Inspection system and inspection method

Abstract

We provide technology to further improve the reliability of inspections of moving objects. [Solution] The inspection system comprises an inspection unit that performs a predetermined preliminary control process using a moving object and an inspection equipment before the start of an inspection process in which the moving object is inspected using the inspection equipment, and a determination unit that performs a determination process to determine whether the state of the moving object and the inspection equipment in the preliminary control process satisfies predetermined coordination conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an inspection system and an inspection method.

Background Art

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

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Inspection using inspection equipment may be performed on a moving object such as a vehicle. A technique for further enhancing the reliability of such inspections is desired.

Means for Solving the Problems

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

[0006] (1) According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an inspection system is provided. The inspection system includes an inspection unit that executes a predetermined preliminary control process using the moving object and the inspection equipment before starting an inspection process for inspecting the moving object using the inspection equipment, and a determination unit that executes a determination process for determining whether or not the states of the moving object and the inspection equipment in the preliminary control process satisfy predetermined cooperation conditions. According to this aspect, by using the preliminary control process before the inspection process, it is determined whether or not the states of the moving object and the inspection equipment satisfy the cooperation conditions, so that the reliability of the inspection in the inspection process can be further enhanced. (2) In the above configuration, the inspection unit may start the inspection process when the state satisfies the coordination conditions. In this configuration, the inspection process can be started after confirming that the coordination conditions are met, thereby increasing the reliability of the inspection in the inspection process. (3) In the above configuration, if the state does not satisfy the coordination conditions, the inspection unit may not start the inspection process and may report an abnormality. This configuration makes it possible to suppress the start of the inspection process in situations where the probability of ensuring the reliability of the inspection is low, and to report an abnormality in such situations. (4) In the above configuration, the inspection unit may determine the inspection result in the inspection process as abnormal if the state does not satisfy the coordination condition. With this configuration, the inspection process can be executed regardless of whether the coordination condition is satisfied or not, and if the coordination condition is not satisfied, the inspection result in the inspection process can be determined as abnormal. As a result, the reliability of the inspection in the inspection process can be further improved. (5) In the above embodiment, the mobile body is a vehicle that can be driven by unmanned operation control, the inspection equipment is a roller device equipped with rollers that can rotate while supporting the wheels of the vehicle, the inspection unit performs a first preliminary control process as the preliminary control process for the first inspection process, which involves rotating the rollers by driving the wheels on the rollers to inspect the vehicle, before starting the first inspection process, which involves rotating the rollers by driving the wheels on the rollers by unmanned operation control, the determination unit performs a first determination process as the determination process, which determines whether the state in the first preliminary control process satisfies a first coordination condition, which is the coordination condition for the first preliminary control process, and the first coordination condition may include at least one of a peripheral speed condition relating to the relationship between the peripheral speed of the wheels and the peripheral speed of the rollers in the first preliminary control process, and a torque condition relating to the relationship between the rotational torque of the wheels and the rotational torque of the rollers in the first preliminary control process. This configuration allows for confirmation in the first preliminary control process that the rollers rotate appropriately in accordance with the drive rotation of the wheels, thereby increasing the reliability of the inspection in the first inspection process. (6) In the above embodiment, the first preliminary control process includes an acceleration process that monotonically increases the peripheral speed of the wheel on the roller by the unmanned operation control, the peripheral speed condition includes a condition relating to the relationship between the peripheral speed of the wheel and the peripheral speed of the roller in the acceleration process, and the torque condition may include a condition relating to the relationship between the rotational torque of the wheel and the rotational torque of the roller in the acceleration process. According to this embodiment, in the first preliminary control process, the responsiveness of the roller's rotation to the driving rotation of the wheel can be confirmed from the viewpoint of whether the rotation of the roller appropriately follows the rotation of the wheel whose peripheral speed is monotonically increasing. (7) In the above embodiment, the rate of increase of the peripheral speed of the wheel in the acceleration process may be less than or equal to the rate of increase of the peripheral speed of the wheel in the first inspection process. This embodiment makes it possible to suppress a rapid increase in the peripheral speed of the wheel during the acceleration process. (8) In the above embodiment, the maximum peripheral speed of the wheel in the first preliminary control process may be less than or equal to the maximum peripheral speed of the wheel in the first inspection process. According to this embodiment, it is possible to suppress an unnecessary increase in the peripheral speed of the wheel in the first preliminary control process. (9) In the above embodiment, the first preliminary control process includes a steady-state control process in which the wheel is rotated on the roller at a constant peripheral speed by the unmanned operation control, the peripheral speed condition includes a condition relating to the relationship between the peripheral speed of the wheel and the peripheral speed of the roller in the steady-state control process, and the torque condition may include a condition relating to the relationship between the rotational torque of the wheel and the rotational torque of the roller in the steady-state control process. According to this embodiment, in the first preliminary control process, the responsiveness of the roller's rotation to the driving rotation of the wheel can be confirmed from the viewpoint of whether or not the rotation of the roller appropriately follows the rotation of the wheel rotating at a constant peripheral speed. (10) In the above configuration, the inspection unit may, in the steady-state control process, perform steering of the vehicle by the unmanned operation control, and the determination unit may determine whether the amount of steering in the steering corresponds to the amount of movement of the vehicle on the roller due to the steering. According to this configuration, it is possible to use the preliminary control process to confirm whether the vehicle on the roller moves appropriately according to the amount of steering. (11) In the above embodiment, the determination unit may use an external sensor located outside the vehicle, which is used for driving under the unmanned driving control, to determine whether the steering amount and the movement amount correspond. According to this embodiment, in the preliminary control process, it is possible to use the external sensor used for driving under the unmanned driving control to confirm whether the vehicle on the roller moves appropriately according to the steering amount. (12) In the above embodiment, the inspection equipment is a roller device equipped with a roller that can rotate while supporting the wheels of the vehicle as a moving body, and the inspection unit performs a second preliminary control process as a preliminary control process for the second inspection process, which is the inspection process of inspecting the vehicle by rotating the wheels on the roller by driving the roller to rotate it, before starting the second inspection process, which is the inspection process of inspecting the vehicle by driving the roller to rotate it, and the determination unit performs a second determination process as a determination process, which determines whether the state in the second preliminary control process satisfies the second coordination condition, which is the coordination condition for the second preliminary control process, and the second coordination condition may be a condition relating to the relationship between the braking force generated on the wheels in the second preliminary control process and the rotational torque of the roller in the second preliminary control process. According to this embodiment, it is possible to confirm that the wheels rotate appropriately in accordance with the driving rotation of the roller in the second preliminary control process, and the reliability of the inspection in the second inspection process can be further increased. This disclosure can be implemented in forms other than the inspection system described above, such as an inspection method, a control device, a mobile device, a program for implementing the inspection method, or a program product including the program. The program product may be provided, for example, as a non-temporary recording medium on which the program is recorded, or as intangible software that can be distributed via a network. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the inspection system in the first embodiment. [Figure 2] An explanatory diagram showing the inspection equipment in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] A block diagram showing the configuration of the inspection system in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] A diagram illustrating the first preliminary control process and the first inspection process in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] A diagram illustrating the left-right movement process in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] A diagram illustrating the first decision-making process. [Figure 7] A diagram illustrating the second decision-making process. [Figure 8] A flowchart illustrating the processing procedure for vehicle driving control in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] A flowchart showing the processing procedure for the first inspection and control process. [Figure 10] A flowchart showing the processing procedure for the second inspection control process. [Figure 11] A flowchart showing the processing procedure for the inspection control process in the second embodiment. [Figure 12] An explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of the system in the third embodiment. [Figure 13] A flowchart illustrating the processing procedure for vehicle driving control in the third embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] A. First Embodiment: FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of an inspection system 50 in the first embodiment. The inspection system 50 includes one or more vehicles 100 as moving bodies, a server 200, one or more external sensors 300, and inspection equipment 500.

[0009] In the present disclosure, a "moving body" means an object that can move, for example, a vehicle or an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (so-called flying car). The vehicle may be a vehicle that travels on wheels or a vehicle that travels on an endless track, and examples thereof include a passenger car, a truck, a bus, a two-wheeled vehicle, a four-wheeled vehicle, a construction vehicle, and the like. The vehicle includes a battery electric vehicle (BEV), a gasoline vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and a fuel cell vehicle. When the moving body is other than a vehicle, the expressions "vehicle" and "car" in the present disclosure can be appropriately replaced with "moving body", and the expression "travel" can be appropriately replaced with "move".

[0010] The vehicle 100 is configured to be capable of traveling by autonomous driving. "Autonomous driving" means driving that does not depend on the driving operation of a passenger. The driving operation means an operation related to at least any one of "running", "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 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 boarding the vehicle 100. Note that driving by the driving operation of a passenger is sometimes called "human driving".

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

[0012] Note that control for realizing driverless operation, such as remote control and autonomous control, is also referred to as driverless operation control. Also, control for realizing manned operation is also referred to as manned operation control.

[0013] In this embodiment, the inspection system 50 is used in the factory FC where the 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 expressed in terms of the coordinates X, Y, and Z in the global coordinate system GC. The factory FC includes a first location PL1 and a second location PL2. The first location PL1 and the second location PL2 are connected by a road TR on which the vehicle 100 can travel. The vehicle 100 moves from the first location PL1 to the second location PL2 through the road TR by driverless operation. In this embodiment, an inspection facility 500 is arranged at the second location PL2.

[0014] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the inspection facility 500 in this embodiment. The inspection facility 500 is used for inspecting the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the inspection facility 500 is configured as a roller device including a rotatable roller 510. As shown in FIG. 2, the inspection facility 500 as a roller device includes a roller 510, a facility control device 520, a facility sensor 530, and a plurality of motors 540.

[0015] The rollers 510 are installed, for example, on the road surface of a factory FC or on a platform on which the vehicle 100 is placed, so that the vehicle 100 can travel over the rollers 510. The rollers 510 are configured to rotate while supporting the wheels 101 of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the inspection equipment 500 has a roller unit 511 for each wheel 101. In this embodiment, the roller unit 511 has two rollers 510, a front roller 510A and a rear roller 510B. The front roller 510A is positioned on the +X side of the rear roller 510B. That is, the inspection equipment 500 is configured to support each wheel 101 with two rollers 510, and has a total of eight rollers 510. In Figure 2, the rollers 510 are hatched. In other embodiments, a single roller unit 511 may be provided for each pair of front wheels and each pair of rear wheels, configured to support both the left and right wheels 101 together. Furthermore, the roller unit 511 may be configured, for example, to support one front wheel with roller 510 and one rear wheel with two rollers 510, or to support one front wheel with two rollers 510 and one rear wheel with two rollers 510.

[0016] The multiple motors 540 include a motor 540 that rotates the front roller 510A and a motor 540 that rotates the rear roller 510B.

[0017] The equipment sensor 530 includes a peripheral speed sensor 531, a torque sensor 532, and a braking force sensor 533. The peripheral speed sensor 531 is a sensor for detecting the peripheral speed of the roller 510. The peripheral speed sensor 531 is configured, for example, as a rotational speed sensor for detecting the rotational speed of the roller 510. The torque sensor 532 is a sensor for detecting the rotational torque of the roller 510. As the torque sensor 532, for example, an ammeter for detecting the input current value to the motor 540 may be used. The braking force sensor 533 is a sensor for detecting the braking force of the vehicle 100 applied to the roller 510.

[0018] The equipment control device 520 controls various parts of the inspection equipment 500. The equipment control device 520 is composed of a computer comprising a processor 521, memory 522, input / output interface 523, and internal bus 524. The motor 540, communication device 550, and equipment sensor 530 are connected to the input / output interface 523. The processor 521, memory 522, and input / output interface 523 are connected via the internal bus 524 to enable bidirectional communication. The equipment control device 520 is equipped with a communication device 550 and can communicate with other devices such as the server 200 via wired or wireless communication. The processor 521 implements various functions by executing the program PG3 stored in memory 522.

[0019] The inspection equipment 500 has at least one of a first function and a second function. The first function is to inspect the vehicle 100 by rotating the roller 510 by driving the wheel 101 on the roller 510. That is, in the first function, the roller 510 rotates passively, following the driving rotation of the vehicle 100. When the roller 510 is rotating by the first function, it is possible to detect the peripheral speed of the wheel 101, i.e., the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100, and the acceleration of the vehicle 100, using the detection result of the peripheral speed sensor 531. The second function is to inspect the vehicle 100 by driving the roller 510 to rotate the wheel 101 on the roller 510. That is, in the second function, the wheel 101 rotates passively, following the driving rotation of the roller 510. The first function is used, for example, to inspect the drive system of the vehicle 100. A roller device having the first function is also called a "drum tester". The second function is used, for example, to inspect the braking system of vehicle 100. A roller device having the second function is also called a "brake tester". In this embodiment, the inspection equipment 500 has both the first and second functions.

[0020] The inspection equipment 500 may be configured according to its function and application, and its configuration is not limited to the above. For example, if the inspection equipment 500 does not have a second function, it does not need to be equipped with a motor 540 and a braking force sensor 533. Also, for example, if the rotational torque of the roller 510 is not used in the inspection using the inspection equipment 500 or in the preliminary control processing described later, the inspection equipment 500 does not need to be equipped with a torque sensor 532.

[0021] As shown in Figure 1, 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. The external sensors 300 are sensors located outside the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the external sensors 300 are configured as cameras. The camera, as an external sensor 300, captures images of the vehicle 100 and outputs the captured images as detection results. The external sensors 300 are equipped with a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with other devices such as a server 200 via wired or wireless communication.

[0022] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the inspection system 50. The vehicle 100 includes a vehicle control device 110 for controlling various parts of the vehicle 100, an actuator group 120 including one or more actuators driven under the control of the vehicle control device 110, a communication device 130 for communicating wirelessly with external devices such as a server 200, and one or more internal sensors 140. The actuator group 120 includes actuators for a drive system to accelerate the vehicle 100, actuators for a steering system to change the direction of travel of the vehicle 100, and actuators for a braking system to decelerate the vehicle 100.

[0023] The internal sensor 140 is a sensor mounted on the vehicle 100. The internal sensor 140 includes a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100, an acceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration of the vehicle 100, and a torque sensor for detecting the rotational torque of the wheels 101. In addition to the vehicle speed sensor, acceleration sensor, and torque sensor, the internal sensor 140 may include various other sensors such as a camera, LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic sensor, GNSS sensor, wheel speed sensor, gyro sensor, shift position sensor, and various encoders for detecting the operation of various parts of the vehicle 100. The wheel speed sensor may also be used as a vehicle speed sensor. As the rotational torque of the vehicle 100, for example, the torque of the drive motor for rotating the drive wheels provided on the vehicle 100 may be detected. As a torque sensor, for example, an ammeter for detecting the input current value to the drive motor may be used.

[0024] The vehicle control device 110 is composed of a computer comprising a processor 111, a memory 112, an input / output interface 113, and an internal bus 114. The processor 111, the memory 112, and the input / output interface 113 are connected via the internal bus 114 to enable bidirectional communication. The input / output interface 113 is connected to an actuator group 120, a communication device 130, and an internal sensor 140. The processor 111 implements various functions, including those of a vehicle control unit 115, by executing a program PG1 stored in the memory 112.

[0025] The vehicle control unit 115 drives the vehicle 100 by controlling the actuator group 120. The vehicle control unit 115 can drive the vehicle 100 by controlling the actuator group 120 using the driving control signal received from the server 200. The driving control signal is a control signal for driving the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the driving control signal includes the acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 100 as parameters. In other embodiments, the driving control signal may include the speed of the vehicle 100 as a parameter instead of, or in addition to, the acceleration of the vehicle 100.

[0026] The server 200 is composed of a computer comprising a processor 201, memory 202, an input / output interface 203, and an internal bus 204. The processor 201, memory 202, and input / output interface 203 are connected via the internal bus 204 to enable bidirectional communication. A communication device 205 for communicating with various devices outside the server 200 is connected to the input / output interface 203. The communication device 205 can communicate with the vehicle 100 and the terminal device 450 (described later) via wireless communication, and can communicate with each external sensor 300 and inspection equipment 500 via wired or wireless communication. The memory 202 stores various information such as the program PG2, the detection model DM, the reference path RR, and the condition data TD. The processor 201 implements various functions, including those of a remote control unit 210, an equipment control unit 220, and a determination unit 230, by executing the program PG2 stored in the memory 202.

[0027] The remote control unit 210 generates a driving control signal to control the actuator group 120 of the vehicle 100 and transmits the driving control signal to the vehicle 100, thereby driving the vehicle 100 by remote control.

[0028] In this embodiment, the remote control unit 210 functions as an inspection unit 240. The inspection unit 240 performs an inspection process and a preliminary control process. The inspection process is a process of inspecting the vehicle 100 using the inspection equipment 500. In the inspection process, the inspection unit 240 may, for example, send a signal to the inspection equipment 500 to start acquiring detection results from the equipment sensor 530, or a signal to stop acquiring detection results from the equipment sensor 530, depending on the operation of the vehicle 100 in the inspection equipment 500. The preliminary control process is performed before the start of the inspection process. The preliminary control process is a predetermined process using the vehicle 100 and the inspection equipment 500. The preliminary control process is performed to confirm the coordination between the vehicle 100 and the inspection equipment 500 by causing the vehicle 100 and the inspection equipment 500 to perform predetermined operations prior to the inspection process.

[0029] More specifically, in this embodiment, the remote control unit 210 functions as a first inspection unit 241. The first inspection unit 241 performs a first inspection process as an inspection process, and a first preliminary control process as a preliminary control process related to the first inspection process. The first inspection process is a process for performing an inspection using the first function. That is, in the first inspection process, the first inspection unit 241 inspects the vehicle 100 by rotating the roller 510 by driving the wheel 101 on the roller 510 to rotate it. The first preliminary control process is performed before the start of the first inspection process. The first preliminary control process is a process for rotating the roller 510 by driving the wheel 101 on the roller 510 to rotate it using unmanned operation control. That is, in the first preliminary control process, similar to the first inspection process, the roller 510 rotates passively in accordance with the driving rotation of the wheel 101.

[0030] In the first inspection process and the first preliminary control process, the remote control unit 210, which functions as the first inspection unit 241, generates a travel control signal while the vehicle 100 is supported by the roller 510, and transmits the generated travel control signal to the vehicle 100 on the roller 510. As a result, the wheel 101 supported by the roller 510 rotates, and the roller 510 rotates passively in accordance with the rotation of the wheel 101.

[0031] Figure 4 illustrates the first preliminary control process PP1 and the first inspection process IP1 in this embodiment. Figure 4 shows a graph with time on the horizontal axis and vehicle speed on the vertical axis. Figure 4 can also be said to show an example of the time-series change in vehicle speed when the first preliminary control process PP1 and the first inspection process IP1 are not interrupted midway.

[0032] As shown in Figure 4, in this embodiment, the first preliminary control process PP1 includes an acceleration process AP and a steady-state control process KP. The acceleration process AP is a process that monotonically increases the peripheral speed of the wheel 101 on the roller 510, i.e., the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100, by unmanned operation control. The steady-state control process KP is a process that rotates the wheel 101 on the roller 510 at a constant peripheral speed.

[0033] As shown in Figure 4, in the acceleration process AP, the first inspection unit 241 increases the peripheral speed of the wheels 101 at a constant rate of increase through unmanned driving control. That is, in the acceleration process AP, the first inspection unit 241 increases the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 at a constant acceleration a1. In the example in Figure 4, the acceleration process AP is executed during the period from time t0 to time t1. In the example in Figure 4, the vehicle speed at time t0 is vehicle speed V0, and the vehicle speed at time t1 is vehicle speed V1. In this embodiment, vehicle speed V0 is zero. Vehicle speed V1 corresponds to the target vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 in the acceleration process AP.

[0034] In this embodiment, the rate of increase of the peripheral speed of the wheel 101 in the acceleration process AP is less than or equal to the rate of increase of the peripheral speed in the first inspection process IP1, which will be described later. More specifically, in this embodiment, acceleration a1 is less than or equal to the acceleration a2 in the acceleration inspection IP1a included in the first inspection process IP1. If the acceleration in the acceleration process AP or the acceleration in the first inspection process IP1 is not a constant value, it is sufficient to compare the maximum value of the acceleration in the acceleration process AP with the maximum value of the acceleration in the first inspection process IP1.

[0035] As shown in Figure 4, in the steady-state control process KP, the first inspection unit 241 maintains the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 at vehicle speed V2 by unmanned operation control. In the example in Figure 4, after the completion of the acceleration process AP, the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 increases from vehicle speed V1 to vehicle speed V2 during the period from time t1 to time t2, and then the steady-state control process KP is executed during the period from time t2 to time t3, thereby maintaining the vehicle speed at vehicle speed V2. Hereinafter, the vehicle speed maintained in the steady-state control process KP, such as vehicle speed V2, will also be referred to as the "steady-state vehicle speed". In this embodiment, vehicle speed V2 corresponds to the maximum peripheral speed of the wheels 101 in the steady-state control process KP, that is, the maximum vehicle speed in the steady-state control process KP. Vehicle speed V2 is less than or equal to vehicle speed V3, which is the maximum peripheral speed of the wheels 101 in the first inspection process IP1, that is, the maximum vehicle speed of the wheels 101 in the first inspection process IP1, which will be described later.

[0036] In this embodiment, the first inspection unit 241 executes the left-right movement process LR in the steady-state control process KP. The left-right movement process LR is a process that moves the vehicle 100 in the left-right direction on the roller 510 by steering the vehicle 100 through unmanned operation control. The left-right direction here corresponds to the width direction of the roller 510 and is perpendicular to the rotational direction and vertical direction of the roller 510. In this embodiment, the left-right direction also corresponds to the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 100 facing forward on the roller 510. As a result, in this embodiment, the right direction is the -Y direction and the left direction is the +Y direction.

[0037] Figure 5 illustrates the left-right movement process LR in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, in the left-right movement process LR, while the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 is maintained at a steady speed KV by the steady-state control process KP, the first inspection unit 241 moves the vehicle 100 to one side in the left-right direction by a predetermined first steering amount SA1, and then moves it to the other side in the left-right direction by a predetermined second steering amount SA2, thereby positioning each wheel 101 in the left-right direction within the central range RC, which includes the central position PC of the roller 510. In this embodiment, during the inspection process, the vehicle 100 on the roller 510 is steered by the unmanned operation control to be positioned within the central range RC. This left-right position control of the vehicle 100 during the inspection process is performed using an external sensor 300, which is one of several external sensors 300 installed in the factory FC and is configured to capture images of the vehicle 100 on the roller 510. In the example in Figure 5, the vehicle 100 is first moved to the right and then to the left. Furthermore, the movement of the vehicle 100 to the left or right in the left-right movement process LR may be performed more than once.

[0038] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, in this embodiment, the first inspection process IP1 includes an acceleration inspection IP1a and a steady-state control inspection IP1b. The acceleration inspection IP1a is a process that inspects the vehicle 100 by monotonically increasing the vehicle speed of the wheels 101 on the rollers 510. The acceleration inspection IP1a is used, for example, to inspect the acceleration characteristics of the vehicle 100. The acceleration characteristics represent how the vehicle 100 accelerates when the drive system is controlled to accelerate the vehicle 100, and affect the feeling of acceleration of the vehicle 100. As shown in Figure 4, in the acceleration inspection IP1a, the first inspection unit 241 accelerates the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 at a constant acceleration a2 by unmanned operation control. In this embodiment, acceleration a2 is greater than acceleration a1. In the example in Figure 4, the acceleration inspection IP1a is executed during the period from time t3 to time t4. In the example in Figure 4, the vehicle speed at time t3 is vehicle speed V2, and the vehicle speed at time t4 is vehicle speed V3.

[0039] The steady-state control inspection IP1b is a process that inspects the vehicle 100 by maintaining a constant vehicle speed of the wheels 101 on the rollers 510. The steady-state control inspection IP1b is used, for example, to inspect the vehicle speed indicator value of the vehicle 100. The vehicle speed indicator value is used, for example, to display the vehicle speed on the vehicle speed meter in the vehicle 100 or to control the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100. As shown in Figure 4, in the steady-state control inspection IP1b, the first inspection unit 241 maintains the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 at vehicle speed V3 by unmanned operation control. In the example in Figure 4, after the completion of the steady-state control inspection IP1b, the vehicle speed is maintained at vehicle speed V3 during the period from time t4 to time t5. Also in the example in Figure 4, after the completion of the steady-state control inspection IP1b, from time t5 to time t6, the first inspection unit 241 reduces the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 to vehicle speed V0 and stops the vehicle 100.

[0040] The equipment control unit 220 shown in Figure 3 generates equipment control signals and transmits these signals to the inspection equipment 500, thereby remotely controlling the inspection equipment 500. The equipment control signals are control signals that control the operation of the inspection equipment 500.

[0041] In this embodiment, the equipment control unit 220 functions as an inspection unit 240. More specifically, the equipment control unit 220 functions as a second inspection unit 242. The second inspection unit 242 performs a second inspection process as an inspection process, and a second preliminary control process as a preliminary control process related to the second inspection process. The second preliminary control process is performed before the start of the second inspection process. The second inspection process is a process for performing an inspection using the second function. That is, in the second inspection process, the second inspection unit 242 inspects the vehicle 100 by rotating the wheel 101 on the roller 510 by driving the roller 510 to rotate it. The second preliminary control process is performed before the start of the second inspection process. The second preliminary control process is a process for rotating the wheel 101 on the roller 510 by driving the roller 510 to rotate it. That is, in the second preliminary control process, similar to the second inspection process, the wheel 101 rotates passively in accordance with the driving rotation of the roller 510.

[0042] In this embodiment, during the second inspection process and the second preliminary control process, the equipment control unit 220, which functions as the second inspection unit 242, generates an equipment control signal to drive the roller 510 while the vehicle 100 is supported by the roller 510, and transmits the generated equipment control signal to the roller device, which serves as the inspection equipment 500. As a result, the roller 510 drives and rotates, and the wheels 101 on the roller 510 rotate passively in accordance with the driving rotation of the roller 510.

[0043] The determination unit 230 executes a determination process. The determination process determines whether the state of the vehicle 100 and the inspection equipment 500 in the preliminary control process satisfies predetermined coordination conditions. The coordination conditions are conditions related to the coordination between the vehicle 100 and the inspection equipment 500. Hereinafter, the "state of the vehicle 100 and the inspection equipment 500 in the preliminary control process" will also be referred to as the preliminary state. The coordination conditions correspond to the conditions that the preliminary state should satisfy in the preliminary control process.

[0044] In this embodiment, the determination unit 230 performs a first determination process and a second determination process as determination processes.

[0045] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the first determination process. In Figure 6, the drive rotation of the wheel 101 in the first preliminary control process PP1 is represented by a solid arrow, and the rotation of the roller 510 that follows the drive rotation of the wheel 101 is represented by a dashed arrow. The first determination process is a process that determines whether the first preliminary state PS1 satisfies the first coordination condition CC1. The first preliminary state PS1 is a preliminary state in the first preliminary control process PP1. The first coordination condition CC1 is a coordination condition relating to the first preliminary control process PP1. That is, the first coordination condition CC1 corresponds to the coordination condition that should be satisfied in the first preliminary control process PP1. As a result, the first determination process is related to the first preliminary control process PP1 and to the first inspection process IP1.

[0046] As shown in Figure 6, the first coordination condition CC1 includes at least one of a peripheral speed condition and a torque condition. In this embodiment, the first coordination condition CC1 includes both a peripheral speed condition and a torque condition. The peripheral speed condition is a condition relating to the relationship between the peripheral speed of the wheel 101 and the peripheral speed of the roller 510 in the first preliminary control process PP1. More specifically, the peripheral speed condition in this embodiment is a condition relating to the peripheral speed difference. The peripheral speed difference means the difference between the peripheral speed of the wheel 101 and the peripheral speed of the roller 510. The torque condition is a condition relating to the rotational torque of the wheel 101 and the rotational torque of the roller 510 in the first preliminary control process PP1. More specifically, the torque condition in this embodiment is a condition relating to the torque correspondence relationship. The torque correspondence relationship means the correspondence between the rotational torque of the wheel 101 and the rotational torque of the roller 510. As a result, in this embodiment, the peripheral speed difference and the torque correspondence relationship are used as target information for determination in the first determination process. The target information is acquired using, for example, internal sensors 140 and equipment sensors 530.

[0047] Figure 6 shows the conditions used as the first coordination condition CC1 for the acceleration process AP and the steady-state control process KP, respectively. As shown in Figure 6, in this embodiment, the peripheral speed conditions include a first peripheral speed condition for the acceleration process AP and a second peripheral speed condition for the steady-state control process KP. In addition, in this embodiment, the torque conditions include a first torque condition for the acceleration process AP and a second torque condition for the steady-state control process KP.

[0048] The first perimeter speed condition is a condition relating to the relationship between the perimeter speed of the wheel 101 and the perimeter speed of the roller 510 in the acceleration process AP. In this embodiment, the first perimeter speed condition is a condition that represents the correspondence between the perimeter speed of the wheel 101 and the perimeter speed of the roller 510 in the acceleration process AP. More specifically, the first perimeter speed condition is a condition that the difference between the perimeter speed of the wheel 101 and the perimeter speed of the roller 510 in the acceleration process AP is less than or equal to a predetermined first difference.

[0049] The second peripheral speed condition is a condition relating to the relationship between the peripheral speed of the wheel 101 and the peripheral speed of the roller 510 during steady-state control processing KP. In this embodiment, the second peripheral speed condition is a condition that represents the correspondence between the peripheral speed of the wheel 101 and the peripheral speed of the roller 510 during steady-state control processing KP. More specifically, the second peripheral speed condition is a condition that the peripheral speed difference during steady-state control processing KP is less than or equal to a predetermined second difference. It is preferable that the first and second differences are small enough that the rotation of the roller 510 appropriately follows the driving rotation of the wheel 101 when the peripheral speed difference is the first or second difference.

[0050] The first torque condition is a condition relating to the relationship between the rotational torque of the wheel 101 and the rotational torque of the roller 510 in the acceleration process AP. In this embodiment, the first torque condition is that the correspondence between the rotational torque of the wheel 101 and the rotational torque of the roller 510 in the acceleration process AP satisfies a predetermined first correspondence.

[0051] The second torque condition is a condition relating to the relationship between the rotational torque of the wheel 101 and the rotational torque of the roller 510 in the steady-state control process KP. In this embodiment, the second torque condition is the condition that the torque correspondence relationship in the steady-state control process KP satisfies a predetermined second correspondence relationship. Preferably, the first and second torque correspondence relationships are defined such that the rotation of the roller 510 appropriately follows the rotation of the wheel 101 when the torque correspondence relationship satisfies the first or second correspondence relationship.

[0052] Figure 7 illustrates the second determination process. In Figure 7, the driving rotation of the roller 510 in the second preliminary control process PP2 is represented by a solid arrow, and the rotation of the driven wheel 101 is represented by a dashed arrow. The second determination process is a process that determines whether the second preliminary state PS2 satisfies the second coordination condition. The second preliminary state PS2 is the preliminary state in the second preliminary control process PP2. The second coordination condition is a coordination condition related to the second preliminary control process PP2. That is, the second coordination condition corresponds to the coordination condition that should be satisfied in the second preliminary control process PP2. As a result, the second determination process is related to the second preliminary control process PP2 and related to the second inspection process. Furthermore, the second coordination condition is a condition related to the "braking force-torque relationship". The "braking force-torque relationship" refers to the relationship between the braking force generated on the wheel 101 in the second preliminary control process PP2 and the rotational torque of the roller 510 in the second preliminary control process PP2, and corresponds to the target information in the second determination process. More specifically, the second coordination condition is that the braking force-torque relationship in the second pre-control process PP2 satisfies a predetermined reference correspondence relationship. Preferably, the reference correspondence relationship is defined such that when the braking force-torque relationship satisfies the reference correspondence relationship, the rotation of the wheel 101 appropriately follows the rotation of the roller 510.

[0053] In this embodiment, the data representing the first difference, second difference, first correspondence, second correspondence, and reference correspondence are included in the condition data TD shown in Figure 3. The condition data TD is data relating to the coordination conditions. As a result, the first inspection unit 241 and the second inspection unit 242 can read and acquire various data, such as the data representing the first difference, by referring to the condition data TD in each preliminary control process and each inspection process.

[0054] In this embodiment, the determination unit 230 shown in Figure 3 performs a left / right determination process in addition to the determination process. The left / right determination process is a process that determines whether the amount of steering in the left / right movement process LR shown in Figure 5 corresponds to the amount of movement of the vehicle 100 on the roller 510 due to steering in the left / right movement process LR. Hereinafter, the amount of movement of the vehicle 100 on the roller 510 due to steering in the left / right movement process LR will also be referred to as the "left / right movement amount". In the left / right determination process in this embodiment, the determination unit 230 uses an external sensor 300, which is one of a plurality of external sensors 300 installed in the factory FC and is configured to image the vehicle 100 on the roller 510, to determine whether the amount of steering in the left / right movement process LR corresponds to the left / right movement amount. More specifically, the determination unit 230 obtains the left / right movement amount using the detection result from the external sensor 300, and then compares the obtained left / right movement amount with the steering amount to determine whether the left / right movement amount and the steering amount correspond. In the left / right determination process, for example, it may be determined whether the amount of steering input for moving the vehicle 100 to the right (first steering input SA1 in Figure 5) corresponds to the amount of movement of the vehicle 100 to the right, and whether the amount of steering input for moving the vehicle 100 to the left (second steering input SA2 in Figure 5) corresponds to the amount of movement of the vehicle 100 to the left, thereby determining whether the amount of left / right movement corresponds to the amount of steering input. Alternatively, for example, it may be determined whether the amount of left / right movement corresponds to the amount of steering input based on the difference between the central range RC and the left / right position of each wheel 101.

[0055] Let's return to the explanation in Figure 3. In this embodiment, the determination process is executed before the start of the inspection process related to that determination process. More specifically, the first determination process is executed before the start of the first inspection process IP1. In this embodiment, both the first determination process and the left / right determination process are executed before the start of the first inspection process IP1. Also, the second determination process is executed before the start of the second inspection process.

[0056] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inspection unit 240 starts the inspection process corresponding to the preliminary control process when the preliminary state in the preliminary control process satisfies the coordination condition. More specifically, the first inspection unit 241 starts the first inspection process IP1 when the first preliminary state PS1 satisfies the first coordination condition CC1. In this embodiment, the first inspection unit 241 starts the first inspection process IP1 when the first preliminary state PS1 satisfies the first coordination condition CC1 and the steering amount and the left / right movement amount in the left / right movement process LR correspond. Furthermore, the second inspection unit 242 starts the second inspection process when the second preliminary state PS2 satisfies the second coordination condition.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the preliminary state in the preliminary control process does not satisfy the coordination condition, the inspection unit 240 will notify of the abnormality without starting the inspection process corresponding to that preliminary control process. More specifically, if the first inspection unit 241 does not satisfy the first coordination condition CC1, the first inspection unit 241 will notify of the abnormality without starting the first inspection process IP1. Also in this embodiment, if the steering amount and the left / right movement amount do not correspond in the left / right determination process, the first inspection unit 241 will notify of the abnormality without starting the first inspection process IP1. When the first inspection unit 241 notifies of the abnormality in this way, it may notify at least one of the following: information indicating that the first preliminary state PS1 does not satisfy the first coordination condition CC1, information indicating that the steering amount and the left / right movement amount do not correspond in the left / right determination process, and information indicating that the first inspection process IP1 will not be started. Furthermore, if the second preliminary state PS2 does not satisfy the second coordination condition, the second inspection unit 242 will notify of the abnormality without starting the second inspection process. When the second inspection unit 242 notifies of an abnormality in this manner, it may notify, for example, at least one of the following: information indicating that the second preliminary state PS2 does not satisfy the second coordination condition, and information indicating that the second inspection process will not be started.

[0058] In this embodiment, the inspection unit 240 uses a terminal device 450 as a notification device to notify the user of any abnormalities. The terminal device 450 is, for example, a tablet terminal or smartphone owned by the user. The user referred to here means a user of the inspection system 50 or the factory FC, such as a factory FC manager or worker. In other embodiments, the notification device may be, for example, a display device that outputs visual information, a speaker that outputs audio information, or a printing device.

[0059] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for vehicle 100 driving control in the first embodiment. In the processing procedure shown in Figure 8, the processor 201 of the server 200 functions as a remote control unit 210 by executing program PG2. The processor 111 of the vehicle 100 functions as a vehicle control unit 115 by executing program PG1.

[0060] In step S1, the processor 201 of the server 200 acquires vehicle position information using the detection results output from the external sensor 300. The vehicle position information is the position information that forms the basis for generating the driving control signal. In this embodiment, the vehicle position information includes the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 in the global coordinate system GC of the factory FC. Specifically, in step S1, the processor 201 acquires vehicle position information using the captured image acquired from the camera, which is the external sensor 300.

[0061] 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 inspection system 50 and pre-stored in the memory 202 of the server 200. Examples of the detection model DM include a pre-trained machine learning model that has been trained to implement either semantic segmentation or instance segmentation. As this machine learning model, for example, a convolutional neural network (CNN) trained by supervised learning using a training dataset can be used. The training dataset includes, for example, multiple training images 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.

[0062] In step S2, the processor 201 of the server 200 determines the next target location that the vehicle 100 should head to. In this embodiment, the target location is represented by X, Y, Z coordinates in the global coordinate system GC. The memory 202 of the server 200 pre-stores a reference route RR, which is the path that the vehicle 100 should travel. The route is represented by a node indicating the starting point, nodes indicating waypoints, a node indicating the destination, and links connecting each node. The processor 201 uses the vehicle position information and the reference route RR to determine the next target location that the vehicle 100 should head to. The processor 201 determines the target location on the reference route RR beyond the vehicle 100's current location.

[0063] In step S3, the processor 201 of the server 200 generates a driving control signal to drive the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. The processor 201 calculates the vehicle's speed from the change in the vehicle's position and compares the calculated speed with the target speed. Overall, the processor 201 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 accelerates if the speed is lower than the target speed, and determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 decelerates if the speed is higher than the target speed. Furthermore, if the vehicle 100 is located on the reference path RR, the processor 201 determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 100 does not deviate from the reference path RR, and if the vehicle 100 is not located on the reference path RR, in other words, if the vehicle 100 has deviated from the reference path RR, the processor 201 determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 100 returns to the reference path RR.

[0064] In step S4, the processor 201 of the server 200 transmits the generated driving control signal to the vehicle 100. The processor 201 repeats the acquisition of vehicle position information, determination of target position, generation of driving control signal, and transmission of driving control signal at predetermined intervals.

[0065] In step S5, the processor 111 of the vehicle 100 receives a driving control signal transmitted from the server 200. In step S6, the processor 111 of the vehicle 100 controls the actuator group 120 using the received driving control signal, thereby driving the vehicle 100 at the acceleration and steering angle indicated in the driving control signal. The processor 111 repeats the reception of the driving control signal and the control of the actuator group 120 at predetermined intervals. According to the inspection system 50 of 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.

[0066] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the first inspection control process for realizing the inspection method in this embodiment. The first inspection control process includes a first preliminary control process PP1, a first determination process, and a first inspection process IP1. The first inspection control process is executed by the processor 201 of the server 200 at the timing when each wheel 101 of the vehicle 100 to be inspected is positioned on each roller 510.

[0067] From step S105 to step S115, the first inspection unit 241 executes acceleration processing AP. First, in step S105, the first inspection unit 241 increases the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 on the roller 510 by acceleration a1 through unmanned operation control. Next, in step S110, the determination unit 230 determines whether the first preliminary state PS1 in step S105 satisfies the first circumferential speed condition and the first torque condition in the first coordination condition CC1. If the first preliminary state PS1 satisfies the first circumferential speed condition and the first torque condition in step S110, the first inspection unit 241 determines in step S115 whether the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 is less than the target vehicle speed. If the vehicle speed is less than the target vehicle speed in step S115, the first inspection unit 241 returns to step S105. In other words, steps S105 to S115 in this embodiment are repeatedly performed until the vehicle speed is accelerated to the target vehicle speed, or until the preparatory state no longer satisfies one or both of the first circumferential speed condition and the first torque condition.

[0068] If, in step S110, the preparatory state does not satisfy either or both of the first circumferential speed condition and the first torque condition, then in step S120, the first inspection unit 241 notifies of the abnormality using the notification device. In step S125, the first inspection unit 241 terminates the first preparatory control process PP1 midway by reducing the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 and stopping the vehicle 100.

[0069] If the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the target vehicle speed in step S115, the first inspection unit 241 executes steady-state control processing KP in steps S130 to S140. First, in step S130, the first inspection unit 241 maintains the vehicle speed at a steady-state vehicle speed KV by unmanned driving control. In step S130 of this embodiment, the first inspection unit 241 accelerates the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 from vehicle speed V1 to vehicle speed V2, and then maintains the vehicle speed at a steady-state vehicle speed KV. In step S135, the determination unit 230 determines whether the first preliminary state PS1 in step S130 satisfies the second peripheral speed condition and the second torque condition in the first coordination condition CC1.

[0070] If the first preliminary state PS1 satisfies the second circumferential speed condition and the second torque condition in step S135, the first inspection unit 241 executes the left / right movement process LR in step S140. In step S145, the determination unit 230 determines whether the steering amount and the left / right movement amount in step S140 correspond.

[0071] If the steering amount and the lateral movement amount correspond in step S145, in step S150, the first inspection unit 241 determines whether the maintenance time during which the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 is maintained at the steady speed KV is less than the reference time. In this embodiment, the length of the reference time corresponds to the length of time from time t2 to time t3. If the maintenance time is less than the reference time in step S150, the first inspection unit 241 returns to step S135. That is, in this embodiment, steps S135 to S150 are repeatedly executed until the maintenance time becomes equal to or greater than the reference time, or until the first preliminary state PS1 in step S135 no longer satisfies one or both of the second peripheral speed condition and the second torque condition, or until the steering amount and the lateral movement amount no longer correspond in step S145.

[0072] If, in step S135, the preparatory state does not satisfy either or both of the second circumferential speed condition and the second torque condition, and if, in step S145, the steering amount and the amount of movement due to steering do not correspond, in step S120, the first inspection unit 241 notifies of the abnormality using the notification device. Subsequently, in step S125, the first inspection unit 241 terminates the first preparatory control process PP1 midway by reducing the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 and stopping the rotation of the wheels 101.

[0073] If the maintenance time in step S150 is equal to or greater than the reference time, the first inspection unit 241 executes the first inspection process IP1 in steps S155 and S160. First, in step S155, the first inspection unit 241 executes the acceleration inspection IP1a. Next, in step S160, the first inspection unit 241 executes the steady-state control inspection IP1b. After that, the first inspection unit 241 completes the first preliminary control process PP1 and the first determination process by reducing the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 to vehicle speed V0 and stopping the vehicle 100.

[0074] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the second inspection control process for realizing the inspection method in this embodiment. The second inspection control process includes a second preliminary control process PP2, a second determination process, and a second inspection process. The second inspection control process is executed by the processor 201 of the server 200 at the timing when each wheel 101 of the vehicle 100 to be inspected is positioned on each roller 510. In this embodiment, the second inspection control process is executed immediately after the first inspection control process, while the state in which each wheel 101 is supported by the rollers 510 is maintained. In other embodiments, the second inspection control process may be executed prior to the first inspection control process.

[0075] In step S205, the second inspection unit 242 executes the second preliminary control process PP2. In step S210, the determination unit 230 executes the second determination process. More specifically, in step S210, the determination unit 230 determines whether the second preliminary state PS2 in step S205 satisfies the second coordination condition.

[0076] If the second coordination condition is met in step S210, the second inspection unit 242 executes the second inspection process in step S215. After the completion of the second inspection process, the second inspection unit 242 completes the second preliminary control process PP2 and the second determination process by reducing the peripheral speed of the roller 510 and stopping the rotation of the roller 510. If the second coordination condition is not met in step S210, the second inspection unit 242 notifies of the abnormality using the notification device in step S220. In step S225, the second inspection unit 242 interrupts the second preliminary control process PP2 by reducing the peripheral speed of the roller 510 and stopping the rotation of the roller 510.

[0077] As described above, the inspection system 50 in this embodiment utilizes a preliminary control process performed before the start of the inspection process to determine whether the state of the vehicle 100 and the inspection equipment 500 satisfies the coordination conditions, thereby increasing the reliability of the inspection process. More specifically, compared to a system where coordination between the vehicle 100 and the inspection equipment 500 is confirmed by, for example, a human operator's work rather than a preliminary control process, the possibility of variations in the degree of coordination between the vehicle 100 and the inspection equipment 500 can be reduced. As a result, variations in inspection conditions during the inspection process can be suppressed, and a decrease in the reliability of the inspection can be suppressed.

[0078] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the determination process is performed before the start of the inspection process, and the inspection process is started when the preliminary state satisfies the coordination conditions. Therefore, the inspection process can be started after confirming that the coordination conditions are met, thereby increasing the reliability of the inspection process. For example, in this embodiment, if there is a high probability that the rotation of the roller 510 will not properly follow the drive rotation of the wheel 101, the start of the inspection process that rotates the roller 510 in accordance with the drive rotation of the wheel 101 can be suppressed, thereby increasing the reliability of the inspection process.

[0079] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the preliminary state does not satisfy the coordination conditions, the inspection process is not started, and an abnormality is reported. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inspection process from being started in situations where the probability of ensuring the reliability of the inspection is low, and to report abnormalities in such situations. As a result, for example, the user who has been reported an abnormality can be made to take measures to resolve the abnormality.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a first preliminary control process PP1 is executed as a preliminary control process for the first inspection process IP1. The first coordination condition CC1, which is a coordination condition for the first preliminary control process PP1, includes at least one of a peripheral speed condition and a torque condition. This makes it possible to confirm in the first preliminary control process PP1 that the roller 510 rotates appropriately in accordance with the drive rotation of the wheel 101, thereby increasing the reliability of the inspection in the first inspection process IP1. More specifically, for example, it is possible to suppress the execution of the first inspection process IP1 in situations where there is a high possibility that the rotation of the roller 510 will not appropriately follow the drive rotation of the wheel 101 due to defects in the drive device, wheel 101, or roller 510, thereby increasing the reliability of the inspection in the first inspection process IP1. In addition, in this embodiment, after the vehicle speed is controlled to a value greater than zero by the first preliminary control process PP1, the first inspection process IP1 is executed without reducing the vehicle speed to zero. Therefore, it is possible to increase the likelihood that the first inspection process IP1 can be properly executed while maintaining a situation in which the rotation of the roller 510 appropriately follows the driving rotation of the wheel 101.

[0081] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first preliminary control process PP1 includes an acceleration process AP. The peripheral speed condition includes a first peripheral speed condition. The torque condition includes a first torque condition. In this way, in the first preliminary control process PP1, it is possible to confirm the responsiveness of the rotation of the roller 510 to the driving rotation of the wheel 101, from the viewpoint of whether the rotation of the roller 510 appropriately follows the rotation of the wheel 101 as its peripheral speed increases monotonically. As a result, the reliability of the inspection in the first inspection process IP1 can be further improved. In particular, in this embodiment, the reliability of the inspection in the acceleration inspection IP1a can be further improved.

[0082] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rate of increase of the peripheral speed of the wheel 101 in the acceleration process AP is smaller than the rate of increase of the peripheral speed of the wheel 101 in the first inspection process IP1. More specifically, in this embodiment, the acceleration a1 in the acceleration process AP is smaller than the acceleration a2 in the first inspection process IP1. Therefore, a rapid increase in the peripheral speed of the wheel 101 can be suppressed in the acceleration process AP. As a result, the possibility that the rotation of the roller 510 will appropriately follow the driving rotation of the wheel 101 can be increased in the acceleration process AP.

[0083] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the vehicle speed V2, which corresponds to the maximum peripheral speed of the wheel 101 during the preliminary control process, is smaller than the vehicle speed V3, which corresponds to the maximum peripheral speed of the wheel 101 during the inspection process. This prevents the peripheral speed of the wheel 101 from increasing unnecessarily during the preliminary control process. As a result, the possibility that the rotation of the roller 510 will appropriately follow the driving rotation of the wheel 101 during the preliminary control process can be increased.

[0084] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first preliminary control process PP1 includes the steady-state control process KP. The peripheral speed condition includes the second peripheral speed condition. The torque condition includes the second torque condition. According to this configuration, in the first preliminary control process PP1, it is possible to confirm the responsiveness of the rotation of the roller 510 to the driving rotation of the wheel 101, from the viewpoint of whether the rotation of the roller 510 appropriately follows the rotation of the wheel 101, which rotates at a constant peripheral speed. As a result, the reliability of the inspection in the first inspection process IP1 can be further improved. In particular, in this embodiment, the reliability of the inspection in the steady-state control inspection IP1b can be further improved.

[0085] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the steady-state control process KP determines whether the amount of steering in the steering of the vehicle 100 under unmanned operation control corresponds to the amount of lateral movement of the vehicle 100 on the 510. Therefore, by using the preliminary control process, it is possible to confirm whether the vehicle 100 on the roller 510 moves appropriately according to the amount of steering.

[0086] Furthermore, in this embodiment, during steady-state control processing KP, an external sensor 300 used for driving the vehicle 100 under unmanned control is used to determine whether the steering amount of the vehicle 100 corresponds to the lateral movement amount. In this way, during the preliminary control processing, the external sensor 300 used for driving under unmanned control can be used to confirm whether the vehicle 100 on the roller 510 moves appropriately according to the steering amount.

[0087] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a second preliminary control process PP2 is executed as a preliminary control process for the second inspection process. The second coordination condition, which is a coordination condition for the second preliminary control process PP2, includes a braking condition. In this way, it is possible to confirm in the second preliminary control process PP2 that the wheel 101 rotates appropriately in accordance with the driving rotation of the roller 510. As a result, the reliability of the inspection in the second inspection process can be further improved. More specifically, for example, it is possible to suppress the execution of the second inspection process in a situation in which the wheel 101 may be unintentionally braked due to foreign matter mixed into the braking device, thereby further improving the reliability of the inspection in the second inspection process.

[0088] In other embodiments, the correspondence between the operation of the vehicle 100 and the operation of the inspection equipment 500 may be determined not only in the judgment process but also in the inspection process. For example, in the first inspection process, it may be determined whether the peripheral speed of the wheel 101 corresponds to the peripheral speed of the roller 510, or whether the correspondence between the rotational torque of the wheel 101 and the rotational torque of the roller 510 satisfies a predetermined correspondence. This would further enhance the reliability of the inspection in the inspection process.

[0089] B. Second Embodiment: Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for the inspection control process to implement the inspection method in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the inspection unit 240 determines the inspection result in the inspection process to be abnormal if the preliminary state does not satisfy the coordination conditions. Note that the configuration of the inspection system 50 in the second embodiment is the same as in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0090] In step S305 of Figure 11, the first inspection unit 241 executes acceleration processing AP. In step S310, the first inspection unit 241 executes steady-state control processing KP. In this embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the left-right movement processing LR is not executed in steady-state control processing KP, but it may be executed. Also, in this embodiment, the left-right determination processing is not executed, but it may be executed.

[0091] In step S315, the first inspection unit 241 executes the first inspection process IP1. That is, in this embodiment, the first inspection process IP1 is executed regardless of whether the first preliminary state PS1 in the first preliminary control process PP1 satisfies the first coordination condition CC1.

[0092] In step S320, the second inspection unit 242 executes the second preliminary control process PP2. In step S325, the second inspection unit 242 executes the second inspection process. That is, in this embodiment, the second inspection process is executed regardless of whether the second preliminary state PS2 in the second preliminary control process PP2 satisfies the second coordination condition.

[0093] In step S330, the determination unit 230 executes a first determination process to determine whether the first preliminary state PS1 in steps S305 and S310 satisfies the first coordination condition CC1.

[0094] If the first coordination condition CC1 is not met in step S330, the first inspection unit 241 determines in step S335 that the inspection result of the first inspection process IP1 in step S315 is abnormal. The first inspection unit 241 may, for example, use a notification device to notify information indicating that the inspection result of the first inspection process IP1 is abnormal.

[0095] If the first coordination condition CC1 is met in step S330, in step S340, the determination unit 230 executes a second determination process to determine whether the second preliminary state PS2 in step S320 satisfies the second coordination condition. If the second coordination condition is not met in step S340, in step S345, the second inspection unit 242 determines that the inspection result in the second inspection process in step S325 is abnormal. The second inspection unit 242 may, for example, use a notification device to notify information indicating that the inspection result of the second inspection process is abnormal.

[0096] In other embodiments, for example, the first determination process may be executed prior to the second preliminary control process PP2. Also, the second determination process may be executed prior to the first determination process, or simultaneously with the first determination process. In this case, the second determination process may be executed prior to the first preliminary control process PP1.

[0097] According to the inspection system 50 in the second embodiment described above, if the preliminary state does not satisfy the coordination conditions, the inspection result in the inspection process is determined to be abnormal. With this configuration, the inspection process can be executed regardless of whether the coordination conditions are met, and if the coordination conditions are not met, the inspection result in the inspection process can be determined to be abnormal. As a result, the reliability of the inspection in the inspection process can be further enhanced. More specifically, in this embodiment, the inspection result of the first inspection process performed in a situation where there is a high probability that the rotation of the roller 510 will not properly follow the drive rotation of the wheel 101 can be determined to be abnormal. Furthermore, the inspection result of the second inspection process performed in a situation where there is a high probability that the rotation of the wheel 101 will not properly follow the drive rotation of the roller 510 can be determined to be abnormal. In this way, inspection results with a high probability of being inappropriate can be retrospectively determined to be abnormal, thereby further enhancing the reliability of the inspection in the inspection process.

[0098] C. Third Embodiment: Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of the inspection system 50v in the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the inspection system 50v differs from the first embodiment in that it does not have a server 200. The vehicle's equipment configuration in this embodiment is the same as in the first embodiment, so for convenience, the vehicle in this embodiment will be referred to as vehicle 100. Vehicle 100 in this embodiment is capable of driving by autonomous control of vehicle 100. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0099] In this embodiment, the communication device 130 of the vehicle 100 can communicate with the external sensor 300, the terminal device 450, and the inspection equipment 500. The processor 111 of the vehicle control device 110 functions as the vehicle control unit 115v, the equipment control unit 220, and the determination unit 230 by executing the program PG1 stored in the memory 112. The vehicle control unit 115v generates a driving control signal and outputs the generated driving control signal to operate the actuator group 120, thereby enabling the vehicle 100 to be driven autonomously. In addition, the vehicle control unit 115v functions as the first inspection unit 241, similar to the remote control unit 210 in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, in addition to the program PG1, the memory 112 pre-stores the detection model DM, the reference path RR, and the condition data TD.

[0100] Figure 13 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for vehicle 100 driving control in the third embodiment. In the processing procedure shown in Figure 13, the processor 111 of the vehicle 100 functions as a vehicle control unit 115v by executing the program PG1.

[0101] In step S901, the processor 111 of the vehicle control device 110 acquires vehicle position information using the detection result output from the camera, which is an external sensor 300. In step S902, the processor 111 determines the target position to which the vehicle 100 should next go. In step S903, the processor 111 generates a driving control signal to drive the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. In step S904, the processor 111 controls the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal to drive the vehicle 100 according to the parameters expressed in the driving control signal. The processor 111 repeats the acquisition of vehicle position information, determination of the target position, generation of the driving control signal, and control of the actuators at a predetermined cycle. According to the inspection system 50v in this embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be driven by autonomous control of the vehicle 100 without remote control of the vehicle 100 by the server 200.

[0102] In this embodiment, the vehicle control unit 115v performs the same first inspection control process as in Figure 9 and the same second inspection control process as in Figure 10. In this embodiment, "vehicle to be inspected" refers to the vehicle itself. For example, in steps S105 and S155 of Figure 9, the vehicle 100 is accelerated on the roller 510 by autonomous control of the vehicle 100. In steps S130 and S160, the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 on the roller 510 is maintained by autonomous control of the vehicle 100. In step S140, the left-right movement process LR is performed by autonomous control of the vehicle 100.

[0103] The inspection system 50v in the third embodiment described above can also utilize pre-control processing to further enhance the reliability of the inspection process.

[0104] In addition, in the inspection system 50v of the third embodiment, for example, the inspection control process shown in Figure 11 may be executed, similar to the second embodiment.

[0105] D. Other embodiments: (D1) In the first embodiment described above, an abnormality is reported when the preliminary state does not satisfy the emphasis condition, but it is not necessary for an abnormality to be reported.

[0106] (D2) In each of the above embodiments, the inspection equipment 500 is configured as a roller device, but it is not limited to this and may be configured as various inspection equipment capable of inspecting the vehicle 100. For example, the inspection equipment 500 may be configured as an alignment tester having a turntable that can rotate horizontally while supporting the wheels 101. In such an alignment tester, the wheel alignment of the vehicle 100 is inspected by steering the vehicle 100 while the wheels 101 are supported on the turntable. In this case, the pre-control process may be, for example, a process that rotates the turntable horizontally in accordance with the movement of the wheels 101 due to steering, i.e., the horizontal rotation of the wheels 101 due to steering, by steering the vehicle 100 while the wheels 101 are supported on the turntable. In this case, the coordination condition may be a condition relating to the correspondence between the amount of rotation in the horizontal rotation of the wheels 101 due to steering and the amount of rotation of the turntable that follows the horizontal rotation of the wheels 101. In this way, the reliability of the wheel alignment inspection can be further improved by utilizing the pre-control process.

[0107] (D3) In each of the above embodiments, the inspection process is performed by both the first inspection process IP1 and the second inspection process, but is not limited to this. For example, only the first inspection process IP1 may be performed as the inspection process, or only the second inspection process may be performed as the inspection process. Also, for example, an inspection process using inspection equipment 500 different from the roller device may be performed.

[0108] (D4) In each of the above embodiments, a first preliminary control process PP1 and a second preliminary control process PP2 are executed as preliminary control processes, but this is not limited to them. For example, only the first preliminary control process PP1 may be executed as a preliminary control process, or only the second preliminary control process PP2 may be executed as a preliminary control process. Also, for example, a preliminary control process using inspection equipment 500 different from the roller device may be executed.

[0109] (D5) In each of the above embodiments, a first determination process and a second determination process are executed as the determination process, but this is not limited to this. For example, only the first determination process may be executed as the determination process, or only the second determination process may be executed as the determination process. Also, for example, a determination process relating to a preliminary control process using inspection equipment 500 different from the roller device may be executed.

[0110] (D6) In each of the above embodiments, the first preliminary control process PP1 includes an acceleration process AP and a steady-state control process KP, but is not limited thereto. For example, the first preliminary control process PP1 may include only the acceleration process AP, or it may include only the steady-state control process KP.

[0111] (D7) In each of the above embodiments, the acceleration a1 in the acceleration process AP is less than or equal to the acceleration a2 in the first inspection process IP1. In contrast, the acceleration in the acceleration process AP may be greater than the acceleration in the first inspection process IP1.

[0112] (D8) In each of the above embodiments, the vehicle speed V2, which is the maximum vehicle speed in the first preliminary control process PP1, is less than or equal to the vehicle speed V3, which is the maximum vehicle speed in the first inspection process IP1. In contrast, the maximum vehicle speed in the first preliminary control process PP1 may be greater than the maximum vehicle speed in the first inspection process IP1.

[0113] (D9) In the first embodiment described above, the left / right movement process LR may not be performed. Also, in the first embodiment described above, the left / right determination process may not be performed.

[0114] (D10) In the first embodiment described above, an external sensor 300 is used in the left / right determination process, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, in the left / right determination process, an internal sensor 140 such as a GNSS sensor, an acceleration sensor, or a vehicle speed sensor may be used instead of, or in addition to, the external sensor 300.

[0115] (D11) In the inspection system 50 in each of the above embodiments, various functional units such as the determination unit 230, the first inspection unit 241, and the second inspection unit 242 may be provided in the vehicle 100. In this case, as described in the third embodiment, all of the determination unit 230, the first inspection unit 241, and the second inspection unit 242 may be provided in the vehicle 100, or some of these functional units may be provided in the vehicle 100. In addition, in the inspection system 50, some or all of these functional units may be provided in, for example, a server 200 and an external device to the vehicle 100.

[0116] (D12) 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.

[0117] (D13) In the first embodiment described above, the server 200 performs the processing from acquiring vehicle position information to generating a driving control signal. In contrast, the vehicle 100 may perform at least a part of the processing from acquiring vehicle position information to generating a driving control signal. For example, the following forms (1) to (3) may be used.

[0118] (1) The server 200 may acquire vehicle location information, determine the next target location that vehicle 100 should head to, and generate a route from the vehicle 100's current location, as shown in the acquired vehicle location information, to the target location. The server 200 may generate a route to the target location between the current location and the destination, or it may generate a route to the destination. The server 200 may transmit the generated route to vehicle 100. Vehicle 100 may generate a driving control signal so that vehicle 100 travels along the route received from the server 200, and may use the generated driving control signal to control the actuator group 120.

[0119] (2) The server 200 may acquire vehicle location information and transmit the acquired vehicle location information to the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 may determine the next target location to which the vehicle 100 should go, generate a route from the vehicle 100's current location shown in the received vehicle location information to the target location, generate a driving control signal so that the vehicle 100 travels along the generated route, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal.

[0120] (3) In the embodiments of (1) and (2) 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, in the embodiment of (1) above, the server 200 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. In the embodiment of (1) above, 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. In the embodiment of (2) above, 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. In the embodiment of (2) above, 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.

[0121] (D14) In the third 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.

[0122] (D15) In the third embodiment described above, the vehicle 100 acquires vehicle position information using the detection results of the external sensor 300. In contrast, the vehicle 100 may be equipped with an internal sensor, and the vehicle 100 may acquire vehicle position information using the detection results of the internal sensor, determine the target position to which the vehicle 100 should next go, generate a route from the vehicle 100's current location shown in the acquired vehicle position information to the target position, generate a driving control signal for driving along the generated route, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal. In this case, the vehicle 100 can drive without using the detection results of the external sensor 300 at all. The vehicle 100 may also acquire the target arrival time and congestion information from outside the vehicle 100 and reflect the target arrival time and congestion information in at least one of the route and the driving control signal. Furthermore, all the functional configurations of the inspection system 50v may be provided in the vehicle 100. That is, the processing realized by the inspection system 50v in this disclosure may be realized by the vehicle 100 alone.

[0123] (D16) In the first embodiment described above, the server 200 automatically generates a driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 100. Alternatively, the server 200 may generate a driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 100 in accordance with the operation of an external operator located outside the vehicle 100. For example, the external operator may operate a control device that includes a display for displaying captured images output from the external sensor 300, a steering wheel for remotely controlling the vehicle 100, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a communication device for communicating with the server 200 via wired or wireless communication, and the server 200 may generate a driving control signal in accordance with the operation applied to the control device.

[0124] (D17) In each of the above embodiments, the vehicle 100 only needs to have a configuration that allows it to move by unmanned operation, and may take the form of a platform having the configuration described below. Specifically, in order for the vehicle 100 to perform the three functions of "driving," "turning," and "stopping" by unmanned operation, it is sufficient to have at least a vehicle control device 110 and an actuator group 120. When the vehicle 100 acquires information from the outside for unmanned operation, the vehicle 100 may further have a communication device 130. That is, the vehicle 100 that can move by unmanned operation does not need to have at least some of the interior parts such as the driver's seat and dashboard attached, 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.

[0125] (D18) 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 make up 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 the vehicle 100 that were conventionally formed by joining multiple parts can be formed as single parts. For example, the front module, central module, and rear module mentioned above may be manufactured using Gigacast.

[0126] (D19) Transporting vehicle 100 using the unmanned operation of vehicle 100 is also called "autonomous transport." The configuration for realizing autonomous transport is also called a "vehicle remote control autonomous driving transport system." Furthermore, a production method that uses autonomous transport to produce vehicle 100 is also called "autonomous production." In autonomous production, for example, at a factory FC that manufactures vehicle 100, at least a portion of the transport of vehicle 100 is realized by autonomous transport.

[0127] 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.

[0128] 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]

[0129] 50, 50V... Inspection system, 100... Vehicle, 101... Wheels, 110... Vehicle control device, 111... Processor, 112... Memory, 113... Input / Output interface, 114... Internal bus, 115, 115V... Vehicle control unit, 120... Actuator group, 130... Communication device, 140... Internal sensor, 200... Server, 201... Processor, 202... Memory, 203... Input / Output interface, 204... Internal bus, 205... Communication device, 210... Remote control unit, 220... Equipment control unit, 230... Judgment unit, 240…Inspection unit, 241…First inspection unit, 242…Second inspection unit, 300…External sensor, 450…Terminal device, 500…Inspection equipment, 510…Roller, 510A…Front roller, 510B…Rear roller, 511…Roller unit, 520…Equipment control device, 521…Processor, 522…Memory, 523…Input / output interface, 524…Internal bus, 530…Equipment sensor, 531…Peripheral speed sensor, 532…Torque sensor, 533…Braking force sensor, 540…Motor, 550…Communication device

Claims

1. An inspection unit that performs a predetermined pre-control process using the mobile body and the inspection equipment before the start of an inspection process in which a mobile body is inspected using the inspection equipment, An inspection system comprising: a determination unit that performs a determination process to determine whether the state of the moving body and the inspection equipment in the preliminary control process satisfies predetermined coordination conditions.

2. The inspection system according to claim 1, The inspection unit is an inspection system that starts the inspection process when the state satisfies the coordination conditions.

3. The inspection system according to claim 2, The inspection unit is an inspection system that, if the condition does not satisfy the coordination conditions, does not start the inspection process and reports an abnormality.

4. The inspection system according to claim 1, The inspection unit determines that the inspection result in the inspection process is abnormal if the state does not satisfy the coordination conditions.

5. An inspection system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The aforementioned mobile unit is a vehicle capable of moving under unmanned driving control, The inspection equipment is a roller device equipped with rollers that can rotate while supporting the wheels of the vehicle, Before commencing the first inspection process, which involves inspecting the vehicle by rotating the rollers by driving the wheels on the rollers, the inspection unit executes a first preliminary control process as a preliminary control process related to the first inspection process, which involves rotating the rollers by driving the wheels on the rollers using the unmanned operation control. The determination unit performs a first determination process as the determination process, which determines whether the state in the first preliminary control process satisfies the first coordination condition, which is the coordination condition for the first preliminary control process. An inspection system in which the first coordination condition includes at least one of a peripheral speed condition relating to the relationship between the peripheral speed of the wheel and the peripheral speed of the roller in the first pre-control process, and a torque condition relating to the relationship between the rotational torque of the wheel and the rotational torque of the roller in the first pre-control process.

6. The inspection system according to claim 5, The first preliminary control process includes an acceleration process that monotonically increases the peripheral speed of the wheel on the roller by the unmanned operation control, The aforementioned peripheral speed conditions include conditions relating to the relationship between the peripheral speed of the wheel and the peripheral speed of the roller during the acceleration process. An inspection system in which the torque conditions include conditions relating to the relationship between the rotational torque of the wheel and the rotational torque of the roller in the acceleration process.

7. The inspection system according to claim 6, An inspection system in which the rate of increase of the peripheral speed of the wheel in the acceleration process is less than or equal to the rate of increase of the peripheral speed of the wheel in the first inspection process.

8. The inspection system according to claim 5, An inspection system in which the maximum peripheral speed of the wheel in the first preliminary control process is less than or equal to the maximum peripheral speed of the wheel in the first inspection process.

9. The inspection system according to claim 5, The first preliminary control process includes a steady-state control process that rotates the wheel on the roller at a constant peripheral speed using the unmanned operation control. The aforementioned peripheral speed conditions include conditions relating to the relationship between the peripheral speed of the wheel and the peripheral speed of the roller in the steady-state control process, An inspection system in which the torque conditions include conditions relating to the relationship between the rotational torque of the wheel and the rotational torque of the roller in the steady-state control process.

10. The inspection system according to claim 9, The inspection unit, in the steady-state control process, executes the steering of the vehicle by the unmanned operation control, The determination unit is an inspection system that determines whether the amount of steering in the steering operation corresponds to the amount of movement of the vehicle on the roller due to the steering operation.

11. The inspection system according to claim 10, The determination unit is an external sensor located outside the vehicle, and is an inspection system that uses an external sensor used for driving under the unmanned driving control to determine whether the steering amount and the travel amount correspond.

12. The inspection system according to claim 1, The inspection equipment is a roller device equipped with rollers that can rotate while supporting the wheels of the vehicle as a moving body, Before the start of the second inspection process, which is the inspection process in which the vehicle is inspected by rotating the wheels on the rollers by driving the rollers to rotate them, the inspection unit executes a second preliminary control process as a preliminary control process related to the second inspection process, which involves driving the rollers to rotate them to rotate the wheels on the rollers. The determination unit, as the determination process, executes a second determination process to determine whether the state in the second preliminary control process satisfies the second coordination condition, which is the coordination condition for the second preliminary control process. An inspection system in which the second coordination condition is a condition relating to the relationship between the braking force generated in the wheel during the second pre-control process and the rotational torque of the roller during the second pre-control process.

13. Before commencing the inspection process for inspecting a moving object using inspection equipment, a predetermined pre-control process is performed using the moving object and the inspection equipment. An inspection method for determining whether the state of the moving body and the inspection equipment in the preliminary control process satisfies predetermined coordination conditions.

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