Remote Operation System

Abstract

To provide a remote drive system capable of suppressing pseudo engine sound including acceleration sound and deceleration sound from being transmitted to a steering seat side with a time lag when a vehicle is driven through remote operation from a steering seat outside the vehicle.SOLUTION: A remote drive system 10 comprises a vehicle 12 and a steering seat 20 which has a sound generation unit 40 generating pseudo engine sound including acceleration sound corresponding to accelerator operation and deceleration sound corresponding to brake operation, and on which the vehicle 12 can be driven through remote operation from outside the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a remote driving system. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Remote control devices that remotely control autonomous vehicles have been known for some time (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-140755 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, there has been a demand for remote driving technology that allows a vehicle to be remotely operated from a cockpit installed outside the vehicle. In such remote driving, it is difficult for the driver at the cockpit to get a sense of real driving. For this reason, it has been proposed to generate pseudo engine sounds (electronically processed acceleration and deceleration sounds that evoke the sound of a vehicle running) on ​​the vehicle side using various sensor information (accelerator opening, engine speed, vehicle speed, etc.) installed in the vehicle.

[0005] However, in such remote driving, there is a possibility that the pseudo engine sound generated on the vehicle side will be transmitted to the cockpit side with a delay due to communication delays between the vehicle side and the cockpit side (sound lag will occur). If such a sound lag occurs, there is a concern that it will give the driver a sense of discomfort when operating the vehicle, which may induce operating errors.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a remote driving system that can suppress the delayed transmission of pseudo engine sounds, including acceleration and deceleration sounds, to the cockpit when a vehicle is driven remotely from the cockpit outside the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the remote operation system according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises: Actually driving on the road Vehicles and An operating device including an accelerator operation and a brake operation for driving the vehicle; A sound generating unit that generates a pseudo engine sound including an acceleration sound corresponding to an accelerator operation and a deceleration sound corresponding to the brake operation. a control unit to which the operation device and the sound generation unit are electrically connected; and a speaker that outputs the pseudo engine sound generated by the sound generation unit. and a cockpit capable of driving the vehicle by remote control from outside the vehicle. The control unit stores in advance the acceleration sound and deceleration sound when the vehicle has traveled on a roadway in the past, and the control unit determines whether to use the actual acceleration sound or deceleration sound or to use the acceleration sound or deceleration sound when the vehicle has traveled on a roadway in the past based on the amount of communication delay with the vehicle, and causes the sound generation unit to generate the pseudo engine sound. do.

[0008] According to the invention described in claim 1, a sound generating unit that generates a pseudo engine sound including an acceleration sound corresponding to an accelerator operation and a deceleration sound corresponding to a brake operation is provided in a cockpit where the vehicle can be driven by remote control from outside the vehicle. In other words, the pseudo engine sound is generated on the cockpit side. Therefore, the pseudo engine sound is prevented from being transmitted to the cockpit side with a delay. Effect of the Invention

[0009] As described above, according to the present invention, when a vehicle is driven by remotely operating it from the cockpit outside the vehicle, it is possible to suppress the delayed transmission of pseudo engine sounds, including acceleration sounds and deceleration sounds, to the cockpit side. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a remote driving system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 4 is a flowchart showing the processing steps on the remote cockpit side of the remote driving system according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, a remote driving system 10 according to this embodiment includes a vehicle 12 that actually runs on a roadway, and a remote cockpit 20 as a cockpit for a driver (operator) who remotely controls and drives the vehicle 12 from outside the vehicle.

[0012] The vehicle 12 is equipped with a control unit 14 that receives operation instructions from a remote cockpit 20 and controls driving such as running, turning, and stopping. The vehicle 12 also has a communication unit 16 that has a receiving unit that receives operation instructions from the remote cockpit 20 via an antenna 18, and a transmitting unit that transmits information required for remote driving to the remote cockpit 20. The control unit 14 and the communication unit 16 are electrically connected.

[0013] The remote cockpit 20 is equipped with a communication unit 26 having a receiving unit that receives information necessary for remote driving from the communication unit 16 via an antenna 28, and a transmitting unit that transmits operation instructions from the remote cockpit 20 to the communication unit 16. The remote cockpit 20 also has a display unit 22 that displays camera images and the like from the vehicle 12. That is, the vehicle 12 is provided with a camera (not shown), and images captured by the camera are also information necessary for remote driving.

[0014] The remote cockpit 20 also includes a control unit 24 that transmits operation instructions from the remote cockpit 20 to the vehicle 12, receives information necessary for remote driving from the vehicle 12, and controls the remote cockpit 20 by displaying the information on the display unit 22. The control unit 24 is electrically connected to the display unit 22 and the communication unit 26, and the control unit 24 stores a sound source, which will be described later, in advance.

[0015] The control unit 24 is also electrically connected to an operating device 30 for driving the vehicle 12. The operating device 30 has an accelerator pedal 32 for the driver to operate the accelerator, a brake pedal 34 for the driver to operate the brakes, a steering wheel 36 for the driver to operate the steering wheel, and switches (SW) 38 for the driver to perform other necessary operations.

[0016] The remote cockpit 20 also includes a sound generating unit 40 that generates a pseudo engine sound using operation information from the operating device 30 on the remote cockpit 20 side and vehicle information on the vehicle 12 side, and a speaker 42 that outputs (blows) the pseudo engine sound generated by the sound generating unit 40. The sound generating unit 40 is electrically connected to the control unit 24, and the speaker 42 is electrically connected to the sound generating unit 40.

[0017] Here, we will explain how the pseudo engine sound is generated by the sound generation unit 40. The sound generation unit 40 selects each sound source including an acceleration sound corresponding to an accelerator operation (engine speed, vehicle speed, etc.) when the driver depresses the accelerator pedal 32 and a deceleration sound corresponding to a braking operation when the driver depresses the brake pedal 34, and generates a pseudo engine sound by controlling the volume, pitch, etc. of the sound sources.

[0018] Specifically, the remote cockpit 20 determines acceleration and deceleration based on the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 32 and the amount of depression of the brake pedal 34 by the driver, and then selects a sound source (acceleration sound, regeneration sound, deceleration sound) corresponding to the amount of depression. That is, when the accelerator pedal 32 is depressed, the acceleration sound is selected, when the accelerator pedal 32 is released, the regeneration sound is selected, and when the brake pedal 34 is depressed, the deceleration sound is selected.

[0019] Furthermore, when generating a pseudo engine sound, as described above, vehicle information such as the actual vehicle speed on the vehicle 12 side is also used as additional information. However, the vehicle information to be used is switched depending on the amount of communication delay. That is, when the communication delay is small, actual raw vehicle information is used. When the communication delay is large, current vehicle information is estimated based on past vehicle information and used. The past vehicle information is pre-stored in the control unit 24 and estimated by the control unit 24.

[0020] Next, the operation of the remote driving system 10 according to this embodiment configured as above (operation of the remote cockpit 20) will be described with reference to FIG.

[0021] 2, when the driver of the remote cockpit 20 starts remote driving of the vehicle 12 (step S1), the control unit 24 acquires vehicle information (step S2). That is, it is determined whether or not an accelerator operation has been performed by depressing the accelerator pedal 32 (step S3). The method of determination at this time may be, for example, whether or not a predetermined threshold has been exceeded.

[0022] When the control unit 24 determines that the accelerator pedal 32 has been operated, the sound generation unit 40 selects an acceleration sound (step S4). Then, the sound generation unit 40 adjusts the amount of change in the sound source (acceleration sound) depending on the amount of depression (acceleration amount) of the accelerator pedal 32 (step S5). Next, the control unit 24 determines whether the communication delay is small or large (step S6).

[0023] When the communication delay is small, the sound generating unit 40 uses the actual raw vehicle information (acceleration sound) (step S7). That is, the sound generating unit 40 generates a pseudo engine sound using the acceleration sound (step S8). Then, the generated pseudo engine sound is played (output) from the speaker 42 (step S9).

[0024] As a result, the engine sound of the vehicle 12 is transmitted to the driver as a pseudo engine sound without delay, and the driver does not feel uncomfortable in operation, and it is possible to suppress or prevent the driver from making an operation error. Then, the driver in the remote cockpit 20 can appropriately obtain a driving feeling of the vehicle 12 actually traveling on the roadway and a feeling of operating the vehicle 12.

[0025] If there is a large communication delay, the control unit 24 estimates past vehicle information (acceleration sound) (step S10). Then, in step S8, the sound generation unit 40 generates (synthesizes) a pseudo engine sound by adding vehicle information (vehicle speed, etc.) corresponding to the amount of communication delay to the estimated vehicle information (acceleration sound), and plays the generated pseudo engine sound from the speaker 42. This allows the engine sound of the vehicle 12 to be transmitted to the driver as a pseudo engine sound without delay. The above processing steps are also performed for regeneration sound and deceleration sound.

[0026] That is, if the control unit 24 determines in step S3 that the accelerator operation has not been performed, it determines whether or not the brake operation has been performed by stepping on the brake pedal 34 (step S11). If it is determined that the brake operation has not been performed, the sound generation unit 40 selects a regenerative sound (step S12). Then, in step S6, the control unit 24 determines whether the communication delay is small or large. The subsequent processing steps are the same as those for the acceleration sound.

[0027] If the control unit 24 determines in step S11 that the brakes have been applied, the sound generation unit 40 selects a deceleration sound (step S13). Then, the sound generation unit 40 adjusts the amount of change in the sound source (deceleration sound) depending on the amount of depression (amount of braking) of the brake pedal 34 (step S14). Next, in step S6, the control unit 24 determines whether the communication delay is small or large. The subsequent processing steps are the same as those for the acceleration sound.

[0028] In this way, in the remote driving system 10 according to this embodiment, a pseudo engine sound including an acceleration sound and a regenerative sound corresponding to the accelerator operation of the driver and a deceleration sound corresponding to the brake operation can be generated on the remote cockpit 20 side instead of an actual engine sound (acceleration sound, deceleration sound, etc.) generated on the vehicle 12 side. Therefore, when the vehicle 12 is remotely operated and driven from the remote cockpit 20 outside the vehicle, it is possible to suppress or prevent the pseudo engine sound from being transmitted with a delay to the remote cockpit 20 side.

[0029] Although the remote driving system 10 according to the present embodiment has been described above with reference to the drawings, the remote driving system 10 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the one shown in the drawings, and the design can be appropriately modified within the scope of the present invention. For example, the pseudo engine sound generated by the sound generating unit 40 is not limited to the acceleration sound, regeneration sound, and deceleration sound. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 10 Remote Operation System 12 Vehicles 20 Remote cockpit (pilot's seat) 40 Sound generation section

Claims

[Claim 1] A vehicle that actually travels on a roadway; a control unit electrically connected to the operation device and the sound generating unit; and a speaker that outputs the pseudo engine sound generated by the sound generating unit. The control unit and the sound generating unit are electrically connected to the operation device and the sound generating unit. The control unit and the sound generating unit are electrically connected to the operation device and the sound generating unit. The control unit and the sound generating unit output the pseudo engine sound generated by the sound generating unit. The control unit and the sound generating unit output the pseudo engine sound ... Equipped with The control unit stores in advance acceleration sounds and deceleration sounds when the vehicle has traveled on a roadway in the past, The control unit determines whether to use the actual acceleration sound or deceleration sound, or the acceleration sound or deceleration sound from when the vehicle traveled on the road in the past, based on the amount of communication delay with the vehicle, and causes the sound generation unit to generate the pseudo engine sound.

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