Remote control device and remote control program for industrial vehicles

Abstract

A remote control device and a remote control program for an industrial vehicle are provided, which enable a remote control system for the industrial vehicle to be easily constructed. [Solution] A remote operation device for an industrial vehicle includes a control unit. The control unit executes a web application for remote operation of the industrial vehicle to start a remote operation system. The control unit transmits camera images sent from a camera for remote monitoring of the industrial vehicle to a user terminal via a communication unit and displays the camera images as moving images on a screen of the remote operation system displayed on a web browser of the user terminal. The control unit converts operation inputs for remote operation of the industrial vehicle received from the user terminal via the communication unit into operation signals for the industrial vehicle and transfers them to a control board of the industrial vehicle.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a remote control device and a remote control program for an industrial vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] A walkie forklift is known as one type of forklift. A walkie forklift is not a type of forklift that an operator rides on, but a type of forklift that an operator operates while walking. Since a walkie forklift does not require a space for an operator to ride on, the vehicle body can be small.

[0003] In recent years, a system has been proposed that allows industrial vehicles such as forklifts to be remotely operated. Since a walkie forklift does not have a space for a worker to board, it is difficult for a worker with a disability to operate it. In contrast, by making it possible to remotely operate it, it is expected that even a worker with a disability will be able to operate the forklift. In addition, even a normal forklift can be operated from home or an office, making it possible to work without going to the site. In order to enable remote operation of such industrial vehicles, it is necessary to be able to easily build a remote operation system. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-208176 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The embodiments provide a remote control device and a remote control program for an industrial vehicle that can easily configure a remote control system for the industrial vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A remote control device for an industrial vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit. Far The control unit transmits a camera image transmitted from a camera for remote monitoring of the industrial vehicle to a user terminal via a communication unit, and At the end The camera image is displayed as a moving image on the screen of the displayed remote operation system. The control unit converts an operation input for remotely operating the industrial vehicle received from the user terminal via the communication unit into an operation signal for the industrial vehicle and transfers it to a control board of the industrial vehicle. The control unit transmits sensor data from a first sensor group for remote monitoring of the industrial vehicle to a user terminal and displays the vehicle state of the industrial vehicle based on the sensor data on a screen of the remote operation system displayed on the user terminal. The first sensor group is a sensor group provided in parallel with a second sensor group provided on the industrial vehicle and collects sensor data equivalent to that of the second sensor group. The control unit enables the first sensor group and disables the second sensor group when starting remote operation of the industrial vehicle, and enables the second sensor group and disables the first sensor group when ending remote operation of the industrial vehicle. Effect of the Invention

[0007] In the embodiments, a remote control device and a remote control program for an industrial vehicle are provided, which can easily configure a remote control system for an industrial vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a remote control system for an industrial vehicle according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an external view showing a configuration of an example of a walkie forklift as an example of an industrial vehicle. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical connection between the industrial vehicle and the remote control unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an example of the remote control unit. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of the remote control system displayed on a web browser of a user terminal. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the remote control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a remote control system for an industrial vehicle according to an embodiment. The remote control system 1 has an industrial vehicle 2 and a user terminal 3. The industrial vehicle 2 can communicate with the user terminal 3 via a network 4 in a peer-to-peer (P2P) manner. The network 4 is, for example, a local network. In this case, the industrial vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3 are in a relationship in which they can know each other's private addresses. The industrial vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3 may be connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a short-range wireless communication method not via the network 4, such as a Bluetooth (registered trademark) method.

[0010] The industrial vehicle 2 is a vehicle used for industrial purposes. The industrial vehicle 2 is, for example, a battery-powered walkie forklift, but is not limited thereto. The industrial vehicle 2 is remotely operable by being fitted with a remote control unit 26.

[0011] The user terminal 3 is a terminal device having a browser function, such as, but not limited to, a personal computer (PC), a smartphone, or a tablet terminal. When the industrial vehicle 2 is in a state where it can be remotely operated, the user terminal 3 may display a moving image of the industrial vehicle 2 in the field of view direction by communicating with the industrial vehicle 2. A worker may remotely operate the industrial vehicle 2 while watching the moving image displayed on the user terminal 3. A controller 3a may be connected to the user terminal 3. A worker may remotely operate the industrial vehicle 2 by operating the controller 3a instead of directly operating the user terminal 3. The controller 3a may be connected to the user terminal 3 by a wire such as a USB, or may be connected to the user terminal 3 wirelessly such as Bluetooth. The controller 3a may be a controller dedicated to remote operation of the industrial vehicle 2, or may be a controller used for operations other than the operation of the industrial vehicle 2, such as a game device.

[0012] Fig. 2 is an external view showing the configuration of an example of a walkie forklift as an example of an industrial vehicle 2. The walkie forklift of the example shown in Fig. 2 has a vehicle body 20. Front wheels 21 and rear wheels 22 are provided on the lower part of the vehicle body 20. The front wheels 21 and rear wheels 22 can be driven by a travel motor provided inside the vehicle body 20.

[0013] In addition, a mast 23 is attached to the front of the vehicle body 20. A fork 24 is attached to the mast 23. The fork 24 is raised and lowered along the mast 23 by the operation of an operator.

[0014] A steering handle 25 is provided at the rear of the vehicle body 20. Operational members such as a switch for raising and lowering the forks 24 and an accelerator lever for controlling the output of the traveling motor of the vehicle body 20 are arranged on the steering handle 25. An operator can perform various operations by operating the operation members while holding the steering handle 25 and walking. Here, the steering handle 25 may be configured to be tiltable so that various operations can be performed by adjusting the angle of the steering handle 25.

[0015] Furthermore, in the embodiment, a remote control unit 26 may be attached externally to the vehicle body 20. The remote control unit 26 is connected, for example, via USB, to a forklift control board provided inside the vehicle body 20 so as to be able to communicate with the forklift control board. A terminal for attaching equipment provided on the industrial vehicle 2 may be used as a terminal for connecting the remote control unit 26. A support member 26a is attached to the remote control unit 26 in the vertical direction, and a camera 27 for remote monitoring of the industrial vehicle 2 is attached to the tip of the support member 26a. The camera 27 is, for example, an omnidirectional camera equipped with a fisheye lens, and may be connected to a control circuit of the remote control unit 26. The height position at which the camera 27 is attached is approximately at the eye level of the worker. The support member 26a may be configured to be extendable so that the camera 27 can be positioned at the eye level of the worker.

[0016] The remote control unit 26 is a circuit unit that incorporates a control unit, a wireless communication unit, and a sensor group including the same sensors as those installed in the vehicle body 20, and provides remote control functions to the industrial vehicle 2 by mediating real-time communication between the industrial vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3.

[0017] Here, in FIG. 2, the remote control unit 26 is attached to the side of the vehicle body 20, but the attachment position of the remote control unit 26 is not limited to the side of the vehicle body 20.

[0018] 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical connection between the industrial vehicle 2 and the remote control unit 26. As described above, a forklift control board 201 is provided inside the vehicle body 20 of the walkie forklift as the industrial vehicle 2. The forklift control board 201 includes a processor and a memory, and performs overall control of the industrial vehicle 2. The forklift control board 201 can operate by receiving power supplied from a battery 204. The forklift control board 201 receives a drive mechanism operation signal as an operation input from, for example, the steering wheel 25, and controls the drive mechanism 203.

[0019] The forklift control board 201 is electrically connected to a sensor group 202 and a drive mechanism 203. The sensor group 202 includes one or more sensors that detect an operation input of the steering wheel 25 and output a drive mechanism operation signal corresponding to the input. The sensor group 202 further includes one or more sensors that detect various conditions of the vehicle body 20. The sensor group 202 includes, but is not limited to, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a GPS receiver, and the like. The sensor group 202 may include not only sensors that are pre-installed in the vehicle body 20, but also sensors that are externally attached to the vehicle body 20 as accessories of the industrial vehicle 2. The drive mechanism 203 is a mechanism that includes a motor for driving the vehicle body 20 of the industrial vehicle 2, a converter that generates an output voltage to the motor, and the like. The drive motor may include a travel motor for traveling the vehicle body 20, a power steering motor for steering the vehicle body 20, and a loading motor for raising and lowering the forks 24. The converter converts the output voltage of the battery 204 to a voltage required for driving each motor.

[0020] The forklift control board 201 is communicatively connected to the remote control unit 26 via an input / output unit 205. The input / output unit 205 is, for example, a USB interface, although it is not limited thereto.

[0021] 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the remote control unit 26. The remote control unit 26 may be configured using, for example, a Raspberry Pi (registered trademark), but is not limited to this. The remote control unit 26 has a control unit 261, a storage unit 262, a camera input / output unit 263, a sensor group 264, and a wireless communication unit 265.

[0022] The control unit 261 includes a processor such as a CPU, and controls the remote control unit 26. The control unit 261 executes programs stored in the storage unit 262 to perform various processes for controlling the remote control unit 26.

[0023] The storage unit 262 can store various programs and parameters related to the control of the remote operation unit 26, such as an OS (Operating System) 2621 and a remote operation program 2622. The OS 2621 is a program for realizing basic functions of the remote operation unit 26. The various programs stored in the storage unit 262 are executed under the control of the OS. The remote operation program 2622 is a program for remotely operating the industrial vehicle 2, and is configured as a web application executed by the control unit 261 of the remote operation unit 26. The remote operation program 2622 causes the control unit 261 to execute a function for realizing real-time communication for remote operation between the industrial vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3 according to a real-time communication protocol such as WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication). More specifically, the remote operation program 2622 causes the control unit 261 to execute at least a function of starting up the remote operation system and displaying a screen of the remote operation system for the industrial vehicle 2 on a web browser displayed on the display of the user terminal 3, and a function of accepting an operation input by an operator inputted via the user terminal 3 or the controller 3a and transferring it to the forklift control board 201 of the industrial vehicle 2. Here, the UI for remotely operating the industrial vehicle 2 can display real-time moving images captured by the camera 27 and information related to the vehicle body 20 detected by the sensor group 202.

[0024] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of the remote operation system displayed on a web browser of a user terminal. The screen 30 shown as an example is displayed on the web browser and includes a UI (User Interface) UI31 for remote operation. The UI31 is a screen that can be operated by an operator for remotely operating the industrial vehicle 2.

[0025] The UI 31 includes a video display area 32 which is a display area for video captured by the camera 27. When the camera 27 is an omnidirectional camera, the video display area 32 displays a video clipped from a 360-degree azimuth video captured by the camera 27 in a predetermined viewing direction, for example, an image in the front direction of the industrial vehicle 2 in the initial stage. The viewing direction clipped from the video can be switched by an operation by an operator. Furthermore, an image captured by an omnidirectional camera usually has distortion according to the characteristics of the optical system. Therefore, when the control unit 261 displays a video in the video display area 32, the control unit 261 performs distortion correction on the clipped image according to the characteristics of the optical system.

[0026] Furthermore, in the example of Fig. 5, a remote operation in progress display 32a is displayed in the video display area 32. The remote operation in progress display 32a is displayed while remote operation is being performed via the remote operation unit 26, and is a display for making the worker viewing the screen 30 of the remote operation system aware that remote operation is being performed. In the example of Fig. 5, the remote operation in progress display 32a is a display of a character string indicating that remote operation is being performed. The remote operation in progress display 32a may be a display of a mark instead of a character string.

[0027] Further, in the example of FIG. 5, an operation panel 32b for remotely operating the industrial vehicle 2 is displayed in the moving image display area 32. The operation panel 32b is configured with software buttons that can be selected by a mouse, a keyboard, a controller 3a, or the like provided in the user terminal 3. When a button on the operation panel 32b is selected, the control unit 261 converts the operation input by the selection of the button into a drive mechanism operation signal and transfers the converted drive mechanism operation signal to the forklift control board 201. The drive mechanism operation signal may be the same as the drive mechanism operation signal input to the forklift control board 201 when the steering wheel 25 is operated. Here, in the example of FIG. 5, the operation panel 32b includes an arrow button for indicating the travel direction of the industrial vehicle 2, a brake button, and a mast raising / lowering button. It goes without saying that the buttons and their layout included in the operation panel 32b are not limited to those shown in FIG. 5. For example, the operation panel 32b may be configured with a graphic that imitates the steering wheel 25 and has the same button arrangement as the steering wheel 25.

[0028] Furthermore, in the example of Fig. 5, the UI 31 includes a vehicle state display area 33. In the vehicle state display area 33, various vehicle states detected by the sensor group 264 are displayed. In the example of Fig. 5, an example is shown in which information on the traveling speed and the presence or absence of an obstacle is displayed. It goes without saying that other information may also be displayed. As will be described later, the sensor group 264 is a sensor group provided in parallel with the sensor group 202. Therefore, in the vehicle state display area 33, various vehicle states that can be detected by the sensor group 202 of the industrial vehicle 2 may be displayed.

[0029] 5, the UI 31 further includes a map display area 34 that shows the current position of the industrial vehicle 2. The map can be created in the control unit 261 based on the coordinates of the industrial vehicle 2 identified by a GPS receiver included in the sensor group 264. The map display area 34 may be omitted.

[0030] 5, the UI 31 further includes software buttons that can be operated by the operator. In the example of Fig. 5, the UI 31 includes a remote operation start button 35, a remote operation end button 36, and an operation setting button 37.

[0031] The remote operation start button 35 is a button selected by an operator when starting remote operation of the industrial vehicle 2. As will be described later, when the remote operation start button 35 is operated, the control unit 261 enables a remote operation mode of the industrial vehicle 2. When the remote operation start button 35 is selected and the remote operation mode is enabled, the remote operation start button 35 becomes inactive and cannot be selected.

[0032] The remote operation end button 36 is a button selected by the operator when ending the remote operation of the industrial vehicle 2. As will be described later, when the remote operation end button 36 is operated, the control unit 261 disables the remote operation mode of the industrial vehicle 2. While the remote operation mode is disabled, the remote operation end button 36 becomes inactive and cannot be selected.

[0033] The operation setting button 37 is a button for setting the operation panel 32b and the controller 3a. By operating the operation setting button 37, the control unit 261 displays a setting screen for the operation panel 32b and the controller 3a (not shown). On this setting screen, the worker can associate each button on the operation panel 32b with an operation input of the industrial vehicle 2. Also, on this setting screen, the worker can perform a process for causing the remote operation unit 26 to recognize the controller 3a and associate each button on the controller 3a with an operation input of the industrial vehicle 2.

[0034] 5 is an example and may be modified as appropriate. For example, display areas or buttons other than those shown on the screen 30 may be provided, or some of the display areas or buttons shown on the screen 30 may be omitted.

[0035] Returning now to the explanation of Fig. 4, the camera input / output unit 263 includes an interface for communication between the control unit 261 and the camera 27, and transfers control instructions from the control unit 261 to the camera 27 and transfers video images from the camera 27 to the control unit 261.

[0036] The sensor group 264 is a sensor for remote monitoring of the industrial vehicle 2 mounted on the remote operation unit 26, including at least the same sensors as the sensor group 202. In other words, the sensor group 264 is a sensor group provided in parallel with the sensor group 202, and can collect sensor data equivalent to that of the sensor group 202. The sensor group 264 is switched from the sensor group 202 and becomes active when the remote operation unit 26 is in the remote operation mode. On the other hand, the sensor group 202 becomes inactive when the remote operation unit 26 is not in the remote operation mode. Here, the sensor group 264 may include sensors other than the sensor group 202. In addition, the mounting position of each sensor constituting the sensor group 264 is, for example, the remote operation unit 26. On the other hand, at least a part of the sensors constituting the sensor group 264 may be a sensor that is mounted on the vehicle body 20 and connected to the control unit 261 of the remote operation unit 26.

[0037] The wireless communication unit 265 includes a communication device for the remote operation unit 26 to communicate with the user terminal 3, and performs processing for communication between the remote operation unit 26 and the industrial vehicle 2. For example, the wireless communication unit 265 transmits a web page including a screen of the remote operation system to the user terminal 3. Furthermore, when the wireless communication unit 265 receives sensor data and a camera image from the control unit 261, it transmits the received sensor data and camera image to the user terminal 3. Furthermore, when the wireless communication unit 265 receives an operation input from the user terminal 3, it transfers the received operation input to the control unit 261.

[0038] Next, the operation of the remote control unit 26 will be described. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the remote control unit 26. Here, in the operation of Fig. 6, it is assumed that the remote control unit 26 has already been installed in the industrial vehicle 2 and is in a state in which it can communicate with the user terminal 3. Furthermore, it is assumed that the screen of the remote control system shown in Fig. 5 has already been displayed in the web browser displayed on the display of the user terminal 3.

[0039] In step S1, the control unit 261 determines whether or not to start remote operation of the industrial vehicle 2. For example, when the remote operation start button 35 is selected on the screen of Fig. 5, it is determined that remote operation of the industrial vehicle 2 is to start. Also, if remote operation has already started, it is determined that remote operation of the industrial vehicle 2 is to start. If it is determined in step S1 that remote operation of the industrial vehicle 2 is to start, the process proceeds to step S2. If it is not determined in step S1 that remote operation of the industrial vehicle 2 is to start, the process proceeds to step S6.

[0040] In step S2, control unit 261 transmits a control instruction to camera 27 to activate camera 27. Then, control unit 261 causes moving images obtained from camera 27 to be displayed in moving image display area 32 of screen 30 of the remote operation system displayed on the web browser of user terminal 3.

[0041] In step S3, the control unit 261 disables the sensor group 202 for the forklift control board 201 of the industrial vehicle 2 and enables each sensor of the sensor group 264 to switch the sensors. Then, the control unit 261 displays the vehicle status of the industrial vehicle 2 based on the sensor data obtained from each sensor of the sensor group 264 in the vehicle status display area 33 of the screen 30 of the remote operation system displayed on the web browser of the user terminal 3. Furthermore, the control unit 261 may display the position of the industrial vehicle 2 in the map display area 34 of the screen 30 of the remote operation system displayed on the web browser of the user terminal 3.

[0042] Here, the process of step S2 and the process of step S3 are shown as sequential processes in this order. On the other hand, the process of step S2 and the process of step S3 may be sequential processes in the reverse order, or may be parallel processes. Also, in step S3, when disabling the sensor group 202, the control unit 261 may output a control instruction to the forklift control board 201 of the industrial vehicle 2 to instruct the power supply of each sensor of the sensor group 202 to be turned off. On the other hand, in step S3, the control unit 261 may not output a control instruction to the forklift control board 201 of the industrial vehicle 2 to instruct the power supply of each sensor of the sensor group 202 to be turned off. In other words, the power supply of the sensor group 202 of the industrial vehicle 2 may be kept on or may be turned off.

[0043] In step S4, the control unit 261 determines whether or not an operation input has been received from the user terminal 3 via the wireless communication unit 265. For example, it is determined that an operation input from the user terminal 3 has been received when a selection of any button on the operation panel 32b displayed on the web browser or an operation of the controller 3a has been received. If it is determined in step S4 that an operation input from the user terminal 3 has been received, the process proceeds to step S5. If it is not determined in step S4 that an operation input from the user terminal 3 has been received, the process proceeds to step S6.

[0044] In step S5, the control unit 261 converts the accepted operation input into a drive mechanism operation signal that can be accepted by the forklift control board 201. Then, the control unit 261 transfers the converted drive mechanism operation signal to the forklift control board 201. This allows the forklift control board 201 to perform control similar to that performed when the steering wheel 25 is operated. For example, the control unit 261 transfers a drive mechanism operation signal obtained by inputting the accepted operation input into a sensor that detects the operation input of the remote control unit 26 as the sensor group 264 to the forklift control board 201. Alternatively, the control unit 261 may generate a drive mechanism operation signal according to the accepted operation input by a signal generator or the like, and transfer the generated drive mechanism operation signal to the forklift control board 201.

[0045] In step S6, the control unit 261 judges whether or not to end the remote operation of the industrial vehicle 2. For example, when the remote operation end button 36 is selected on the screen of FIG. 5, it is judged that the remote operation of the industrial vehicle 2 is ended. Alternatively, it may be judged that the remote operation of the industrial vehicle 2 is ended when an operation input of the steering wheel 25 is detected by communication with the forklift control board 201. In other words, when an operation input of the steering wheel 25 is made, the operation input of the steering wheel 25 may be given priority so that there is no conflict of operations. In step S6, when it is judged that the remote operation of the industrial vehicle 2 is ended, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S6, when it is not judged that the remote operation of the industrial vehicle 2 is ended, the process proceeds to step S9.

[0046] In step S7, control unit 261 transmits a control instruction to camera 27 to stop camera 27.

[0047] In step S8, the control unit 261 switches the sensors by enabling each sensor of the sensor group 202 for the forklift control board 201 of the industrial vehicle 2 and disabling each sensor of the sensor group 264. Here, when the power supply of the sensor group 202 of the industrial vehicle 2 is turned off in step S3, the control unit 261 may output a control instruction to the forklift control board 201 of the industrial vehicle 2 to instruct the power supply of each sensor of the sensor group 202 to be turned on in step S8.

[0048] Here, the process of step S7 and the process of step S8 are shown as sequential processes in this order, however, the process of step S7 and the process of step S8 may be sequential processes in the reverse order or may be parallel processes.

[0049] In step S9, the control unit 261 determines whether or not to perform operation setting. For example, when the operation setting button 37 is selected on the screen of Fig. 5, it is determined that operation setting is to be performed. If it is determined in step S9 that operation setting is to be performed, the process proceeds to step S10. If it is not determined in step S9 that operation setting is to be performed, the process proceeds to step S11.

[0050] In step S10, the control unit 261 displays an operation setting screen (not shown) on a web browser of the user terminal 3. Then, the control unit 261 performs operation setting for the operation panel 32b or the controller 3a in response to an operation input from the user terminal 3.

[0051] In step S11, the control unit 261 determines whether or not to end the operation. For example, it is determined that the operation is to be ended when an operation to close the web browser is performed in the user terminal 3. If it is determined that the operation is to be ended in step S11, the process of Fig. 6 ends. If it is not determined that the operation is to be ended in step S11, the process returns to step S1.

[0052] As described above, in the embodiment, the remote operation program in the remote operation unit 26 is configured as a web application. Therefore, the remote operation program in the embodiment can operate without being affected by the specifications of the industrial vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3. Furthermore, the remote operation unit 26 is provided with a sensor group 264 that is provided in parallel with the sensor group 202 of the industrial vehicle 2. Furthermore, the remote operation unit 26 is provided with a camera 27. Therefore, in the embodiment, a remote operation system can be easily constructed without being affected by the specifications of the industrial vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3, etc.

[0053] Furthermore, because the remote operation system operates using a web application, there is no need to install a special application on the user terminal 3. In other words, the user of the user terminal 3 can check the camera images captured by the industrial vehicle 2 as moving images on a web browser.

[0054] Furthermore, in the embodiment, the industrial vehicle can be switched between the remote operation specifications and the normal operation specifications by simple processing of only switching between the sensor group 202 and the sensor group 264 and switching the activation of the camera 27.

[0055] Furthermore, the remote control unit 26 and the camera 27 are external units that are connected to the industrial vehicle 2 via, for example, a USB and are independent of the industrial vehicle 2. Therefore, in the embodiment, it is possible to provide a remote control function to an industrial vehicle 2 that does not originally support the remote control function.

[0056] (Modification) A modified example of the embodiment will be described below. In the embodiment, the industrial vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3 can communicate with each other through a local network, for example. On the other hand, the industrial vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3 may be configured to communicate with each other through the Internet. In this case, however, since the industrial vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3 are not in a relationship in which they can know each other's private addresses, a NAT (Network Address Translation) traversal process is required for P2P communication. For such a NAT traversal process, the industrial vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3 may be configured to communicate with each other through a server that operates as a signaling server and a STUN (Session Traversal Utilities for NAT) / TURN (Traversal Using Relays around NAT) server. This makes it possible to remotely operate the industrial vehicle 2 from a user terminal 3 located in a remote location.

[0057] In addition, when the industrial vehicle 2 and the user terminal 3 are enabled to perform P2P communication via a server, the remote operation program as a web application may be executed on the server. However, even in this case, it is preferable that the remote operation unit 26 is externally attached to the industrial vehicle 2.

[0058] In addition, in the embodiment, a walkie forklift is shown as an example of the industrial vehicle 2, but the technology of the embodiment may be applied to industrial vehicles other than the walkie forklift. For example, the industrial vehicle 2 may be a forklift other than the walkie forklift, such as a reach forklift.

[0059] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the gist of the invention. In addition, the embodiments may be implemented in appropriate combination, and in that case, the combined effect can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-mentioned embodiment includes various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by combinations selected from the multiple components disclosed. For example, if the problem can be solved and the effect can be obtained even if some components are deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment, the configuration from which the components are deleted can be extracted as an invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1 remote operation system, 2 industrial vehicle, 3 user terminal, 3a controller, 4 network, 20 vehicle body, 21 front wheels, 22 rear wheels, 23 mast, 24 fork, 25 steering handle, 26 remote operation unit, 26a support member, 27 camera, 201 forklift control board, 202 sensor group, 203 drive mechanism, 204 battery, 205 input / output unit, 261 control unit, 262 memory unit, 263 camera input / output unit, 264 sensor group, 265 wireless communication unit.

Claims

1. Activate the remote control system for remote control of industrial vehicles, a communication unit for transmitting a camera image transmitted from a camera for remote monitoring of the industrial vehicle to a user terminal, and displaying the camera image as a moving image on a screen of the remote operation system displayed on the user terminal; converting an operation input for remotely operating the industrial vehicle received from the user terminal via the communication unit into an operation signal for the industrial vehicle and transferring the operation signal to a control board of the industrial vehicle; A control unit is provided. the control unit transmits sensor data from a first sensor group for remote monitoring of the industrial vehicle to the user terminal and displays a vehicle state of the industrial vehicle based on the sensor data on a screen of the remote operation system displayed on the user terminal; the first sensor group is a sensor group provided in parallel with a second sensor group provided in the industrial vehicle, and collects sensor data equivalent to that of the second sensor group; the control unit enables the first sensor group and disables the second sensor group when remote operation of the industrial vehicle is started, and enables the second sensor group and disables the first sensor group when remote operation of the industrial vehicle is ended. Remote control device.

2. the remote control device is an external unit communicatively connected to a control board of the industrial vehicle, and includes the camera and the first group of sensors. The remote control device according to claim 1 .

3. activating a remote operation system for remote operation of an industrial vehicle; transmitting a camera image transmitted from a camera for remote monitoring of the industrial vehicle to a user terminal by a communication unit, and displaying the camera image as a moving image on a screen of the remote operation system displayed on the user terminal; a first sensor group provided in parallel with a second sensor group provided on the industrial vehicle for remote monitoring of the industrial vehicle, the first sensor group collecting sensor data equivalent to that of the second sensor group, transmitting sensor data from the first sensor group to the user terminal, and displaying a vehicle status of the industrial vehicle based on the sensor data on a screen of the remote operation system displayed on the user terminal; converting an operation input for remotely operating the industrial vehicle received from the user terminal via the communication unit into an operation signal for the industrial vehicle and transferring the operation signal to a control board of the industrial vehicle; enabling the first sensor group and disabling the second sensor group when starting remote operation of the industrial vehicle, and enabling the second sensor group and disabling the first sensor group when ending remote operation of the industrial vehicle; A remote control program for an industrial vehicle for causing a processor to execute the program.

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