons for the other stop modes. A vehicle control system according to claim 1.

Images