Remote control system, mobile device, and remote control deactivation device

Abstract

To suppress the execution of remote control of a mobile body by a third party.SOLUTION: A remote control system comprises: a mobile body which can be moved by remote control, the mobile body including an invalidation execution section for reversibly or irreversibly invalidating the remote control; a positional information acquisition section which acquires positional information of the mobile body; and an invalidation command section by which, in a case where it is determined using the positional information that the mobile body is positioned within a predetermined first region, a first command for reversibly invalidating the remote control is supplied to the invalidation execution section, and in a case where it is determined using the positional information that the mobile body is positioned within a predetermined second region different from the first region, a second command for irreversibly invalidating the remote control is supplied to the invalidation execution section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a remote control system, a moving body, a remote control disabling device, and a remote control disabling method.

Background Art

[0002] In the manufacturing process of a vehicle, a technology for running the vehicle by remote control is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When a moving body is movable by remote control, there is a possibility that the remote control of the moving body may be performed by a third party.

Means for Solving the Problems

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

[0006] (1) According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a remote control system is provided. The remote control system includes a moving body that is movable by remote control and includes an invalidation execution unit that reversibly or irreversibly invalidates the remote control, a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the moving body, and when it is determined that the moving body is located within a predetermined first region using the position information, a first command for reversibly invalidating the remote control is supplied to the invalidation execution unit, and when it is determined that the moving body is located within a predetermined second region different from the first region using the position information, a second command for irreversibly invalidating the remote control is supplied to the invalidation execution unit. According to this form of remote control system, if it is determined that the moving object is located within the first area, the remote control of the moving object is reversibly disabled, and if it is determined that the moving object is located within the second area, the remote control of the moving object is irreversibly disabled. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a third party from remotely controlling the moving object. (2) In the above-described remote control system, the mobile body may be moved by remote control at the factory where the mobile body is manufactured. This type of remote control system allows for the remote control of mobile objects within a factory while preventing third parties from remotely controlling them. (3) In the remote control system of the above form, the deactivation execution unit may deactivate the remote control after a predetermined period has elapsed since receiving the first command or the second command. According to this form of remote control system, when a moving object enters the first or second area via remote control, the remote control of the moving object can be disabled at a location away from the boundary of the first or second area. (4) In the remote control system of the above form, the deactivation execution unit may deactivate the remote control after receiving the first command or the second command, if the moving body has moved a predetermined distance. According to this form of remote control system, when a moving object enters the first or second area via remote control, the remote control of the moving object can be disabled at a location away from the boundary of the first or second area. (5) In the remote control system of the above form, the deactivation execution unit may deactivate the remote control after receiving the first command or the second command, if the speed of the moving body exceeds a predetermined speed. According to this form of remote control system, when a moving object enters the first or second area via remote control, the remote control of the moving object can be disabled at a location away from the boundary of the first or second area. (6) In the remote control system of the above form, if the deactivation command unit determines using the position information that the moving object is located in a predetermined third area that is different from both the first and second areas, it may supply a third command to the deactivation execution unit to enable the remote control, and the deactivation execution unit may reversibly deactivate the remote control and then enable the remote control if it has received the third command. This type of remote control system allows for remote control of a mobile object within a third domain while suppressing remote control of the mobile object by a third party. (7) According to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, a remote control disabling device is provided. This remote control disabling device includes a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of a mobile body that is movable by remote control and has a disabling execution unit that disabling the remote control reversibly or irreversibly; and a disabling command unit that, when it is determined using the location information that the mobile body is located within a predetermined first region, supplies a first command to the disabling execution unit to reversibly disabling the remote control, and when it is determined using the location information that the mobile body is located within a predetermined second region different from the first region, supplies a second command to the disabling execution unit to irreversibly disabling the remote control. According to this form of remote control disabling device, if it is determined that the moving object is located within the first area, the remote control of the moving object is reversibly disabled, and if it is determined that the moving object is located within the second area, the remote control of the moving object is irreversibly disabled. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a third party from remotely controlling the moving object. (8) According to a third embodiment of the present disclosure, a mobile body that can be moved by remote control is provided. The mobile body includes a deactivation execution unit that reversibly deactivates the remote control in response to a first command supplied from a remote control deactivation device when the mobile body is located in a predetermined first area, and irreversibly deactivates the remote control in response to a second command supplied from the remote control deactivation device when the mobile body is located in a predetermined second area different from the first area. With this form of mobile body, if the mobile body is located within the first region, remote control of the mobile body is reversibly disabled, and if the mobile body is located within the second region, remote control of the mobile body is irreversibly disabled. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a third party from remotely controlling the mobile body. (9) According to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure, a mobile body that can be moved by remote control is provided. The mobile body comprises a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the mobile body, and a disabling execution unit that, if it is determined using the position information that the mobile body is located within a predetermined first region, reversibly disables the remote control, and if it is determined using the position information that the mobile body is located within a predetermined second region different from the first region, irreversibly disables the remote control. With this type of mobile device, if it is determined that the mobile device is located within the first region, the remote control of the mobile device is reversibly disabled, and if it is determined that the mobile device is located within the second region, the remote control of the mobile device is irreversibly disabled. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a third party from remotely controlling the mobile device. (10) A fifth embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for disabling remote control. This method acquires location information of a mobile body that can be moved by remote control, and if it is determined using the location information that the mobile body is located within a predetermined first area, it reversibly disables the remote control; and if it is determined using the location information that the mobile body is located within a predetermined second area different from the first area, it irreversibly disables the remote control. According to this method of disabling remote control, if it is determined that the moving object is located within the first region, the remote control of the moving object is reversibly disabled, and if it is determined that the moving object is located within the second region, the remote control of the moving object is irreversibly disabled. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a third party from remotely controlling the moving object. This disclosure can also be implemented in various forms other than remote control systems, remote control deactivation devices, mobile devices, and remote control deactivation methods. For example, it can be implemented in the form of a computer program and a recording medium on which the computer program is stored. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the remote control system in the first embodiment. [Figure 2] An explanatory diagram showing how vehicles are remotely controlled to move around inside a factory. [Figure 3] An explanatory diagram showing the geofence area in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] A flowchart showing the content of the location information acquisition process in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] A flowchart showing the contents of the determination process in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] A flowchart showing the details of the invalidation execution process in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] A flowchart showing the details of the invalidation execution process in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] A flowchart illustrating the content of the second determination process in the third embodiment. [Figure 9] A flowchart illustrating the details of the activation process in the third embodiment. [Figure 10] An explanatory diagram showing the geofence area in the third embodiment. [Figure 11] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the remote control system in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 12] A flowchart showing the details of the invalidation execution process in the fourth embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] A. First Embodiment: FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a remote control system 10 according to the first embodiment. The remote control system 10 is used to move a moving body by remote control. In this embodiment, the moving body is a vehicle 100. More specifically, the moving body is a battery electric vehicle (BEV). Note that the moving body is not limited to a battery electric vehicle, and for example, it may be a gasoline vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or a fuel cell vehicle. The moving body is not limited to a vehicle 100, and for example, it may be an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (so-called flying car).

[0009] The remote control system 10 includes a vehicle 100 and a remote control device 200 for remotely controlling the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 includes a vehicle control device 110 for controlling each part of the vehicle 100, an actuator group 120 that drives under the control of the vehicle control device 110, a communication device 130 for communicating with the remote control device 200 by wireless communication, and a GPS receiver 140 for acquiring the position information of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the actuator group 120 includes an actuator of a driving device for accelerating the vehicle 100, an actuator of a steering device for changing the traveling direction of the vehicle 100, and an actuator of a braking device for decelerating the vehicle 100. The driving device includes a battery, a traveling motor driven by the power of the battery, and driving wheels rotated by the traveling motor. The actuator of the driving device includes the traveling motor. Note that the actuator group 120 may further include an actuator for swinging the wiper of the vehicle 100, an actuator for opening and closing the power window of the vehicle 100, and the like.

[0010] The vehicle control device 110 is composed of a computer including a processor 111, a memory 112, an input / output interface 113, and an internal bus 114. The processor 201, the memory 202, and the input / output interface 203 are connected to be communicable bidirectionally via an internal bus 204. An actuator group 120, a communication device 130, and a GPS receiver 140 are connected to the input / output interface 203.

[0011] In the present embodiment, the processor 111 functions as a vehicle control unit 115, a position information acquisition unit 116, and a deactivation execution unit 118 by executing a program PG1 stored in advance in the memory 112. The vehicle control unit 115 controls the actuator group 120. When a driver is on board the vehicle 100, the vehicle control unit 115 can drive the vehicle 100 by controlling the actuator group 120 according to the driver's operation. Regardless of whether a driver is on board the vehicle 100 or not, the vehicle control unit 115 can also drive the vehicle 100 by controlling the actuator group 120 according to a control command transmitted from the remote control device 200. The position information acquisition unit 116 acquires position information indicating the current location of the vehicle 100 using the GPS receiver 140.

[0012] The disabling execution unit 118 reversibly or irreversibly disables the remote control of the vehicle 100. Reversibly disabling the remote control means disabling it so that it can be re-enabled, and irreversibly disabling the remote control means disabling it so that it cannot be re-enabled. The disabling execution unit 118 reversibly disables the remote control of the vehicle 100 by, for example, stopping the remote control function of the vehicle control unit 115 until the remote control of the vehicle 100 can be enabled. The disabling execution unit 118 irreversibly disables the remote control by, for example, deleting the portion related to remote control from the program PG1 stored in the memory 112. The disabling execution unit 118 may also disable the remote control by stopping the communication function of the communication device 130. If a relay is provided between the vehicle control device 110 and the communication device 130, the disabling execution unit 118 may disable the remote control by opening and closing the relay to interrupt the connection between the vehicle control device 110 and the communication device 130.

[0013] The remote control device 200 is comprised of a computer comprising a processor 201, a memory 202, an input / output interface 203, and an internal bus 204. The processor 201, the memory 202, and the input / output interface 203 are connected via the internal bus 204 to enable bidirectional communication. A communication device 205 for communicating with the vehicle 100 via wireless communication is connected to the input / output interface 203. In this embodiment, the memory 202 stores geofence information GJ indicating a geofence area. A geofence area is an area surrounded by a geofence, which is a virtual fence.

[0014] In this embodiment, the processor 201 functions as a remote control unit 210, a location information receiving unit 220, a determination unit 230, and a deactivation command unit 240 by executing a program PG2 pre-stored in memory 202. The remote control unit 210 drives the vehicle 100 by remotely controlling it. The location information receiving unit 220 acquires location information by receiving location information transmitted from the vehicle 100. The determination unit 230 uses the location information and geofence information GJ to determine whether the vehicle 100 is located within the geofence area or outside the geofence area. If the deactivation command unit 240 determines that the vehicle 100 is located within the geofence area, it supplies a command to the vehicle 100 to deactivate its remote control. The remote control device 200 is sometimes referred to as a remote control deactivation device, the location information receiving unit 220 is sometimes referred to as a location information acquisition unit, and the determination unit 230 and the deactivation command unit 240 together are sometimes referred to as the deactivation command unit.

[0015] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing how vehicle 100 is driven by remote control. In this embodiment, remote control of vehicle 100 is performed at factory KJ where vehicle 100 is manufactured. Factory KJ comprises a first location PL1 and a second location PL2. The first location PL1 is, for example, the location where vehicle 100 is assembled, and the second location PL2 is, for example, the location where vehicle 100 is inspected. The first location PL1 and the second location PL2 are connected by a roadway SR on which vehicle 100 can travel.

[0016] The remote control unit 210 determines a target route for the vehicle 100 to travel along the road SR to its destination. Multiple cameras CM are installed in factory KJ to photograph the road SR, and the remote control unit 210 can obtain the relative position and orientation of the vehicle 100 to the target route in real time by analyzing the images captured by each camera CM. The remote control unit 210 generates a control command to drive the vehicle 100 along the target route and transmits the control command to the vehicle 100. The vehicle control device 110 mounted on the vehicle 100 drives the vehicle 100 by controlling the actuator group 120 according to the received control command. Therefore, the remote control system 10 can move the vehicle 100 from the first location PL1 to the second location PL2 by remote control without using transport devices such as cranes or conveyors. Alternatively, the remote control unit 210 may obtain the relative position and orientation of the vehicle 100 to the target route using the GPS receiver 140 mounted on the vehicle 100, instead of the cameras CM installed in factory KJ.

[0017] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing geofence areas. Figure 3 shows factory KJ and two geofence areas GR1 and GR2. In the following description, geofence area GR1 will be referred to as the first area GR1, geofence area GR2 as the second area GR2, and when neither is specifically distinguished, both will simply be referred to as geofence areas. The first area GR1 is an area provided to reversibly disable the remote control of vehicle 100, and the second area GR2 is an area provided to irreversibly disable the remote control of vehicle 100. The first area GR1 is provided to include, for example, a dealership for vehicle 100. The second area GR2 is provided in a different location from the first area GR1. The second area GR2 is provided to include, for example, a port where vehicle 100 is loaded onto a ship. Each area GR1 and GR2 may be provided within or outside factory KJ. Each area GR1 and GR2 may be provided to include a specific facility, a specific region, or a specific country.

[0018] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the contents of the location information acquisition process performed in vehicle 100. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the contents of the determination process performed in remote control device 200. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the contents of the deactivation execution process performed in vehicle 100. Using Figures 4 to 6, the remote control deactivation method performed in remote control system 10 will be explained.

[0019] The location information acquisition process shown in Figure 4 is repeatedly executed by the location information acquisition unit 116 of the vehicle 100 while remote control of the vehicle 100 is enabled. When the location information acquisition process starts, in step S110, the location information acquisition unit 116 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the last time the location information of the vehicle 100 was acquired. If this is the first time the location information acquisition process is executed, the location information acquisition unit 116 skips the process in step S110. The predetermined time is preferably a few seconds or several tens of seconds. If it is determined in step S110 that a predetermined time has not elapsed since the last time the location information was acquired, the location information acquisition unit 116 skips the process after step S110 and terminates the location information acquisition process.

[0020] If, in step S110, it is determined that a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the last time location information was acquired, the location information acquisition unit 116 acquires location information indicating the current location of the vehicle 100 using the GPS receiver 140 in step S120. For example, when the vehicle 100 is transported from factory KJ to a dealership, the GPS receiver 140 may be turned off. If the GPS receiver 140 is turned off, the acquisition of location information is performed when the GPS receiver 140 is turned on. In step S130, the location information acquisition unit 116 transmits the location information to the remote control device 200 via the communication device 130. After that, the location information acquisition unit 116 terminates the location information acquisition process.

[0021] The determination process shown in Figure 5 is repeatedly executed by the remote control device 200 while the remote control of the vehicle 100 is enabled. When the determination process starts, in step S210, the location information receiving unit 220 determines whether or not location information has been received. If it is determined in step S210 that location information has not been received, the remote control device 200 skips the processing after step S210 and terminates the determination process.

[0022] If it is determined in step S210 that location information has been received, the determination unit 230 acquires the location information from the location information receiving unit 220 in step S220 and uses the location information and geofence information GJ to determine whether or not the vehicle 100 is located within the first region GR1. If it is determined in step S220 that the vehicle 100 is located within the first region GR1, the deactivation command unit 240 transmits a first command to the vehicle 100 in step S230 to reversibly deactivate the remote control of the vehicle 100. After that, the remote control device 200 terminates the determination process.

[0023] If it is not determined in step S220 that the vehicle 100 is located within the first region GR1, the determination unit 230 determines in step S225 whether the vehicle 100 is located within the second region GR2 using the location information and geofence information GJ. If it is determined in step S225 that the vehicle 100 is located within the second region GR2, the deactivation command unit 240 transmits a second command to the vehicle 100 in step S235 to irreversibly deactivate the remote control of the vehicle 100. After that, the remote control device 200 terminates the determination process.

[0024] If it is not determined in step S235 that the vehicle 100 is located within the second region GR2, the remote control device 200 skips the processing after step S235 and terminates the determination process. Note that the determination of whether or not the vehicle 100 is located within the second region GR2 may be performed prior to the determination of whether or not the vehicle 100 is located within the first region GR1.

[0025] The deactivation execution process shown in Figure 6 is repeatedly executed by the vehicle 100's deactivation execution unit 118 while the vehicle 100's remote control is active. When the deactivation execution process starts, in step S310, the deactivation execution unit 118 determines whether or not it has received the first command. If it is determined in step S310 that the first command has been received, the deactivation execution unit 118 performs a reversible deactivation of the vehicle 100's remote control in step S320. In this embodiment, the deactivation execution unit 118 immediately performs a reversible deactivation when it is determined that it has received the first command.

[0026] If it is not determined in step S310 that the first command has been received, the deactivation execution unit 118 determines in step S315 whether or not the second command has been received. If it is determined in step S315 that the second command has been received, the deactivation execution unit 118 performs irreversible deactivation of the remote control of the vehicle 100 in step S325. In this embodiment, the deactivation execution unit 118 immediately performs irreversible deactivation when it is determined that the second command has been received. If it is not determined in step S315 that the second command has been received, the deactivation execution unit 118 skips the processing after step S315 and terminates the deactivation execution process.

[0027] According to the remote control system 10 of this embodiment described above, if it is determined that the vehicle 100 is located within the first region GR1, or if it is determined that the vehicle 100 is located within the second region GR2, the remote control of the vehicle 100 is disabled. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a third party from remotely controlling the vehicle 100. Furthermore, in this embodiment, if it is determined that the vehicle 100 is located within the first region GR1, the remote control of the vehicle 100 is reversibly disabled, and if it is determined that the vehicle 100 is located within the second region GR2, the remote control of the vehicle 100 is irreversibly disabled. Therefore, it is possible to differentiate whether the remote control of the vehicle 100 is reversibly or irreversibly disabled depending on the location of the vehicle 100.

[0028] B. Second Embodiment: Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the details of the deactivation process performed in the remote control system 10b in the second embodiment. In this embodiment, deactivation is performed after it is determined that the vehicle 100 is located within each region GR1, GR2, and then when it is determined that predetermined conditions are met. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0029] In this embodiment, when the invalidation execution process is started, in step S410 the invalidation execution unit 118 determines whether or not it has received the first command. If it is determined in step S410 that it has received the first command, the invalidation execution unit 118 determines in step S413 whether or not a predetermined condition has been met. In this embodiment the predetermined condition is that any of the following conditions A to C has been met. Condition A: A predetermined amount of time has elapsed since receiving the first or second command. Condition B: Vehicle 100 has traveled a predetermined distance since receiving the first or second command. Condition C: After vehicle 100 receives the first or second command, the speed of vehicle 100 exceeds the predetermined speed.

[0030] The predetermined time in condition A can be, for example, several tens of seconds, several minutes, or several hours. The movement of vehicle 100 in condition B includes movement by vehicle 100 under its own power and movement by vehicle 100 being transported by a trailer or the like. The deactivation execution unit 118 can determine, for example, whether vehicle 100 has moved a predetermined distance using a GPS receiver 140. The speed of vehicle 100 in condition C includes the speed when it is under its own power and the speed when it is being transported by a trailer or the like. The deactivation execution unit 118 can calculate the speed of vehicle 100 using, for example, time-series data of location information acquired using a GPS receiver 140. If vehicle 100 is equipped with a speed sensor, the deactivation execution unit 118 can acquire the speed of vehicle 100 using the speed sensor. Note that the predetermined conditions may be two or more of conditions A to C that are met.

[0031] If it is determined that the predetermined conditions are not met in step S413, the deactivation execution unit 118 repeats the process in step S413 until it is determined that the predetermined conditions are met in step S413. If it is determined that the predetermined conditions are not met even after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the deactivation execution unit 118 terminates the deactivation execution process. If it is determined that the predetermined conditions are met in step S413, the deactivation execution unit 118 performs reversible deactivation of the remote control of the vehicle 100 in step S420. After that, the deactivation execution unit 118 terminates the deactivation execution process.

[0032] If it is determined in step S410 that the first command has not been received, the invalidation execution unit 118 determines in step S415 whether or not the second command has been received. If it is determined in step S415 that the second command has not been received, the invalidation execution unit 118 skips the processing after step S415 and terminates the invalidation execution process. If it is determined in step S415 that the second command has been received, the invalidation execution unit 118 determines in step S418 whether or not a predetermined condition has been met. In this embodiment, the predetermined condition in step S418 is the same as the predetermined condition in step S413. However, the predetermined condition in step S418 may be different from the predetermined condition in step S413.

[0033] If it is determined that the predetermined conditions are not met in step S418, the deactivation execution unit 118 repeats the process in step S418 until it is determined that the predetermined conditions are met in step S418. If it is determined that the predetermined conditions are not met even after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the deactivation execution unit 118 terminates the deactivation execution process. If it is determined that the predetermined conditions are met in step S418, the deactivation execution unit 118 performs irreversible deactivation of the remote control of the vehicle 100 in step S425. After that, the deactivation execution unit 118 terminates the deactivation execution process.

[0034] As described above, the remote control system 10b in this embodiment performs reversible or irreversible deactivation only when predetermined conditions are met after receiving the first or second command, thereby preventing accidental deactivation of the remote control. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the vehicle 100 enters the first area GR1 or the second area GR2 via remote control, the remote control of the vehicle 100 can be deactivated at a position away from the boundary of the first area GR1 or the boundary of the second area GR2.

[0035] C. Third Embodiment: Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the contents of the second determination process performed in the remote control system 10c in the third embodiment. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the contents of the activation execution process performed in the remote control system 10c in the third embodiment. Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the geofence area in the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the remote control of the vehicle 100 is activated when it is determined that the vehicle 100 is located within the third area GR3 after the remote control of the vehicle 100 has been reversibly deactivated. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0036] Figure 10 shows factory KJ and three geofence areas GR1 to GR3. In the following description, geofence area GR3 will be referred to as the third area GR3. The third area GR3 is an area for enabling remote control of vehicle 100. The third area GR3 is located in a different location from both the first area GR1 and the second area GR2. The third area GR3 may be located inside or outside factory KJ. The third area GR3 may be located to include a specific facility, a specific region, or a specific country. Preferably, the third area GR3 is located in a place where the labor hours of workers can be reduced by remotely controlling vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the geofence information GJ stored in the memory 202 of the remote control device 200 includes information about the first area GR1 and the second area GR2, as well as information about the third area GR3.

[0037] In this embodiment, the location information acquisition process shown in Figure 4 is repeatedly executed not only while the remote control of the vehicle 100 is enabled, but also after the remote control of the vehicle 100 has been reversibly disabled. The second determination process shown in Figure 8 is repeatedly executed by the remote control device 200 after the remote control of the vehicle 100 has been reversibly disabled. When the second determination process starts, in step S510, the location information receiving unit 220 determines whether or not location information has been received. If it is not determined in step S510 that location information has been received, the remote control device 200 skips the processing after step S510 and terminates the second determination process. If it is determined in step S510 that location information has been received, the determination unit 230 acquires location information from the location information receiving unit 220, and in step S520, uses the location information and geofence information GJ to determine whether or not the vehicle 100 is located within the third region GR3.

[0038] If it is determined in step S520 that the vehicle 100 is located within the third region GR3, the deactivation command unit 240 transmits a third command to the vehicle 100 in step S530 to enable remote control of the vehicle 100. After that, the determination unit 230 terminates the second determination process. If it is not determined in step S520 that the vehicle 100 is located within the third region GR3, the determination unit 230 skips the process in step S530 and terminates the second determination process.

[0039] The activation process shown in Figure 9 is repeatedly performed by the vehicle control device 110 after the remote control of the vehicle 100 has been reversibly disabled. When the activation process is started, in step S610, the deactivation unit 118 determines whether or not it has received the third command. If it is determined in step S610 that the third command has not been received, the deactivation unit 118 skips the processing after step S610 and terminates the activation process. If it is determined in step S610 that the third command has been received, the deactivation unit 118 activates the remote control of the vehicle 100 in step S620. The deactivation unit 118 activates the remote control of the vehicle 100 by releasing the deactivation of the remote control function of the vehicle control unit 115. After that, the deactivation unit 118 terminates the activation process.

[0040] As described above, the remote control system 10c in this embodiment prevents a third party from remotely controlling the vehicle 100 by reversibly disabling the remote control of the vehicle 100, while enabling the remote control of the vehicle 100 when necessary.

[0041] D. Fourth Embodiment: Figure 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the remote control system 10d in the fourth embodiment. In this embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the vehicle 100 does not work together with the remote control device 200 to disable the remote control of the vehicle 100, but rather the vehicle 100 disables its remote control on its own. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0042] In this embodiment, the processor 111 of the vehicle control device 110 functions as a determination unit 117 in addition to the vehicle control unit 115, the location information acquisition unit 116, and the deactivation execution unit 118. Geofence information GJ is stored in the memory 112 of the vehicle control device 110. The determination unit 117 uses the location information and the geofence information GJ to determine whether the vehicle 100 is located in the first region GR1 and whether the vehicle 100 is located in the second region GR2. The determination unit 117 and the deactivation execution unit 118 are sometimes collectively referred to as the deactivation execution unit. In this embodiment, the remote control device 200 is not provided with the location information receiving unit 220, the determination unit 230, and the deactivation command unit 240 shown in Figure 1. In this embodiment, the location information acquisition process shown in Figure 4 and the determination process shown in Figure 5 are not executed.

[0043] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the contents of the deactivation execution process in this embodiment. The deactivation execution process is repeatedly executed by the vehicle control device 110 while remote control of the vehicle 100 is enabled. In this embodiment, when the deactivation execution process is started, in step S710, the location information acquisition unit 116 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the last time the location information of the vehicle 100 was acquired. If it is determined in step S710 that a predetermined time has not elapsed since the last time the location information was acquired, the location information acquisition unit 116 skips the processing after step S710 and terminates the deactivation execution process. If it is determined in step S710 that a predetermined time has elapsed since the last time the location information was acquired, the location information acquisition unit 116, in step S720, uses the GPS receiver 140 to acquire location information indicating the current location of the vehicle 100.

[0044] In step S730, the determination unit 117 obtains location information from the location information acquisition unit 116 and uses the location information and geofence information GJ to determine whether the vehicle 100 is located within the first region GR1. If it is determined in step S730 that the vehicle 100 is located within the first region GR1, the deactivation execution unit 118 reversibly deactivates the remote control of the vehicle 100 in step S740. After that, the deactivation execution unit 118 terminates the deactivation execution process. If it is not determined in step S730 that the vehicle 100 is located within the first region GR1, the determination unit 117 uses the location information and geofence information GJ in step S735 to determine whether the vehicle 100 is located within the second region GR2. If it is not determined in step S735 that the vehicle 100 is located within the first region GR1, the determination unit 117 skips the processing after step S735 and terminates the deactivation execution process. If it is determined in step S735 that the vehicle 100 is located within the first region GR1, the deactivation execution unit 118 irreversibly deactivates the remote control of the vehicle 100 in step S745. After that, the deactivation execution unit 118 terminates the deactivation execution process.

[0045] According to the remote control system 10d of this embodiment described above, similar to the first embodiment, if it is determined that the vehicle 100 is located within the first region GR1, the remote control of the vehicle 100 is reversibly disabled, and if it is determined that the vehicle 100 is located within the second region GR2, the remote control of the vehicle 100 is irreversibly disabled. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a third party from remotely controlling the vehicle 100. In particular, in this embodiment, the remote control of the vehicle 100 can be disabled without using the remote control device 200.

[0046] E. Other embodiments: (E1) In the remote control systems 10 to 10c of the first to third embodiments described above, the position information receiving unit 220, the determination unit 230, and the deactivation command unit 240 are provided on the remote control device 200. In contrast, the position information receiving unit 220, the determination unit 230, and the deactivation command unit 240 may be provided on a computer different from the remote control device 200. In this case, the computer is referred to as the remote control deactivation device. A communication device for communicating with the vehicle 100 via wireless communication is connected to the remote control deactivation device, and geofence information GJ is stored in the memory of the remote control deactivation device.

[0047] (E2) In the remote control system 10b of the second embodiment described above, at least one of the determination of whether the predetermined conditions in step S413 are met and the determination of whether the predetermined conditions in step S418 are met may be performed on the remote control device 200. In this case, the information necessary to determine whether each of conditions A to C is met is transmitted from the vehicle 100 to the remote control device 200.

[0048] (E3) In the remote control system 10c of the third embodiment described above, similar to the second embodiment, if it is determined that the vehicle 100 is located in the first area GR1 or the second area GR2 and that predetermined conditions are met, the remote control may be disabled.

[0049] (E4) In the remote control system 10d of the fourth embodiment described above, similar to the second embodiment, remote control may be disabled if it is determined that the vehicle 100 is located in the first region GR1 or the second region GR2 and that predetermined conditions are met. Also, in the remote control system 10d of the fourth embodiment, similar to the third embodiment, remote control of the vehicle 100 may be enabled if it is determined that the vehicle 100 is located in the third region GR3 after the remote control of the vehicle 100 has been reversibly disabled.

[0050] (E5) In the remote control systems 10 to 10d of each embodiment described above, the reversible deactivation of the remote control of the vehicle 100 may be performed using a device connected to a connector for fault diagnosis or maintenance of the vehicle 100. Also, in the remote control systems 10 to 10d of each embodiment described above, the irreversible deactivation of the remote control of the vehicle 100 may be performed using a device connected to a connector for fault diagnosis or maintenance of the vehicle 100. Furthermore, in the remote control systems 10 to c of the third embodiment, the activation of the remote control of the vehicle 100 may be performed using a device connected to a connector for fault diagnosis or maintenance of the vehicle 100.

[0051] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from its spirit. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described in the summary of the invention can be replaced or combined as appropriate in order to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or to achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be deleted as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 10-10d...Remote control system, 100...Vehicle (mobile object), 110...Vehicle control device, 111...Processor, 112...Memory, 113...Input / output interface, 114...Internal bus, 115...Vehicle control unit, 116...Location information acquisition unit, 117...Determination unit, 118...Disable execution unit, 120...Actuator group, 130...Communication device, 140...GPS receiver, 200...Remote control device (remote control disable device), 201...Processor, 202...Memory, 203...Input / output interface, 204...Internal bus, 205...Communication device, 210...Remote control unit, 220...Location information receiving unit (location information acquisition unit), 230...Determination unit, 240...Disable command unit

Claims

1. A remote control system, A mobile body that can be moved by remote control, the mobile body comprising a disabling execution unit that reversibly or irreversibly disables the remote control, A location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of the moving object, If the system determines, using the location information, that the moving object is located within a predetermined first region, it supplies a first command to the disabling execution unit to reversibly disable the remote control; if the system determines, using the location information, that the moving object is located within a predetermined second region different from the first region, it supplies a second command to the disabling execution unit to irreversibly disable the remote control; A remote control system equipped with the following features.

2. A remote control system according to claim 1, The mobile body is a remote control system that moves the mobile body by remote control in a factory where the mobile body is manufactured.

3. A remote control system according to claim 1, The deactivation execution unit deactivates the remote control after a predetermined period has elapsed since receiving the first command or the second command.

4. A remote control system according to claim 1, The deactivation execution unit is a remote control system that, after receiving the first command or the second command, deactivates the remote control when the moving object has moved a predetermined distance.

5. A remote control system according to claim 1, The deactivation execution unit deactivates the remote control when the speed of the moving body exceeds a predetermined speed after receiving the first command or the second command, in a remote control system.

6. A remote control system according to claim 1, When the deactivation command unit determines, using the position information, that the moving object is located within a predetermined third region that is different from both the first and second regions, it supplies a third command to the deactivation execution unit to enable the remote control. The deactivation execution unit reversibly deactivates the remote control, and then, upon receiving the third command, activates the remote control, thereby enabling the remote control.

7. A remote control deactivation device, A mobile body that can be moved by remote control, and a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of the mobile body, which includes a disabling execution unit that reversibly or irreversibly disables the remote control, If the system determines, using the location information, that the moving object is located within a predetermined first region, it supplies a first command to the disabling execution unit to reversibly disable the remote control; if the system determines, using the location information, that the moving object is located within a predetermined second region different from the first region, it supplies a second command to the disabling execution unit to irreversibly disable the remote control; A remote control deactivation device equipped with the above.

8. A mobile body that can be moved by remote control, A mobile body comprising a deactivation execution unit that reversibly deactivates the remote control in response to a first command supplied from a remote control deactivation device when the mobile body is located within a predetermined first area, and irreversibly deactivates the remote control in response to a second command supplied from the remote control deactivation device when the mobile body is located within a predetermined second area different from the first area.

9. A mobile body that can be moved by remote control, A location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of the moving object, A disabling execution unit that, when it is determined using the location information that the moving object is located within a predetermined first region, reversibly disables the remote control, and when it is determined using the location information that the moving object is located within a predetermined second region different from the first region, irreversibly disables the remote control; A mobile device equipped with these features.

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