System and Method

Abstract

The system prevents the vehicle's automatic braking from activating and hindering its movement when the inspection device is detected as an obstacle. [Solution] The system is a sensor mounted on a vehicle that has a collision avoidance function to avoid collisions with obstacles based on the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, and comprises: a first acquisition unit that acquires the reliability of a first sensor that detects the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle; a second acquisition unit that acquires the reliability of a second sensor which is a sensor located outside the vehicle and detects the distance between the vehicle and an inspection device that inspects the vehicle; and a function stop instruction unit that sends an instruction to the vehicle to stop the collision avoidance function using the detection result of the first sensor when predetermined conditions are met, including the fact that the reliability of the first sensor is lower than the reliability of the second sensor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a vehicle that activates an automatic brake when the distance to an obstacle detected by an in-vehicle sensor is short (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order to inspect a vehicle, the vehicle may be driven in the vicinity of an inspection device. However, when the vehicle has a collision avoidance function such as an automatic brake, the collision avoidance function may be activated when the inspection device is detected as an obstacle, and the running of the vehicle may be hindered.

Means for Solving the Problems

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

[0006] (1) According to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, a system is provided. The system includes a sensor mounted on the vehicle having a collision avoidance function that avoids collision with an obstacle based on the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, a first acquisition unit that acquires the reliability of a first sensor that detects the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, a second acquisition unit that acquires the reliability of a second sensor that is located outside the vehicle and detects the distance between the vehicle and an inspection device that inspects the vehicle, and a function stop instruction unit that transmits an instruction to the vehicle to stop the collision avoidance function using the detection result of the first sensor when predetermined conditions are met, including the reliability of the first sensor being lower than the reliability of the second sensor. In this type of system, if the reliability of the second sensor is higher than that of the first sensor, the collision avoidance function that uses the detection results of the first sensor can be deactivated. Therefore, when a vehicle is driven near the inspection device, the activation of the collision avoidance function that uses the detection results of the first sensor can prevent the vehicle's movement from being hindered. (2) According to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, a system is provided. The system is a sensor mounted on a vehicle having a collision avoidance function that avoids collision with an obstacle based on the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, and includes a first acquisition unit that acquires the detection range of a first sensor that detects the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle; a second acquisition unit that acquires the detection range of a second sensor that is located outside the vehicle and detects the distance between the vehicle and an inspection device that inspects the vehicle; and a function stop instruction unit that transmits an instruction to the vehicle to stop the collision avoidance function using the detection result of the first sensor in at least the overlapping portion when predetermined conditions are met, including the identification of an overlapping portion of the detection range of the first sensor that is included in the detection range of the second sensor. This system configuration allows for the deactivation of the collision avoidance function that uses the detection results of the first sensor in the overlapping area. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the obstruction of vehicle movement when a vehicle is driven near the inspection device, which would otherwise occur if the collision avoidance function using the detection results of the first sensor in the overlapping area were activated. (3) The system of the above embodiment may further include a collision prediction unit that predicts a collision between the vehicle and the inspection device using the detection result of the second sensor, and a collision avoidance instruction unit that, when the collision prediction unit predicts a collision between the vehicle and the inspection device, transmits an instruction to at least one of the vehicle and the inspection device to perform a collision avoidance action to avoid a collision between the vehicle and the inspection device. With this type of system, even if the collision avoidance function using the detection results of the first sensor mounted on the vehicle is disabled, the vehicle can be made to perform collision avoidance actions using the detection results of the second sensor located outside the vehicle. (4) In the system of the above configuration, the function stop instruction unit may stop the collision avoidance function using the detection result of the first sensor by overwriting the result of the determination of whether or not collision avoidance action of the vehicle using the first sensor with the result of the determination of whether or not collision avoidance action of the vehicle using the second sensor. According to this system configuration, the collision avoidance function of the vehicle using the detection results of the first sensor can be stopped by overwriting the necessity / non-necessity determination result, and the stop of the collision avoidance function of the vehicle using the detection results of the first sensor can be reversed by ceasing to overwrite the necessity / non-necessity determination result. (5) A third embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method, which includes a sensor mounted on the vehicle having a collision avoidance function that avoids collision with an obstacle based on the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, the method obtaining the reliability of a first sensor that detects the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, and a second sensor located outside the vehicle that detects the distance between the vehicle and an inspection device that inspects the vehicle, and transmitting an instruction to the vehicle to stop the collision avoidance function using the detection result of the first sensor when predetermined conditions are met, including the reliability of the first sensor being lower than the reliability of the second sensor. According to this method, if the reliability of the second sensor is higher than that of the first sensor, the collision avoidance function that uses the detection results of the first sensor can be deactivated. Therefore, when a vehicle is driven near the inspection device, the activation of the collision avoidance function that uses the detection results of the first sensor can prevent the vehicle's movement from being hindered. (6) A fourth embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method, which includes a sensor mounted on the vehicle having a collision avoidance function that avoids collision with an obstacle based on the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, which acquires the detection range of a first sensor that detects the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, and a second sensor located outside the vehicle that detects the distance between the vehicle and an inspection device that inspects the vehicle, and when predetermined conditions are met, including that an overlapping portion of the detection range of the first sensor that is included in the detection range of the second sensor has been identified, an instruction is transmitted to the vehicle to stop the collision avoidance function using the detection result of the first sensor in at least the overlapping portion. This method allows the collision avoidance function, which uses the detection results of the first sensor in the overlapping area, to be disabled. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the obstruction of vehicle movement when a vehicle is driven near the inspection device, which would otherwise occur if the collision avoidance function using the detection results of the first sensor in the overlapping area were activated. This disclosure can also be implemented in various forms other than systems and methods. For example, it can be implemented in the form of vehicles, server equipment, inspection equipment, computer programs, and recording media on which computer programs are recorded. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the server device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the inspection device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] An explanatory diagram showing how a vehicle is driven by remote control. [Figure 6] A flowchart showing the processing procedure for vehicle driving control according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] An explanatory diagram showing the automatic braking prohibition control in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] A flowchart illustrating the processing details of the automatic braking prohibition control in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] A schematic diagram illustrating how the automatic braking necessity determination result is overwritten. [Figure 10] An explanatory diagram showing the automatic braking prohibition control in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the inspection device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 12] An explanatory diagram showing the overlapping areas of the sensor's detection range. [Figure 13] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] A flowchart showing 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 configuration of system 10 in the first embodiment. System 10 comprises a vehicle 100, a server device 200, an external sensor 300, and an inspection device 400. In this embodiment, system 10 is used in a factory FC that manufactures the vehicle 100. However, system 10 may be used not in a factory FC that manufactures the vehicle 100, but for example, in a factory that repairs the vehicle 100 or a factory that maintains the vehicle 100.

[0009] In this embodiment, the vehicle 100 is a four-wheel battery electric vehicle (BEV). The vehicle 100 may be a passenger car, or it may be a bus, a truck, or the like. The drive system of the vehicle 100 may be front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or four-wheel drive. Note that the vehicle 100 is not limited to an electric vehicle, and for example, it may be a gasoline vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, or the like. The vehicle 100 is not limited to four wheels, and for example, it may have three wheels, six wheels, or the like.

[0010] The vehicle 100 is configured to be capable of traveling by autonomous driving. "Autonomous driving" means driving without depending on the driving operation of a passenger. The driving operation means an operation related to at least one of "driving", "turning", and "stopping" of the vehicle 100. Autonomous driving is realized by automatic or manual remote control using a device located outside the vehicle 100, or by autonomous control of the vehicle 100. A passenger who does not perform a driving operation may be on board the vehicle 100 traveling by autonomous driving. Passengers who do not perform a driving operation include, for example, a person simply sitting in the seat of the vehicle 100, or a person performing work different from the driving operation, such as assembly, inspection, and operation of switches, while on board the vehicle 100. Note that driving by the driving operation of a passenger may be referred to as "human driving".

[0011] In this specification, "remote control" includes "complete remote control" in which all of the operations of the vehicle 100 are completely determined from outside the vehicle 100, and "partial remote control" in which a part of the operations of the vehicle 100 is determined from outside the vehicle 100. Further, "autonomous control" includes "complete autonomous control" in which the vehicle 100 autonomously controls its own operations without receiving any information from a device outside the vehicle 100, and "partial autonomous control" in which the vehicle 100 autonomously controls its own operations using information received from a device outside the vehicle 100.

[0012] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle 100. In the present embodiment, the vehicle 100 includes four wheels 101. The vehicle 100 is configured to be able to travel by remote control. The vehicle 100 includes a vehicle control device 110 that controls each part of the vehicle 100, an actuator group 120 that is driven under the control of the vehicle control device 110, a communication device 130 for communicating with the outside, and an obstacle sensor 140 for detecting the distance to an obstacle located around the vehicle 100. The actuator group 120 includes an actuator of a drive device that generates the driving force of the vehicle 100, an actuator of a steering device that changes the traveling direction of the vehicle 100, and an actuator of a braking device that generates the braking force of the vehicle 100.

[0013] The obstacle sensor 140 is constituted by, for example, a camera, a millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR, or a combination thereof. The obstacles detected by the obstacle sensor 140 may include, for example, various facilities in the factory FC including the inspection device 400 and the workers in the factory FC. In the present embodiment, the obstacle sensor 140 corresponds to the "first sensor" in the present disclosure.

[0014] The vehicle control device 110 is constituted by a computer including a processor 111, a memory 112, an input / output interface 113, and an internal bus 114. The processor 111, the memory 112, and the input / output interface 113 are connected so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally via the internal bus 114. The actuator group 120, the communication device 130, and the obstacle sensor 140 are connected to the input / output interface 113. The communication device 130 communicates with the server device 200 and the inspection device 400 by wireless communication.

[0015] The processor 111 functions as a travel control unit 115 and a collision prediction unit 116 by executing a computer program PG1 stored in advance in the memory 112.

[0016] The driving control unit 115 can drive the vehicle 100 by controlling the actuator group 120 in accordance with the operator's actions when an occupant is on board the vehicle 100. The driving control unit 115 can drive the vehicle 100 by controlling the actuator group 120 using the driving control signal received from the server device 200, regardless of whether an occupant is on board the vehicle 100 or not. The driving control signal is a control signal for controlling the movement of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the driving control signal includes the acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 100 as parameters. In addition to the acceleration of the vehicle 100, the speed of the vehicle 100 may also be included as a parameter in the driving control signal.

[0017] The collision prediction unit 116 predicts whether the vehicle 100 will collide with an obstacle when the obstacle sensor 140 detects an obstacle. The collision prediction unit 116 predicts that the vehicle 100 will collide with the obstacle if the distance between the vehicle 100 and the obstacle is below a predetermined threshold. If the collision prediction unit 116 predicts that the vehicle 100 will collide with an obstacle, the driving control unit 115 controls the actuator group 120 to cause the vehicle 100 to perform collision avoidance actions to avoid a collision with the obstacle. In other words, the vehicle 100 autonomously performs collision avoidance actions when a collision between the vehicle 100 and an obstacle detected by the obstacle sensor 140 is predicted. Collision avoidance actions include, for example, performing an emergency stop, changing the direction of travel, or performing both an emergency stop and changing the direction of travel. In this embodiment, the driving control unit 115 controls the actuator of the braking system to bring the vehicle 100 to an emergency stop when a collision between the vehicle 100 and an obstacle detected by the obstacle sensor 140 is predicted. In this disclosure, the function by which the vehicle 100 autonomously performs collision avoidance actions based on the distance between itself and the obstacle may be referred to as the collision avoidance function. The function by which the vehicle 100 autonomously performs an emergency stop based on the distance between itself and the obstacle may be referred to as the emergency stop function or automatic brake. When the automatic brake is activated, the vehicle 100 will come to an emergency stop regardless of the driving control signal received from the server device 200.

[0018] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the server device 200. The server device 200 is located outside the vehicle 100. The server device 200 consists of a computer comprising a processor 201, memory 202, input / output interface 203, and internal bus 204. The processor 201, memory 202, and input / output interface 203 are connected via the internal bus 204 so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally. A communication device 205 for communicating with the outside is connected to the input / output interface 203. In this embodiment, the communication device 205 communicates with the vehicle 100 by wireless communication and with external sensors 300 and inspection devices 400 by wired or wireless communication.

[0019] The processor 201 functions as a vehicle remote control unit 211 for remotely controlling the vehicle 100 and an equipment remote control unit 212 for remotely controlling the inspection device 400 by executing a computer program PG2 that is pre-stored in the memory 202.

[0020] The vehicle remote control unit 211 remotely controls the vehicle 100 by transmitting a driving control signal to the vehicle 100, which is a control signal that controls the movement of the vehicle 100. The equipment remote control unit 212 remotely controls the inspection device 400 by transmitting an inspection control signal to the inspection device 400, which is a control signal that controls the operation of the inspection device 400. By including the vehicle remote control unit 211 and the equipment remote control unit 212, the server device 200 can make the vehicle 100 and the inspection device 400 cooperate.

[0021] As shown in Figure 1, the external sensor 300 is located outside the vehicle 100. The external sensor 300 is used to detect the position of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the external sensor 300 is a camera installed in the factory fuel cell (FC). The external sensor 300 is equipped with a communication device (not shown) and communicates with the server device 200 via wired or wireless communication.

[0022] Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the inspection device 400. The inspection device 400 is equipment for inspecting a vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the inspection device 400 includes a stage 401, a rack 402, a roller 410 provided on the stage 401, a motor 420 for rotating the roller 410, an inspection control device 430 for controlling various parts of the inspection device 400, a communication device 440 for communicating with the outside, a rotation speed sensor 450 for detecting the rotation speed of the roller 410, a braking force sensor 460 for detecting the braking force of the vehicle 100 applied to the roller 410, and a distance sensor 470 for detecting the distance to the vehicle 100.

[0023] As shown in Figure 1, the stage 401 is installed on the floor of the factory FC. In this embodiment, the vehicle 100 is inspected on the stage 401. Racks 402 are arranged on both sides of the stage 401. In this embodiment, various devices such as the inspection control device 430 are stored in the racks 402. A narrow passage NR is formed between the racks 402. The narrow passage NR is a narrow passage through which the vehicle 100 can pass. The vehicle 100 to be inspected by the inspection device 400 passes through the narrow passage NR.

[0024] As shown in Figure 4, the roller 410 is installed on the stage 401. The roller 410 is configured to rotate while supporting the wheel 101. In this embodiment, the inspection device 400 is configured to support one front wheel with two small-diameter rollers and one rear wheel with one large-diameter roller. In other words, in this embodiment, the inspection device 400 has six rollers 410. A small-diameter roller is a roller 410 with a small diameter, and a large-diameter roller is a roller 410 with a large diameter. The inspection device 400 has a plurality of motors 420. The plurality of motors 420 are arranged on the stage 401. The plurality of motors 420 include motors 420 that rotate the rollers 410 for the front wheels and motors 420 that rotate the rollers 410 for the rear wheels. The inspection device 400 may also be configured to support one front wheel with one large-diameter roller and support one rear wheel with two small-diameter rollers. The inspection device 400 may be configured to support one front wheel with two small-diameter rollers and one rear wheel with two small-diameter rollers.

[0025] The inspection control device 430 is comprised of a computer comprising a processor 431, a memory 432, an input / output interface 433, and an internal bus 434. The processor 431, the memory 432, and the input / output interface 433 are connected via the internal bus 434 to enable bidirectional communication. The input / output interface 433 is connected to a motor 420, a communication device 440, a rotational speed sensor 450, a braking force sensor 460, and a distance sensor 470. In this embodiment, the communication device 440 communicates with the vehicle 100 via wireless communication and with the server device 200 via wireless or wired communication.

[0026] The distance sensor 470 detects the distance between the vehicle 100 and the inspection device 400. In this embodiment, two distance sensors 470 are provided; one distance sensor 470 detects the distance between the left side of the vehicle 100 and the left rack 402, and the other distance sensor 470 detects the distance between the right side of the vehicle 100 and the right rack 402. The distance sensor 470 is, for example, a camera, LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, or laser displacement meter. In this embodiment, the distance sensor 470 corresponds to the "second sensor" in this disclosure.

[0027] The processor 431 functions as an inspection execution unit 491, a first acquisition unit 492, a second acquisition unit 493, a comparison unit 494, a function stop instruction unit 495, a collision prediction unit 496, and a collision avoidance instruction unit 497 by executing a computer program PG4 that is pre-stored in memory 432.

[0028] The inspection execution unit 491 performs an inspection of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the inspection execution unit 491 performs an inspection of the vehicle 100 according to the inspection control signal received from the server device 200. In the inspection of the vehicle 100, the inspection execution unit 491 performs, for example, control of the motor 420, detection of rotational speed by the rotational speed sensor 450, and detection of braking force by the braking force sensor 460. In this embodiment, the inspection device 400 has the function of a drum tester that inspects the drive system of the vehicle 100 by driving the rotation of the wheel 101 to rotate the roller 410, and the function of a brake tester that inspects the braking system of the vehicle 100 by driving the rotation of the roller 410 to rotate the wheel 101. However, the inspection device 400 does not have to have either the drum tester function or the brake tester function. If the inspection device 400 does not have the function of a brake tester, the inspection device 400 does not need to be equipped with a motor 420 and a braking force sensor 460.

[0029] The first acquisition unit 492 acquires the reliability of the obstacle sensor 140 mounted on the vehicle 100 as it passes through the narrow road NR. The second acquisition unit 493 acquires the reliability of the distance sensor 470 located outside the vehicle 100. The comparison unit 494 compares the reliability of the obstacle sensor 140 with the reliability of the distance sensor 470. Sensor reliability refers to the degree of accuracy of the sensor's detection results. In the case of a distance-detecting sensor, the higher the sensor's reliability, the higher the sensor's distance resolution. For example, if the distance-detecting sensor is a camera, the higher the resolution, the higher the sensor's reliability and the higher the sensor's distance resolution. If the distance-detecting sensor is a LiDAR, the higher the point cloud density, the higher the sensor's reliability. In this embodiment, information representing the distance resolution of the obstacle sensor 140 is pre-stored in the memory 112 of the vehicle control device 110, and information representing the distance resolution of the distance sensor 470 is pre-stored in the memory 432 of the inspection control device 430. The first acquisition unit 492 obtains the distance resolution of the obstacle sensor 140, or in other words, the reliability of the obstacle sensor 140, from the information representing the distance resolution of the obstacle sensor 140 received from the vehicle 100. The second acquisition unit 493 obtains the distance resolution of the distance sensor 470, or in other words, the reliability of the distance sensor 470, from the information representing the distance resolution of the distance sensor 470 obtained from the memory 432. If the information representing the distance resolution of the obstacle sensor 140 is pre-stored in the memory 202 of the server device 200 instead of the memory 112 of the vehicle control device 110, the first acquisition unit 492 may obtain the distance resolution of the obstacle sensor 140 from the information representing the distance resolution of the obstacle sensor 140 received from the server device 200. Alternatively, the first acquisition unit 492 may obtain the distance resolution of the obstacle sensor 140 from the detection result of the obstacle sensor 140, and the second acquisition unit 493 may obtain the distance resolution of the distance sensor 470 from the detection result of the distance sensor 470.

[0030] The function stop instruction unit 495, upon obtaining a determination result from the comparison unit 494 that the reliability of the distance sensor 470 is higher than the reliability of the obstacle sensor 140, transmits an instruction to the vehicle 100 to stop the collision avoidance function of the vehicle 100, thereby stopping the collision avoidance function of the vehicle 100. When the collision avoidance function of the vehicle 100 is stopped, the vehicle 100 becomes unable to perform autonomous collision avoidance actions using the detection results of the obstacle sensor 140. In this embodiment, the function stop instruction unit 495, upon obtaining a determination result from the comparison unit 494 that the reliability of the distance sensor 470 is higher than the reliability of the obstacle sensor 140, transmits an automatic brake prohibition signal to the vehicle 100, which is a control signal that prevents the automatic brake of the vehicle 100 using the detection results of the obstacle sensor 140 from activating, thereby making it impossible for the automatic brake of the vehicle 100 to operate. In this embodiment, the automatic brake prohibition signal is an instruction to stop the collision avoidance function of the vehicle 100. The automatic brake of the vehicle 100, upon receiving the automatic brake prohibition signal, will temporarily become inoperable.

[0031] The collision prediction unit 496 uses the detection results of the distance sensor 470 to predict whether or not the vehicle 100 will collide with the inspection device 400. In this embodiment, a collision between the vehicle 100 and the inspection device 400 includes a collision between the vehicle 100 and the rack 402. However, in this embodiment, a collision between the vehicle 100 and the inspection device 400 does not include the vehicle 100 riding onto the stage 401 or the rollers 410.

[0032] The collision avoidance instruction unit 497 transmits a collision avoidance control signal to the vehicle 100 when the collision prediction unit 496 predicts that the vehicle 100 and the inspection device 400 will collide. The collision avoidance control signal is a control signal that causes the vehicle 100 to perform a collision avoidance action. Upon receiving the collision avoidance control signal, the vehicle 100 will perform a collision avoidance action even if its collision avoidance function is disabled. In this embodiment, the collision avoidance instruction unit 497 causes the vehicle 100 to perform an emergency stop, which is a collision avoidance action.

[0033] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing how vehicle 100 travels remotely within a factory FC. In this embodiment, system 10 is used in a factory FC where vehicle 100 is manufactured. The reference coordinate system of the factory FC is the global coordinate system GC, and any position within the factory FC can be represented by the X, Y, Z coordinates in the global coordinate system GC. The factory FC comprises a first location PL1 and a second location PL2. The first location PL1 and the second location PL2 are connected by a track TR on which vehicle 100 can travel. Multiple external sensors 300 are installed along the track TR in the factory FC. The position of each external sensor 300 in the factory FC is pre-adjusted.

[0034] In this embodiment, the first location PL1 is where the vehicle 100 is assembled. At the time of assembly at the first location PL1, the vehicle 100 is equipped with at least a vehicle control device 110, an actuator group 120, and a communication device 130. Therefore, at the time of assembly at the first location PL1, the vehicle 100 is ready to be driven by remote control. The vehicle 100 assembled at the first location PL1 is moved from the first location PL1 to the second location PL2 via the track TR by remote control from the server device 200. The second location PL2 is where the vehicle 100 is inspected. An inspection device 400 is located at the second location PL2. After passing the inspection at the second location PL2, the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory FC.

[0035] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for controlling the driving of vehicle 100 in this embodiment. In step S1, the processor 201 of the server device 200 acquires vehicle position information using the detection result output from the external sensor 300. The vehicle position information is the position information that forms the basis for generating the driving control signal. In this embodiment, the vehicle position information includes the position and orientation of vehicle 100 in the global coordinate system GC of the factory FC. Specifically, in step S1, the processor 201 acquires vehicle position information using the captured image acquired from the camera, which is the external sensor 300.

[0036] In detail, in step S1, the processor 201 detects the outline of the vehicle 100 from the captured image, calculates the coordinates of the vehicle 100's positioning point in the coordinate system of the captured image, i.e., the local coordinate system, and obtains the position of the vehicle 100 by converting the calculated coordinates to coordinates in the global coordinate system GC. The outline of the vehicle 100 included in the captured image can be detected, for example, by inputting the captured image into a detection model DM that utilizes artificial intelligence. The detection model DM is prepared, for example, within or outside the system 10 and pre-stored in the memory 202 of the server device 200. Examples of the detection model DM include a pre-trained machine learning model that has been trained to implement either semantic segmentation or instance segmentation. As this machine learning model, for example, a convolutional neural network (CNN) trained by supervised learning using a training dataset can be used. The training dataset includes, for example, multiple training images containing vehicle 100, and labels indicating whether each region in the training images represents vehicle 100 or something other than vehicle 100. During CNN training, it is preferable to update the CNN parameters using backpropagation to reduce the error between the output result of the detection model DM and the labels. Furthermore, the processor 201 can obtain the orientation of vehicle 100 by, for example, using the optical flow method, estimating it based on the direction of the vehicle 100's movement vector calculated from the positional changes of the vehicle 100's feature points between frames of the captured images.

[0037] In step S2, the processor 201 of the server device 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 device 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 current location of the vehicle 100.

[0038] In step S3, the processor 201 of the server device 200 generates a driving control signal to drive the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. The processor 201 calculates the vehicle's speed from the change in the vehicle's position and compares the calculated speed with the target speed. Overall, the processor 201 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 accelerates if the speed is lower than the target speed, and determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 decelerates if the speed is higher than the target speed. Furthermore, if the vehicle 100 is located on the reference path RR, the processor 201 determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 100 does not deviate from the reference path RR, and if the vehicle 100 is not located on the reference path RR, in other words, if the vehicle 100 has deviated from the reference path RR, the processor 201 determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 100 returns to the reference path RR.

[0039] In step S4, the processor 201 of the server device 200 transmits the generated driving control signal to the vehicle 100. The processor 201 repeats the acquisition of vehicle position information, determination of target position, generation of driving control signal, and transmission of driving control signal at predetermined intervals.

[0040] In step S5, the processor 111 of the vehicle control device 110 receives a driving control signal transmitted from the server device 200. In step S6, the processor 111 controls the actuator group 120 using the received driving control signal, thereby driving the vehicle 100 at the acceleration and steering angle expressed in the driving control signal. The processor 111 repeats the reception of the driving control signal and the control of the actuator group 120 at predetermined intervals. According to the system 10 in this embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be driven by remote control, and the vehicle 100 can be moved without using transport equipment such as cranes or conveyors.

[0041] Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing how the vehicle 100 is inspected by the inspection device 400. In this embodiment, prior to the inspection of the vehicle 100, the vehicle remote control unit 211 of the server device 200 remotely controls the vehicle 100 to move it onto the roller 410 and stop the vehicle 100 on the roller 410.

[0042] In a drive inspection of the vehicle 100's drive system, the vehicle remote control unit 211 drives the wheel 101 while the wheel 101 is supported by the roller 410, thereby causing the roller 410 to rotate as a result. In a drive inspection, the peripheral speed of the driven wheel 101 and the peripheral speed of the driven roller 410 are the same, so the longitudinal position of the vehicle 100 does not change. The vehicle remote control unit 211 remotely controls the vehicle 100 so that the rotational speed of the wheel 101 reaches a predetermined target rotational speed. The equipment remote control unit 212 remotely controls the inspection device 400 and detects the rotational speed of the roller 410 using the rotational speed sensor 450. After the rotational speed of the wheel 101 reaches the target rotational speed, the vehicle remote control unit 211 stops the rotation of the wheel 101. When the rotation of the wheel 101 stops, the rotation of the roller 410 also stops. The equipment remote control unit 212 generates a drive inspection result using the detection result of the rotational speed of the roller 410. The drive inspection result includes at least one of the following: information on whether the drive system of the vehicle 100 operated correctly, and information on whether the speedometer of the vehicle 100 showed the correct value.

[0043] In a braking test to inspect the braking system of vehicle 100, the equipment remote control unit 212 drives the wheel 101 to rotate by driving the roller 410 while the wheel 101 is supported by the roller 410. In the braking test, the peripheral speed of the driving roller 410 and the peripheral speed of the driven wheel 101 are the same, so the longitudinal position of vehicle 100 does not change. The equipment remote control unit 212 remotely controls the inspection device 400 so that the rotational speed of the roller 410 reaches a predetermined target rotational speed. When the rotational speed of the roller 410 reaches the target rotational speed, the vehicle remote control unit 211 remotely controls vehicle 100 to activate the vehicle's braking system, and the equipment remote control unit 212 stops the transmission of driving force from the motor 420 to the roller 410. The equipment remote control unit 212 uses a braking force sensor 460 to detect the braking force applied to the roller 410 from the vehicle 100's braking system. The equipment remote control unit 212 generates a braking test result using the braking force detection result. The braking test result includes information on whether or not the braking system of the vehicle 100 operated correctly.

[0044] In this embodiment, since the roller 410 is positioned in the narrow road NR, the vehicle 100 being inspected travels through the narrow road NR. When the vehicle 100 travels through the narrow road NR, the distance between the vehicle 100 and the rack 402 may become less than or equal to the distance at which the vehicle 100's automatic brakes are activated. If the vehicle 100's automatic brakes are activated at this point, the vehicle 100's movement through the narrow road NR will be hindered. To address this problem, in this embodiment, automatic brake disabling control is implemented so that the vehicle 100 can travel through the narrow road NR smoothly.

[0045] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the processing details of the automatic braking prohibition control. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating how the automatic braking necessity determination result is overwritten by the automatic braking prohibition control. The automatic braking prohibition control shown in Figure 8 is repeatedly executed by the processor 431 of the inspection control device 430.

[0046] When automatic braking prohibition control is initiated, in step S101, the first acquisition unit 492 acquires the distance resolution of the obstacle sensor 140, in other words, the reliability of the obstacle sensor 140. In step S102, the second acquisition unit 493 acquires the distance resolution of the distance sensor 470, in other words, the reliability of the distance sensor 470. However, the order of steps S101 and S102 may be reversed from the order described above. In step S105, the comparison unit 494 compares the reliability of the obstacle sensor 140 with the reliability of the distance sensor 470 and determines whether the reliability of the distance sensor 470 is higher than the reliability of the obstacle sensor 140. If it is not determined in step S105 that the reliability of the distance sensor 470 is higher than the reliability of the obstacle sensor 140, the comparison unit 494 terminates the automatic braking prohibition control. If, in step S105, it is determined that the reliability of the distance sensor 470 is higher than that of the obstacle sensor 140, the comparison unit 494 proceeds to step S110.

[0047] In step S110, the function stop instruction unit 495 determines whether the vehicle 100 has entered a predetermined prohibited area RS. In this embodiment, the prohibited area RS is located on the track TR on the side of the narrow road NR. The current position of the vehicle 100 is determined using vehicle position information acquired from the server device 200. Area information AD, which represents the range of the prohibited area RS, is pre-stored in the memory 432 of the inspection control device 430. The function stop instruction unit 495 uses the vehicle position information and the area information AD to determine whether the vehicle 100 has entered the prohibited area RS.

[0048] If it is determined in step S110 that vehicle 100 has not entered the prohibited area RS, the function stop instruction unit 495 executes the process of step S110 again. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S110 that vehicle 100 has entered the prohibited area RS, the function stop instruction unit 495 starts sending an instruction to vehicle 100 in step S120 to stop the collision avoidance function of vehicle 100, which is based on the detection results of the obstacle sensor 140. More specifically, the function stop instruction unit 495 starts sending an automatic brake prohibition signal to vehicle 100. As shown in Figure 9, in this embodiment, while the automatic brake prohibition signal is being sent, the automatic brake necessity determination result by the collision prediction unit 116 of vehicle 100 is overwritten with a determination result of "not necessary" by the automatic brake prohibition signal, making it impossible to operate the automatic brake of vehicle 100.

[0049] In step S130, the collision prediction unit 496 of the inspection control device 430 predicts whether or not the vehicle 100 and the inspection device 400 will collide. In this embodiment, the collision prediction unit 496 uses the distance sensor 470 to detect the distance between the vehicle 100 and the inspection device 400, and if it is determined that the detected distance is below a predetermined threshold, it predicts that the vehicle 100 and the inspection device 400 will collide.

[0050] If it is determined in step S130 that the vehicle 100 and the inspection device 400 will collide, the collision avoidance instruction unit 497 will send a collision avoidance control signal to the vehicle 100 in step S140. Conversely, if it is determined in step S130 that the vehicle 100 and the inspection device 400 will not collide, the collision avoidance instruction unit 497 will skip the process in step S140.

[0051] In step S150, the function stop instruction unit 495 determines whether the vehicle 100 has entered a predetermined restricted area RE. In this embodiment, the restricted area RE is located on the road TR on the far side of the narrow road NR. In this embodiment, the current position of the vehicle 100 is determined using vehicle position information acquired from the server device 200. The area information AD stored in the memory 432 of the inspection control device 430 represents the range of the restricted area RE. The function stop instruction unit 495 uses the vehicle position information acquired from the server device 200 and the area information AD to determine whether the vehicle 100 has entered the restricted area RE.

[0052] If it is determined in step S150 that vehicle 100 has not entered the deactivation area RE, the function stop instruction unit 495 returns to step S130. Conversely, if it is determined in step S150 that vehicle 100 has entered the deactivation area RE, the function stop instruction unit 495 terminates the transmission of the automatic brake prohibition signal in step S160. In this embodiment, the automatic brake of vehicle 100 becomes operational again once the transmission of the automatic brake prohibition signal is terminated. Subsequently, the equipment control device restarts the automatic brake prohibition control from step S110.

[0053] As described above, with the system 10 in this embodiment, when the vehicle 100 enters the narrow passage NR of the inspection device 400, the inspection device 400 executes automatic brake prohibition control, making it impossible to activate the automatic brakes of the vehicle 100 using the obstacle sensor 140. Therefore, the obstacle of the vehicle 100 entering the narrow passage NR due to the activation of the automatic brakes using the obstacle sensor 140 is suppressed. Furthermore, in this embodiment, after the vehicle 100 has passed through the narrow passage NR, the automatic brakes of the vehicle 100 using the obstacle sensor 140 become available again. Therefore, as shown in Figure 7, for example, even if a worker WK suddenly jumps onto the track TR, the automatic brakes of the vehicle 100 will activate, preventing a collision between the vehicle 100 and the worker WK.

[0054] Furthermore, in this embodiment, while the inspection device 400 disables the automatic braking of the vehicle 100 using the obstacle sensor 140, it detects the distance between the vehicle 100 and the inspection device 400 using the distance sensor 470. If the distance detected by the distance sensor 470 is below a predetermined threshold, it transmits a collision avoidance signal to bring the vehicle 100 to an emergency stop. This makes it possible to suppress collisions between the vehicle 100, whose automatic braking is disabled, and the inspection device 400.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inspection device 400 transmits an automatic braking prohibition signal to the vehicle 100, overwriting the vehicle 100's automatic braking necessity determination result, thereby making it impossible for the vehicle 100 to perform automatic braking using the obstacle sensor 140. Therefore, by terminating the transmission of the automatic braking prohibition signal, the inspection device 400 can immediately return the vehicle 100 to a state where automatic braking using the obstacle sensor 140 is possible.

[0056] B. Second Embodiment: Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram showing how automatic braking prohibition control is executed in system 10 in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the content of the automatic braking prohibition control differs from that of the first embodiment. Specifically, in the second embodiment, the prohibition area RS and the prohibition release area RE are not provided, which is different from the first embodiment. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0057] Figure 10 shows two vehicles 100A and 100B. The configuration of the two vehicles 100A and 100B is the same as that of vehicle 100 in the first embodiment. The two vehicles 100A and 100B are inspected by the inspection device 400. Vehicle 100B is inspected by the inspection device 400 after vehicle 100A. In the following description, when the two vehicles 100A and 100B are not specifically distinguished, they will simply be referred to as vehicle 100.

[0058] In this embodiment, in step S110 of the automatic brake prohibition control shown in Figure 8, the function stop instruction unit 495 determines whether the distance between the vehicle 100A entering the inspection device 400 and the inspection device 400 is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold d. If it is determined in step S110 that the distance between the vehicle 100A and the inspection device 400 is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold d, the function stop instruction unit 495 starts transmitting a prohibition signal to the vehicle 100A in step S120. If it is determined in step S110 that the distance between the vehicle 100 and the inspection device 400 exceeds the predetermined threshold d, the function stop instruction unit 495 executes the process of step S110 again.

[0059] In this embodiment, in step S150 of the automatic brake prohibition control shown in Figure 8, the function stop instruction unit 495 determines whether or not vehicle 100B is permitted to enter the inspection device 400. In this embodiment, the function stop instruction unit 495 determines that vehicle 100B is permitted to enter the inspection device 400 when it receives a signal that permits vehicle 100B to enter the inspection device 400. The signal that permits vehicle 100B to enter the inspection device 400 is transmitted after vehicle 100A has exited the inspection device 400. If it is determined in step S150 that vehicle 100B is permitted to enter the inspection device 400, the function stop instruction unit 495 terminates the transmission of the prohibition signal to vehicle 100A in step S160.

[0060] In the inspection device 400 of this embodiment described above, when vehicles 100A and 100B enter the inspection device 400, the automatic braking using the obstacle sensors 140 of vehicles 100A and 100B is disabled. Therefore, it is possible to prevent obstacles from being blocked from entering the inspection device 400. Furthermore, in this embodiment, after vehicles 100A and 100B exit the inspection device 400, the automatic braking of vehicles 100A and 100B is reactivated. Therefore, if a collision between vehicles 100A and 100B and workers WK is predicted after they exit the inspection device 400, the automatic braking of vehicles 100A and 100B can prevent a collision between vehicles 100A and 100B and workers WK.

[0061] C. Third Embodiment: Figure 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the inspection device 400 in the third embodiment. Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the overlapping portion ZD between the detection range Z1 of the obstacle sensor 140 and the detection range Z2 of the distance sensor 470. In the third embodiment, the inspection device 400 is provided with a specific unit 498 instead of a comparison unit 494, which is different from the first embodiment. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0062] As shown in Figure 11, the processor 431 of the inspection control device 430 functions as an inspection execution unit 491, a first acquisition unit 492, a second acquisition unit 493, a specific unit 498, a function stop instruction unit 495, a collision prediction unit 496, and a collision avoidance instruction unit 497 by executing a computer program PG4 pre-stored in the memory 432. In this embodiment, the first acquisition unit 492 acquires the detection range Z1 of the obstacle sensor 140. The first acquisition unit 492 acquires the detection result of the obstacle sensor 140 and can acquire the detection range Z1 of the obstacle sensor 140 from the detection result of the obstacle sensor 140. The second acquisition unit 493 acquires the detection range Z2 of the distance sensor 470. The second acquisition unit 493 acquires the detection result of the distance sensor 470 and can acquire the detection range Z2 of the distance sensor 470 from the detection result of the distance sensor 470. The identification unit 498 uses the detection range Z1 of the obstacle sensor 140 acquired by the first acquisition unit 492 and the detection range Z2 of the distance sensor 470 acquired by the second acquisition unit 493 to identify the overlapping portion ZD of the detection range Z1 of the obstacle sensor 140 and the detection range Z2 of the distance sensor 470. In Figure 12, the overlapping portion ZD is represented by hatching. In this embodiment, the function stop instruction unit 495 disables the automatic braking of the vehicle 100 using the detection result of the obstacle sensor 140 in the overlapping portion ZD. The function stop instruction unit 495 does not disable the automatic braking of the vehicle 100 using the detection result of the obstacle sensor 140 outside of the overlapping portion ZD. However, the function stop instruction unit 495 may disable the automatic braking of the vehicle 100 using the detection result of the obstacle sensor 140 outside of the overlapping portion ZD.

[0063] As described above, with respect to the system 10 in this embodiment, when the vehicle 100 enters the inspection device 400, automatic braking of the vehicle 100 using the detection results of the obstacle sensor 140 in the overlapping portion ZD becomes impossible, thus preventing the vehicle 100 from being obstructed from entering the inspection device 400. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the vehicle 100 is traveling inside the inspection device 400, the vehicle 100 can be brought to an emergency stop using the detection results of the distance sensor 470 of the inspection device 400, thereby avoiding a collision between the vehicle 100 and the inspection device 400. Moreover, in this embodiment, automatic braking of the vehicle 100 using the detection results of obstacle sensors 140 other than the overlapping portion ZD is possible, so if the vehicle 100 enters the blind spot of the distance sensor 470, a collision between the vehicle 100 and the inspection device 400 can be avoided by automatic braking using the detection results of the obstacle sensor 140.

[0064] D. Fourth Embodiment: Figure 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle 100 in the fourth embodiment. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the system 10 does not have a server device 200, and the vehicle 100 is driven by autonomous control of the vehicle 100 rather than by remote control from the server device 200. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0065] In this embodiment, the reference path RR and detection model DM are pre-stored in the memory 112 of the vehicle control device 110. The communication device 130 can communicate with the external sensor 300 and inspection device 400 via wireless communication. The processor 111 functions as the driving control unit 115 and the collision prediction unit 116 by executing the computer program PG1 pre-stored in the memory 112. In this embodiment, the driving control unit 115 generates its own driving control signals to drive the vehicle 100.

[0066] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for controlling the driving of the vehicle 100 in the fourth embodiment. In step S21, the processor 111 of the vehicle control device 110 acquires vehicle position information using the detection result output from the camera, which is an external sensor 300. In step S22, the processor 111 determines the target position to which the vehicle 100 should next go. In step S23, the processor 111 generates a driving control signal to drive the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. In step S24, the processor 111 controls the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal to drive the vehicle 100 according to the parameters expressed in the driving control signal. The processor 111 repeats the acquisition of vehicle position information, determination of the target position, generation of the driving control signal, and control of the actuator group 120 at predetermined intervals. Therefore, according to the system 10 in this embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be driven by autonomous control of the vehicle 100 without remote control of the vehicle 100 by the server device 200.

[0067] According to the system 10 of this embodiment described above, the vehicle 100 can be inspected without remotely controlling the vehicle 100 by the server device 200. Furthermore, in this embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the inspection device 400 can prevent the vehicle 100 from being prevented from entering the narrow road NR by performing automatic brake prohibition control.

[0068] E. Other embodiments: (E1) In each of the above embodiments, the inspection device 400 does not need to be provided with a collision prediction unit 496 and a collision avoidance instruction unit 497. Even in this case, it is possible to suppress the automatic braking of the vehicle 100 using the obstacle sensor 140 from activating excessively frequently.

[0069] (E2) In each of the above embodiments, the collision avoidance instruction unit 497 causes the vehicle 100 to perform collision avoidance actions when a collision between the vehicle 100 and the inspection device 400 is predicted. In contrast, if the inspection device 400 is equipped with a movable part such as a robot arm, the collision avoidance instruction unit 497 may cause the movable part of the inspection device 400 to perform collision avoidance actions when a collision between the vehicle 100 and the inspection device 400 is predicted.

[0070] (E3) In each of the above embodiments, the function stop instruction unit 495 may prohibit the operation of the automatic brake by means other than overwriting the result of the determination of whether or not the automatic brake is necessary. For example, the function stop instruction unit 495 may prohibit the operation of the automatic brake by temporarily stopping the function of the collision prediction unit 116 of the vehicle 100.

[0071] (E4) In the first to third embodiments described above, the server device 200 and the inspection control device 430 may be integrated. In the first to second embodiments, a first acquisition unit 492, a second acquisition unit 493, and a comparison unit 494 may be provided in the server device 200, and the function stop instruction unit 495 of the inspection control device 430 may acquire from the server device 200 the result of comparing the reliability of the obstacle sensor 140 and the reliability of the distance sensor 470. In the third embodiment, a first acquisition unit 492, a second acquisition unit 493, and a specific unit 498 may be provided in the server device 200, and the function stop instruction unit 495 of the inspection control device 430 may acquire from the server device 200 the overlapping portion ZD between the detection range Z1 of the obstacle sensor 140 and the detection range Z2 of the distance sensor 470.

[0072] (E5) In each of the above embodiments, the external sensor 300 is not limited to a camera, but may be, for example, a distance measuring device. The distance measuring device may be, for example, LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging). In this case, the detection result output by the external sensor 300 may be 3D point cloud data representing the vehicle 100. In this case, the server device 200 and the vehicle 100 may acquire vehicle position information by template matching using the 3D point cloud data as the detection result and pre-prepared reference point cloud data. In this case, the area information AD does not need to be stored in the memory 432 of the inspection control device 430.

[0073] (E6) In the first to third embodiments described above, the server device 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 also be used.

[0074] (1) The server device 200 may acquire vehicle position information, determine the next target location that vehicle 100 should head to, and generate a route from the vehicle 100's current location, as shown in the acquired vehicle position information, to the target location. The server device 200 may generate a route to the target location between the current location and the destination, or it may generate a route to the destination. The server device 200 may transmit the generated route to vehicle 100. Vehicle 100 may generate a driving control signal so that vehicle 100 travels along the route received from the server device 200, and may use the generated driving control signal to control the actuator group 120.

[0075] (2) The server device 200 may acquire vehicle position information and transmit the acquired vehicle position information to the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 may determine the next target location to which the vehicle 100 should go, generate a route from the vehicle 100's current location shown in the received vehicle position information to the target location, generate a driving control signal so that the vehicle 100 travels along the generated route, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal.

[0076] (3) In the embodiments of (1) and (2) above, the vehicle 100 is equipped with internal sensors, and the detection results output from the internal sensors may be used in at least one of the generation of a route and the generation of a driving control signal. The internal sensors are sensors mounted on the vehicle 100. The internal sensors may include, for example, sensors that detect the motion state of the vehicle 100, sensors that detect the operating state of each part of the vehicle 100, and sensors that detect the environment around the vehicle 100. Specifically, the internal sensors may include, for example, cameras, LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic sensors, GPS sensors, acceleration sensors, gyro sensors, etc. For example, in the embodiment of (1) above, the server device 200 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the route when generating a route. In the embodiment of (1) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the driving control signal when generating a driving control signal. In the embodiment of (2) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the route when generating a route. In the embodiment described in (2) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0077] (E7) 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.

[0078] (E8) In the fourth embodiment described above, the vehicle 100 acquires vehicle position information using the detection results of the external sensor 300. Alternatively, the vehicle 100 may be equipped with an internal sensor, which 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 traveling along the generated route, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal. In this case, the vehicle 100 can travel without using 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.

[0079] (E9) In the first to third embodiments described above, the server device 200 automatically generates driving control signals to be transmitted to the vehicle 100. Alternatively, the server device 200 may generate driving control signals to be transmitted to the vehicle 100 in accordance with the operations of an external operator located outside the vehicle 100. For example, an external operator may operate a control device that includes a display for displaying captured images output from an external sensor 300, a steering wheel for remotely controlling the vehicle 100, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a communication device for communicating with the server device 200 via wired or wireless communication, and the server device 200 may generate driving control signals in accordance with the operations applied to the control device.

[0080] (E10) In each of the above embodiments, the vehicle 100 only needs to have a configuration that allows it to move by unmanned operation, and may be in the form of a platform having the configuration described below. Specifically, in order for the vehicle 100 to perform the three functions of "driving," "turning," and "stopping" by unmanned operation, it is sufficient to have at least a vehicle control device 110 and an actuator group 120. When the vehicle 100 acquires information from the outside for unmanned operation, the vehicle 100 may further have a communication device 130. That is, the vehicle 100 that can move by unmanned operation does not need to have at least some of the interior parts such as the driver's seat and dashboard attached, it does not need to have at least some of the exterior parts such as the bumper and fender attached, and it does not need to have a body shell attached. In this case, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100 before the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory FC, or the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100 after the vehicle 100 has been shipped from the factory FC without the remaining parts such as the body shell attached to the vehicle 100. Each component may be attached to the vehicle 100 from any direction, such as the top, bottom, front, rear, right, or left side, and may be attached from the same direction or from different directions. The positioning of the platform can also be determined in the same way as for the vehicle 100 in the first embodiment.

[0081] (E11) 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.

[0082] (E12) Transporting vehicle 100 using the unmanned operation of the 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.

[0083] (E13) In each of the above embodiments, some or all of the functions and processes implemented in software may be implemented in hardware. Also, some or all of the functions and processes implemented in hardware may be implemented in software. As hardware for implementing the various functions in each of the above embodiments, various circuits such as integrated circuits and discrete circuits may be used.

[0084] 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]

[0085] 10...System, 100...Vehicle, 101...Wheels, 110...Vehicle control device, 111...Processor, 112...Memory, 113...Input / Output Interface, 114...Internal Bus, 115...Driving Control Unit, 116...Collision Prediction Unit, 120...Actuator Group, 130...Communication Device, 140...Obstacle Sensor, 200...Server Device, 201...Processor, 202...Memory, 203...Input / Output Interface, 204...Internal Bus, 205...Communication Device, 211...Vehicle Remote Control Unit, 212...Equipment Remote Control Unit, 300...External Sensor, 400…Inspection device, 401…Stage, 402…Rack, 410…Roller, 420…Motor, 430…Inspection control device, 431…Processor, 432…Memory, 433…Input / output interface, 434…Internal bus, 440…Communication device, 450…Rotation speed sensor, 460…Braking force sensor, 470…Distance sensor, 491…Inspection execution unit, 492…First acquisition unit, 493…Second acquisition unit, 494…Comparison unit, 495…Function stop instruction unit, 496…Collision prediction unit, 497…Collision avoidance instruction unit, 498…Specification unit

Claims

1. It is a system, A sensor mounted on the vehicle having a collision avoidance function that avoids collision with an obstacle based on the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, comprising a first acquisition unit that acquires the reliability of a first sensor that detects the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, A second acquisition unit that acquires the reliability of a second sensor, which is a sensor located outside the vehicle and detects the distance between the vehicle and an inspection device that inspects the vehicle, A function deactivation instruction unit transmits an instruction to the vehicle to deactivate the collision avoidance function using the detection result of the first sensor when predetermined conditions are met, including the fact that the reliability of the first sensor is lower than the reliability of the second sensor. A system that includes these features.

2. It is a system, A sensor mounted on the vehicle having a collision avoidance function that avoids collision with an obstacle based on the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, comprising a first acquisition unit that acquires the detection range of a first sensor that detects the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, A second acquisition unit acquires the detection range of a second sensor, which is located outside the vehicle and detects the distance between the vehicle and an inspection device that inspects the vehicle. A function deactivation instruction unit transmits an instruction to the vehicle to deactivate the collision avoidance function using the detection results of the first sensor in at least the overlapping portion when predetermined conditions are met, including the identification of an overlapping portion within the detection range of the second sensor within the detection range of the first sensor. A system that includes these features.

3. A system according to claim 1 or claim 2, A collision prediction unit that predicts a collision between the vehicle and the inspection device using the detection results of the second sensor, When the collision prediction unit predicts that the vehicle and the inspection device will collide, the collision avoidance instruction unit transmits an instruction to at least one of the vehicle and the inspection device to perform a collision avoidance action to avoid the collision between the vehicle and the inspection device. A system that further enhances this feature.

4. A system according to claim 1 or claim 2, The system includes a function deactivation instruction unit that deactivates the collision avoidance function using the detection result of the first sensor by overwriting the result of the determination of whether or not collision avoidance action by the vehicle using the first sensor with the result of the determination of whether or not collision avoidance action is necessary using the second sensor.

5. It is a method, A sensor mounted on the vehicle has a collision avoidance function that avoids collision with an obstacle based on the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, and the reliability of a first sensor that detects the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle is obtained. The reliability of a second sensor, which is located outside the vehicle and detects the distance between the vehicle and an inspection device that inspects the vehicle, is obtained. A method for transmitting an instruction to the vehicle to stop the collision avoidance function using the detection result of the first sensor when predetermined conditions are met, including the fact that the reliability of the first sensor is lower than the reliability of the second sensor.

6. It is a method, A sensor mounted on the vehicle having a collision avoidance function that avoids collision with an obstacle based on the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, and which acquires the detection range of a first sensor that detects the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle, A sensor located outside the vehicle, which detects the distance between the vehicle and an inspection device that inspects the vehicle, acquires the detection range of the second sensor. A method for transmitting an instruction to the vehicle to stop the collision avoidance function using the detection results of the first sensor in at least the overlapping portion, when predetermined conditions are met, including the identification of an overlapping portion of the detection range of the first sensor that is included in the detection range of the second sensor.

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