Vehicle manufacturing method and server

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of managing a charging rate of a secondary battery at an appropriate value, in a manufacturing process of a vehicle using automatic driving by remote control.SOLUTION: A remote automatic driving system used in a factory where a vehicle is manufactured includes: a remote control part for performing remote control on a vehicle which can travel in a factory in a manufacturing process in the factory, and has a communication device having a communication function for remote control and a secondary battery for travel; a charging rate acquisition part for acquiring a charging rate of the secondary battery; and a charging rate adjustment determination part for acquiring a target value of the charging rate, and determining whether or not to adjust the charging rate, using the acquired target value and a current charging rate. The remote control part executes charging rate adjustment processing including at least one of discharge processing for discharging the secondary battery and charging processing for charging the secondary battery, by remote control of the vehicle, when the charging rate adjustment determination part determines to adjust the charging rate, and makes the charging rate close to the target value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle manufacturing method and a server. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle driving method for driving a vehicle from the end of an assembly line of a manufacturing system to a parking lot of the manufacturing system by remote control or the like in order to efficiently operate the manufacturing system for producing vehicles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2017-538619 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a vehicle is traveling, power is consumed from a secondary battery mounted on the vehicle for use in traveling. From the viewpoint of suppressing deterioration of the secondary battery, it is preferable that the charging rate (SOC: State Of Charge) of the secondary battery is managed at an appropriate value during the manufacturing process of the vehicle. In the manufacturing process of a vehicle that utilizes remote control, there is a demand for a technology that can manage the charging rate of the secondary battery at an appropriate value while automatically driving the vehicle by remote control. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms. [Form 1] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for manufacturing a vehicle, the method for manufacturing a vehicle comprising the steps of: running a vehicle in a factory by remote control during a manufacturing process in the factory; determining whether or not to adjust a charging rate of a secondary battery for driving mounted in the vehicle using a current charging rate and a target value of the charging rate; and, when it is determined that the charging rate should be adjusted, causing a power supply device that supplies power to the vehicle to charge the secondary battery so that the charging rate approaches the target value. [Form 2] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for manufacturing a vehicle, the method for manufacturing a vehicle comprising the steps of: running a vehicle in a factory by remote control during a manufacturing process in the factory; determining whether or not to adjust a charging rate using a current charging rate of a secondary battery for driving mounted in the vehicle and a target value of the charging rate; and, when it is determined that the charging rate should be adjusted, transmitting information on the target value to a charging device that charges the vehicle. [Form 3] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a charging device for use in a factory for manufacturing vehicles, the charging device including a communication unit that receives a target value of a secondary battery for driving provided in the vehicle that can be driven within the factory during a manufacturing process in the factory, and a charging control unit that adjusts a charging condition for the secondary battery using the received target value. [Form 4] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for manufacturing a vehicle, the method for manufacturing a vehicle comprising: a step of running a vehicle within a factory by remote control during a manufacturing process in the factory; and a step of discharging a secondary battery for driving mounted on the vehicle and / or charging the secondary battery, thereby bringing a current charging rate of the secondary battery closer to a target value. [Form 5] In the manufacturing method of the fourth aspect described above, the process of discharging the secondary battery and / or charging the secondary battery to bring the current charging rate of the secondary battery closer to the target value may be characterized in that it is performed by remote control of the vehicle. [Form 6] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for manufacturing a vehicle, comprising: during a manufacturing process in a factory, a step of running a vehicle within the factory by remote control; and a step of causing a charging device that charges the vehicle to charge a secondary battery mounted on the vehicle for driving the vehicle such that a current charging rate of the secondary battery approaches a target value. [Form 7] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for manufacturing a vehicle, the method including: running a vehicle in a factory by remote control during a manufacturing process in the factory; and transmitting information on a target value of a charging rate of the vehicle to a charging device that charges the vehicle. [Form 8] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a server including a remote control unit that remotely controls a vehicle to run within a factory during a manufacturing process in the factory, the remote control unit at least one of discharging a secondary battery mounted on the vehicle and charging the secondary battery, thereby bringing a current charging rate of the secondary battery closer to a target value. [Form 9] According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a server including a remote control unit that remotely controls a vehicle to run within a factory during a manufacturing process in the factory, and the remote control unit causes a charging device that charges the vehicle to charge a secondary battery mounted on the vehicle for driving the vehicle such that a current charging rate of the secondary battery approaches a target value. [Form 10] According to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a server, the server comprising: Engineering The vehicle is equipped with a remote control unit that remotely controls the vehicle to run within the factory during the manufacturing process at the factory, and a communication unit that transmits information regarding a target charging rate of the vehicle to a charging device that charges the vehicle. [Form 11] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for manufacturing a vehicle, the method including: a step of running a vehicle in a factory by remote control during a manufacturing process in the factory; and a step of discharging a secondary battery for driving the vehicle mounted on the vehicle while the vehicle is running, thereby bringing a current charge rate of the secondary battery closer to a target value. In the discharging step, at least one of driving an auxiliary device that consumes power from the secondary battery, increasing the acceleration of the vehicle compared to when the vehicle is normally running, and increasing the number of times the vehicle is accelerated compared to when the vehicle is normally running is performed. [Form 12] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for manufacturing a vehicle. The method includes a step of running a vehicle in a factory by remote control during a manufacturing process in the factory, a step of causing a charging device that charges the vehicle and is located outside the vehicle to charge a secondary battery for driving the vehicle so that a current charging rate of the secondary battery approaches a target value, and a step of running the vehicle to a position where the vehicle can be charged by the charging device while suppressing discharge of the secondary battery. The suppression of discharge is performed by at least one of reducing the acceleration of the vehicle and reducing the number of times the vehicle is accelerated when the vehicle runs in the factory. [Form 13] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a vehicle is provided. The method includes a step of running a vehicle in a factory by remote control during a manufacturing process in the factory, a step of transmitting information on a target value of a charging rate of the vehicle to a charging device located outside the vehicle that charges the vehicle, and a step of running the vehicle to a position where the vehicle can be charged by the charging device while suppressing discharge of a secondary battery for driving mounted on the vehicle. The suppression of discharge is performed by at least one of reducing the acceleration of the vehicle and reducing the number of times the vehicle is accelerated when the vehicle runs in the factory. [Form 14] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a server. The server includes a remote control unit that remotely controls a vehicle to run in a factory during a manufacturing process in the factory. The remote control unit executes a discharging process that discharges a secondary battery for running the vehicle mounted on the vehicle while the vehicle is running, and brings the current charge rate of the secondary battery closer to a target value, and executes at least one of driving an auxiliary device that consumes power from the secondary battery, increasing the acceleration of the vehicle compared to when the vehicle is normally running, and increasing the number of times the vehicle is accelerated compared to when the vehicle is normally running. [Form 15] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a server is provided. The server includes a remote control unit that remotely controls a vehicle to run in a factory during a manufacturing process in the factory. The remote control unit is a charging device that charges the vehicle, and executes a charging process in which the charging device located outside the vehicle charges the secondary battery for driving the vehicle so that the current charging rate of the secondary battery approaches a target value. In the charging process, the remote control unit suppresses discharge of the secondary battery while causing the vehicle to run to a position where the vehicle can be charged by the charging device, and suppresses the discharge by at least one of reducing the acceleration of the vehicle and reducing the number of times the vehicle is accelerated when the vehicle runs in the factory. [Form 16] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a server is provided. The server includes a remote control unit that remotely controls a vehicle to run in a factory during a manufacturing process in the factory, and a communication unit that transmits information about a target value of a charging rate of the vehicle to a charging device that charges the vehicle and is located outside the vehicle. The remote control unit suppresses discharge of a secondary battery for driving mounted on the vehicle, while driving the vehicle to a position where the vehicle can be charged by the charging device, and suppresses the discharge by at least one of reducing the acceleration of the vehicle and reducing the number of times the vehicle is accelerated when the vehicle runs in the factory.

[0006] (1) According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a remote automatic driving system for use in a factory for manufacturing vehicles is provided. The remote automatic driving system includes a remote control unit that remotely controls the vehicle, the vehicle being capable of traveling in the factory during a manufacturing process in the factory, the remote control unit having a communication device having a communication function for remote control and a secondary battery for traveling, a charging rate acquisition unit that acquires a charging rate of the secondary battery, and a charging rate adjustment determination unit that acquires a target value of the charging rate and determines whether or not to adjust the charging rate using the acquired target value and a current charging rate. When the charging rate adjustment determination unit determines that the charging rate is to be adjusted, the remote control unit executes a charging rate adjustment process including at least one of a discharging process for discharging the secondary battery and a charging process for charging the secondary battery by remote control of the vehicle, thereby bringing the charging rate closer to the target value. According to this embodiment of the remote automatic driving system, when the vehicle is driven automatically by remote control, the secondary battery is charged and discharged to adjust the charging rate to a target value. Therefore, the charging rate of the secondary battery can be managed at an appropriate value during the manufacturing process of the vehicle that utilizes remote-controlled automatic driving. (2) In the remote automated driving system of the above aspect, the remote control unit may adjust the acceleration when the vehicle travels within the factory as the charging rate adjustment process. According to this embodiment of the remote automated driving system, the charging rate of the secondary battery can be suitably adjusted by adjusting the vehicle acceleration, which has a large effect on power consumption. (3) In the remote automated driving system of the above aspect, the remote control unit may execute at least one of increasing the acceleration and increasing the number of times the vehicle is accelerated as the discharge process. According to this type of remote automatic driving system, the secondary battery can be discharged more quickly by utilizing acceleration to discharge the battery than during normal driving. (4) In the remote automatic driving system of the above aspect, the remote control unit may drive an auxiliary device that consumes power from the secondary battery as the discharging process, thereby increasing the amount of power consumed by the auxiliary device. According to this type of remote automatic driving system, the discharge using the auxiliary equipment can reduce the impact on the vehicle's running caused by adjusting the charging rate. (5) In the remote automated driving system of the above aspect, the remote control unit may, as the charging process, move the vehicle to a position where the secondary battery can be charged by a charging device. According to this form of remote automated driving system, even if the charging device is located away from the route between processes, the vehicle charging process can be simplified by automating the movement of the vehicle. (6) In the remote automatic driving system of the above-described embodiment, the remote control unit may further execute, as the charging rate adjustment process, a discharge suppression process that suppresses discharging of the secondary battery, and a charge suppression process that suppresses charging of the secondary battery. According to this form of remote automatic driving system, by suppressing charging during discharging processing and suppressing discharging during charging processing, the time required to adjust the charging rate through discharging processing and charging processing can be shortened. (7) In the remote automatic driving system of the above-described embodiment, the remote control unit may perform at least one of reducing the acceleration when the vehicle travels within the factory and reducing the number of times the vehicle is accelerated as the discharge suppression process. According to this embodiment of the remote automatic driving system, the decrease in the charging rate while the vehicle is traveling can be effectively suppressed by utilizing acceleration for the discharge suppression process. (8) In the remote automated driving system of the above aspect, the remote control unit may reduce an amount of regenerative power of the vehicle as the charge suppression process. According to this embodiment of the remote automatic driving system, it is possible to suppress an increase in the charging rate while the vehicle is traveling. Therefore, by suppressing charging during the discharging process, it is possible to reduce the amount of discharge due to the discharging process. (9) In the remote automated driving system of the above aspect, the target value may be set using a charging rate required at the time of shipment of the vehicle. According to this type of remote automatic driving system, the charging rate of the secondary battery at the time of shipment can be adjusted to an appropriate charging rate required for each shipping destination, such as each destination country. (10) In the remote automatic driving system of the above aspect, the target value may be set for each process of the manufacturing process. According to this type of remote automatic driving system, the charging rate can be adjusted step by step, thereby improving the accuracy of adjusting the final charging rate to a target value. (11) According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a server used in a factory that manufactures vehicles. The server includes a remote control unit that remotely controls the vehicle, the vehicle being capable of traveling in the factory during a manufacturing process in the factory, the remote control unit that remotely controls the vehicle, the remote control unit that acquires a charging rate of the secondary battery, and a charging rate adjustment determination unit that acquires a target value of the charging rate and determines whether or not to adjust the charging rate by using the acquired target value and a current charging rate. When the charging rate adjustment determination unit determines that the charging rate is to be adjusted, at least one of a charging rate adjustment process by the remote control unit including at least one of a discharging process for discharging the secondary battery by remote control of the vehicle and a charging process for charging the secondary battery by remote control of the vehicle, and a notification by the charging rate adjustment determination unit to prompt at least one of a manual discharging operation for manually discharging the secondary battery and a manual charging operation for manually charging the secondary battery is executed. According to this type of server, when the vehicle is driven automatically by remote control, the secondary battery is charged and discharged to adjust the charging rate to a target value, and when charging and discharging is performed manually, a notification can be sent to encourage the worker to charge and discharge. Therefore, in the manufacturing process of vehicles that utilize automatic driving by remote control, the charging rate of the secondary battery can be managed at an appropriate value. The present disclosure may be realized in various forms other than a remote automated driving system, for example, a vehicle, a charging device, a vehicle remote control method, a vehicle charging method, a charging device control method, a vehicle remote control method, a computer program for realizing the control method, a non-transitory recording medium on which the computer program is recorded, etc. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a remote automated driving system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal functional configuration of a server. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a database possessed by the remote automated driving system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing remote control of a vehicle by a remote control unit. [Diagram 5] 1 is a flowchart showing a vehicle manufacturing method executed by the remote automated driving system. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of a discharge process. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of a charging process. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a database possessed by the remote automated driving system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a remote automated driving system according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] A. First embodiment: The configuration of the remote automatic driving system 500 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and appropriately to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the remote automatic driving system 500 according to the first embodiment. The remote automatic driving system 500 is used in a factory FC that manufactures the vehicle 100, and remotely controls automatic driving of the vehicle 100 traveling in the factory FC during the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100. The factory FC is not limited to being one building or being present at one site or address, and each process in the manufacturing process may be present across multiple buildings, multiple sites, multiple addresses, etc. "The vehicle 100 travels in the factory FC" includes a case where the vehicle 100 travels between processes present at multiple locations, and includes a case where the vehicle 100 travels on not only private roads but also public roads present between factories present at multiple locations in order to move between factories present at multiple locations. In this specification, a vehicle that is completed as a product and a vehicle as a semi-finished product or work in progress during manufacturing are collectively referred to as "vehicle 100".

[0009] The remote automatic driving system 500 includes a charging device 200 and a server 300. The charging device 200 supplies power supplied from an external power source such as a system power source to the vehicle 100. The charging device 200 is a contact-type charging device including a charging connector 250, a charging control device 280, and a communication unit 290. In this embodiment, charging of the vehicle 100 from the charging device 200 is performed by a manual operation of an operator, for example, by manually connecting the charging connector 250 to the vehicle 100. The communication unit 290 is a wireless communication device for wireless communication with external devices such as the vehicle 100 and the server 300.

[0010] The charging control device 280 is configured by a computer including a CPU 210 as a central processing unit and a memory 220 such as a RAM or a ROM. The CPU 210 executes a program stored in the memory 220 to realize some or all of the functions of the charging control unit 212 and the like. The CPU 210, the memory 220, and the communication unit 290 are connected to each other via an internal bus and an interface circuit.

[0011] The charging control unit 212 acquires information such as the current state of charge (SOC) of the driving battery 120 mounted on the vehicle 100 from the vehicle 100 via the communication unit 290. When charging the driving battery 120, the charging control unit 212 uses the acquired SOC and the like to adjust charging conditions such as the charging power supplied and the charging time so as to be suitable for the driving battery 120. The charging control unit 212 may acquire a target value of the SOC to be charged from the vehicle 100 or the server 300, in addition to the current SOC.

[0012] 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the server 300. The server 300 includes a CPU 310 as a central processing unit, a storage device 320, and a communication unit 390, which are connected to each other via an internal bus, an interface circuit, etc. The communication unit 390 is a circuit for communicating with the vehicle 100, the charging device 200, the front-end process management device 52, the back-end process management device 62, etc. via the network 72.

[0013] The storage device 320 is, for example, a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc. Various programs for realizing the functions provided in this embodiment are stored in the storage device 320. The computer programs stored in the storage device 320 are executed by the CPU 310, whereby the CPU 310 functions as a remote control unit 312, an SOC adjustment determination unit 314, a manufacturing information acquisition unit 316, an SOC information acquisition unit 318, etc. The storage device 320 also stores a database DB, as well as data acquired from the vehicle 100, each process, etc.

[0014] The SOC information acquisition unit 318 functions as a charging rate acquisition unit that acquires the current SOC of the driving battery 120 mounted on the vehicle 100. The SOC can be calculated using, for example, the cell voltage, current, and temperature of the driving battery 120 detected by a sensor (not shown) provided in the vehicle 100, and standard values ​​of the driving battery 120. The SOC may be estimated from the elapsed time since the previous SOC measurement, the driving time and driving distance of the vehicle 100, etc., instead of the output value of the driving battery 120, etc.

[0015] The manufacturing information acquisition unit 316 acquires manufacturing information of each process in the factory FC. The "manufacturing information" includes, for example, the start time and end time of processing in each process, vehicle identification information of the vehicles 100 present in each process, the number of work-in-progress, the number of vehicles planned to be manufactured per day, and the target manufacturing time of the process for manufacturing one vehicle 100. The target manufacturing time is sometimes called "takt time." For example, the manufacturing information acquisition unit 316 acquires manufacturing information of the front-end process 50 from the front-end process management device 52, and acquires manufacturing information of the rear-end process 60 from the rear-end process management device 62. The manufacturing information acquisition unit 316 may acquire the manufacturing information of each process from a production management system that manages the manufacturing information of each process in the factory FC.

[0016] The SOC adjustment determination unit 314 functions as a charging rate adjustment determination unit that determines whether or not to adjust the SOC of the driving battery 120 of the vehicle 100 while it is moving by comparing the SOC target value with the current SOC acquired by the SOC information acquisition unit 318.

[0017] The remote control unit 312 transmits a control signal requesting remote control of the vehicle 100 to the vehicle 100 via the communication unit 390. When the vehicle 100 accepts the request for remote control, driving control is realized by the ECU 180, and as a result, the vehicle 100 runs automatically.

[0018] 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a database DB1 which is an example of a database DB included in the remote automatic driving system 500 according to the first embodiment. The database DB1 is used to determine whether or not to execute a charging rate adjustment process.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the database DB1 shows the SOC target value set for each vehicle identification information. The "vehicle identification information" refers to various information that can identify the SOC target value set for each vehicle 100. The vehicle identification information includes, for example, ID information given to each vehicle 100, specification information of the vehicle 100 such as the model, color, and shape of the vehicle 100, and production management information such as the name of the in-process process of the vehicle 100. The vehicle identification information can be obtained, for example, from an RF tag attached to each vehicle 100. The SOC target value can also be used as the vehicle identification information. In this case, the SOC target value can be obtained from the vehicle 100 without using the database DB. In the case where a plurality of vehicles 100 having the same SOC target value set are manufactured in groups such as one lot, the lot number can also be used as the vehicle identification information. In the case where the vehicle 100 can be identified from the production management information, the production management information may be used as the vehicle identification information, or time information such as the start time and the completion time of the process of the vehicle 100. Furthermore, the vehicle identification information may be position information of the vehicle 100 within the factory FC, such as coordinates on the road RT or coordinates within the factory FC.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 3, for each of the vehicle identification information ID1, ID2, and ID3 given to each vehicle 100, a destination country and an example of a SOC target value required at the time of shipping to the destination country are set. The "destination country" refers to the shipping destination of the manufactured vehicle 100. The destination country can also be used as the vehicle identification information. When shipping to the destination country, for example, if the transportation period is long, such as when shipping by sea, it is preferable to set a SOC target value that takes into account the impact on the life of the driving battery 120.

[0021] In this embodiment, the SOC target value is set in a range of values ​​between the lower limit and the upper limit. The lower limit can be set to any value, such as 10%, 20%, 25%, 30%, or 50%. The upper limit can be set to any value, such as 90%, 80%, 75%, 70%, or 50%. The lower limit of the SOC target value may be a lower specification limit (LSL) or a value higher than the LSL in quality control of the SOC in order to suppress or prevent deterioration of the driving battery 120 due to a decrease in SOC. The upper limit of the SOC target value may be an upper specification limit (USL) or a value lower than the USL in quality control of the SOC in order to suppress or prevent deterioration of the driving battery 120 due to overcharging. The SOC target value is not limited to a numerical range and may be set using a specific numerical value. When the SOC target value is a specific numerical value, for example, when the current SOC is higher than the SOC target value or lower than the SOC target value, a charging rate adjustment process is executed so as to approach the SOC target value. Alternatively, only one of the lower limit and the upper limit may be used as the SOC target value. In this case, if the current SOC is less than the lower limit, a charging rate adjustment process is performed to make the SOC equal to or greater than the lower limit, and if the current SOC is greater than the upper limit, a charging rate adjustment process is performed to make the SOC equal to or less than the upper limit.

[0022] 1, the vehicle 100 may be any of a variety of vehicles, such as a passenger car, a truck, a bus, a construction vehicle, etc. The vehicle 100 includes a communication unit 190, a power receiving device 150, a driving battery 120, a load device 170, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 180.

[0023] The communication unit 190 is a wireless communication device mounted on the vehicle 100, such as a dongle. The communication unit 190 transmits information such as the SOC of the driving battery 120 to the charging device 200 and the server 300. The communication unit 190 can communicate using CAN (Controller Area Network) communication used for controlling the vehicle 100. The CAN communication is a communication standard that allows multi-directional transmission or reception. The vehicle 100 and the charging device 200 communicate with each other by the CAN communication. The communication unit 190 also has a communication function for performing wireless communication with an external device of the vehicle 100, such as the server 300 connected to the network 72, via the access point 70 in the factory FC. This allows communication between the vehicle 100 and the server 300. The communication unit 190 may further use diagnosis communication. The diagnosis communication is a communication standard that allows a request and a response to correspond one-to-one, and is used for diagnosing a malfunction.

[0024] The power receiving device 150 includes a power receiver 152 and a power receiving circuit 154. In this embodiment, the power receiver 152 is a charging inlet that complies with a connector standard corresponding to the charging connector 250 of the charging device 200. The power receiving circuit 154 is, for example, a rectifier and a DC / DC converter. When AC power is supplied from the power receiver 152, the power receiving circuit 154 converts the supplied AC power into DC power by the rectifier and supplies the DC power to the traveling battery 120 as a load via the DC / DC converter. The rectifier and the DC / DC converter may be provided in the charging device 200. In this case, the power receiving device 150 is supplied with DC power from the charging device 200.

[0025] The load device 170 is connected to the driving battery 120. The load device 170 includes, for example, an auxiliary battery 172, an auxiliary device 174, and a motor 176. The auxiliary device battery 172 is, for example, a 12V battery, and is a battery with a lower voltage than the driving battery 120. The auxiliary device battery 172 is used to drive the auxiliary device 174. The auxiliary device battery 172 is charged by being supplied with power from the driving battery 120.

[0026] The accessories 174 are electrically connected to the accessory battery 172 and are driven using the power of the accessory battery 172. The accessories 174 include, for example, a car audio system, an air conditioner, power windows, lights, door locks, wipers, brakes, a car navigation system, etc. The accessories 174 may be driven using the power of the driving battery 120, etc.

[0027] The motor 176 is, for example, an AC synchronous motor, and functions as an electric motor and a generator. When the motor 176 functions as an electric motor, the motor 176 is driven by the electric power stored in the traction battery 120 as a power source. The output of the motor 176 is transmitted to the wheels via a reduction gear and an axle. When the vehicle 100 decelerates, the motor 176 functions as a generator that utilizes the rotation of the wheels, and generates regenerative electric power.

[0028] The driving battery 120 is, for example, a rechargeable secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or a nickel metal hydride battery. The driving battery 120 is, for example, a high-voltage battery of several hundred volts, and stores electric power used for driving the vehicle 100. When electric power supplied from the charging device 200 to the power receiving device 150 and regenerative electric power generated by the motor 176 are supplied to the driving battery 120, the driving battery 120 is charged and the SOC increases.

[0029] A PCU (Power Control Unit) (not shown) is electrically connected between the driving battery 120 and the motor 176. The PCU has an inverter, a boost converter, and a DC / DC converter. The inverter converts DC power supplied from the driving battery 120 into AC power and supplies the converted AC power to the motor 176. The inverter converts regenerative power supplied from the motor 176 into DC power and supplies it to the driving battery 120. The boost converter boosts the voltage of the driving battery 120 when the power stored in the driving battery 120 is supplied to the motor 176. The DC / DC converter lowers the voltage of the driving battery 120 when the power stored in the driving battery 120 is supplied to the auxiliary equipment 174 and the like. The PCU may adjust the amount of regenerative power supplied to the driving battery 120 and supply it to the driving battery 120.

[0030] The ECU 180 is mounted on the vehicle 100 and executes various controls of the vehicle 100. The ECU 180 functions, for example, as a driving control unit that executes driving control of the vehicle 100 and an auxiliary device control unit that drives the auxiliary device 174. The "driving control" is, for example, adjustment of acceleration, speed, and steering angle. The ECU 180 includes a memory such as an HDD, an optical recording medium, and a semiconductor memory, and a CPU as a central processing unit. The CPU executes various computer programs stored in the memory, thereby realizing various functions. In the remote control, the ECU 180 controls each actuator mounted on the vehicle 100 according to a control signal of the remote control received from the server 300 via the communication unit 190. The ECU 180 controls the exchange of power between the driving battery 120 and the motor 176 by controlling the PCU. Also, as described later, in the discharge process, the ECU 180 controls the discharge of the driving battery 120 by driving the load device 170. In the charging process, the ECU 180 controls the power receiving circuit 154 of the power receiving device 150 to control charging of the driving battery 120 .

[0031] 1, the factory FC is equipped with a front process 50, a rear process 60, a track RT for vehicles 100 connecting the front process 50 and the rear process 60, a charging track BA continuous with the track RT, and a camera 80. A charging device 200 is installed on the charging track BA.

[0032] The front-end process 50 is, for example, an assembly process in which parts are attached to a vehicle body. The front-end process 50 is not limited to an assembly process, and various manufacturing processes can be adopted as long as the vehicle 100 after processing by the front-end process 50 can run by remote control. The front-end process 50 is equipped with a front-end process management device 52 for managing manufacturing information of the front-end process 50.

[0033] The front-end process management device 52 is an information processing device including a CPU 522 as a central processing unit, a memory 524 such as a ROM or a RAM, and a communication unit 54 for communicating with the server 300. These are connected to each other via an internal bus or an interface circuit. The CPU 522 executes a program stored in the memory 524 to realize some or all of the functions of the front-end process information acquisition unit 526 and the like. The front-end process information acquisition unit 526 acquires manufacturing information of the vehicle 100 in the front-end process 50 from a camera, a sensor, or the like (not shown) provided in the front-end process 50. The front-end process information acquisition unit 526 transmits the acquired manufacturing information of the front-end process 50 to the server 300 via the communication unit 54.

[0034] The downstream process 60 is, for example, an inspection process for the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100, which has been removed from the upstream process 50 and is now a work-in-progress at the downstream process 60, is introduced into the downstream process 60 when permission to introduce the vehicle into the downstream process 60 is obtained. After the inspection process, the vehicle 100 is completed as a product and travels to a waiting area within the factory FC to await shipment. The vehicle 100 is then shipped to a destination country corresponding to the identification information of the vehicle 100. The downstream process 60 is equipped with a downstream process management device 62 for managing manufacturing information of the downstream process.

[0035] The post-process management device 62 is an information processing device including a CPU 622 as a central processing unit, a memory 624 such as a ROM or a RAM, and a communication unit 64 for communicating with the server 300. These are connected to each other via an internal bus or an interface circuit. The CPU 622 executes a program stored in the memory 624 to realize some or all of the functions of the post-process information processing unit 626 and the like. The post-process information processing unit 626 acquires manufacturing information of the vehicle 100 in the post-process from a sensor (not shown) or the like provided in the post-process 60. The post-process information processing unit 626 transmits the acquired manufacturing information of the post-process to the server 300 via the communication unit 64.

[0036] A camera 80 is disposed between the front process 50 and the rear process 60. The camera 80 is fixed at a position where it can capture the track RT, the charging track BA, and the traveling vehicle 100. The camera 80 acquires an image that allows the relative position of the vehicle 100 with respect to the track RT and the charging track BA to be confirmed. The image captured by the camera 80 is used for remote control of the vehicle 100 by the remote control unit 312. With this configuration, it is possible to perform automatic driving of the vehicle 100 by remote control without using a detector mounted on the vehicle 100, such as a camera, a millimeter wave radar, or a LiDAR. However, a detector mounted on the vehicle 100 may be used auxiliary to prevent a collision during remote control by the remote automatic driving system 500.

[0037] Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing remote control of the vehicle 100 by the remote control unit 312. In the example of Fig. 4, the track RT includes a first track RT1, a second track RT2, a third track RT3, and a fourth track RT4. The first track RT1 and the second track RT2 are connected to each other via a right-angle curve. A charging track BA is connected between the third track RT3 and the fourth track RT4. In normal times when charging processing is not performed, the remote control unit 312 causes the vehicle 100 to travel along the track RT to a loading position PG for the subsequent process 60.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 4, the camera 80 acquires an image of the vehicle 100 on the track RT and the charging track BA from above. The number of cameras 80 is set to a number that allows the entire track RT and the charging track BA to be captured, taking into consideration the angle of view of the camera 80. In the example of FIG. 4, the camera 80 includes a camera 801 capable of capturing an image of a range RG1 including the entire first track RT1, a camera 802 capable of capturing an image of a range RG2 including the entire second track RT2, a camera 803 capable of capturing an image of a range RG3 including the entire third track RT3 and the entire fourth track RT4, and a camera 804 capable of capturing an image of a range RG4 including the entire charging track BA. The camera 80 is not limited to capturing an image from above the vehicle 100, and may capture an image from the front, rear, side, etc. of the vehicle 100. The cameras that capture these images may be combined in any combination.

[0039] A target route along which the vehicle 100 should travel is set in advance on the road RT. The remote control unit 312 analyzes images of the road RT and the vehicle 100 acquired by the camera 80 at predetermined time intervals, while causing the ECU 180 to execute driving control of the vehicle 100. The remote control unit 312 successively adjusts the relative position of the vehicle 100 with respect to the target route, thereby enabling the vehicle 100 to travel along the target route. Note that an image of the entire vehicle 100 may be used for the remote control, or an image of a part of the vehicle 100, such as an alignment mark provided on the vehicle 100, may be used.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 4, at the connection position of each lane, the angles of view of the cameras 80 corresponding to the connected lane overlap each other. In the example of position P1, the angle of view of the camera 801 corresponding to the first lane RT1 and the angle of view of the camera 802 corresponding to the second lane RT2 overlap each other. The vehicle 100 discharged from the previous process 50 travels to position P1 by remote control using the captured image of the camera 801. When the vehicle 100 reaches position P1, the remote control is switched to the remote control using the captured image acquired by the camera 802 instead of the camera 801, and the vehicle 100 travels on the second lane RT2. Similarly, the captured image by the camera 803 is used for traveling on the third lane RT3 and the fourth lane RT4, and the captured image by the camera 804 is used for traveling on the charging lane BA. In this way, the remote control unit 312 remotely controls the vehicle 100 while appropriately switching the captured image to be analyzed for each range of the lane RT.

[0041] In remote control of the vehicle 100, the remote automatic driving system 500 acquires an SOC target value for each vehicle 100 using the database DB1 shown in Fig. 3, and determines whether to adjust the SOC using the acquired SOC target value and the current SOC of the driving battery 120. More specifically, when the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 determines that the SOC should be adjusted, the remote control unit 312 remotely controls the vehicle 100 to execute a charging rate adjustment process including a discharging process, a charging process, a discharging suppression process, and a charging suppression process that suppresses charging of the driving battery 120.

[0042] The "discharge process" is a process for discharging the driving battery 120 to reduce the SOC. The discharge process includes the driving of the load device 170. In the discharge process, the power consumption of the driving battery 120 can be adjusted according to the usage of the load device 170. For example, since the power consumption is generally large when accelerating the vehicle 100, adjusting the acceleration of the vehicle 100 is suitable as the discharge process. The discharge process also includes the power consumption of the auxiliary battery 172 due to the driving of the auxiliary device 174. For example, the power consumption during the running of the vehicle 100 can be increased by turning on the auxiliary device 174, such as an audio device or an air conditioner, that is not scheduled to be used during the running of the vehicle 100 in the manufacturing process. In the case where the connection between the motor 176 and the driving wheels can be disconnected, for example, the vehicle 100 is provided with a clutch, the motor 176 may be discharged by increasing the rotation speed of the motor 176 with the connection between the motor 176 and the driving wheels disconnected. Furthermore, if the vehicle 100 is equipped with a transmission, the battery may be discharged by increasing power consumption, for example, by switching to a gear ratio that is inefficient for the speed of the vehicle 100. Note that, instead of discharging the battery 120, the battery may be discharged by a manual discharging operation in which an operator manually discharges the battery 120, such as by manually operating the load device 170. When the manual discharging operation is performed, the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 further issues a notification to the operator to urge the operator to perform the manual discharging operation.

[0043] The "charging process" is a process for charging the driving battery 120 to increase the SOC. The charging process includes, for example, the supply of regenerative power from the motor 176 to the driving battery 120, and the supply of power from the charging device 200 to the driving battery 120. The "power supply from the charging device 200 to the driving battery 120" includes a state in which the vehicle 100 can be automatically charged from the charging device 200 by control of each part of the remote automatic driving system 500, and a state in which the vehicle 100 can be manually charged from the charging device 200 by an operator or the like. The "state in which the vehicle 100 can be automatically charged" includes a state in which the vehicle 100 is automatically charged from the charging device 200 by the movement of the vehicle 100, and a state in which the vehicle 100 is automatically charged from the charging device 200 without the vehicle 100 moving. The "state in which the vehicle 100 can be manually charged" includes a state in which the vehicle 100 moves to a position where the charging device 200 can manually charge the vehicle 100, thereby enabling manual charging work, which is manual charging by an operator, and a state in which the operator can manually charge the vehicle 100 without moving the vehicle 100. When manual charging work is performed, the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 further notifies the operator, etc., to urge the operator to perform manual charging work. Note that only one of the manual discharging work and the manual charging work may be performed without performing both the manual discharging work and the manual charging work.

[0044] In the present embodiment, in the charging process, the remote control unit 312 remotely controls the vehicle 100 to run on the charging track BA, thereby making the vehicle 100 in a state in which it is possible to charge the vehicle 100 manually. More specifically, the remote control unit 312 causes the vehicle 100 to run to a position P2 in which the vehicle 100 can be manually charged by an operator using the charging device 200, as shown in FIG. 4. Furthermore, the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 may notify an operator who manually charges the vehicle 100 using the charging device 200, to urge the operator to manually supply power. The notification may be made, for example, on a display screen such as a display of the downstream process management device 62, or by a voice from a speaker mounted on the charging device 200 or the vehicle 100.

[0045] The "discharge suppression process" is a process for suppressing the discharge of the driving battery 120, and suppresses a decrease in the SOC. Examples of the discharge suppression process include reducing the acceleration while the vehicle 100 is traveling, reducing the traveling speed, and increasing the ratio of the cruising distance to the planned traveling distance. The "charge suppression process" is a process for suppressing the charging of the driving battery 120, and suppresses an increase in the SOC. Examples of the charge suppression process include reducing the amount of regenerative power and reducing the amount of regenerative power supplied to the driving battery 120. The amount of regenerative power can be adjusted, for example, by the number of times the vehicle 100 is decelerated, the power generation efficiency of the motor 176, and the like.

[0046] 5 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing method of the vehicle 100 executed by the remote automated driving system 500 according to this embodiment. The flow shown in FIG. 5 is started by the manufacturing information acquisition unit 316 upon completion of the processing of the upstream process 50 or upon receiving a request from the downstream process 60 to input the vehicle 100.

[0047] In step S10, the remote control unit 312 remotely controls the vehicle 100 to travel toward the downstream process 60. In step S20, the vehicle identification information and the SOC target value of the vehicle 100 are acquired. For example, the manufacturing information acquisition unit 316 acquires the vehicle identification information as the manufacturing information of the vehicle 100 that has completed the processing of the upstream process 50 from the upstream process management device 52. The SOC adjustment determination unit 314 refers to the database DB1 and acquires the SOC target value corresponding to the acquired vehicle identification information. In this embodiment, the vehicle 100 with the vehicle identification information ID2 shown in FIG. 3 is used as an example for explanation.

[0048] In step S30, the SOC information acquisition unit 318 acquires the current SOC of the driving battery 120 mounted on the vehicle 100 via the communication unit 390. The SOC information acquisition unit 318 may repeatedly acquire the current SOC at predetermined intervals, for example, every few seconds, while the vehicle 100 is traveling up to the rear process 60. However, the SOC may be acquired only at a predetermined timing, for example, when the battery is discharged from the front process 50. From the viewpoint of improving efficiency, it is preferable that the charging rate adjustment process for adjusting the SOC is executed while the vehicle 100 is traveling. Therefore, it is preferable that the SOC is acquired at the timing when the vehicle 100 starts traveling or before that.

[0049] In step S40, the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 compares the acquired current SOC with the SOC target value. In step S50, the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 uses the comparison result to determine whether or not to adjust the SOC of the vehicle 100. Specifically, if the current SOC is within the range of the SOC target value (S50: NO), the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 determines not to adjust the charging rate and moves the process to step S300. In step S300, the remote control unit 312 remotely controls the vehicle 100 to run and enters the subsequent process 60. The remote control unit 312 moves the vehicle 100 to a position where it can be handed over to the subsequent process 60, and ends the process. In this case, the SOC of the vehicle 100 is not adjusted.

[0050] If the current SOC is outside the range of the SOC target value (S50: YES), the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 determines that the charging rate is to be adjusted, and shifts the process to step S60 to execute the charging rate adjustment process. In step S60, the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 determines whether to execute a discharge process in which the vehicle 100 is remotely controlled to discharge the driving battery 120, or a charge process in which the vehicle 100 is remotely controlled to charge the driving battery 120. Specifically, if the current SOC is greater than the upper limit of the SOC target value, the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 determines that the discharging process is to be executed (S60: discharge). The SOC adjustment determination unit 314 shifts the process to step S100 to execute the discharging process. If the current SOC is less than the lower limit of the SOC target value, the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 determines that the charging process is to be executed (S60: charge). The SOC adjustment determination unit 314 shifts the process to step S200 to execute the charging process.

[0051] 6 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of the discharge process. In step S110, the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 calculates the amount of discharge required to bring the SOC within the SOC target value. The SOC adjustment determination unit 314 checks whether the calculated amount of discharge is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, such as 20%. The threshold is used as a criterion for determining whether the amount of discharge is large. If the calculated amount of discharge is less than the threshold (S110: NO), the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 transitions the process to step S160.

[0052] In step S160, the remote control unit 312 drives the accessories 174 to consume power stored in the accessory battery 172 or the driving battery 120. For example, the remote control unit 312 turns on the accessories 174, such as an audio system or an air conditioner, while the vehicle 100 is driving. As a result, the driving battery 120 consumes more power than when the vehicle 100 is normally driving. The remote control unit 312 may further adjust the power consumption of the driving battery 120 by adjusting the power consumption of the accessories 174, such as adjusting the volume of the audio system or the temperature of the air conditioner. Also, accessories 174 other than an audio system or an air conditioner may be used.

[0053] In step S170, the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 checks whether the driving battery 120 has been discharged until the SOC is within the SOC target value. Specifically, the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 obtains the current SOC obtained by the SOC information acquisition unit 318, and compares the obtained current SOC with the SOC target value. If the obtained SOC is not within the SOC target value (S170: NO), the process returns to step S160. If the SOC is within the SOC target value (S170: YES), the process ends. Note that while the vehicle 100 is traveling, that is, when the SOC does not become within the SOC target value by the time the vehicle 100 reaches the input position PG, the remote control unit 312 may continue the charge adjustment process until the SOC target value is achieved, while temporarily stopping the vehicle 100 and waiting for input to the post-process 60. The position where the vehicle 100 is kept waiting may be the input position PG for the subsequent process 60, the position P2 of the charging track BA, or any position on the track RT, as shown in Fig. 4. The discharge process may be terminated when the vehicle 100 arrives at the input position PG for the subsequent process 60, even if the SOC target value has not been achieved. In this case, the SOC target value is achieved by adjusting the SOC in the subsequent process 60 or after the subsequent process 60.

[0054] In step S110, if the calculated discharge amount is equal to or greater than the threshold (S110: YES), the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 shifts the process to step S120 and executes a discharge process with a discharge amount greater than that in step S160. In step S120, the same process as in step S160 described above is performed. In step S130, the remote control unit 312 further increases the acceleration of the vehicle 100 while it is traveling. The increase in acceleration is performed within a range that ensures the safety of the traveling of the vehicle 100. The acceleration may include both positive acceleration and negative acceleration. That is, the remote control unit 312 increases the acceleration of the vehicle 100 when it starts departing from the front process 50 by a so-called sudden start, and increases the deceleration of the vehicle 100 when it stops arriving at the rear process 60 by a so-called sudden stop, compared to the normal time. In addition, the remote control unit 312 may increase the number of times of acceleration and deceleration while the vehicle 100 is traveling from the front process 50 to the rear process 60. As a result, the driving battery 120 is consumed more than when the vehicle 100 is normally driven.

[0055] In step S140, the remote control unit 312 further executes a charge suppression process to suppress charging of the driving battery 120. Specifically, the remote control unit 312 causes the ECU 180 to control the PCU to reduce the amount of regenerative power supplied from the motor 176 to the driving battery 120. By suppressing charging of the driving battery 120, the SOC of the driving battery 120 can be reduced early.

[0056] In step S150, similar to step S170, SOC adjustment determination unit 314 checks whether the SOC of driving battery 120 is within the target value. If it is outside the SOC target value (S150: NO), the process returns to step S120. If it is within the SOC target value (S150: YES), the process ends.

[0057] 7 is a flowchart showing a processing routine of the charging process. In step S210, the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 notifies the operator who performs manual charging using the charging device 200 of the determination result that the charging process is to be performed. In step S220, the remote control unit 312 remotely controls the vehicle 100 to travel to a position P2 on the charging track BA where manual charging is possible using the charging device 200, as shown in FIG.

[0058] In step S230, the remote control unit 312 further executes a discharge suppression process to suppress the discharge of the driving battery 120. Specifically, the remote control unit 312 reduces the acceleration, the number of accelerations, and the traveling speed when the vehicle 100 is traveling toward the charging device 200. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the SOC while the vehicle 100 is traveling toward the charging device 200. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of charging by the charging device 200, and also to shorten the charging time by the charging device 200.

[0059] In step S240, the worker connects the charging connector 250 of the charging device 200 to the power receiver 152 of the vehicle 100 that has arrived at position P2, and starts manual charging of the driving battery 120. In step S250, the worker charges the vehicle 100 until the SOC falls within the SOC target value, and completes the charging work. Note that the charging control unit 212 may obtain the SOC from the vehicle 100 via CAN communication, and adjust the charging amount based on the obtained SOC. When charging is completed, the remote control unit 312 moves the vehicle 100 to a loading position PG for the subsequent process 60, and ends the process.

[0060] As described above, according to the remote automatic driving system 500 of this embodiment, the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 acquires the SOC target value of the driving battery 120, and determines whether or not to adjust the current SOC of the driving battery 120 using the acquired SOC target value and the current SOC of the driving battery 120. When the SOC adjustment determination unit 314 determines that the SOC should be adjusted, the remote control unit 312 performs a charging rate adjustment process including a discharging process for discharging the driving battery 120 and a charging process for charging the driving battery 120 by remote control of the vehicle 100, so that the SOC approaches the SOC target value. According to the remote automatic driving system 500 of this embodiment, when the vehicle 100 is automatically driven by remote control, the driving battery 120 can be charged and discharged to adjust the SOC to the SOC target value. Therefore, the SOC of the driving battery 120 can be managed at an appropriate value during the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100 that utilizes automatic driving by remote control.

[0061] According to the remote automatic driving system 500 of this embodiment, the remote control unit 312 adjusts the acceleration of the vehicle 100 when it travels within the factory FC as the charging rate adjustment process. By adjusting the acceleration of the vehicle 100, which has a large effect on the amount of power consumption, the SOC of the driving battery 120 can be suitably adjusted.

[0062] According to the remote automatic driving system 500 of this embodiment, the remote control unit 312 performs the discharging process by increasing the acceleration while the vehicle 100 is traveling. Therefore, the driving battery 120 can be discharged earlier than during normal traveling.

[0063] According to the remote automatic driving system 500 of this embodiment, the remote control unit 312 drives the auxiliary equipment 174 that consumes power from the driving battery 120 as a discharge process, thereby increasing the amount of power consumed by the auxiliary equipment 174. By using a load device 170 other than the motor 176 for the discharge process, the effect of SOC adjustment on the driving of the vehicle 100 can be reduced.

[0064] According to the remote automatic driving system 500 of this embodiment, the remote control unit 312 performs charging processing by moving the vehicle 100 to a position P2 where the charging device 200 can charge the driving battery 120. Therefore, even if the charging device 200 is placed in a position away from the road RT, the charging processing of the vehicle 100 can be simplified by automating the movement of the vehicle 100 to the charging device 200.

[0065] According to the remote automatic driving system 500 of this embodiment, the remote control unit 312 further executes, as the charging rate adjustment process, a discharge suppression process that suppresses discharging of the driving battery 120, and a charge suppression process that suppresses charging of the driving battery 120. By suppressing charging during the discharge process and suppressing discharging during the charge process, it is possible to shorten the time required to adjust the SOC by the discharge process and the charge process.

[0066] According to the remote automatic driving system 500 of this embodiment, the remote control unit 312 executes, as the discharge suppression process, a reduction in the acceleration when the vehicle 100 travels within the factory FC and a reduction in the number of times the vehicle 100 is accelerated. By reducing the acceleration of the vehicle 100, which has a large effect on the amount of power consumption, it is possible to suitably suppress a decrease in the SOC while the vehicle 100 is traveling.

[0067] According to the remote automatic driving system 500 of this embodiment, the remote control unit 312 reduces the amount of regenerative power of the vehicle 100 as a charging suppression process. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in SOC while the vehicle 100 is running. By suppressing charging during a discharging process, it is possible to reduce the amount of discharge due to the discharging process and also to shorten the discharging time.

[0068] According to the remote automated driving system 500 of this embodiment, the SOC target value is set using the charging rate required at the time of shipment of the vehicle 100. Therefore, the SOC of the driving battery 120 at the time of shipment can be adjusted to an appropriate value for each destination country.

[0069] B. Second embodiment: Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing database DB2, which is an example of database DB included in remote automated driving system 500 according to the second embodiment. In the above-mentioned first embodiment, an example was described in which database DB1 shows only the SOC target value required at the time of shipment. In contrast, this embodiment is different in that, as shown in Fig. 8, database DB2 shows a SOC target value for each process from process B to the time of shipment.

[0070] Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a remote automatic driving system 500 according to the second embodiment. The remote automatic driving system 500 of the second embodiment differs from the remote automatic driving system 500 of the first embodiment in that a database DB2 is stored in the server 300, but the other configurations are similar. In the example of Fig. 9, the remote control unit 312 individually executes remote control and charging rate adjustment processing for each vehicle 100 with vehicle identification information ID4, ID5, and ID6 to achieve the SOC target value for each process.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 8, the database DB2 has set examples of SOC target values ​​required for each vehicle 100 with vehicle identification information ID4, ID5, and ID6 shown in FIG. 9 at the time of initiation of process B, the time of initiation of process C, and the time of shipment to the destination country. The SOC target value for each process is set in a numerical range having an upper limit value and a lower limit value. In addition, the numerical range of the SOC target value is set to be narrowed stepwise toward the time of shipment. By configuring in this way, it is possible to reduce the variation in the amount of charge and discharge of the SOC to be adjusted between each process. In addition, when the SOC is adjusted only at the time of shipment, the amount of adjustment of the SOC may be excessive. In contrast, by adjusting the SOC stepwise, it is possible to improve the adjustment accuracy of the SOC at the time of shipment compared to the case where the SOC is adjusted only at the time of shipment.

[0072] As described above, according to the remote automatic driving system 500 of the second embodiment, the SOC target value is set for each process in the manufacturing process. According to the remote automatic driving system 500 of the present embodiment, the SOC is adjusted stepwise for each process, thereby improving the accuracy of adjustment to the final SOC target value.

[0073] C. Other embodiments: (C1) In the above-mentioned first embodiment, the charging device 200 is a contact-type charging device. In contrast, the charging device 200 may be a non-contact power supply device that performs non-contact power transmission by magnetic resonance coupling (magnetic resonance) to a power receiving device mounted on the vehicle 100. In this case, the charging device 200 is laid, for example, over a part or all of the road RT, and performs non-contact power transmission to the vehicle 100 traveling on the road RT. That is, the charging device 200 can automatically supply power to the vehicle 100 without the vehicle 100 moving to another location different from the other road RT. "During the traveling of the vehicle 100" means a state in which the vehicle 100 is located on the road RT for traveling, and includes not only a state in which the vehicle 100 is actually traveling at an arbitrary speed greater than zero, but also a state in which the vehicle 100 is stopped on the road. By configuring in this way, for example, the vehicle 100 traveling from the front process 50 to the rear process 60 by remote control can be charged, and the SOC of the traveling battery 120 can be efficiently adjusted. Therefore, the SOC of the driving battery 120 can be adjusted to a predetermined value while suppressing or preventing a decrease in production efficiency. The charging device 200 as a non-contact power supply device is not limited to being installed on a part or the whole of the road RT, and may be installed at a position other than the road RT, such as position P2 in FIG. 1. In this case, power is automatically supplied from the charging device 200b to the vehicle 100b by moving the vehicle 100 by remote control to a position where the charging device 200 as a non-contact power supply device is installed. In this configuration, the "charging process" includes not only bringing the vehicle 100 into a state where it can be charged by non-contact power supply, but also actually charging the vehicle 100.

[0074] (C2) In the above first embodiment, an example was shown in which the remote control unit 312 can execute both the discharging process and the charging process. In contrast, the remote control unit 312 may execute only one of the discharging process and the charging process.

[0075] (C3) In the above first embodiment, an example was shown in which the remote control unit 312 can execute both the charge suppression process and the discharge suppression process. In contrast, the remote control unit 312 may be configured to execute only one of the charge suppression process or the discharge suppression process, or may be configured not to execute the charge suppression process or the discharge suppression process.

[0076] (C4) In each of the above embodiments, the SOC adjustment determination unit 314, the manufacturing information acquisition unit 316, and the SOC information acquisition unit 318 are provided in the server 300. However, all or part of the functions of the SOC adjustment determination unit 314, the manufacturing information acquisition unit 316, the SOC information acquisition unit 318, etc. may be provided in a device other than the server 300, such as the vehicle 100.

[0077] The control and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by a special-purpose computer provided by configuring a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the control unit and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by a special-purpose computer provided by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control unit and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by one or more special-purpose computers configured by a combination of a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions and a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. In addition, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible recording medium as instructions executed by a computer.

[0078] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention column can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems or to achieve some or all of the above-mentioned effects. Furthermore, if the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 50... upstream process, 52... upstream process control device, 54... communication unit, 60... downstream process, 62... downstream process control device, 64... communication unit, 70... access point, 72... network, 80, 801, 802, 803, 804... camera, 100, 100b... vehicle, 120... running battery, 150... power receiving device, 152... power receiver, 154... power receiving circuit, 170... load device, 172... auxiliary battery, 174... auxiliary device, 176... motor, 180... ECU, 190... communication unit, 200, 200b... charging device, 210... CPU, 212... charging control unit, 220... memory, 250... charging connector, 280 ...Charging control device, 290...Communication unit, 300...Server, 310...CPU, 312...Remote control unit, 314...SOC adjustment determination unit, 316...Manufacturing information acquisition unit, 318...SOC information acquisition unit, 320...Storage device, 390...Communication unit, 500...Remote automatic driving system, 522...CPU, 524...Memory, 526...Pre-process information acquisition unit, 622...CPU, 624...Memory, 626...Post-process information processing unit, BA...Charging route, DB, DB1, DB2...Database, FC...Factory, PG...Input position, RT...Route, RT1...First route, RT2...Second route, RT3...Third route, RT4...Fourth route

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a vehicle, comprising: a step of running a vehicle through a factory by remote control during a manufacturing process in the factory; a discharging step of discharging a secondary battery for driving mounted on the vehicle while the vehicle is driving, to bring a current charging rate of the secondary battery closer to a target value; A method for manufacturing a vehicle, in which, in the discharging process, at least one of the following is performed: driving an auxiliary machine that consumes power from the secondary battery; making the acceleration of the vehicle greater than during normal driving of the vehicle; and accelerating the vehicle more times than during the normal driving.

2. The method for manufacturing a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the discharge step is performed by remote control of the vehicle.

3. A method for manufacturing a vehicle, comprising: a step of running a vehicle through a factory by remote control during a manufacturing process in the factory; a step of causing a charging device that charges the vehicle and is located outside the vehicle to charge a secondary battery mounted on the vehicle for driving the vehicle so that a current charging rate of the secondary battery approaches a target value; and running the vehicle to a position where the vehicle can be charged by the charging device while suppressing discharge of the secondary battery, A vehicle manufacturing method, comprising: suppressing the discharge by at least one of reducing the acceleration of the vehicle when the vehicle travels within the factory and reducing the number of times the vehicle is accelerated.

4. A method for manufacturing a vehicle, comprising: a step of running a vehicle through a factory by remote control during a manufacturing process in the factory; a step of transmitting information relating to a target value of a charging rate of the vehicle to a charging device that charges the vehicle and is located outside the vehicle; and running the vehicle to a position where the vehicle can be charged by the charging device while suppressing discharge of a secondary battery for driving mounted on the vehicle, A vehicle manufacturing method, comprising: suppressing the discharge by at least one of reducing the acceleration of the vehicle when the vehicle travels within the factory and reducing the number of times the vehicle is accelerated.

5. A server, a remote control unit for remotely controlling a vehicle to travel within a factory during a manufacturing process in the factory; The remote control unit includes: executing a discharging process for discharging a secondary battery for driving mounted on the vehicle while the vehicle is driving, and bringing a current charging rate of the secondary battery closer to a target value; In the discharge process, at least one of driving an auxiliary device that consumes power from the secondary battery, increasing the acceleration of the vehicle to a value greater than that during normal driving of the vehicle, and increasing the number of times the vehicle is accelerated to a value greater than that during normal driving. server.

6. A server, a remote control unit for remotely controlling a vehicle to travel within a factory during a manufacturing process in the factory; the remote control unit is a charging device that charges the vehicle, and executes a charging process to cause a charging device located outside the vehicle to charge a secondary battery mounted on the vehicle for driving such that a current charging rate of the secondary battery approaches a target value; The remote control unit, in the charging process, running the vehicle to a position where the vehicle can be charged by the charging device while suppressing discharge of the secondary battery; The suppression of discharge is carried out by at least one of reducing the acceleration of the vehicle when the vehicle travels within the factory and reducing the number of times the vehicle is accelerated. server.

7. A server, a remote control unit for remotely controlling a vehicle to travel within a factory during a manufacturing process in the factory; a communication unit that transmits information regarding a target value of a charging rate of the vehicle to a charging device that is located outside the vehicle; The remote control unit includes: running the vehicle to a position where the vehicle can be charged by the charging device while suppressing discharge of a secondary battery for driving mounted on the vehicle; The suppression of discharge is carried out by at least one of reducing the acceleration of the vehicle when the vehicle travels within the factory and reducing the number of times the vehicle is accelerated. server.

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