Lead Mobility

Abstract

This improves the practicality of lead mobility systems that electronically tow vehicles. [Solution] A lead mobility 10 is used to transport a vehicle 20 (20') to a designated transport location 50, autonomously travels in a lane 40, and can be controlled to make the transported vehicle follow it via wireless communication. The transport location is set on the shoulder of the lane, and the lead mobility is configured to perform a vehicle entry support process, which is a process that assists the transported vehicle in entering the lane from the transport location. If this process is performed to avoid interference with another vehicle 30 traveling in the lane when the transported vehicle enters the lane, the safety of the transported vehicle entering the lane can be ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to lead mobility for electronically towing a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, a remote control device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. The conventional remote control device is mounted on a lead mobility that moves autonomously, and by remote operation, guides a vehicle as a follower vehicle to travel along the path traveled by the lead mobility. In other words, the lead mobility has a function of operating a vehicle so as to follow itself by wireless communication as a following vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, it is possible to improve the practicality of the lead mobility by providing some other function in addition to the function of the remote control device mounted on the lead mobility for causing a follower vehicle to travel following the lead mobility by remote operation, that is, the function of electronically towing. In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a highly practical lead mobility.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] To solve the above problems, the lead mobility of the present invention is a lead mobility that is used to transport a vehicle to a set transport location, autonomously travels in a lane, and can be operated to cause the vehicle to be transported to follow itself by wireless communication, The aforementioned transport location is set on the shoulder of the lane, It is configured to perform a vehicle entry support process, which is a process that assists the transported vehicle in entering the lane from its transport location. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] After transport, the vehicle is handed over to the driver and driven by the driver. At that time, the transported vehicle will depart from the transport location and enter the lane. The lead mobility device assists in entering the lane, thereby improving the convenience of the lead mobility device. Embodiment of the Invention

[0007] The vehicle entry support processing performed by the lead mobility of the present invention may be performed, for example, when a transported vehicle enters a lane, for the purpose of avoiding interference with another vehicle traveling in the lane. In that case, the lead mobility can detect the presence or absence of the other vehicle using its own sensors. When detecting the presence or absence of another vehicle using its own sensors, it is desirable for the lead mobility to move to a location where detection is possible and perform the detection.

[0008] As a specific form of support, for example, the vehicle entry support process may be performed in a way that notifies the driver of the timing of entering the lane when the driver is actually driving the transported vehicle into the lane. Alternatively, the vehicle may be driven into the lane by the lead mobility device, and after entering the lane, the driving of the vehicle may be handed over to the driver. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the electronic towing of a follower vehicle by lead mobility according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view illustrating lead mobility. [Figure 3] This is a front view illustrating lead mobility. [Figure 4]This is a plan view illustrating lead mobility. [Figure 5] This is a side view illustrating lead mobility. [Figure 6] This is a diagram illustrating the various devices installed in the lead mobility vehicle. [Figure 7] This is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of a remote control device. [Figure 8] This is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the traction control device. [Figure 9] This is a diagram illustrating the vehicle entry support process. [Figure 10] This is another diagram illustrating vehicle entry assistance procedures. [Figure 11] This diagram shows the interior of a vehicle being electronically towed by a lead mobility system. [Figure 12] This is a flowchart of the entry assistance processing program executed in lead mobility. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the lead mobility described herein will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition to the embodiments described below, the lead mobility described herein can be implemented in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0011] [A] Lead Mobility Configuration The lead mobility 10 is configured to be autonomously drivable (autonomous), and as shown in Figure 1, it electronically tows a follower vehicle 20 (a type of "following vehicle") to its destination, maintaining a specific positional relationship through wireless communication, i.e., remote control. Here, the lead mobility 10 can be a vehicle that travels on the road surface or an aerial vehicle such as a drone, and in this embodiment, the case where the lead mobility 10 is a vehicle will be described.

[0012] The lead mobility 10 of the present embodiment includes a pair of left and right drive wheels 11 and a driven wheel 12 as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5 in order to perform autonomous driving. Each of the pair of left and right drive wheels 11 is independently driven by a pair of left and right traveling electric motors (not shown) that are supplied with power from a battery (not shown) mounted on the vehicle body of the lead mobility 10. Therefore, the lead mobility 10 can rotate around a rotation axis along the vertical direction by, for example, applying a left and right rotation speed difference (left and right driving force difference) to the left and right drive wheels 11. As a result, the lead mobility 10 can turn right and left, change direction, or turn (including a super-accurate turn in place) during autonomous driving without separately mounting a steering device for steering the left and right drive wheels 11 around the steering axis. In the following description, turning right and left, changing direction, and turning may be collectively referred to as "right and left turns, etc."

[0013] In addition, in the lead mobility 10, according to the regenerative control by the automatic driving control unit 116 (see FIG. 7) of the remote control device 100 described later, the drive wheel 11 (more specifically, the traveling electric motor) can generate a regenerative braking force. As a result, the lead mobility 10 can stop by the regenerative braking force.

[0014] Further, a friction braking device (drum brake device or disc brake device, not shown) is assembled to each drive wheel 11. As a result, in the lead mobility 10 in a stopped state, the friction braking device also functions as a parking brake by generating a braking force due to friction. As the friction braking device, for example, a so-called electric brake in which an electric motor presses a brake shoe against a drum or a brake pad against a disc can be adopted.

[0015] The driven wheel 12 is disposed behind the drive wheel 11 in the front-rear direction of the lead mobility 10. In the present embodiment, the driven wheel 12 is provided in the form of a swivel caster and has a single rotation axis extending along the vertical direction at substantially the central portion in the vehicle width direction (lateral direction) of the lead mobility 10. Thereby, for example, when the lead mobility 10 travels while turning right or left due to the rotational speed difference (driving force difference) of the drive wheel 11, the driven wheel 12 freely rotates around the rotation axis following the traveling direction associated with the right or left turn, so that it can freely steer.

[0016] Moreover, as shown in FIG. 6, the lead mobility 10 includes a self-driving detector 13, a position detector 14, and a vehicle detector 15 housed in the vehicle body upper portion 10U. The self-driving detector 13 detects the relative positional relationship between the lead mobility 10 and an object such as an obstacle existing in the traveling direction (hereinafter, may be referred to as a "detection target object") when the lead mobility 10 travels autonomously, specifically, the relative distance.

[0017] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the self-driving detector 13 is configured to have ranging devices such as a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) 13A and a camera 13B. The LiDAR 13A acquires three-dimensional point cloud data indicating the three-dimensional positions of the point cloud representing the detection target object with high accuracy. The camera 13B can exemplify, for example, a stereo camera, a monocular camera, a RGBD camera (depth camera), etc., and acquires imaging data representing the existence direction, size, etc. of the detection target object. Incidentally, instead of using the LiDAR 13A or the camera 13B, for example, a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor or the like can also be used.

[0018] The self-propelled detector 13 outputs the acquired data, namely three-dimensional point cloud data and imaging data, to the remote control device 100, which will be described later. The remote control device 100 then uses the acquired three-dimensional point cloud data and imaging data in simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) for autonomous driving of the lead mobility 10, as will be described later.

[0019] The position detector 14 has, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver and detects the position of the lead mobility 10 based on the received signal. In this embodiment, the lead mobility 10 has two position detectors 14 positioned at each of the left and right positions in the vehicle width direction on the upper part 10U of the vehicle body, that is, two position detectors 14 are arranged in pairs on the left and right. The number of position detectors 14 may be just one on the upper part 10U of the vehicle body, or three or more may be arranged on the upper part 10U of the vehicle body.

[0020] Furthermore, the lead mobility 10 is configured to include a vehicle detector 15 in order to detect the following follower vehicle 20. The vehicle detector 15 is a device for measuring various data used to estimate the relative position of the follower vehicle 20 with respect to the lead mobility 10 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "relative position"). Here, the relative position includes the relative orientation and attitude of the follower vehicle 20 with respect to the lead mobility 10 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "relative attitude").

[0021] The vehicle detector 15 is primarily equipped with a LiDAR for measuring three-dimensional point cloud data of the follower vehicle 20 electronically towed by the lead mobility 10. In the remote control device 100, which will be described later, for example, only the relative position of the follower vehicle 20 detected by the vehicle detector 15 (i.e., LiDAR) may be acquired, and the relative attitude and direction of travel of the follower vehicle 20 may be estimated by understanding the changes in the follower vehicle 20 over time based on the intermittently acquired relative position.

[0022] Furthermore, the lead mobility 10 is equipped with a remote control device 100 as a controller for remotely operating the follower vehicle 20. The remote control device 100 remotely controls the follower vehicle 20 to maintain a specific positional relationship with the lead mobility 10.

[0023] [B] Configuration and basic functions of the remote control device As shown in Figure 7, the remote control device 100 includes a CPU 110, a storage device 120, an interface circuit 130, and a remote communication device 140. The CPU 110, the storage device 120, and the interface circuit 130 are connected via an internal bus to enable bidirectional communication. The remote communication device 140 performs wireless communication with the follower vehicle 20 via a network or the like.

[0024] The CPU 110 executes a computer program stored in the storage device 120 to implement at least some of the functions provided in this embodiment. By executing this computer program, the CPU 110 functions as a remote control unit 111, a point cloud data acquisition unit 112, a position determination unit 113, a relative position estimation unit 114, a SLAM unit 115, an automatic driving control unit 116, and a special control unit 117, as shown in Figure 7. However, some or all of these functions can also be configured by hardware circuits.

[0025] The remote control unit 111 generates control commands for remote control and transmits them wirelessly to the follower vehicle 20 so that the follower vehicle 20 maintains a specific positional relationship with the lead mobility 10 and follows the lead mobility 10, that is, so that the lead mobility 10 is pulling the follower vehicle 20 as if it were being pulled by a rope. Here, the state in which the follower vehicle 20 is pulled as if it were being pulled by a rope, due to the control commands transmitted by the remote control unit 111 of the remote control device 100 mounted on the lead mobility 10 via wireless communication using the remote communication device 140, is called "electronic towing".

[0026] Furthermore, the remote control unit 111 can generate control commands as commands including, for example, driving force or braking force and steering angle. Alternatively, the remote control unit 111 can generate control commands as commands including at least one of the position and orientation of the follower vehicle 20 and the future travel route. As a result, the follower vehicle 20 can follow the lead mobility 10 by receiving control commands for remote control, as will be described later.

[0027] The point cloud data acquisition unit 112 acquires three-dimensional point cloud data (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "vehicle point cloud data VP") measured by the vehicle detector 15. The position determination unit 113 determines the starting position for starting the matching of the vehicle point cloud data VP with the three-dimensional point cloud data around the lead mobility 10 acquired by the LiDAR 13A of the self-propelled detector 13. From the viewpoint of completing template matching as early as possible, the starting position for starting the matching is preferably the position of the follower vehicle 20 to be detected in the three-dimensional point cloud data, or a position next to the follower vehicle 20.

[0028] Here, the vehicle point cloud data VP functions as a template point cloud for estimating at least one of the position and orientation (attitude) of the follower vehicle 20. The vehicle point cloud data VP can include information for identifying the orientation (attitude) of the follower vehicle 20. As a result, the position determination unit 113 and the relative position estimation unit 114 can estimate the position and orientation (attitude) of the follower vehicle 20 in the surrounding three-dimensional point cloud data with high accuracy by template matching using the vehicle point cloud data VP.

[0029] In this embodiment, the position determination unit 113 determines the starting position of template matching using information relating to the position of the follower vehicle 20 in the three-dimensional point cloud data (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "position-related information"). Here, the position-related information is data used to estimate the position of the follower vehicle 20 in the three-dimensional point cloud data, and / or the position adjacent to the follower vehicle 20. In order to speed up the processing of template matching, the position-related information is preferably data of a small capacity or data obtained by simple processing, such as a GNSS signal.

[0030] The relative position estimation unit 114 estimates the relative position of the follower vehicle 20, including its relative orientation (attitude) relative to the lead mobility 10, in the acquired three-dimensional point cloud data. Here, the relative position can be exemplified by the relative distance to the follower vehicle 20 in the direction of travel, the deviation of the follower vehicle 20 in the vehicle width direction relative to the movement trajectory of the lead mobility 10, and the relative turning attitude (right or left turning attitude) of the follower vehicle 20 relative to the lead mobility 10, based on the position and attitude of the lead mobility 10.

[0031] In this embodiment, the relative position estimation unit 114 estimates the relative position, including the relative attitude, of the follower vehicle 20 in the three-dimensional point cloud data by performing template matching using vehicle point cloud data VP on the three-dimensional point cloud data. For the template matching of vehicle point cloud data VP on the three-dimensional point cloud data performed by the position determination unit 113 and the relative position estimation unit 114, for example, well-known ICP (Interactive Closest Point) algorithms or well-known NDT (Normal Distribution Transform) algorithms can be used.

[0032] The SLAM unit 115 performs SLAM using data (image data and three-dimensional point cloud data) detected by the self-propelled detector 13 to generate a map that the lead mobility 10 will use for autonomous driving. The automatic driving control unit 116 controls the operation of actuators 150, such as the electric motors that drive the drive wheels 11 mounted on the lead mobility 10 and the electric motors that constitute the friction braking system, thereby enabling the lead mobility 10 to drive autonomously. Specifically, by controlling the operation of the actuators 150, the automatic driving control unit 116 uses the map generated by the SLAM unit 115 to enable the lead mobility 10 to drive autonomously (a type of autonomous movement) along the lead vehicle route GR to a set destination TP, for example. When enabling the lead mobility 10 to drive autonomously, the automatic driving control unit 116 detects the position of the lead mobility 10 based on the GNSS signal received by the position detector 15.

[0033] The special control unit 117 is a functional unit that enables special functions in the lead mobility 10. The details of this special control unit 117 will be explained in detail later.

[0034] The storage device 120 can be exemplified by RAM, ROM, HDD, and SSD, among others. The read / write area of ​​the storage device 120 stores vehicle point cloud data VP, read vehicle route GR, destination TP, actuator drive history AC, and previous matching position BM.

[0035] Here, the lead vehicle route GR is a target route that can be set for the lead mobility 10 to travel. The destination TP is the destination of the lead mobility 10, which can be arbitrarily set. However, when the automatic driving control unit 116 makes the lead mobility 10 autonomously drive using a map generated by the SLAM unit 115 based on the data output from the self-driving detector 13, the lead vehicle route GR can be omitted. However, in this case, the automatic driving control unit 116 will, for example, generate a driving route to the set destination TP and make the lead mobility 10 drive along the generated driving route.

[0036] The actuator drive history AC is the history of input and output values ​​for each actuator 220 of the follower vehicle 20, as described later. The actuator drive history AC can also be described as the history of control command values ​​transmitted from the remote control device 100 to the follower vehicle 20. The actuator drive history AC may also be measured values ​​detected by the detectors of the follower vehicle 20, such as the vehicle speed, steering angle, braking force, and rotation angle of the follower vehicle 20. The previous matching position BM is the coordinate value of the position where template matching between the three-dimensional point cloud data and the vehicle point cloud data VP, which was previously performed by the relative position estimation unit 114 of the remote control device 100, was completed.

[0037] [C] Follower Vehicle Configuration The follower vehicle 20 can be exemplified by passenger cars, trucks, buses, construction vehicles, motorcycles, etc. In this embodiment, the example given is that the follower vehicle 20 is an electric vehicle (Battery Electric Vehicle: BEV) which is a passenger car. It goes without saying that the passenger car is not limited to electric vehicles, and may also be, for example, a vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine, a hybrid vehicle (HEV) or plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) powered by an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, or a vehicle having a fuel cell and an electric motor (FCEV).

[0038] As shown in Figure 1, the follower vehicle 20 is equipped with a driving control device 200. As shown in Figure 8, the driving control device 200 is equipped with an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 210. The ECU 210 is a microcomputer whose main components are a CPU 211, a storage device 212, and an interface circuit 213. The CPU 211, storage device 212, and interface circuit 213 are connected via an internal bus to enable bidirectional communication. The interface circuit 213 is connected to an actuator 220 and a vehicle communication device 230. The vehicle communication device 230 communicates wirelessly with the remote communication device 140 of the remote control device 100 mounted on the lead mobility 10, either via a network or directly.

[0039] The CPU 211 implements the function of driving control of the follower vehicle 20 by executing a computer program stored in the read / write area of ​​the memory device 212. Here, driving control refers to various controls for driving the actuators 220 that perform the functions of "driving," "turning," and "stopping" of the follower vehicle 20, such as adjusting the acceleration, deceleration, speed, and steering angle of the follower vehicle 20.

[0040] In this embodiment, the actuator 220 may include, although not shown in the figures, an actuator including a traction motor that constitutes a drive system for accelerating or decelerating the follower vehicle 20, an actuator including an electric motor that constitutes a braking system for decelerating the follower vehicle 20, and an actuator including a steering motor (electric motor) that constitutes a steering system for changing the direction of travel of the follower vehicle 20. The actuator 220 is driven by power supplied from a battery (not shown) mounted on the follower vehicle 20.

[0041] The CPU 211 can drive the follower vehicle 20 by controlling the operation of the actuator 220 in response to the driver's input, if a driver is in the follower vehicle 20. Regardless of whether a driver is in the follower vehicle 20 or not, the CPU 211 can drive the follower vehicle 20 following the lead mobility 10 while maintaining a specific positional relationship with it by controlling the operation of the actuator 220 in response to control commands transmitted from the remote control device 100 mounted on the lead mobility 10.

[0042] [D] Remote control via lead mobility Next, the remote control of the follower vehicle 20 by the lead mobility 10 will be explained. The remote control device 100 mounted on the lead mobility 10 acquires information about the electronically towed follower vehicle 20 in advance, such as vehicle length, vehicle width, minimum turning radius, wheelbase length, acceleration performance, braking performance, and other information related to the follower vehicle 20's "driving," "turning," and "stopping." Then, the remote control device 100 electronically tows the follower vehicle 20, which has acquired the information about its specifications, while autonomously driving according to, for example, the lead vehicle route GR stored in the memory device 120. In other words, the remote control device 100 makes the follower vehicle 20 follow the lead mobility 10 as if the lead mobility 10 were towing the follower vehicle 20 with a rope.

[0043] Therefore, the remote control device 100 causes the follower vehicle 20 to follow the lead mobility 10's trajectory while maintaining a specific distance between the lead mobility 10 and the follower vehicle 20, so that the lead mobility 10 and the follower vehicle 20 maintain a specific positional relationship. Here, for example, the electronic towing will be explained specifically assuming that the lead mobility 10 turns left at an intersection. Incidentally, when the lead mobility 10 is going straight, the follower vehicle 20 will go straight while maintaining a specific distance.

[0044] When turning left at an intersection, the remote control unit 111 of the remote control device 100 predicts the future driving state of the follower vehicle 20 (including vehicle speed and driving trajectory) based on the relative position (including relative posture) of the follower vehicle 20 estimated by the relative position estimation unit 114. Subsequently, the remote control unit 111 remotely controls the follower vehicle 20 to resolve the difference between the current driving state of the lead mobility 10 (including vehicle speed and driving trajectory) and the predicted driving state of the follower vehicle 20, that is, to ensure that the follower vehicle 20 maintains a specific distance between vehicles (for example, in the case of a turn such as a left turn, the distance along the turning trajectory) and follows the driving trajectory of the lead mobility 10.

[0045] Therefore, the remote control unit 111 determines the acceleration (or deceleration) of the follower vehicle 20 based on the distance between the lead mobility 10 and the follower vehicle 20. The remote control unit 111 also determines the steering angle (or steering amount) of the follower vehicle 20 based on the driving trajectory of the lead mobility 10, or more specifically, the turning trajectory of the lead mobility 10. The remote control device 100 then uses the speed-related information representing the determined acceleration (or deceleration) and the steering-related information representing the determined steering angle (or steering amount) as control commands, and transmits this information to the communication device 230 of the follower vehicle 20 via the communication device 140.

[0046] In the follower vehicle 20, the driving control device 200 drives the follower vehicle 20 according to the control commands transmitted from the remote control device 100 of the lead mobility 10, namely speed-related information and steering-related information. Specifically, the CPU 211 of the ECU 210 acquires speed-related information and steering-related information via the communication device 230.

[0047] Based on speed-related information, the CPU 211 supplies power to the electric motor constituting the actuator 220 to generate driving force when accelerating the follower vehicle 20, and cuts off power to the electric motor constituting the actuator 220 to perform regenerative braking when decelerating the follower vehicle 20. In addition, based on steering-related information, the CPU 211 supplies power to the steering motor constituting the actuator 220 to generate a motor rotation angle corresponding to the steering angle (amount of steering) so that the follower vehicle 20 turns left. As a result, the follower vehicle 20 turns left at the intersection while maintaining a specific positional relationship with the lead mobility 10 which is turning left at the intersection.

[0048] As can be understood from the above explanation, according to the lead mobility 10 of this embodiment, the remote control device 100, acting as a controller, can make the lead mobility 10 drive autonomously and remotely control the follower vehicle 20 to maintain a specific positional relationship with the lead mobility 10, in other words, as if being towed by an actual rope, so that the follower vehicle 20 can drive following the lead mobility 10.

[0049] [E] Vehicle entry support processing The lead mobility 10 of this embodiment (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "this lead mobility 10") is used to transport a vehicle to a designated transport location. More specifically, the lead mobility 10 autonomously travels along a lane and transports the vehicle being transported as a follower vehicle 20, controlling it to follow it via wireless communication. In addition to this function, this lead mobility 10 also has a function to assist the vehicle, with the driver inside, in entering the lane from which it was transported after the vehicle has been transported, i.e., a vehicle entry support function. The process for realizing this function is the vehicle entry support process, which is executed by the special control unit 117 described above. Incidentally, this support is performed, for example, to avoid interference with other vehicles traveling in the lane when the vehicle with the driver inside enters the lane.

[0050] The vehicle entry support process is performed in one of two ways. One way is to notify the driver of the timing of entering the lane when the driver actually drives the transported vehicle into the lane, and the other way is for the vehicle to enter the lane by the operation of the lead mobility 10, and then the operation of the vehicle is handed over to the driver after entry. The former will be called the entry timing notification process, and the latter the automatic entry process. The above is an overview of the vehicle entry support process, and the process will be explained in detail below.

[0051] First, for the purpose of this explanation, we will assume a road with only one lane 40, wide enough for two vehicles to pass each other while traveling on the left side, as shown in Figures 9 and 10. The transport location 50 is set up parallel to lane 40, on the shoulder of the road, that is, to the left of lane 40 when facing the direction of vehicle travel. As shown in Figure 9(a), the lead mobility 10 electronically tows the follower vehicle 20 and enters the transport location 50 together with the follower vehicle 20. Then, as shown in Figure 9(b), it stops inside the transport location 50. At the transport location 50, the driver 60 boards the vehicle that was towed as the follower vehicle 20 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "transported vehicle 20'").

[0052] As shown in Figure 10(a), the lead mobility 10 moves to the front end of the transport location 50 and changes direction there. More specifically, the lead mobility 10 changes direction so that it can use its wide-range self-propelled detector 13 to recognize the situation in front of and behind lane 40, that is, the presence of other vehicles 30 such as following vehicles and oncoming vehicles traveling in lane 40. Then, as shown in Figure 10(b), when the lead mobility 10 determines that there is no interference with other vehicles 30, that is, that there are no other vehicles 30 in lane 40 that could potentially interfere, the transported vehicle 20' enters lane 40.

[0053] Referring to Figure 11, which shows the interior of the transported vehicle 20', the driver 60, who is in the transported vehicle 20', turns on the ignition switch (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "IG") 70 of the vehicle 20' and operates the mode selection switch 72, thereby selecting either the entry timing notification process or the automatic entry process described above. Incidentally, the lead mobility 10 receives the operation information of IG 70 and mode selection switch 72 via wireless communication. It should also be possible to have one of the pre-set processes performed regardless of the driver 60's selection.

[0054] In the entry timing notification mode, where entry timing notification processing is performed, the lead mobility 10 first generally allows the driver 60 of the transported vehicle 20' to perform driving operations, but applies the brakes and prohibits the vehicle 20' from starting. Then, when the lead mobility 10 determines that no other potentially interfering vehicle 30 is traveling in lane 40, it releases the brakes and remotely controls the vehicle 20' so that an in-vehicle device notifies the driver that the vehicle 20' should start. Specifically, for example, the lead mobility 10 prompts the driver 60 to perform driving operations to start by displaying text such as "Please start" on the head-up display 74 or the car navigation display 76, or by emitting the voice message "Please start" from the speaker 78.

[0055] In the automatic entry mode, where automatic entry processing is performed, first, the driver 60 of the transported vehicle 20' is prohibited from taking any driving actions. Then, when it is determined that no other potentially interfering vehicle 30 is traveling in lane 40, the transported vehicle 20' is remotely started and enters lane 40. When the lead mobility 10 sees the vehicle 20' traveling in lane 40 to pass it, it transfers control of the vehicle 20' to the driver 60 who is on board. Specifically, the lead mobility 10 transfers control of the vehicle 20' to the driver 60 by displaying text such as "Please begin driving operations" on the head-up display 74 or the car navigation display 76, or by emitting a voice message such as "Please begin driving operations" from the speaker 78.

[0056] The vehicle entry support process described above is executed by the special control unit 117, which runs the entry support process program shown in the flowchart in Figure 12. The following is a brief explanation of the process flow according to this program.

[0057] The program is initiated when the electronic towing of the follower vehicle 20 is completed, that is, when the follower vehicle 20 has been transported to the designated transport location 50. In the process according to this program, first, in step 1 (hereinafter abbreviated as "S1"; the same applies to the other steps), the lead mobility 10 moves to the front end of the delivery location 50, and in S2, changes direction and visually checks the status of lane 40, that is, the passage of other vehicles 30 in lane 40. Since this front end is a place where the presence or absence of other vehicles 30 can be detected well, the lead mobility 10 moves to that location and visually checks the passage of other vehicles 30.

[0058] In the following S3, it is determined whether IG70 is in the ON state, and if IG70 is in the ON state, in S4, it is determined whether the automatic entry mode is selected by the mode selection switch 72.

[0059] If the system is not in automatic entry mode, i.e., in entry timing notification mode, in S5 the driver 60 is permitted to operate the transported vehicle 20' and the brakes are applied to the vehicle 20'. Next, in S6 it is determined whether there are any other vehicles 30 in lane 40 that could interfere with the starting of the vehicle 20'. If there are no such other vehicles 30, in S7 the brakes are released and in S8 the vehicle 20' is notified to start moving.

[0060] On the other hand, if the automatic entry mode is selected, in S9, the driver 60 is prohibited from operating the transported vehicle 20'. Next, in S10, it is determined whether there are any other vehicles 30 in lane 40 that could interfere with the vehicle 20's entry into lane 40. If no such other vehicles 30 exist, in S11, the vehicle 20' is started remotely. In S12, it is determined whether the vehicle 20' has traveled through lane 40 so as to pass the location of the lead mobility 10. If the vehicle 20' has passed, in S13, the operation of the vehicle 20' is transferred to the driver 60.

[0061] Based on processing according to this program, the special control unit 117 sends signals and information to the remote control unit 111 and the automatic driving control unit 116, and the remote control unit 111 and the automatic driving control unit 116 control the lead mobility 10 and the transported vehicle 20', respectively.

[0062] The vehicle entry support process described above makes it possible to safely depart the transported vehicle 20' from the transport location 50. In other words, the merging of the transported vehicle 20' into lane 40 is made safe. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0063] 10: Lead mobility 20: Follower vehicle 20': Transported vehicle 30: Other vehicles 40: Lane 50: Transport location 60: Driver 70: Ignition switch (IG) 72: Mode selection switch 74: Head-up display 76: Car navigation display 78: Speaker 100: Remote control unit

Claims

1. A lead mobility device used to transport vehicles to a designated transport location, capable of autonomously traveling along lanes and controlling the transported vehicle to follow it via wireless communication, The aforementioned transport location is set on the shoulder of the lane, A lead mobility device configured to perform vehicle entry assistance processing, which is the process of assisting a transported vehicle in entering a lane from its transport location.

2. The lead mobility according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle entry support process is a process for avoiding interference with another vehicle when the vehicle's own sensors detect another vehicle traveling in the lane.

3. The lead mobility device according to claim 2, configured to move itself to a position where it can detect the other vehicle using the sensor, and to execute the vehicle entry support process.

4. The lead mobility according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle entry support process is performed in such a way that, when the driver actually drives the transported vehicle into the lane, the timing of the entry into the lane is notified to the driver.

5. The lead mobility according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle entry support process is performed by operating the lead mobility to bring the transported vehicle into the lane, and after entry, the operation of the vehicle is transferred to the driver.

Images