Management system

Abstract

To eliminate poor visibility in a second mobile body following a first mobile body among a plurality of mobile bodies.SOLUTION: In a management system, when an environment of an area including a front side of a second mobile body is the environment with poor visibility in the second mobile body due to powder dust filled up by a first mobile body, a travel state of at least one of the first mobile body and the second mobile body is controlled so as to replace sequential order of the first mobile body and the second mobile body. The poor visibility in the second mobile body is eliminated by allowing the second mobile body to travel in front of the first mobile body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a management system for managing a plurality of vehicles.

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a management system for managing a plurality of vehicles in a mine where the plurality of vehicles perform work. In this management system, a vehicle includes a dust sensor that detects the concentration of dust, and when the level of the dust concentration detected by the dust sensor exceeds a threshold value, the vehicle is stopped, decelerated, or an alarm is issued. Further, information representing the dust concentration detected by the dust sensor provided in the vehicle is supplied to a control server, and in the control server, determination of the dust concentration and the like is performed, and a stop command may be output to the vehicle based thereon (Second Embodiment).

[0003] Patent Document 2 describes a management system for traffic control of a plurality of driverless vehicles. In this management system, when a plurality of driverless vehicles pass through an intersection, from the viewpoint of suppressing a decrease in work efficiency, a driverless vehicle with a higher priority passes through, and a driverless vehicle with a lower priority is decelerated or stopped.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to eliminate poor visibility in a second moving body following a first moving body among a plurality of moving bodies. Means, actions, and effects for solving the problems

[0006] In the management system according to the present invention, when it is estimated that the environment in the region including the front of the second moving body is a poor visibility environment in the second moving body due to the dust lifted by the first moving body, the running state of at least one of the first moving body and the second moving body is controlled, so that the order of the first moving body and the second moving body is switched. By making the second moving body travel in front of the first moving body, poor visibility in the second moving body can be eliminated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiment for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, a management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Example

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, the management system according to this embodiment includes, for example, a central control device C as a control device capable of communicating with a heavy machine VH and a light vehicle VL, which are a plurality of moving bodies operating in a mine or the like, and one or more antennas A. Wireless communication is performed between these heavy machine VH and light vehicle VL and the central control device C directly or via the antenna A.

[0010] The heavy machine VH is a machine used in heavy industry and is a moving body operating in a mine in this embodiment. Further, the heavy machine VH is operated (including movement) based on a command from the central control device C and is an autonomous mobile body. The light vehicle VL is a moving body that is lighter in weight than the heavy machine VH. The light vehicle VL often moves while carrying workers or the luggage required for work. In this embodiment, the light vehicle VL can be switched between a manual driving state in which it can move by a driving operation by a driver and an autonomous driving state in which it can move without a driving operation by the driver based on information around the light vehicle VL acquired by a camera, a rider, or the like. In other words, the light vehicle VL is a vehicle that travels based on information obtained by the driver's vision, for example, information obtained by a camera, a rider, or the like.

[0011] Each of the heavy machines VH includes, as shown in FIG. 2, a drive device DH for driving the heavy machine VH, a braking device BH for braking the heavy machine VH, a steering device TH for steering the steering wheels of the heavy machine VH, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 10 for receiving GPS signals, a camera, a peripheral information acquisition device 12 including a rider, etc., a heavy machine communication device 14 as a mobile body communication device for transmitting and receiving wireless information, a dust sensor 16 as a floating object sensor provided at the rear of the heavy machine VH, a heavy machine ECU 20 mainly composed of a computer, etc.

[0012] The drive device DH can include, for example, an electric motor as a drive source connected to a plurality of drive wheels among the plurality of wheels 30. Further, a drive circuit (for example, an inverter) is provided corresponding to the electric motor. By controlling the drive circuit, the driving force applied to the plurality of drive wheels is controlled, and the driving force applied to the heavy machine VH is automatically controlled.

[0013] Note that the drive device DH can include an engine or the like in addition to or instead of the electric motor.

[0014] The braking device BH can include, for example, a friction brake that is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of wheels 30 and suppresses the rotation of the wheel 30 by pressing a friction engagement member against a brake rotating body that can rotate integrally with the wheel 30, and a pressing force control actuator that can control the pressing force of each of the plurality of friction brakes. When the friction brake is a hydraulic brake that can be operated by hydraulic pressure as a pressing force, the pressing force control actuator can be a hydraulic pressure control actuator. By controlling the pressing force control actuator, the pressing force of the friction brake provided for each of the plurality of wheels 30 is controlled, the braking force applied to each of the plurality of wheels 30 is controlled, and the braking force applied to the heavy machine VH is automatically controlled.

[0015] Note that the pressing force control actuator may be provided individually for each of the friction brakes or commonly for one or more of the plurality of friction brakes.

[0016] The steering device TH steers the left wheel 30L and the right wheel 30R, which are the steered wheels among the plurality of wheels 30. The steering device TH includes, for example, a pair of tie rods that connect the left wheel 30L and the right wheel 30R, a steering rod that connects the pair of tie rods, a steering actuator provided on the steering rod, and the like. When the steering rod is moved in the axial direction of the vehicle by the steering actuator, the left wheel 30L and the right wheel 30R are automatically steered.

[0017] The GPS receiver 10 receives GPS signals, and based on the GPS signals, the position of the own vehicle, which is the heavy machine VH, is acquired. The surrounding information acquisition device 12 includes a camera, a lidar, etc., recognizes the objects around the own vehicle, which is the heavy machine VH, and acquires the relative positional relationship between the object and the own vehicle.

[0018] The heavy machine communication device 14 wirelessly transmits the heavy machine information, which is the moving body information created in the heavy machine ECU 20, or receives the control information, which is the information wirelessly transmitted from the central control device C.

[0019] The dust sensor 16 detects, for example, the concentration of floating substances present per unit volume of air space and can be referred to as a floating substance concentration sensor. The concentration of the floating substances can be calculated from, for example, the mass concentration proportional to the intensity of the scattered light amount. The dust sensor 16 is provided at the rear of the heavy machine VH and detects the concentration of floating substances in the area behind the heavy machine VH.

[0020] Connected to the heavy machine ECU 20 are the drive circuits of these drive devices DH, the pressing force control actuator of the braking device BH, the steering actuator of the steering device TH, the GPS receiver 10, the surrounding information acquisition device 12, the heavy machine communication device 14, the dust sensor 16, and the like. The heavy machine ECU 20 also includes a storage unit 22 for identification information and the like, a heavy machine information creation unit 24, a travel control unit 26, and the like.

[0021] The identification information storage unit 22 stores identification information and the like set for the own vehicle, which is the heavy vehicle VH. Each of the plurality of heavy vehicles VH and light vehicles VL is given different identification information.

[0022] The heavy vehicle information creation unit 24 creates heavy vehicle information including dust information as suspended matter information representing the concentration of dust detected by the dust sensor 16, heavy vehicle position information representing the position of the heavy vehicle VH acquired based on the GPS signal, and identification information and the like of the heavy vehicle VH. The created heavy vehicle information is output to the heavy vehicle communication device 14. The heavy vehicle communication device 14 transmits the heavy vehicle information. The heavy vehicle information is an example of mobile body information and first mobile body information.

[0023] Note that the dust information can be included in the heavy vehicle information when the concentration of dust detected by the dust sensor 16 is higher than the set concentration.

[0024] The heavy vehicle information creation program shown in FIG. 10 is executed at predetermined set times. In step 101 (hereinafter abbreviated as S101; the same applies to other steps), the dust concentration, which is the detection result of the dust sensor 16, is read, and dust information representing the dust concentration is acquired. In S102, heavy vehicle position information, which is information representing the position of the heavy vehicle VH based on the GPS signal, is acquired. In S103, the identification information is read. Then, in S104, heavy vehicle information including the identification information, the heavy vehicle position information, and the dust information is created and output to the heavy vehicle communication device 14.

[0025] The travel control unit 26 controls the travel of the heavy vehicle VH by controlling the drive device DH, the brake device BH, and the steering device TH. In the present embodiment, the travel control unit 26 controls the drive device DH, the brake device BH, the steering device TH, etc. based on the travel command included in the control information transmitted from the central control device C received by the heavy vehicle communication device 14.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 3, each light vehicle VL includes a drive device DL, a brake device BL, a steering device TL, etc., and also includes a GPS receiver 50, a light vehicle communication device 52 as a second mobile communication device, a poor visibility switch 54, a notification device 56, a peripheral information acquisition device 58, a dust sensor 60 provided at the front of the light vehicle VL, a light vehicle ECU 62 mainly composed of a computer, etc.

[0027] The GPS receiver 50, the light vehicle communication device 52, the peripheral information acquisition device 58, and the dust sensor 60 have substantially the same structure as the GPS receiver 10, the heavy vehicle communication device 14, the peripheral information acquisition device 12, and the dust sensor 16 provided on the heavy vehicle VH. The drive device DL, the brake device BL, and the steering device TL can also have substantially the same structure as the drive device DH, the brake device BH, and the steering device TH provided on the heavy vehicle VH.

[0028] The poor visibility switch 54 is operable by the driver and is turned on when the driver feels that the visibility is poor. The notification device 56 includes, for example, a display, an audio output device, etc., and can notify the content of the traffic control information received by the light vehicle communication device 52.

[0029] The drive device DL, the brake device BL, the steering device TL, the GPS receiver 50, the light vehicle communication device 52, the poor visibility switch 54, the notification device 56, the peripheral information acquisition device 58, the dust sensor 60, etc. are connected to the light vehicle ECU 62. The light vehicle ECU 62 also includes a storage unit 64 for identification information, etc., a light vehicle information creation unit 66, a travel control unit 68, etc.

[0030] The light vehicle information creation unit 66 creates light vehicle information, which is second moving body information including identification information, vision impairment information indicating that the vision impairment switch 54 has been turned on, and light vehicle position information indicating the position of the light vehicle VL acquired based on the GPS signal. The light vehicle information created by the light vehicle information creation unit 66 is output to the light vehicle communication device 52 and transmitted. However, the vision impairment information is not included in the light vehicle information when the vision impairment switch 54 is not turned on.

[0031] In addition, dust information can be included in the light vehicle information. Based on not only the vision impairment information but also the vision impairment information and the dust information, it is possible to accurately determine whether there is a vision impairment in the light vehicle. Also, when the light vehicle VL is in the automatic driving state, the detection result of the dust sensor 60 of the light vehicle VL is valid.

[0032] In the light vehicle ECU 62, the light vehicle information creation program represented by the flowchart of FIG. 11 is executed at each set time. In S151, it is determined whether the vision impairment switch 54 has been turned on. If the determination is YES, vision impairment information is created in S152. Next, in S153, the light vehicle position information is acquired, in S154, the identification information is read, in S155, dust information representing the concentration of floating substances detected by the dust sensor 60 is acquired, and in S156, light vehicle information including the identification information, light vehicle position information, vision impairment information, dust information, etc. is created. The light vehicle information is output to the light vehicle communication device 52 and transmitted.

[0033] On the other hand, when the vision impairment switch 54 is not turned on (which may be the case when the light vehicle VL is in the automatic driving state), the determination in S151 is NO. Without S152 being executed, in S153 - 156, light vehicle information including the identification information, light vehicle position information, and dust information is created.

[0034] The travel control unit 68 controls the drive device DL, the brake device BL, the steering device TL, etc. For example, in the automatic driving state, the travel control unit 68 controls the drive device DL, the brake device BL, the steering device TL, etc. based on the relative positional relationship between the object acquired by the surrounding information acquisition device 58 and the own vehicle, which is the light vehicle VL, and in the manual driving state, it controls based on the operation of a driver's driving operation member (not shown).

[0035] As shown in FIG. 4, the central control device C includes a control ECU 80 mainly composed of a computer and a control communication device 82 connected to the control ECU 80. The control ECU 80 includes a control information creation unit 92, an environment acquisition unit 94, a work plan storage unit 96, etc.

[0036] The control communication device 82 wirelessly transmits the control information created by the control information creation unit 92, or receives the heavy machine information and the light vehicle information wirelessly transmitted from the heavy machine VH or the light vehicle VL.

[0037] The control information creation unit 92 creates control information that is information including a travel command (driving command) and identification information of the heavy machine VH and the light vehicle VL that are the targets of the travel command. The travel command (driving command) is created based on at least one of the heavy machine information and the light vehicle information received by the control communication device 82.

[0038] The environment acquisition unit 94 estimates and acquires the environment of the region R (see FIG. 5) including the front of the light vehicle VL. In this embodiment, it acquires whether the environment of the region R including the front of the light vehicle VL is an environment with poor visibility in the light vehicle VL.

[0039] The work plan memory unit 96 stores information regarding the work plans of a plurality of heavy machines VH and light vehicles VL. The work plan includes the movement plans (movement routes, movement start times, etc.) of each of the plurality of heavy machines VH and light vehicles VL. Information representing the work plan is often stored in association with the identification information of each of the plurality of heavy machines VH and light vehicles VL.

[0040] In this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the light vehicle VL1 is traveling following the heavy machine VH1, that is, when the heavy machine VH1 is the first moving body and the light vehicle VL is the second moving body, if the heavy machine VH1 scoops up earth and sand, the visibility of the light vehicle VL may be poor. In the manual driving state, it becomes difficult for the driver to see ahead, and in the automatic driving state, it becomes difficult to recognize objects by a camera, a radar, etc., which is not desirable.

[0041] Therefore, when the environment acquisition unit 94 estimates and acquires that the environment of the area R is an environment with poor visibility in the light vehicle VL, the control ECU 80 creates and transmits control information including a driving command (operation command) so that the order of the heavy machine VH and the light vehicle VL is switched as shown in FIG. 6.

[0042] In the central control, the control information creation program represented by the flowchart of FIG. 7 is executed at every predetermined set time. In S1, it is determined whether at least one of the light vehicle information and the heavy machine information is received. If the determination is YES, then in S2, information processing is performed on at least one of the received light vehicle information and heavy machine information. In S3, it is determined whether the environment of area R is estimated to be an environment with poor visibility in the light vehicle VL. For example, (i) when the light vehicle information includes poor visibility information, (ii) when the dust concentration represented by the dust information included in the heavy machine information and the inter-vehicle distance determined by the heavy machine position information and the light vehicle position information included in the light vehicle information are, for example, in the area represented by the hatching in FIG. 12, (iii) when the dust concentration represented by the dust information included in the light vehicle information is higher than the set value, etc., it is estimated that the environment in the light vehicle VL is an environment with poor visibility. Regarding (ii), for example, when the inter-vehicle distance is short, it is estimated that there is poor visibility even if the dust concentration is low, but when the inter-vehicle distance is long, it is estimated that there is poor visibility when the dust concentration is high. In addition, it is also possible to estimate whether the environment has poor visibility by considering other information related to the weather, such as wind direction, wind speed, presence or absence of rainfall, precipitation amount, etc.

[0043] If it is determined that there is poor visibility, then in S4, the heavy machine VH1 (the vehicle that raises dust), which is the first moving body, is identified. For example, the light vehicle VL1 is identified based on the identification information (for example, designated as Ia) included in the light vehicle information including poor visibility information, the light vehicle position information, and the work plan. Based on the heavy machine position information included in the heavy machine information and the work plan, the heavy machine VH1 traveling in front of the light vehicle VL1 is identified (the identification information Ib of the heavy machine VH1 is identified).

[0044] Then, in S5, first control information including a stop command and identification information Ib is created as a travel command to the heavy machine VH1. The created first control information is transmitted by the control communication device 82. Next, in S6, third control information including a passing command for the heavy machine VH1 to pass through as a driving command to the light vehicle VL1 as the second moving body and identification information Ia is created. The third control information is transmitted by the control communication device 82.

[0045] In S7, it is determined whether the light vehicle VL1 has passed (overtaken) the heavy machine VH1, or whether the environment acquisition unit 94 has stopped acquiring that the environment in the area R is a poor visibility environment for the light vehicle VL1. Whether the light vehicle VL1 has passed the heavy machine VH1 is determined based on the light vehicle position information included in the light vehicle information, the heavy machine position information included in the heavy machine information, etc., as to whether the light vehicle VL1 has passed the heavy machine VH1 and reached in front of the heavy machine VH1. Also, when the visual impairment information is no longer included in the light vehicle information, when the dust concentration represented by the dust information included in the light vehicle information becomes lower than the set concentration, etc., the environment acquisition unit 94 stops acquiring that the environment in the area R is a poor visibility environment for the light vehicle VL. When the determination in S7 is YES, in S8, second control information including the identification information Ib and a start command is created and transmitted.

[0046] In the heavy machine VH, the remote travel control program represented by the flowchart of FIG. 8 is executed every set time. In S21, it is determined whether control information has been received. If the determination is YES, then in S22, it is determined whether the identification information included in the control information matches the identification information representing itself. If the identification information matches, then in S23, it is determined whether a stop command is included in the control information, and in S24, it is determined whether a start command is included. If the determination in S23 is YES, then in S25, for example, the braking device BH etc. is controlled so that the heavy machine VH stops. If the determination in S24 is YES, then in S26, it starts by controlling the braking device BH, the driving device DH, etc.

[0047] In the light vehicle VL, the travel command (operation command) notification program represented by the flowchart of FIG. 9 is executed every set time. In S51, it is determined whether control information has been received. If the determination is YES, then in S52, it is determined whether the identification information included in the control information matches the identification information representing itself. If the determination is YES, then in S53, it is determined whether a passage command is included in the control information. If the determination is YES, then in S54, this is notified by the notification device 56. The driver drives the light vehicle VL according to the notification. Thereby, it is considered that the light vehicle VL passes in front of the heavy machine VH and reaches in front of the heavy machine VH.

[0048] In this way, in this embodiment, when the environment of the region R including the front of the light vehicle VL1 is estimated and acquired as an environment with poor visibility in the light vehicle VL1, the order of the heavy machine VH1 and the light vehicle VL1 is swapped. The light vehicle VL1 will travel in front of the heavy machine VH1, and the poor visibility of the light vehicle VL1 will be eliminated. As a result, a decrease in the running safety of the light vehicle VL1 can be suppressed, and a decrease in work efficiency can be suppressed.

[0049] As described above, in this embodiment, the environment acquisition unit is configured by parts such as the part that stores and the part that executes S2 and S3 of the control information creation program of the control ECU 80, and the travel control unit is configured by parts such as the part that stores and the part that executes S5 to S8. The first control information creation unit is configured by parts such as the part that stores and the part that executes S5, the second control information creation unit is configured by parts such as the part that stores and the part that executes S8, and the third control information creation unit is configured by parts such as the part that stores and the part that executes S6. Also, the heavy equipment information creation unit 24 is configured by parts such as the part that stores and the part that executes the heavy equipment information creation program of the heavy equipment ECU 20, and the light vehicle information creation unit 66 is configured by parts such as the part that stores and the part that executes the light vehicle information creation program of the light vehicle ECU 62.

[0050] In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where the management system is used in the work of the mine has been described. However, it can be used not only in the work of the mine but also at various work sites.

[0051] Also, in the above embodiment, the case where the first moving body is the heavy equipment VH and the second moving body is the light vehicle VL has been described. However, it is not limited thereto. For example, both the first moving body and the second moving body may be visible traveling vehicles such as light vehicles. Furthermore, the present invention can be implemented in various modes in which various changes and improvements are made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, regardless of the structures of the drive devices DH and DL, the braking devices BH and BL, and the steering devices TH and TL.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0052] 10, 50: GPS receiver 12, 58: Peripheral information acquisition device 14: Heavy equipment communication device 16, 60: Dust sensor 20: Heavy equipment ECU 24: Heavy equipment information creation unit 26: Travel control unit 52: Light vehicle communication device 54: Poor visibility switch 56: Notification device 62: Light vehicle ECU 66: Light vehicle information creation unit 80; Control ECU 82: Control communication device 92: Control information creation unit C: Central control device VH: Heavy equipment VL: Light vehicle Invention that can be claimed for a patent

[0053] The following sections describe inventions that can be claimed for patents. (1) A management system that includes a control device for controlling the traveling state of at least one of a plurality of moving bodies and manages the plurality of moving bodies, wherein the plurality of moving bodies include a first moving body and a second moving body different from the first moving body, and the control device includes an environment acquisition unit that acquires the environment of a region including the front of the second moving body when the second moving body follows the first moving body; and a travel control unit that controls the traveling state of at least one of the first moving body and the second moving body to make the first moving body follow the second moving body when the environment acquisition unit acquires that the environment is a poor visibility environment in the second moving body. A management system comprising the above.

[0054] The environment with poor visibility in the second moving body means an environment where the visibility of the second moving body (for example, the region including the front of the second moving body) is worse than a set level. For example, the entire region including the front of the second moving body becomes whitish or blackish, and it is difficult to recognize objects or the like existing in the region including the front. There may be a case where the environment of the region including the front of the second moving body becomes an environment with poor visibility in the second moving body due to the first moving body traveling in front stirring up dust or the like.

[0055] Also, the visibility in the second moving body means, for example, the range visible to the eyes of the driver riding in the second moving body, the imaging area of the camera mounted on the second moving body, the irradiation range of the lidar, etc. For example, the second moving body may be a moving body that can travel by manual operation by a driver (manual driving moving body, manned moving body), a moving body whose driving state can be automatically controlled without manual operation by a driver (automatic driving moving body, unmanned moving body), or a moving body that can be switched between a manual driving state and an automatic driving state. The second moving body is a moving body with a visible field of view. When it is a manual driving moving body (manual driving state), it travels based on the driver's vision. When it is an automatic driving moving body (automatic driving state), it travels based on recognition by a camera, a lidar, or the like.

[0056] In addition, when the lidar irradiates ultraviolet rays or infrared rays, even if the entire field of view looks white or black, it may be possible to recognize an object or the like present in the field of view. In this case, it is considered that poor visibility is less likely to occur.

[0057] Furthermore, the control of the driving state by the driving control unit of the control device is to control the driving state of the moving body based on information from the control device. For example, when the moving body is an automatic driving moving body (automatic driving state), it corresponds to the moving body controlling a driving device or the like of the moving body based on information supplied from the control device. Also, the control of the driving state can be made to include supplying a driving command to the moving body. For example, when the moving body is a manual driving moving body (manual driving state) by a driver, a driving command is supplied from the control device to the moving body, and the driver of the moving body drives based on the driving command to make the moving body travel.

[0058] (2) At least one of the first moving body and the second moving body includes a floating object sensor that detects floating objects existing around at least one of the first moving body and the second moving body, and a moving body communication device capable of wirelessly transmitting moving body information that is information including floating object information, which is information about the floating objects detected by the floating object sensor. The control device includes a control communication device capable of receiving the moving body information. The management system according to item (1), wherein the environment acquisition unit acquires whether or not the environment is an environment with poor visibility in the second moving body based on the floating object information included in the moving body information received by the control communication device.

[0059] For example, based on the density of floating objects behind the first moving body detected by a floating object sensor provided at the rear of the first moving body and the inter-vehicle distance between the second moving body and the first moving body, it is possible to estimate and acquire whether or not the environment in the region including the front of the second moving body is an environment with poor visibility in the second moving body, in other words, whether or not the visibility in the second moving body is worse than the set level. Also, based on the density of floating objects in front of the second moving body detected by a floating object sensor provided at the front of the second moving body, it is possible to acquire whether or not the environment in the region including the front of the second moving body is an environment with poor visibility in the second moving body. The periphery refers to, for example, a region where floating objects can be detected by a floating object sensor.

[0060] (3) The first moving body includes a floating object sensor that detects floating objects existing behind the first moving body, and a first moving body communication device capable of wirelessly transmitting first moving body information that is information including floating object information, which is information regarding the floating objects detected by the floating object sensor. The control device includes a control communication device capable of receiving the first moving body information. The management system according to item (1) or (2), wherein the environment acquisition unit acquires whether or not the environment is an environment with poor visibility in the second moving body based on the floating object information included in the first moving body information received by the control communication device.

[0061] (4) The second moving body is one that travels by manual driving of a driver, and includes a poor visibility switch that can be turned on by the driver when the visibility is poor, and a second moving body communication device capable of wirelessly transmitting second moving body information that is information including poor visibility information, which is information indicating that the poor visibility switch has been turned on. The control device includes a control communication device capable of receiving the second moving body information. When the vision impairment information is included in the second moving body information received by the control communication device, the environment acquisition unit acquires that the environment is an environment with poor visibility for the second moving body. The management system according to any one of (1) to (3).

[0062] (5) The management system according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the first moving body is capable of autonomous driving based on a command from the control device.

[0063] The first moving body can be made capable of autonomous driving by controlling, for example, a driving device, a braking device, a steering device, etc. mounted on the first moving body based on a command from the control device. The first moving body may be an unmanned moving body.

[0064] (6) When the environment acquisition unit acquires that the environment is an environment with poor visibility for the second moving body, the travel control unit creates first control information including a stop command for stopping the first moving body, and after the second moving body reaches in front of the first moving body or after the environment acquisition unit no longer acquires that the environment is an environment with poor visibility for the second moving body, it includes a control information creation unit that creates second control information including a start command that is a command for starting the first moving body. The control device includes a control communication device capable of wirelessly transmitting the first control information and the second control information. The management system according to (5).

[0065] (7) The control information creation unit creates third control information including a passing command for the second moving body to pass the first moving body. The control communication device is capable of wirelessly transmitting the third control information. The management system according to (6).

[0066] The third control information is information including a passing command and identification information representing the second moving body, and the third control information is received by the second moving body communication device. When the second moving body is in a manual driving state (manual driving moving body) by the driver, the driver drives the second moving body in response to the passing command included in the third control information, and the second moving body passes the first moving body. "Passing" means that the second moving body overtakes the first moving body and reaches in front of the first moving body. When the second moving body is in an automatic driving state (automatic driving moving body), the steering device and the like of the second moving body are controlled based on the third control information, and the driving state of the second moving body is controlled so that the second moving body passes the first moving body.

[0067] The passing command can be transmitted after the first moving body stops, or can be transmitted before the first moving body stops, and so on.

[0068] (8) A travel control device including a control device that controls the travel state of at least one of a plurality of moving bodies, The plurality of moving bodies include a first moving body and a second moving body different from the first moving body, The control device is When the second moving body follows the first moving body, an environment acquisition unit that acquires the environment of a region including the front of the second moving body; When the environment is acquired by the environment acquisition unit as an environment with poor visibility in the second moving body, a travel control unit that controls the travel state of at least one of the first moving body and the second moving body to make the first moving body follow the second moving body A travel control device including.

[0069] The travel control device described in this item can adopt the technical features described in any of items (1) to (7). In the above embodiment, the central control device corresponds to the travel control device.

Claims

1. A management system that includes a control device for controlling the traveling state of at least one of a plurality of moving bodies and manages the plurality of moving bodies, wherein the plurality of moving bodies include a heavy machine that is a first moving body and a second moving body that is a moving body different from the first moving body and lighter in weight than the first moving body, and the control device includes: an environment acquisition unit that acquires the environment of a region including the front of the second moving body when the second moving body follows the first moving body; and a travel control unit that controls the traveling state of at least one of the first moving body and the second moving body to make the first moving body follow the second moving body when the environment acquisition unit acquires that the environment is an environment with poor visibility in the second moving body.

2. The first moving body includes a floating object sensor that detects floating objects existing behind the first moving body, and a first moving body communication device capable of wirelessly transmitting first moving body information that is information including floating object information which is information about the floating objects detected by the floating object sensor, the control device includes a control communication device capable of receiving the first moving body information, and the environment acquisition unit acquires whether the environment is an environment with poor visibility in the second moving body based on the floating object information included in the first moving body information received by the control communication device. The management system according to Claim 1.

3. The second moving body includes a poor visibility switch that can be turned on by a driver in the case of poor visibility, and a second moving body communication device capable of wirelessly transmitting second moving body information that is information including poor visibility information which is information indicating that the poor visibility switch has been turned on, the control device includes a control communication device that receives the second moving body information, and the environment acquisition unit acquires that the environment is an environment with poor visibility in the second moving body when the poor visibility information is included in the second moving body information received by the control communication device. The management system according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. The first moving body is capable of autonomous driving based on a command from the control device. ​ When the travel control unit acquires from the environment acquisition unit that the environment is a poor visibility environment in the second moving body, the travel control unit creates first control information including a stop command for stopping the first moving body, and after the second moving body reaches in front of the first moving body, or after the environment acquisition unit no longer acquires that the environment is a poor visibility environment in the second moving body, the travel control unit creates second control information including a start command which is a command for starting the first moving body, and includes a control information creation unit. The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control device includes a control communication device capable of wirelessly transmitting the first control information and the second control information.

5. The control information creation unit creates third control information including a passing command for the second moving body to pass the first moving body. The management system according to claim 4, wherein the control communication device is capable of wirelessly transmitting the third control information.

Images