Information processing device and information processing method

Abstract

To prevent forgetting to attach or detach a communication instrument.SOLUTION: An information processor includes: an acquisition unit configured to acquire attachment information regarding whether a communication instrument used for remote control is attached to a movable body that can operate by remote control; and an indication unit configured to execute at lest one of processing of outputting an indication to attach a temporary communication instrument to the movable body when it is determined by using the attachment information that a permanent communication instrument is not attached to the movable body and processing of outputting an indication to detach the temporary communication instrument from the movable body when it is determined by using the attachment information that the temporary communication instrument is attached to the mobile body that has completed remote control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method.

Background Art

[0002] In the manufacturing process of a vehicle, a technology for driving a 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] In order to remotely control a moving body that does not have a permanent communication device, a temporary communication device may be attached to the moving body. When the temporary communication device is used, there is a possibility of forgetting to attach the temporary communication device to the moving body or forgetting to remove the temporary communication device from the moving body after the remote control has ended.

Means for Solving the Problems

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

[0006] (1) According to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, an information processing device is provided. This information processing device includes: an acquisition unit that acquires mounting information regarding whether or not a communication device used for remote control is attached to a mobile body that can be operated by remote control; an instruction unit that performs at least one of the following processes: an output instruction to attach a temporary communication device to the mobile body when it is determined using the mounting information that a permanent communication device is not attached to the mobile body; and an output instruction to remove the temporary communication device from the mobile body when it is determined using the mounting information that the temporary communication device is attached to the mobile body after the remote control has ended. This type of information processing device can prevent at least one of the following: forgetting to attach the temporary communication device to the mobile device, or forgetting to remove the temporary communication device from the mobile device. (2) In the above-described information processing apparatus, the remote control is performed in a factory that manufactures the mobile body, and the acquisition unit is provided in the factory and may acquire the mounting information from at least one of an external sensor that detects the mobile body and a process control device that manages the manufacturing process of the mobile body in the factory. This type of information processing device allows for easy acquisition of mounting information. (3) In the information processing device of the above form, the mobile body comprises an actuator and a control device for controlling the actuator, and the permanent communication device and the temporary communication device may receive information indicating a command value for the control device to control the actuator, or information for the control device to determine the command value. According to this type of information processing device, the control device for a mobile object can control an actuator using information received by a permanent or temporary communication device. (4) In the above-described information processing device, the information received by the permanent communication device when the permanent communication device is attached to the mobile body and the information received by the temporary communication device when the temporary communication device is attached to the mobile body may be the same. This type of information processing device can suppress the complexity of remote control that arises when a permanent communication device is installed on a mobile device and the information received by a temporary communication device is different. (5) According to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, an information processing method is provided. This information processing method acquires mounting information regarding whether or not a communication device used for remote control is attached to a mobile body that can be operated by remote control, and performs at least one of the following processes: using the mounting information, if it is determined that a permanent communication device is not attached to the mobile body, it outputs an instruction to attach a temporary communication device to the mobile body; and using the mounting information, if it is determined that the temporary communication device is attached to the mobile body after the remote control has ended, it outputs an instruction to remove the temporary communication device from the mobile body. This form of information processing method makes it possible to suppress at least one of the following: forgetting to attach the temporary communication device to the mobile device, and forgetting to remove the temporary communication device from the mobile device. This disclosure can also be implemented in various forms other than information processing apparatus and information processing method. For example, it can be implemented in the form of a remote control system, remote control device, remote control method, computer program, and recording medium on which the computer program is recorded. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an unmanned operation system equipped with an information processing device. [Figure 2] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the first vehicle and the second vehicle. [Figure 3] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle control system. [Figure 4] An explanatory diagram showing how vehicles are moved remotely within a factory. [Figure 5] A flowchart illustrating the procedure for controlling the vehicle's movement. [Figure 6] A flowchart illustrating the process of processing installation instructions. [Figure 7]A flowchart illustrating the process of issuing a removal instruction. [Figure 8] An explanatory diagram showing how installation and removal instructions are transmitted. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] A. First Embodiment: Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the unmanned driving system 10 equipped with an information processing device 200 in the first embodiment. Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the mobile vehicles 100A and 100B. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle control device 140. The unmanned driving system 10 is used in a factory that manufactures mobile vehicles to move them by unmanned operation.

[0009] In this disclosure, “mobile object” means an object that can move, such as a vehicle or an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (so-called flying car). A vehicle may be a wheeled vehicle or a tracked vehicle, such as a passenger car, truck, bus, motorcycle, car, tank, or construction vehicle. Vehicles include electric vehicles (BEVs: Battery Electric Vehicles), gasoline vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. If the mobile object is not a vehicle, the terms “vehicle” and “car” in this disclosure may be replaced with “mobile object” as appropriate, and the term “driving” may be replaced with “moving” as appropriate.

[0010] "Unmanned operation" refers to driving without the operation of a passenger. Driving operation refers to operations related to at least one of the following: "going," "turning," or "stopping." Unmanned operation is achieved by automatic or manual remote control using devices located outside the vehicle, or by autonomous control of the vehicle. A vehicle operating under unmanned operation may have passengers on board who do not perform driving operations. Passengers who do not perform driving operations include, for example, people simply sitting in the vehicle's seats, or people performing tasks other than driving operations while in the vehicle, such as assembly, inspection, or operating switches. Driving with the operation of a passenger is sometimes called "manned operation."

[0011] In this disclosure, “remote control” includes “fully remote control,” in which all of the vehicle’s operations are completely determined from outside the vehicle, and “partial remote control,” in which some of the vehicle’s operations are determined from outside the vehicle. Furthermore, “autonomous control” includes “fully autonomous control,” in which the vehicle autonomously controls its own operations without receiving any information from external devices, and “partial autonomous control,” in which the vehicle autonomously controls its own operations using information received from external devices.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the unmanned operation system 10 includes vehicles 100A and 100B that can be operated by remote control, an information processing device 200 for remotely controlling vehicles 100A and 100B, a group of external sensors 300 installed in the factory, a process control device 400 for managing the manufacturing process of vehicles 100A and 100B in the factory, and a mobile terminal 500 carried by factory workers. In the following description, vehicle 100A will be referred to as the first vehicle 100A, and vehicle 100B as the second vehicle 100B. When the first vehicle 100A and the second vehicle 100B are not specifically distinguished, they will simply be referred to as vehicle 100. The information processing device 200 may also be referred to as the remote control device.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the first vehicle 100A and the second vehicle 100B include a drive device 110 for accelerating the host vehicle, a steering device 120 for changing the traveling direction of the host vehicle, a braking device 130 for decelerating the host vehicle, and a vehicle control device 140 for controlling each part of the host vehicle. The drive device 110 includes an actuator for accelerating the host vehicle, the steering device 120 includes an actuator for changing the traveling direction of the host vehicle, and the braking device 130 includes an actuator for decelerating the host vehicle. In the present embodiment, the drive device 110 includes a battery, a traveling motor driven by the power of the battery, and drive wheels rotated by the traveling motor. The traveling motor is included in the actuator for accelerating the host vehicle.

[0014] The first vehicle 100A further includes a permanent communication device 150A for communicating with the information processing device 200 by wireless communication. The permanent communication device 150A is a communication device permanently installed in the first vehicle 100A, and after being installed in the first vehicle 100A at the factory, it is not removed from the first vehicle 100A except in cases such as replacement or repair. Therefore, the first vehicle 100A is sold to the user with the permanent communication device 150A installed.

[0015] The second vehicle 100B does not include the permanent communication device 150A. The second vehicle 100B includes a connector 149 to which a temporary communication device 150B for communicating with the information processing device 200 by wireless communication is attached. The temporary communication device 150B is a communication device temporarily installed in the second vehicle 100B, and after being installed in the second vehicle 100B at the factory, it is removed from the second vehicle 100B before the second vehicle 100B is sold to the user. In the present embodiment, the temporary communication device 150B is removed from the second vehicle 100B before the second vehicle 100B is shipped from the factory. Therefore, the second vehicle 100B is sold to the user without the temporary communication device 150B installed.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle control device 140 is constituted by a computer including a processor 141, a memory 142, an input / output interface 143, and an internal bus 144. The processor 141, the memory 142, and the input / output interface 143 are connected so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally via the internal bus 144. The drive device 110, the steering device 120, and the braking device 130 are connected to the input / output interface 143. A permanent communication device 150A is connected to the input / output interface 143 of the first vehicle 100A, and a temporary communication device 150B is connected to the input / output interface 143 of the second vehicle 100B via a connector 149. The processor 141 functions as a travel control unit 145 that executes travel control of the vehicle 100 by executing a computer program PG1 stored in advance in the memory 142. "Travel control" means, for example, adjustment of the acceleration, speed, and steering angle of the vehicle 100. By executing travel control, that is, by controlling the drive device 110, the steering device 120, and the braking device 130, the travel control unit 145 causes the host vehicle to travel. When a passenger is on board the host vehicle, the travel control unit 145 can cause the host vehicle to travel by controlling the various devices 110 to 130 according to the operation of the passenger. In the present embodiment, the travel control unit 145 can cause the host vehicle to travel by controlling the various devices 110 to 130 according to a control command received from the information processing device 200 regardless of whether a passenger is on board the host vehicle.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, the information processing device 200 is composed 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 is connected to the input / output interface 203 for communicating with each vehicle 100A, 100B, and the mobile terminal 500 via wireless communication. In this embodiment, the communication device 205 can communicate with the external sensor group 300 and the process control device 400 via wired or wireless communication.

[0018] The processor 201 functions as a remote control unit 210, an information acquisition unit 220, and an instruction unit 230 by executing a computer program PG2 pre-stored in memory 202. The remote control unit 210 generates control commands for remotely controlling the vehicle 100 and transmits the control commands to the vehicle 100 to make the vehicle 100 move. The information acquisition unit 220 acquires mounting information indicating whether or not the vehicle 100 is equipped with a permanent communication device 150A. The instruction unit 230 uses the mounting information to output a command to attach the temporary communication device 150B to the vehicle 100, and uses the mounting information to output a command to remove the temporary communication device 150B from the vehicle 100.

[0019] The external sensor group 300 is composed of multiple external sensors. External sensors are sensors installed on the outside of the vehicle 100. The external sensors are used to detect the position and orientation of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the external sensor group 300 is composed of multiple cameras installed in the factory. Each camera is equipped with a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with the information processing device 200 via wired or wireless communication.

[0020] The process control device 400 manages the entire manufacturing process of the vehicles 100 in the factory. The process control device 400 consists of at least one computer. The process control device 400 is equipped with a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with the information processing device 200 by wired or wireless communication. The process control device 400 manages the progress of the manufacturing process for each vehicle 100, in other words, it manages what stage the manufacturing process for each vehicle 100 has progressed to. The process control device 400 also manages when, where, which worker, and what work is performed.

[0021] The mobile terminal 500 is equipped with a display screen that displays various information. The mobile terminal 500 is equipped with a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with the information processing device 200 via wireless communication. The mobile terminal 500 displays the information received from the information processing device 200 on its display screen. In this embodiment, the mobile terminal 500 is a tablet terminal. However, the mobile terminal 500 is not limited to a tablet terminal and may be, for example, a notebook computer or a smartphone.

[0022] Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing how the first vehicle 100A and the second vehicle 100B are moved by remote control in factory KJ. In this embodiment, factory KJ comprises a first location PL1 and a second location PL2. The first location PL1 and the second location PL2 are connected by a travel path SR on which each vehicle 100A and 100B can travel. In this embodiment, the first location PL1 is the place where each vehicle 100A and 100B are assembled. The second location is the place where each vehicle 100A and 100B are inspected.

[0023] Vehicle 100A is transported to a designated starting point at location 1 PL1 with the drive unit 110, steering unit 120, braking unit 130, vehicle control unit 140, and permanent communication device 150A installed. Vehicle 2 100B is transported to the starting point with the drive unit 110, steering unit 120, braking unit 130, and vehicle control unit 140 installed. At the starting point, a temporary communication device 150B is installed on vehicle 2 100B. Vehicles 100A and 100B are remotely controlled by a remote control unit 210 and travel from the starting point at location 1 PL1 to a designated finish point at location 2 PL2. At the finish point, the temporary communication device 150B is removed from vehicle 2 100B. Vehicles 100A and 100B that pass inspection at location 2 PL2 are then shipped from factory KJ.

[0024] Referring to Figure 4, the method by which the remote control unit 210 moves the vehicle 100 by remote control will be briefly explained. The remote control unit 210 determines a target route for the vehicle 100 to travel to its destination via the travel path SR. In this embodiment, the target route is the reference path RR, which will be described later. Multiple cameras CM are installed in factory KJ to photograph the travel path SR. The multiple cameras CM are included in the external sensor group 300. By analyzing the images captured by each camera CM, the remote control unit 210 can obtain the relative position and orientation of the vehicle 100 with respect to the target route in real time. 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. In this embodiment, the control command is the travel control signal, which will be described later. The control command indicates the target values ​​for the acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 100. The vehicle control device 140 mounted on the vehicle 100 controls the drive unit 110, steering unit 120, and braking unit 130 using control commands received by the permanent communication device 150A or the temporary communication device 150B, thereby moving the vehicle 100. Therefore, the vehicle 100 can be moved without using transport devices such as cranes or conveyors.

[0025] In this embodiment, the remote control unit 210 transmits the same control commands to the vehicle 100 whether a permanent communication device 150A is installed on the vehicle 100 or a temporary communication device 150B is installed on the vehicle 100. That is, when the remote control target is the first vehicle 100A, the remote control unit 210 transmits a control command to the first vehicle 100A indicating the target values ​​for acceleration and steering angle of the first vehicle 100A, and when the remote control target is the second vehicle 100B, the remote control unit 210 transmits a control command to the second vehicle 100B indicating the target values ​​for acceleration and steering angle of the second vehicle 100B. Therefore, the processing performed by the remote control unit 210 for remote control of the vehicle 100 does not need to differ between the case of remote control of the first vehicle 100A and the case of remote control of the second vehicle 100B, thus preventing the processing performed by the remote control unit 210 for remote control of the vehicle 100 from becoming more complex. The target values ​​for acceleration and steering angle of vehicle 100 are sometimes referred to as command values.

[0026] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure for controlling the vehicle 100's movement. Referring to Figure 5, the method by which the remote control unit 210 controls the vehicle 100 will be described in more detail. In step S1, the remote control unit 210 acquires vehicle position information of the vehicle 100 using detection results output from an external sensor, which is a sensor located outside the vehicle 100. Vehicle position information is position information that forms the basis for generating the driving control signal. In this embodiment, the vehicle position information includes the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 in the reference coordinate system of factory KJ. In this embodiment, the reference coordinate system of factory KJ is the global coordinate system, and any position within factory KJ is represented by X, Y, Z coordinates in the global coordinate system. In this embodiment, the external sensor is a camera CM, and the external sensor outputs an captured image as a detection result. That is, in step S1, the remote control unit 210 acquires vehicle position information using the captured image acquired from the camera CM, which is the external sensor.

[0027] In detail, in step S1, the remote control unit 210, for example, detects the outline of the vehicle 100 from the captured image, calculates the coordinates of the vehicle 100's positioning point in the coordinate system of the captured image, i.e., the local coordinate system, and obtains the position of the vehicle 100 by converting the calculated coordinates to coordinates in the global coordinate system. The outline of the vehicle 100 included in the captured image can be detected, for example, by inputting the captured image into a detection model DM that utilizes artificial intelligence. The detection model DM is prepared, for example, within or outside the unmanned driving system 10 and pre-stored in the memory 202 of the information processing device 200. Examples of the detection model DM include a pre-trained machine learning model that has been trained to implement either semantic segmentation or instance segmentation. As this machine learning model, for example, a convolutional neural network (hereinafter referred to as CNN) trained by supervised learning using a training dataset can be used. The training dataset includes, for example, multiple training images containing vehicle 100, and labels indicating whether each region in the training images represents vehicle 100 or something other than vehicle 100. During CNN training, it is preferable to update the CNN parameters using backpropagation to reduce the error between the output result of the detection model DM and the labels. Furthermore, the processor 201 can obtain the orientation of vehicle 100 by, for example, using the optical flow method, estimating it based on the direction of the vehicle 100's movement vector calculated from the positional changes of the vehicle 100's feature points between frames of the captured images.

[0028] In step S2, the remote control unit 210 determines the next target location to which the vehicle 100 should go. In this embodiment, the target location is represented by X, Y, Z coordinates in the global coordinate system. The memory 202 of the information processing device 200 stores in advance a reference route RR, which is the route that the vehicle 100 should travel. The route is represented by a node indicating the starting point, nodes indicating waypoints, a node indicating the destination, and links connecting each node. The remote control unit 210 uses the vehicle position information and the reference route RR to determine the next target location to which the vehicle 100 should go. The remote control unit 210 determines the target location on the reference route RR beyond the current location of the vehicle 100.

[0029] In step S3, the remote control unit 210 generates a driving control signal to drive the vehicle 100 toward the determined target position. In this embodiment, the driving control signal includes the acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 100 as parameters. In other embodiments, the driving control signal may include the speed of the vehicle 100 as a parameter instead of, or in addition to, the acceleration of the vehicle 100. The remote control unit 210 calculates the driving speed of the vehicle 100 from the change in the position of the vehicle 100 and compares the calculated driving speed with the target speed. Overall, the remote control unit 210 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 accelerates if the driving speed is lower than the target speed, and determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 decelerates if the driving speed is higher than the target speed. Furthermore, the remote control unit 210 determines the steering angle and acceleration to prevent the vehicle 100 from deviating from the reference path RR when the vehicle 100 is located on the reference path RR, and determines the steering angle and acceleration to prevent the vehicle 100 from deviating from the reference path RR when the vehicle 100 is not located on the reference path RR, in other words, when the vehicle 100 has deviated from the reference path RR.

[0030] In step S4, the remote control unit 210 transmits the generated driving control signal to the vehicle 100. The remote control unit 210 repeats the process of acquiring the position of the vehicle 100, determining the target position, generating the driving control signal, and transmitting the driving control signal at predetermined intervals.

[0031] In step S5, the vehicle control device 140 mounted on the vehicle 100 receives a driving control signal transmitted from the information processing device 200. In step S6, the vehicle control device 140 uses the received driving control signal to control the drive unit 110, the steering unit 120, and the braking unit 130, thereby driving the vehicle 100 at the acceleration and steering angle indicated in the driving control signal. The vehicle control device 140 repeats the reception of the driving control signal and the control of the various devices 110 to 130 at predetermined intervals.

[0032] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the contents of the installation instruction process. The installation instruction process is repeatedly executed by the processor 201 of the information processing device 200. When the installation instruction process starts, in step S110, the information acquisition unit 220 acquires installation information from the process control device 400 indicating whether or not a permanent communication device 150A is installed on the vehicle 100 located at the starting point of the first location PL1. In the following description, the vehicle 100 located at the starting point of the first location PL1 will be referred to as the target vehicle 100. In this embodiment, since the process control device 400 manages the manufacturing process of each vehicle 100, it knows whether or not the vehicle type of the target vehicle 100 is a vehicle type equipped with a permanent communication device 150A, and if the vehicle type of the target vehicle 100 is a vehicle type equipped with a permanent communication device 150A, whether or not the process of installing the permanent communication device 150A on the target vehicle 100 has been completed. In other words, the process control device 400 knows whether or not a permanent communication device 150A is installed on the target vehicle 100.

[0033] In step S120, the instruction unit 230 uses the installation information of the target vehicle 100 to determine whether or not the target vehicle 100 is equipped with a permanent communication device 150A. If it is determined in step S120 that the target vehicle 100 is equipped with a permanent communication device 150A, the instruction unit 230 skips the processing after step S120 and terminates the installation instruction process.

[0034] If it is determined in step S120 that the target vehicle 100 is not equipped with a permanent communication device 150A, the instruction unit 230 outputs a signal in step S130 to instruct the temporary communication device 150B to be installed on the target vehicle 100. In this embodiment, a worker located at the starting point installs the temporary communication device 150B on the target vehicle 100. The process management device 400 stores a shift schedule that shows when, where, and which worker is performing which task. The instruction unit 230 uses the shift schedule obtained from the process management device 400 to identify the worker located at the starting point and sends a signal to the mobile terminal 500 held by the worker located at the starting point to instruct the temporary communication device 150B to be installed on the target vehicle 100. The display screen of the mobile terminal 500 that receives the signal displays a message instructing the temporary communication device 150B to be installed on the target vehicle 100. After that, the instruction unit 230 terminates the installation instruction process. Furthermore, the method that includes the processing performed in the installation instruction process is sometimes called an information processing method.

[0035] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the contents of the removal instruction process. The removal instruction process is repeatedly executed by the processor 201 of the information processing device 200. When the removal instruction process is started, in step S210, the information acquisition unit 220 acquires installation information from the process control device 400 indicating whether or not a temporary communication device 150B is installed on the vehicle 100 located at the goal point and which has finished remotely controlled driving. In the following description, the vehicle 100 located at the goal point of the second location PL2 will be referred to as the target vehicle 100. In this embodiment, when the remotely controlled driving of the target vehicle 100 is completed, the remote control unit 210 transmits information to the process control device 400 indicating that the remotely controlled driving of the target vehicle 100 has been completed. The process control device 400 knows whether or not the vehicle type of the target vehicle 100 is a vehicle type equipped with a permanent communication device 150A, in other words, whether or not remote control of the target vehicle 100 was performed using the temporary communication device 150B.

[0036] In step S220, the instruction unit 230 uses the mounting information of the target vehicle 100 to determine whether or not the temporary communication device 150B is installed on the target vehicle 100. If it is determined in step S220 that the temporary communication device 150B is not installed on the target vehicle 100, the instruction unit 230 skips the processing after step S220 and terminates the removal instruction process.

[0037] If it is determined in step S220 that a temporary communication device 150B is attached to the target vehicle 100, the instruction unit 230 outputs a signal in step S230 to instruct the removal of the temporary communication device 150B from the target vehicle 100. The instruction unit 230 uses the shift schedule obtained from the process control device 400 to identify the worker located at the goal point and sends a signal to the mobile terminal 500 held by the worker located at the goal point to instruct the removal of the temporary communication device 150B from the target vehicle 100. The display screen of the mobile terminal 500 that receives the signal displays a message instructing the removal of the temporary communication device 150B from the target vehicle 100. After that, the instruction unit 230 terminates the removal instruction process. The method including the process performed in the removal instruction process is sometimes called an information processing method.

[0038] Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing how the temporary communication device 150B is attached to and detached from the second vehicle 100B. As shown in the upper part of Figure 8, if the target vehicle 100 located at the starting point does not have the permanent communication device 150A installed, in other words, if the target vehicle 100 is the second vehicle 100B, then the information processing device 200 sends an instruction SA to the mobile terminal 500 held by worker WK1 located at the starting point ST, instructing that the temporary communication device 150B be attached to the target vehicle 100. On the other hand, if the target vehicle 100 has the permanent communication device 150A installed, in other words, if the target vehicle 100 is the first vehicle 100A, then the information processing device 200 does not send the above instruction SA to the mobile terminal 500 held by worker WK1.

[0039] As shown in the lower part of Figure 8, if the target vehicle 100 located at the goal point GL is equipped with a temporary communication device 150B, in other words, if the target vehicle 100 is the second vehicle 100B, the information processing device 200 sends an instruction SD to the mobile terminal 500 held by worker WK2 located at the goal point GL, instructing it to remove the temporary communication device 150B from the target vehicle 100. On the other hand, if the target vehicle 100 is not equipped with a temporary communication device 150B, in other words, if the target vehicle 100 is the first vehicle 100A, the information processing device 200 does not send the above instruction SD to the mobile terminal 500 held by worker WK2.

[0040] As described above, the information processing device 200 in this embodiment performs installation instruction processing and removal instruction processing, thereby preventing the forgetting to install the temporary communication device 150B on vehicles 100 that are not equipped with a permanent communication device 150A, and preventing the forgetting to remove the temporary communication device 150B from vehicles 100 that are equipped with a temporary communication device 150B.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the information processing device 200 acquires installation information from the process control device 400, making it easy to obtain installation information.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the vehicle control device 140 can control the actuators of various devices 110 to 130 using information received by the permanent communication device 150A or the temporary communication device 150B.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the driving control signal transmitted by the remote control unit 210 to the vehicle 100 is the same whether the vehicle 100 is equipped with a permanent communication device 150A or a temporary communication device 150B. Therefore, the complexity of remote control of the vehicle 100 can be suppressed by having the driving control signal transmitted by the remote control unit 210 to the vehicle 100 differ depending on whether the vehicle 100 is equipped with a permanent communication device 150A or a temporary communication device 150B.

[0044] B. Other embodiments: (B1) In the information processing device 200 of the first embodiment described above, the instruction unit 230 performs installation instruction processing and removal instruction processing. The instruction unit 230 does not have to perform either installation instruction processing or removal instruction processing. Even if the instruction unit 230 does not perform installation instruction processing, it is possible to prevent forgetting to remove the temporary communication device 150B from the vehicle 100 to which the temporary communication device 150B is installed. Even if the instruction unit 230 does not perform removal instruction processing, it is possible to prevent forgetting to install the temporary communication device 150B on a vehicle 100 that is not equipped with a permanent communication device 150A.

[0045] (B2) In the information processing device 200 of the first embodiment described above, the instruction unit 230 transmits instructions to the mobile terminal 500 held by the worker to install the temporary communication device 150B and instructions to remove the temporary communication device 150B. In contrast, if the attachment and detachment of the temporary communication device 150 is performed by a robot arm rather than by a worker, the instruction unit 230 may transmit instructions to the robot controller that controls the robot arm to perform the attachment and detachment of the temporary communication device 150B.

[0046] (B3) In the information processing device 200 of the first embodiment described above, the information acquisition unit 220 acquires installation information from the process control device 400 indicating whether or not a permanent communication device 150A is installed on the vehicle 100 located at the starting point. However, if a camera or LiDAR is installed at the starting point to check whether or not a permanent communication device 150A is installed on the vehicle 100, the information acquisition unit 220 may acquire installation information indicating whether or not a permanent communication device 150A is installed on the vehicle 100 located at the starting point by analyzing the camera's video or the LiDAR's point cloud data. Furthermore, if the permanent communication device 150A is not installed on the vehicle 100 that should have it installed, a signal may be sent to the mobile terminal 500 held by the worker located at the starting point to instruct the worker to install the permanent communication device 150A on the vehicle 100. In this case, the occurrence of forgetting to install the permanent communication device 150A can be suppressed.

[0047] (B4) In the information processing device 200 of the first embodiment described above, the information acquisition unit 220 acquires installation information from the process control device 400 indicating whether or not a temporary communication device 150B is installed on the vehicle 100 located at the goal point. In contrast, if a camera or LiDAR is installed at the goal point to confirm whether or not a temporary communication device 150B is installed on the vehicle 100, the information acquisition unit 220 may acquire installation information indicating whether or not a temporary communication device 150B is installed on the vehicle 100 located at the goal point by analyzing the camera's video or the LiDAR's point cloud data.

[0048] (B5) In the first embodiment described above, the external sensor is a camera CM. However, the external sensor does not have to be a camera CM; for example, it may be a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging). In this case, the detection result output from the external sensor may be 3D point cloud data representing the vehicle 100. In this case, the remote control unit 210 may acquire vehicle position information by template matching using the 3D point cloud data as the detection result and pre-prepared reference point cloud data.

[0049] (B6) In the first embodiment described above, the information processing device 200 performs the processing from acquiring vehicle position information to generating a driving control signal. Alternatively, the vehicle 100 may perform at least a part of the processing from acquiring vehicle position information to generating a driving control signal. For example, the following forms (1) to (3) may be used.

[0050] (1) The information processing device 200 may acquire vehicle position information, determine the next target location to which the vehicle 100 should go, and generate a route from the vehicle 100's current location to the target location as shown in the acquired vehicle position information. The information processing device 200 may generate a route to the target location between the current location and the destination, or it may generate a route to the destination. The information processing device 200 may transmit the generated route to the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 may generate a driving control signal so that the vehicle 100 travels along the route received from the information processing device 200, and may use the generated driving control signal to control the drive unit 110, the steering unit 120, and the braking unit 130.

[0051] (2) The information processing device 200 may acquire vehicle position information and transmit the acquired vehicle position information to the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 may determine the next target location to which the vehicle 100 should go, generate a route from the vehicle 100's current location shown in the received vehicle position information to the target location, generate a driving control signal so that the vehicle 100 travels along the generated route, and use the generated driving control signal to control the drive unit 110, the steering unit 120, and the braking unit 130.

[0052] (3) In the embodiments of (1) and (2) above, the vehicle 100 is equipped with internal sensors, and the detection results output from the internal sensors may be used in at least one of the generation of a route and the generation of a driving control signal. The internal sensors are sensors mounted on the vehicle 100. The internal sensors may include, for example, sensors that detect the motion state of the vehicle 100, sensors that detect the operating state of each part of the vehicle 100, and sensors that detect the environment around the vehicle 100. Specifically, the internal sensors may include, for example, cameras, LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic sensors, GPS sensors, acceleration sensors, gyro sensors, etc. For example, in the embodiment of (1) above, the information processing device 200 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the route when generating a route. In the embodiment of (1) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the driving control signal when generating a driving control signal. In the embodiment of (2) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the route when generating a route. In the embodiment described in (2) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0053] (B7) In the first embodiment described above, the information processing device 200 automatically generates a driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 100. In contrast, the information processing device 200 may generate a driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 100 in accordance with the operation of an external operator located outside the vehicle 100. For example, an external operator may operate a control device that includes a display for displaying captured images output from an external sensor, a camera CM, a steering wheel for remotely controlling the vehicle 100, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a communication device for communicating with the information processing device 200 via wired or wireless communication, and the information processing device 200 may generate a driving control signal in accordance with the operation applied to the control device.

[0054] (B8) In the first embodiment described above, the vehicle 100 only needs to have a configuration that allows it to move by unmanned operation, and may take the form of a platform having the configuration described below. Specifically, in order for the vehicle 100 to perform the three functions of "driving," "turning," and "stopping" by unmanned operation, it only needs to be equipped with at least a drive unit 110, a steering unit 120, a braking unit 130, and a vehicle control unit 140. When the vehicle 100 acquires information from the outside for unmanned operation, the vehicle 100 may further be equipped with a permanent communication device 150A or a temporary communication device 150B. That is, the vehicle 100 that can move by unmanned operation does not need to have at least some of the interior parts such as a driver's seat and dashboard installed, at least some of the exterior parts such as bumpers and fenders installed, and does not need to have a body shell installed. In this case, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100 before it is shipped from factory KJ, or the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100 after it has been shipped from factory KJ, while the remaining parts such as the body shell are not attached to the vehicle 100. Each part may be attached from any direction, such as the top, bottom, front, rear, right, or left side of the vehicle 100, and they may be attached from the same direction or from different directions. The positioning of the platform can also be determined in the same way as for the vehicle 100 in the first embodiment.

[0055] (B9) Vehicle 100 may be manufactured by combining multiple modules. A module means a unit composed of multiple parts grouped together according to the part or function of the vehicle 100. For example, the platform of vehicle 100 may be manufactured by combining a front module that constitutes the front part of the platform, a central module that constitutes the central part of the platform, and a rear module that constitutes the rear part of the platform. The number of modules that constitute the platform is not limited to three, but may be two or fewer, or four or more. In addition to, or instead of, the parts that constitute the platform may be modularized, as well as parts that constitute parts of the vehicle 100 that are different from the platform. Various modules may also include any exterior parts such as bumpers and grilles, or any interior parts such as seats and consoles. Furthermore, not limited to vehicle 100, any type of mobile body may be manufactured by combining multiple modules. Such modules may be manufactured, for example, by joining multiple parts by welding or fasteners, or by integrally molding at least a part of the parts that constitute the module as a single part by casting. A molding technique for integrally molding a single component, especially a relatively large component, is also called gigacast or megacast. For example, the front module, central module, and rear module mentioned above may be manufactured using gigacast.

[0056] (B10) Transporting vehicle 100 using the unmanned operation of vehicle 100 is also called "autonomous transport." The configuration for realizing autonomous transport is also called a "vehicle remote control autonomous driving transport system." Furthermore, a production method that uses autonomous transport to produce vehicle 100 is also called "autonomous production." In autonomous production, for example, at factory KJ where vehicle 100 is manufactured, at least a portion of the transport of vehicle 100 is realized by autonomous transport.

[0057] (B11) In the first embodiment described above, some or all of the functions and processes implemented in software may be implemented in hardware. Also, some or all of the functions and processes implemented in hardware may be implemented in software. As hardware for implementing the various functions in each of the above embodiments, various circuits such as integrated circuits and discrete circuits may be used.

[0058] 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]

[0059] 10...Unmanned driving system, 100A...First vehicle, 100B...Second vehicle, 110...Drive unit, 120...Steering unit, 130...Braking unit, 140...Vehicle control unit, 141...Processor, 142...Memory, 143...Input / output interface, 144...Internal bus, 145...Traction control unit, 149...Connector, 150A...Permanent communication device, 150B...Temporary communication device, 200...Information processing device, 201...Processor, 202...Memory, 203...Input / output interface, 204...Internal bus, 205...Communication device, 210...Remote control unit, 220...Information acquisition unit, 230...Instruction unit, 300...External sensor group, 400...Process control device, 500...Mobile terminal

Claims

1. An information processing device, An acquisition unit that acquires mounting information regarding whether or not a communication device used for remote control is attached to a mobile body that can be operated by remote control, An instruction unit that performs at least one of the following processes: a process that, using the mounting information, determines that a permanent communication device is not mounted on the mobile body and outputs an instruction to mount a temporary communication device on the mobile body; and a process that, using the mounting information, determines that the temporary communication device is mounted on the mobile body after the remote control has ended and outputs an instruction to remove the temporary communication device from the mobile body. An information processing device equipped with the following features.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The remote control is performed at the factory where the mobile body is manufactured. The acquisition unit is an information processing device installed in the factory that acquires the mounting information from at least one of an external sensor that detects the moving object and a process control device that manages the manufacturing process of the moving object in the factory.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The moving body comprises an actuator and a control device for controlling the actuator. The permanent communication device and the temporary communication device are information processing devices that receive information indicating a command value for the control device to control the actuator, or information for the control device to determine the command value.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, An information processing device wherein the information received by the permanent communication device when it is attached to the mobile body is the same as the information received by the temporary communication device when it is attached to the mobile body.

5. Information processing method, The system acquires mounting information regarding whether or not a communication device used for remote control is attached to a mobile body that can be operated by remote control. Using the aforementioned mounting information, if it is determined that a permanent communication device is not mounted on the mobile body, the process of outputting an instruction to mount a temporary communication device on the mobile body is performed; and using the aforementioned mounting information, if it is determined that the temporary communication device is mounted on the mobile body after the remote control has ended, the process of outputting an instruction to remove the temporary communication device from the mobile body is performed, at least one of the following processes. Information processing methods.

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