Mobile device, server, and method for manufacturing a mobile device

A mobile body and server system with adaptive control content modification based on manufacturing progress addresses the challenge of executing driving control during vehicle assembly, ensuring safe and efficient remote control and enhancing productivity.

JP7845333B2Active Publication Date: 2026-04-14TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
Filing Date
2023-11-02
Publication Date
2026-04-14

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing technologies face challenges in executing driving control of vehicles by remote control or autonomous control as they approach completion, as various processes such as component assembly and control parameter changes are performed step by step, necessitating a technology that can suitably execute driving control step by step.

Method used

A mobile body and server system that includes a communication unit, operation control unit, processing completion detection unit, and control content modification unit to change control content after each process is completed, allowing for appropriate remote or autonomous control based on manufacturing progress, with features like object detection and speed detection devices to enhance safety and productivity.

Benefits of technology

Enables safe and efficient remote control of vehicles during manufacturing by adapting control content to manufacturing progress, preventing collisions and malfunctions, and enhancing productivity through appropriate use of installed elements.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Patent Text Reader

Abstract

To provide a technique allowing driving control of a movable body by remote control or autonomous control to be appropriately executed for each step.SOLUTION: A movable body manufactured in a factory, comprises: a vehicle communication section for receiving a control command for remote control; a driving control section for executing driving control of the movable body according to the received control command for the remote control in a course of manufacture of the movable body in the factory; a process completion detection section for detecting completion of a process by at least one step included in the course of the manufacture; and a control detail change section for changing details on the control of the movable body when the completion of the process is detected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a moving body, a server, and a method for manufacturing a moving body.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle traveling method in a manufacturing system for manufacturing a vehicle, in which the vehicle travels autonomously or under remote control from the end of the assembly line of the manufacturing system to the parking lot of the manufacturing system.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The driving control of a vehicle by remote control or autonomous control can be executed even before the vehicle is completed on the premise that the vehicle can travel by remote control or autonomous control. However, as the vehicle approaches completion, various processes for the vehicle, such as component assembly and control parameter changes, can be performed step by step. Therefore, a technology that can suitably execute the driving control of a vehicle by remote control or autonomous control step by step is desired. Also, such problems are common not only to vehicles but also to any moving body.

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, a mobile body manufactured in a factory is provided. The mobile body comprises a communication unit for receiving remote control commands, an operation control unit that performs operational control of the mobile body in accordance with the received control commands during the manufacturing process of the mobile body in the factory, a processing completion detection unit for detecting the completion of processing by at least one step included in the manufacturing process, and a control content modification unit for changing the content of the control of the mobile body when the completion of the processing is detected. With this type of mobile body, the control content of the mobile body can be changed after each process is completed, and the operation control of the mobile body by remote control, which is suitable for each process, can be performed. (2) In the above-described mobile body, the processing completion detection unit may detect the completion of the processing of adding an element to the mobile body or the processing of changing an element provided on the mobile body by at least one step. When the completion of the processing is detected, the control content modification unit may modify the control content of the mobile body so that the control uses the element added to or modified on the mobile body as a result of the completion of the processing. With this form of mobile body, elements added to or modified from the mobile body can be utilized according to the progress of the manufacturing process, and the performance of the mobile body in remotely controlled movement can be appropriately demonstrated according to the progress of the manufacturing process. (3) In the above-described mobile body, the process may include an object detection device mounting step, which involves adding an object detection device to the mobile body as an element, the object detection device comprising at least one of a radar device and a camera, and capable of detecting objects around the mobile body. The control content modification unit may change the control content of the mobile body to execute collision avoidance control using the added object detection device when it detects that the object detection device mounting step has been completed. With this type of mobile body, collision prevention during the movement of the mobile body can be performed upon completion of the object detection device installation process. (4) In the above-described form of the mobile body, the control content modification unit may further modify the control content of the mobile body so that the mobile body travels by driving control of the mobile body using the collision prevention control instead of driving control by remote control. With this type of mobile device, once the object detection device installation process is complete, it is possible to switch from remote control operation to movement controlled by the mobile device itself. (5) In the above-described mobile body, the process may include a speed detection device installation step, which adds a speed detection device to the mobile body as an element, the speed detection device which includes at least one of a vehicle speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a yaw rate sensor and is capable of acquiring speed information relating to the speed of the vehicle as the mobile body. The control content modification unit may change the content of the control of the mobile body to execute driving control using the speed information detected by the added speed detection device when the completion of the speed detection device installation step is detected. With this type of mobile device, upon completion of the speed detection device installation process, it is possible to perform self-position estimation and vehicle speed feedback control using the detected speed information. (6) In the above-described mobile body, the process may include an adjustment process that includes at least one of the following: a wheel alignment adjustment process that performs a process to change the wheel alignment of the vehicle as the mobile body as the element, and a suspension adjustment process that performs a process to change the suspension of the vehicle as the element. The control content changing unit may change the content of the control of the mobile body to increase the upper limit of the travel speed of the mobile body when the completion of the adjustment process is detected. With this type of mobile body, upon completion of the adjustment process, the mobile body's speed during autonomous driving can be increased, thereby improving the productivity of the mobile body. (7) The mobile body of the above form may further include an operating unit for manually operating the mobile body, and a storage device that stores a threshold value set in advance using the amount of operation of the operating unit, for determining whether to prioritize the operation control by the operating unit over the operation control by the remote control when the operation control by the remote control and the operation control by the operating unit are performed simultaneously. The processing completion detection unit may detect the completion of processing by a process that is earlier than the process in which an operator may come into contact with the operating unit among the at least one of the processes. The control content modification unit may, when the completion of processing by the previous process is detected, modify the control content of the mobile body so as to relax the threshold value to a value that makes it less likely for the operation control by the operating unit to be prioritized. This type of mobile device can suppress or prevent malfunctions that occur when a worker or other person accidentally touches the operating part while the mobile device is being moved by remote control, causing the mobile device to stop unintentionally. (8) According to another form of the present disclosure, a server is provided. The server comprises a remote control unit that moves a mobile body manufactured in a factory, which includes a communication unit for receiving remote control commands and an operation control unit that performs operational control of the mobile body in accordance with the received control commands during the manufacturing process within the factory where the mobile body is manufactured; a manufacturing information acquisition unit that acquires manufacturing information including the progress of a process that adds an element to the mobile body or a process that changes an element provided on the mobile body by at least one step included in the manufacturing process; and a control content change instruction unit that, when the completion of the process is detected, instructs the mobile body to change the content of the control of the mobile body so that the control uses the element added to or changed on the mobile body as a result of the completion of the process. With this type of server, the control of the mobile body can be appropriately changed according to the progress of the manufacturing process of the mobile body managed by the server, and the operation control of the mobile body by remote control, which is suitable for each process, can be performed. (9) In the server of the above configuration, the manufacturing information acquisition unit may acquire the completion of the process of adding an element to the mobile body or the process of changing an element provided on the mobile body by at least one step. When the completion of the process is acquired, the control content change instruction unit may instruct the mobile body to change the content of the control of the mobile body so that the control of the mobile body is to be performed using the element added to or changed on the mobile body by the completion of the process. With this type of server, elements added to or modified in the mobile unit can be appropriately utilized according to the progress of the manufacturing process of the mobile unit managed by the server, and the performance of each mobile unit in remotely controlled movement can be properly realized. (10) In the server of the above configuration, the manufacturing information acquisition unit may acquire the completion of processing in a process that is earlier than the process in which an operator may come into contact with the operation unit, among the at least one of the processes. When the completion of processing in the preceding process is acquired, the control content change instruction unit may instruct the mobile body to change the content of the control of the mobile body so as to relax the threshold for determining whether to prioritize the operation control by the operation unit over the operation control by remote control when the operation control by the operation unit for manual operation of the mobile body and the operation control by remote control are executed simultaneously, to a value that makes it less likely that the operation control by the operation unit will be prioritized. This type of server can suppress or prevent malfunctions that occur when a worker or other person accidentally touches the control unit while the mobile object is being moved by remote control, causing the mobile object to stop unintentionally. (11) The server in the above configuration may further include an abnormal action unit that, if the operation control by the operation unit is given priority after the threshold has been relaxed, causes the abnormal action to be performed by stopping the manufacture of the mobile body and / or issuing a notification. With this type of server, the risks associated with relaxing thresholds can be mitigated or prevented by implementing abnormal measures. (12) A second embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a mobile body. This manufacturing method involves driving the mobile body unmanned during a manufacturing process in a factory where the mobile body is manufactured, acquiring manufacturing information including the progress of processing in at least one step included in the manufacturing process, and instructing the mobile body to change the content of the control of the mobile body when completion of the processing is detected. According to this method of manufacturing a mobile body, the control content of the mobile body can be changed after each step of the process is completed, and the operation control of the mobile body can be suitably performed by remote control or autonomous control for each step. (13) According to a third embodiment of the present disclosure, a mobile body manufactured in a factory is provided. The mobile body comprises: an operation control unit that generates a control signal for moving the mobile body by unmanned operation during the manufacturing process of the mobile body in the factory and executes operation control of the mobile body in accordance with the control signal; a processing completion detection unit that detects the completion of processing by at least one step included in the manufacturing process; and a control content changing unit that changes the content of the control of the mobile body when the completion of processing is detected. With this type of mobile body, the control content of the mobile body can be changed after each process is completed, and the operation control of the mobile body can be suitably performed by remote control or autonomous control for each process. This disclosure can also be implemented in various forms other than mobile devices, servers, and methods for manufacturing mobile devices. For example, it can be implemented in the form of a system, a method for transporting a mobile device, a method for changing or adding control in a mobile device, a method for controlling a mobile device, a computer program that implements the control method, or a non-temporary recording medium on which the computer program is stored. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] An explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of the vehicle and system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the server. [Figure 3] A block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the ECU. [Figure 4A] A flowchart showing the processing procedure of vehicle driving control in the first embodiment. [Figure 4B] An explanatory diagram showing the automatic driving control of a vehicle by remote control of a remote control unit. [Figure 5] An explanatory diagram conceptually showing a control content change table. [Figure 6] A flowchart showing the manufacturing method of a vehicle according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] An explanatory diagram schematically showing the manufacturing method of a vehicle according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] A block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of a server according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] A block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of an ECU provided in a vehicle according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] A block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of an ECU of a vehicle according to the third embodiment. [Figure 11] A block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of a server according to the third embodiment. [Figure 12] A flowchart showing the manufacturing method of a vehicle according to the third embodiment. [Figure 13] A block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of an ECU of a vehicle according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] A block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of a server according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 15] An explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of a system according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 16] An explanatory diagram showing the internal functional configuration of an ECU of a vehicle according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 17] A flowchart showing the processing procedure of vehicle driving control according to the fifth embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] A. First Embodiment: Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of the vehicle 100 and system 500 according to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the system 500 is configured as a remote automatic driving system. The system 500 can remotely control the vehicle 100 to drive automatically during the manufacturing process in the factory FC where the vehicle 100 is manufactured as a mobile unit. In this specification, the term "vehicle" is used to refer collectively to both the completed product and the semi-finished / work-in-progress state during manufacturing.

[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] Vehicle 100 is configured to operate autonomously. "Autonomous operation" means operation without the operation of a passenger. Operation refers to operations related to at least one of the following: "going," "turning," or "stopping" of vehicle 100. Autonomous operation is achieved by automatic or manual remote control using a device located outside vehicle 100, or by autonomous control of vehicle 100. Vehicle 100 operating autonomously may have passengers on board who do not perform operation. Passengers who do not perform operation include, for example, people simply sitting in the seats of vehicle 100, or people performing tasks other than operation, such as assembly, inspection, or operating switches, while on board vehicle 100. Operation by a passenger is sometimes called "manned operation."

[0011] In this specification, "remote control" includes "fully remote control," in which all operations of the vehicle 100 are completely determined from outside the vehicle 100, and "partial remote control," in which some operations of the vehicle 100 are determined from outside the vehicle 100. Furthermore, "autonomous control" includes "fully autonomous control," in which the vehicle 100 autonomously controls its own operations without receiving any information from external devices, and "partial autonomous control," in which the vehicle 100 autonomously controls its own operations using information received from external devices.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the factory FC is equipped with a pre-process 50, a post-process 60, and a vehicle track RT. The track RT is a transport section for vehicle 100 within the factory FC, connecting the pre-process 50 and the post-process 60. Note that the factory FC and each process in the manufacturing process are not limited to being in a single building, or being located on a single site or at a single address. The factory FC and each process in the manufacturing process may be located in multiple buildings, multiple sites, multiple addresses, etc. Furthermore, "vehicle 100 traveling within the factory FC" is not limited to cases where vehicle 100 travels on a track within a factory located in one place, but also includes cases where it travels on transport sections between multiple factories and processes located in multiple places. "Vehicle 100 traveling within the factory FC" includes, for example, cases where vehicle 100 travels on public roads, not just private roads, in order to move between factories and processes located in multiple places.

[0013] The preceding process 50 and the following process 60 are various processes belonging to the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100. In the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100, processes may be carried out to add elements to the vehicle 100 and to change elements that are provided to the vehicle 100. "Processing" means performing a specific operation on the vehicle 100. Processing can be manual work by workers, etc., or automated work by equipment, etc. "Elements of the vehicle 100" include, for example, elements related to parts and devices attached to the vehicle 100, such as the type, parameters, position, and state of parts and devices attached to the vehicle 100, and elements related to the control of the vehicle 100, such as control parameters and control programs related to various controls for operating each part of the vehicle 100, including the operation control of the vehicle 100. When the processing by the process is completed, new elements may be added to the vehicle 100, or elements that the vehicle 100 had may be changed.

[0014] The preceding process 50 includes, for example, an installation process in which parts of the vehicle 100, such as detection devices 180, are attached to the vehicle 100, and an adjustment process in which parts attached to the vehicle 100 are adjusted. The following process 60 is, for example, an inspection process for the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100, having been discharged from the preceding process 50, becomes work in progress for the following process 60 and travels along the track RT to the following process 60 via remote control. Once the vehicle 100 has completed the inspection process in the following process 60, it is completed as a product and travels to a waiting area within the factory FC to await shipment. After that, the vehicle 100 is shipped to the corresponding destination for each vehicle 100. It should be noted that the preceding process 50 and the following process 60 are not limited to installation, adjustment, and inspection processes, and various other processes can be employed, provided that the vehicle 100, after processing in the preceding process 50 and the following process 60, is capable of unmanned operation.

[0015] Each process within the factory fuel cell (FC), including the preceding process 50 and the following process 60, is equipped with a process control device for managing manufacturing information for vehicle 100. "Manufacturing information" includes, for example, the progress of processing by each process, the number of work-in-progress items, the number of products being processed, the manufacturing time for each process, the start and completion times of processing by each process, the vehicle identification information of vehicle 100 present in each process, the planned number of vehicles to be manufactured per day, and the target manufacturing time for each process to produce one vehicle 100. The target manufacturing time is sometimes called "takt time". "Vehicle identification information" refers to various pieces of information that can individually identify vehicle 100. Vehicle identification information includes, for example, ID information assigned to each vehicle 100, such as the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), specification information of vehicle 100 such as vehicle type, color, and shape, and production management information of vehicle 100 such as the name of the process in which it is in progress. Vehicle identification information can be obtained, for example, from an RF-ID (Radio Frequency-Identification) tag attached to vehicle 100 via short-range wireless communication. Each process control device acquires the manufacturing status of the vehicle 100 at each process from cameras, sensors (not shown) installed at each process, and transmits the acquired manufacturing status to the server 300 and the vehicle 100. The manufacturing status of each process may also be transmitted to a production control device that centrally manages the manufacturing status of each process at the factory fuel cell.

[0016] The system 500 comprises a vehicle detector and a server 300. The vehicle detector detects vehicle information, which includes at least one of an image of the vehicle 100 and the position of the vehicle 100. The detected vehicle information is used for remote control by the system 500. The "vehicle information" may further include the direction of travel of the vehicle 100 or the orientation of the vehicle 100. The direction of travel of the vehicle 100 and the orientation of the vehicle 100 can be obtained, for example, by detecting the shape of the vehicle 100 or parts of the vehicle 100. However, the vehicle detector may only obtain the position of the vehicle 100, and the direction of travel and orientation of the vehicle 100 may be estimated using the changes in the vehicle 100 over time.

[0017] In this embodiment, a camera 80 is used as the vehicle detector. The camera 80 is connected to the server 300 via wireless or wired communication. The camera 80 has an imaging unit such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor and an optical system. The camera 80 is fixed in a position where it can image the track RT and the vehicle 100 traveling on the track RT, and acquires an image of the vehicle 100 as vehicle information. The image acquired by the camera 80 can be analyzed to obtain various vehicle information that can be used for remote control, such as the relative position of the vehicle 100 with respect to the track RT and the orientation of the vehicle 100. By using the image from the camera 80 installed in the factory FC, the vehicle 100 can be driven automatically via remote control without using detectors mounted on the vehicle 100, such as cameras, millimeter-wave radar, or LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). Note that the vehicle detector does not need to acquire an image of the vehicle 100 if it can acquire the position of the vehicle 100. In this case, the vehicle detector may be one of various types of detectors capable of detecting the position of the vehicle 100 instead of an image of the vehicle 100, such as LiDAR, infrared sensors, laser sensors, ultrasonic sensors, or millimeter-wave radar.

[0018] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of server 300. Server 300 comprises a CPU 310 as a central processing unit, a storage device 320, and a remote communication unit 390, which are interconnected via an internal bus and interface circuits. The remote communication unit 390 is a circuit for communicating with vehicles 100 and the like via the network 72.

[0019] The storage device 320 is, for example, RAM, ROM, HDD (hard disk drive), SSD (solid state drive), etc. The storage device 320 stores various programs for realizing the functions provided in this embodiment. When the computer programs stored in the storage device 320 are executed by the CPU 310, the CPU 310 functions as a remote control unit 312, a manufacturing information acquisition unit 314, etc. However, some or all of these functions may be configured by hardware circuits.

[0020] The manufacturing information acquisition unit 314 acquires manufacturing information 322 from process control devices installed at each process or production control devices that centrally manage the manufacturing status of each process. The manufacturing information acquisition unit 314 may also acquire manufacturing information 322 from each of the vehicles 100. The acquired manufacturing information 322 is stored in the storage device 320. As a result, the server 300 can individually acquire the progress of processing by each process for each of the vehicles 100 during the manufacturing process.

[0021] The remote control unit 312 performs automatic driving of the vehicle 100 within the factory fuel cell via remote control. More specifically, the remote control unit 312 transmits a control signal requesting remote control to the vehicle 100 via the remote communication unit 390. Specifically, in this embodiment, this control signal is the driving control signal described later. When the vehicle 100 receives the request for remote control, the ECU 200 implements driving control according to the control signal, and as a result, the vehicle 100 drives automatically. By transporting the vehicle 100 using this unmanned driving, it is possible to suppress or prevent human-induced accidents when the vehicle 100 is in motion.

[0022] In other embodiments, when the vehicle 100 is driven by remote control, the remote control unit 312 does not need to transmit a driving control signal to the vehicle 100, but only needs to transmit a control command to the vehicle 100. The control command includes at least one of a driving control signal and generated information for generating the driving control signal. As generated information, for example, vehicle position information, route, and target position, which will be described later, can be used.

[0023] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 100 includes an operating unit 170, a vehicle communication unit 190, a power receiving device 150, a battery 120, a PCU 130, a motor 140, detection devices 180, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 200. The operating unit 170 includes, for example, an accelerator, steering wheel, and brake. The operating unit 170 receives manual operations to perform the "driving," "turning," and "stopping" functions of the vehicle 100. Manual operations correspond to the driving operations performed by the driver as described above.

[0024] The vehicle communication unit 190 is a wireless communication device mounted on the vehicle 100, such as a dongle. The vehicle communication unit 190 has communication functions that use CAN (Controller Area Network) communication, which can be used for controlling the vehicle 100, and diagnostic communication, which can be used for fault diagnosis. CAN communication is a communication standard that can transmit or receive in multiple directions. Diagnostic communication is a communication standard that can establish a one-to-one correspondence between requests and responses. The vehicle communication unit 190 performs wireless communication with devices outside the vehicle 100, such as a server 300 connected to a network 72 via an access point 70 in the factory FC, and a production management device (not shown) that centrally manages the production information of the vehicle 100. Hereinafter, the vehicle communication unit 190 will also be simply referred to as the communication unit.

[0025] The power receiving device 150 converts AC power supplied from an external power supply device into DC power using a rectifier and supplies it to the battery 120 as a load. The battery 120 is a rechargeable secondary battery, such as a lithium-ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery. The battery 120 is, for example, a high-voltage battery of several hundred volts and stores the power used to drive the vehicle 100. When power supplied to the power receiving device 150 from an external power supply device, as well as regenerative power generated by the motor 140, is supplied to the battery 120, the battery 120 is charged.

[0026] Motor 140 is, for example, an AC synchronous motor and functions as both an electric motor and a generator. When motor 140 functions as an electric motor, it is driven using power stored in battery 120 as its power source. The output of motor 140 is transmitted to the wheels via a reduction gear and axle. When the vehicle 100 is decelerated, motor 140 functions as a generator utilizing the rotation of the wheels, generating regenerative power. A Power Control Unit (PCU) 130 is electrically connected between motor 140 and battery 120.

[0027] The PCU130 includes an inverter, a boost converter, and a DC / DC converter. The inverter converts the DC power supplied from the battery 120 into AC power and supplies the converted AC power to the motor 140. The inverter converts the regenerative power supplied from the motor 140 into DC power and supplies it to the battery 120. The boost converter increases the voltage of the battery 120 when the power stored in the battery 120 is supplied to the motor 140. The DC / DC converter decreases the voltage of the battery 120 when the power stored in the battery 120 is supplied to auxiliary equipment, etc.

[0028] The detection devices 180 are sensors provided on the vehicle 100. The detection devices 180 are attached to the vehicle 100 in each step included in the preceding step 50, for example. The detection devices 180 include, for example, object detection devices and speed detection devices. Object detection devices include radar devices and on-board cameras. Radar devices include devices such as LiDAR and millimeter-wave radar that detect the presence or absence of objects around the vehicle 100, as well as the distance and position to such objects. On-board cameras include various cameras capable of imaging objects around the vehicle 100, such as stereo cameras and monocular cameras. Speed ​​detection devices include vehicle speed sensors, wheel speed sensors, acceleration sensors, yaw rate sensors, etc. Note that the detection devices 180 are not limited to object detection devices and speed detection devices, but may also include various general sensors such as steering angle sensors.

[0029] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the ECU 200. The ECU 200 is mounted on the vehicle 100 and performs various controls on the vehicle 100. The ECU 200 includes a storage device 220 such as an HDD (hard disk drive), SSD (solid state drive), optical recording medium, or semiconductor memory, a CPU 210 as a central processing unit, and an interface circuit 280. Detection devices 180 and a vehicle communication unit 190 are connected to the interface circuit 280. The storage device 220 stores a control program 222 and a control content change table 224.

[0030] The control program 222 is a computer program that enables the CPU 210 to function as the operation control unit 212. The control program 222 also includes control parameters. The control content change table 224 shows the correspondence between the process and the contents of the control program 222 that are added or modified after the completion of the process.

[0031] The storage device 220 stores various programs for realizing the functions provided in this embodiment. The CPU 210 executes the various computer programs stored in the storage device 220 to realize various functions such as the operation control unit 212, the processing completion detection unit 214, and the control content change unit 216. In addition, the ECU 200 controls the power transfer between the battery 120 and the motor 140 by controlling the PCU 130.

[0032] The processing completion detection unit 214 detects the completion of processing by a process included in the manufacturing process. In this embodiment, the processing completion detection unit 214 acquires information that processing on the vehicle by each process has been completed from sensors, cameras, etc., provided at each process. The processing completion detection unit 214 may also acquire information that processing on the vehicle by each process has been completed from a process control device provided at each process, a production control device that comprehensively manages the manufacturing status of each process, or a server 300 that has acquired this information.

[0033] The control content modification unit 216 modifies the control content of the vehicle 100 when the completion of processing by each process is detected by the processing completion detection unit 214. Specifically, the control content modification unit 216 modifies the control content of the vehicle 100 so that it uses elements that are added to or modified in the vehicle 100 as a result of the processing of the detected process. In this embodiment, the control content modification unit 216 refers to the control content modification table 224 and rewrites the control program 222 each time processing by a process is completed. As a result, the control program 222 is modified to use control content that incorporates elements added to or modified in the vehicle 100. "Rewriting the control program 222" includes rewriting control parameters. Note that if a process is completed in which no elements are added to or modified in the vehicle 100, the control content modification unit 216 does not need to modify the control content of the vehicle 100.

[0034] The driving control unit 212 performs driving control of the vehicle 100. "Driving control" includes, for example, adjustment of acceleration, speed, and steering angle. In remote driving control, the driving control unit 212 controls each actuator mounted on the vehicle 100 according to the remote control request received from the server 300 via the vehicle communication unit 190.

[0035] Figure 4A is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for controlling the driving of vehicle 100 in the first embodiment. In step S1, the server 300 acquires vehicle position information of 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 driving control signals. In this embodiment, the vehicle position information includes the position and orientation of vehicle 100 in the reference coordinate system of the factory FC. In this embodiment, the reference coordinate system of the factory FC is the global coordinate system, and any position within the factory FC is represented by X, Y, Z coordinates in the global coordinate system. In this embodiment, the external sensor is a camera 80 installed in the factory FC, and the external sensor outputs an captured image as a detection result. That is, in step S1, the server 300 acquires vehicle position information using the captured image acquired from the camera 80, which is the external sensor.

[0036] In detail, in step S1, the server 300 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 utilizing artificial intelligence. The detection model is prepared, for example, within or outside the system 500 and pre-stored in the memory of the server 300. Examples of detection models include pre-trained machine learning models that have been trained to implement either semantic segmentation or instance segmentation. As this machine learning model, for example, a convolutional neural network (CNN) trained by supervised learning using a training dataset can be used. The training dataset includes, for example, multiple training images containing the vehicle 100 and labels indicating whether each region in the training image represents the vehicle 100 or a region other than the vehicle 100. During CNN training, it is preferable to update the CNN parameters using backpropagation to reduce the error between the output of the detection model and the label. Furthermore, the server 300 can obtain the orientation of the 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 image.

[0037] In step S2, the server 300 determines the next target location that the vehicle 100 should head to. In this embodiment, the target location is represented by X, Y, Z coordinates in the global coordinate system. The server 300's memory pre-stores a reference route, which is the path 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 server 300 uses the vehicle position information and the reference route to determine the next target location that the vehicle 100 should head to. The server 300 determines the target location to be on the reference route beyond the vehicle 100's current location.

[0038] In step S3, the server 300 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. The server 300 calculates the vehicle's speed from the change in the vehicle's position and compares the calculated speed with the target speed. Overall, the server 300 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 accelerates if the speed is lower than the target speed, and determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 100 decelerates if the speed is higher than the target speed. Furthermore, if the vehicle 100 is located on the reference path, the server 300 determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 100 does not deviate from the reference path, and if the vehicle 100 is not located on the reference path, in other words, if the vehicle 100 has deviated from the reference path, the server 300 determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 100 returns to the reference path. In other embodiments, the driving control signal may include the speed of the vehicle 100 as a parameter, either in place of or in addition to the acceleration of the vehicle 100.

[0039] In step S4, the server 300 transmits the generated driving control signal to the vehicle 100. The server 300 repeats the process of acquiring the vehicle position information of the vehicle 100, determining the target position, generating the driving control signal, and transmitting the driving control signal at predetermined intervals.

[0040] In step S5, the vehicle 100 receives a driving control signal transmitted from the server 300. In step S6, the vehicle 100 uses the received driving control signal to control its actuators, thereby driving the vehicle 100 at the acceleration and steering angle indicated in the driving control signal. The vehicle 100 repeats the reception of the driving control signal and the control of its actuators at predetermined intervals. According to the system 500 in this embodiment, the vehicle 100 can be driven by remote control, and the vehicle 100 can be moved without using transport equipment such as cranes or conveyors.

[0041] Figure 4B is an explanatory diagram illustrating the automatic driving control of the vehicle 100 by remote control of the remote control unit 312. In the example of Figure 4B, the track RT includes a first track RT1, a second track RT2, a third track RT3, and a fourth track RT4, all of which are continuous with each other. The first track RT1 and the second track RT2 are connected to each other via a right-angle curve. A parking area PA is connected between the third track RT3 and the fourth track RT4. Under normal circumstances, the remote control unit 312 drives the vehicle 100 along the track RT to the loading position PG for the subsequent process 60.

[0042] As shown in Figure 4B, the camera 80 acting as a vehicle detector acquires images of the vehicles 100 on the track RT and parking area PA from above. The number of cameras 80 is set to a number that allows for imaging of the entire track RT and parking area PA, taking into consideration the field of view of the cameras 80. In the example in Figure 4B, the camera 80 includes camera 801 capable of imaging the area RG1 including the entire first track RT1, camera 802 capable of imaging the area RG2 including the entire second track RT2, camera 803 capable of imaging the area RG3 including the entire third track RT3 and fourth track RT4, and camera 804 capable of imaging the area RG4 including the entire parking area PA. Note that the camera 80 may acquire images not only from above the vehicles 100, but also from the front, rear, and sides of the vehicles 100. Furthermore, the cameras that acquire these images may be combined in any way.

[0043] The track RT has a pre-set virtual target route that the vehicle 100 should travel in remote control. In this embodiment, the target route corresponds to the reference route described above. The remote control unit 312 analyzes the images of the track RT and the vehicle 100 acquired by the camera 80 at predetermined time intervals and causes the ECU 200 to perform driving control of the vehicle 100. By requesting the vehicle 100 to perform remote control to sequentially adjust its relative position to the target route, the vehicle 100 can travel along the target route. The remote control may use an image of the entire vehicle 100, or it may use an image of a part of the vehicle 100, such as an alignment mark provided on the vehicle 100.

[0044] As shown in Figure 4B, at position P1, the fields of view of the cameras 80 corresponding to each connected track overlap at the connection point of each track. In the example of position P1, the field of view of camera 801 corresponding to the first track RT1 and the field of view of camera 802 corresponding to the second track RT2 overlap. The vehicle 100, released from the previous process 50, travels to position P1 using remote control with the image captured by camera 801. Upon reaching position P1, the remote control switches to using the image captured by camera 802 instead of camera 801, and the vehicle 100 travels along the second track RT2. Similarly, images captured by camera 803 are used for travel along the third track RT3 and the fourth track RT4, and images captured by camera 804 are used for travel along the parking lot PA. In this way, the remote control unit 312 remotely controls the vehicle 100 while appropriately switching the image captured to be analyzed for each range of the track RT. The remote control unit 312 can remotely control the vehicle 100 to move from the track RT to the parking lot PA, move it out of the way of the track RT, and then stop it at the parking position P2 in the parking lot PA.

[0045] Figure 5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the control content change table 224. The "major process," "medium process," and "minor process" shown in Figure 5 are classifications established for convenience. In the example in Figure 5, the major process includes an installation process in which components such as detection devices 180 are attached to the vehicle 100, and an adjustment process in which components attached to the vehicle 100 are adjusted.

[0046] As shown in Figure 5, the control content change table 224 shows the correspondence between the process and the content of the control program 222 that is added or modified after the completion of the process. The content of the added or modified control program 222 is pre-set so that the elements added or modified to the vehicle 100 are used as a result of the completion of processing by each process.

[0047] In the example shown in Figure 5, the mounting process includes an object detection device mounting process for mounting an object detection device to the vehicle 100, a speed detection device mounting process for mounting a speed detection device to the vehicle 100, and a final mounting process. The object detection device mounting process is a process of mounting the object detection device as an element, and includes, for example, a radar device mounting process and an on-board camera mounting process. The radar device mounting process includes, for example, a LiDAR mounting process and a millimeter-wave radar mounting process.

[0048] When the radar system and on-board camera are installed on the vehicle 100, the control program 222 is rewritten to perform collision avoidance control using the installed radar system and on-board camera. Furthermore, the control program 222 is rewritten so that automatic driving using collision avoidance control is performed without using remote control. In other words, the vehicle 100 switches to automatic driving controlled by the driving control unit 212 without using remote control by the remote control unit 312 of the server 300. However, even after the object detection device installation process is completed, automatic driving controlled by the server 300 may be performed remotely. In this case, for example, the collision detection device installed on the vehicle 100 can be used auxiliaryly for purposes such as preventing collisions during self-propelled transport by the remote control unit 312 of the server 300. After the on-board camera installation process is completed, control is also performed to acquire vehicle speed data using the images captured by the on-board camera.

[0049] The speed detection device installation process is the process of installing the speed detection device as an element onto the vehicle 100. The speed detection device is a sensor capable of acquiring speed information related to the speed of the vehicle 100. "Speed ​​information" is not limited to vehicle speed, but includes various information related to the speed of the vehicle 100, such as wheel speed, acceleration of the vehicle 100, angular velocity, and angular acceleration. In the example in Figure 5, the speed detection device installation process includes a wheel speed sensor installation process and an acceleration sensor installation process. However, the speed detection device is not limited to only a wheel speed sensor and an acceleration sensor, and may be at least one of a wheel speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, and a yaw rate sensor.

[0050] Once the speed detection device installation process is complete, the vehicle 100 can detect wheel speed data and acceleration data as speed information by installing the wheel speed sensor and acceleration sensor. By using the acquired wheel speed data and acceleration data, vehicle speed data as speed information can be obtained, and the server 300 or ECU 200 can perform automatic driving using this vehicle speed data. Furthermore, by using the acquired wheel speed data and acceleration data, the vehicle 100 can perform self-position estimation. Therefore, automatic driving of the vehicle 100 using self-position estimation can be performed. In this case, the automatic driving may be either automatic driving of the vehicle 100 by remote control or automatic driving by driving control of the driving control unit 212 without using remote control.

[0051] Once the final stage of the installation process is completed, that is, once all detection devices, including the object detection device and the speed detection device, have been installed, the safety performance of the vehicle 100 during autonomous driving is improved by utilizing all of these detection devices. Therefore, as an example of the control content that can be added to or modified in the control program 222, the upper limit of the permissible vehicle speed during autonomous driving can be increased, and the permissible range of the steering angle can be expanded.

[0052] As shown in the lower left of Figure 5, the adjustment process includes, for example, a wheel alignment adjustment process, a drive play adjustment process, a suspension adjustment process, and a process for adjusting the mounting position of the detection device. In the wheel alignment adjustment process, a process is performed to adjust the mounting position of the wheels relative to the vehicle body as an element. Once the wheel alignment adjustment process is completed, the vehicle 100 can be driven stably in a straight line. Therefore, as an example of the content of the control program 222 that can be added to or modified, the upper limit of the permissible vehicle speed limit during automatic driving can be increased.

[0053] The drive play adjustment process is a process of eliminating play in the transmission system, such as from the motor to the wheels. The suspension adjustment process is a process of adjusting the suspension as an element. It can also be described as a process of installing the suspension bushings as an element. Once the drive play adjustment process and the suspension adjustment process are completed, the vehicle 100 can be made to run more stably. The process of adjusting the mounting position of the detection device includes attaching a cover to the sensor installed in the installation process and fixing the sensor in its final position. Once the process of adjusting the mounting position of the detection device is completed, the detection accuracy of the sensor improves, thereby improving the stability and safety performance of the vehicle 100. Therefore, once the suspension adjustment process, the drive play adjustment process, and the process of adjusting the mounting position of the detection device are completed, examples of control content that can be added to or modified in the control program 222 include increasing the upper limit of the permissible vehicle speed limit during automatic driving and expanding the permissible range of the steering angle.

[0054] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the manufacturing method of the vehicle 100 according to the first embodiment. This flowchart begins, for example, when the vehicle 100 arrives at a predetermined step.

[0055] In step S10, the process is performed on the vehicle 100. In step S18, the process is completed. The completion of the process is detected by the process completion detection unit 214 or the manufacturing information acquisition unit 314. In step S20, the control content change unit 216 checks whether there are any additions or changes to the control content of the detected process. More specifically, the control content change unit 216 checks the content of any changes or additions to the control corresponding to the detected process by referring to the control content change table 224. If there are no changes or additions to the control of the vehicle 100 (S20: NO), the process moves to step S40. If there are changes or additions to the control of the vehicle 100 (S20: YES), the control content change unit 216 moves the process to step S30.

[0056] In step S30, the control content change unit 216 rewrites the control program 222 according to the contents of the control content change table 224. In step S40, the processing completion detection unit 214 checks whether all processes in the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100 have been completed. If all processes have been completed (S40: YES), this flow ends. If all processes have not been completed (S40: NO), the processing completion detection unit 214 moves the process to step S50. In step S50, the remote control unit 312 starts the vehicle 100 to move and drives the vehicle 100 toward the next process. In this case, the driving control of the vehicle 100 is executed based on the rewritten control program 222. In step S60, the vehicle 100 arrives at the next process. When the vehicle 100 arrives at the next process, the process returns to step S10.

[0057] Figure 7 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the manufacturing method of the vehicle 100 according to the first embodiment. Figure 7 schematically shows each step included in the preceding process 50 and the vehicles 100p, 100q, and 100r that automatically travel between the transport sections C1, C2, and C3 between each step. The steps shown in Figure 7 are, for example, the radar device installation step 50p and the on-board camera installation step 50q from the object detection device installation step shown in Figure 5, and the wheel speed sensor installation step 50r from the speed detection device installation step.

[0058] Once the processing by the radar device installation process 50p is completed, as shown in Figure 5, the control content modification unit 216, referring to the control content modification table 224, rewrites the control program 222 to perform automatic driving of the vehicle 100 using the radar device. As a result, the vehicle 100p automatically drives through the transport section C1 by the driving control unit 212 of the vehicle 100p, instead of being remotely controlled by the remote control unit 312 of the server 300.

[0059] Furthermore, once the processing by the on-board camera installation process 50q is completed, the control content modification unit 216, referring to the control content modification table 224, rewrites the control program 222 to perform automatic driving using the on-board camera. As a result, the vehicle 100q automatically drives through the transport section C2 under the driving control of the driving control unit 212, while performing collision avoidance control using the on-board camera together with the radar device.

[0060] Furthermore, once the wheel speed sensor installation process 50r is complete, the control content modification unit 216 rewrites the control program 222 to perform automatic driving using the acquired wheel speed data to acquire vehicle speed data and the wheel speed data to estimate its own position. As a result, the vehicle 100r automatically drives through the transport section C3 under the driving control of the driving control unit 212 while performing the acquisition of vehicle speed data using the wheel speed data and the wheel speed data to estimate its own position.

[0061] As described above, the vehicle 100 of this embodiment includes a processing completion detection unit 214 that detects the completion of processing by at least one step included in the manufacturing process, and a control content changing unit 216 that changes the control content of the vehicle 100 when processing completion is detected. The control content of the vehicle 100 can be changed for each completion of processing by a step, and the operation control of the vehicle 100 by remote control suitable for each step can be executed.

[0062] In the vehicle 100 of this embodiment, the processing completion detection unit 214 detects the completion of a process that adds an element to the vehicle 100 or a process that changes an element provided in the vehicle 100, which is included in the manufacturing process. When the completion of the process by the said step is detected, the control content of the vehicle 100 is changed so that the control uses the element that has been added to or changed in the vehicle 100. Therefore, the elements that have been added to or changed in the vehicle 100 can be appropriately utilized according to the progress of the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100, and the performance of the vehicle 100 in autonomous driving can be properly demonstrated. For example, by properly demonstrating the performance of the vehicle 100 during driving, such as increasing the driving speed of the vehicle 100 or expanding the allowable range of the steering angle, the production efficiency of the vehicle 100 can be improved.

[0063] According to the vehicle 100 of this embodiment, the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100 includes an object detection device mounting step, which involves mounting an object detection device capable of detecting objects around the vehicle 100, the object detection device including at least one of a radar device and an on-board camera. When the completion of the object detection device mounting step is detected, the control content of the vehicle 100 is changed to execute collision prevention control using the mounted object detection device. Therefore, collision prevention during automatic driving of the vehicle 100 can be performed upon completion of the object detection device mounting step.

[0064] In the vehicle 100 of this embodiment, the control content changing unit 216 further changes the control content of the vehicle 100 so that the vehicle 100 is driven by vehicle 100 driving control utilizing collision avoidance control, instead of driving control by remote control. Therefore, upon completion of the object detection device installation process, the main entity controlling the vehicle 100 can be switched from remote control by the server 300 to automatic driving by vehicle 100 driving control.

[0065] According to the vehicle 100 of this embodiment, the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100 includes a speed detection device installation step, which involves installing a speed detection device that includes at least one of a vehicle speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a yaw rate sensor, and is capable of acquiring speed information relating to the speed of the vehicle 100. When the completion of the speed detection device installation step is detected, the control content of the vehicle 100 is changed to execute driving control using the speed information detected by the installed speed detection device. Therefore, upon completion of the speed detection device installation step, self-position estimation and vehicle speed feedback control using the detected speed information can be executed.

[0066] According to the vehicle 100 of this embodiment, the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100 includes an adjustment process that includes at least one of a wheel alignment adjustment process and a suspension adjustment process that includes a suspension adjustment process. When the completion of the adjustment process is detected, the control content of the vehicle 100 is changed to increase the upper limit of the vehicle 100's driving speed. Therefore, upon completion of the adjustment process, the driving speed of the vehicle 100 in automatic driving can be increased, and the productivity of the vehicle 100 can be improved.

[0067] B. Second Embodiment: Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the server 300b according to the second embodiment. Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the ECU 200b provided in the vehicle 100 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the control content change table 224 is not stored in the storage device 220 of the ECU 200b, and the control content change table 324 is stored in the storage device 320 of the server 300b. The configuration of the control content change table 324 is the same as the control content change table 224 shown in the first embodiment.

[0068] In this embodiment, the CPU 210 of the ECU 200b does not function as a processing completion detection unit 214, and the CPU 310 of the server 300b functions as a control content change instruction unit 316, which is different from the first embodiment. When the manufacturing information acquisition unit 314 detects the completion of processing by each process, the control content change instruction unit 316 instructs the vehicle 100's control content change unit 216 to add or change the control content of the vehicle 100 so that the elements added or changed to the vehicle 100 as a result of the completion of that process are used. In this embodiment, the control content change instruction unit 316 refers to the control content change table 324 and instructs the control content change unit 216 to rewrite the control program 222 to include the elements added or changed to the control content corresponding to the completed process. As a result, the control program 222 is changed to control content that uses the elements added or changed to the vehicle 100 as a result of the completed process.

[0069] As described above, the server 300b of this embodiment includes a manufacturing information acquisition unit 314 that acquires manufacturing information 322 including the progress of processes that add elements to the vehicle 100 or processes that change elements provided in the vehicle 100 as part of the manufacturing process, and a control content change instruction unit 316 that, when completion of the process is detected, instructs the vehicle 100 to change the content of the control of the vehicle 100 so that the elements added to or changed in the vehicle 100 as a result of the completion of the process are used.Therefore, the elements added to or changed in the vehicle 100 can be appropriately utilized according to the progress of the manufacturing process of each vehicle 100 managed by the server 300b, and the performance of each vehicle 100 in autonomous driving can be properly demonstrated.

[0070] C. Third Embodiment: Figure 10 is a block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the ECU200c provided in the vehicle 100 according to the third embodiment. As shown in Figure 10, in this embodiment, the vehicle 100 is equipped with an ECU200c including a CPU210c and a storage device 220c. The CPU210c differs from the CPU210 shown in the first embodiment in that it further includes a manual operation detection unit 217 and an abnormality detection unit 218, but its other configurations are the same. The storage device 220c differs from the storage device 220 shown in the first embodiment in that it further stores a threshold value 226, but its other configurations are the same.

[0071] Figure 11 is a block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of server 300c according to the third embodiment. As shown in Figure 11, server 300c is the same as server 300 in the first embodiment in that it has a CPU 310c which further includes an abnormality response unit 318 instead of the CPU 310.

[0072] The manual operation detection unit 217 consists of sensors for detecting the amount of manual operation of the operation unit 170. The "amount of operation of the operation unit 170" refers to, for example, the accelerator opening, steering angle, or the amount the foot brake is pressed. The amount of operation of the operation unit 170 may also be an output value for driving control based on the manual operation of the operation unit 170, such as the vehicle speed, acceleration, deceleration, actual steering angle, or braking force of the vehicle 100.

[0073] The anomaly detection unit 218 detects any unplanned operation of the operation unit 170 as an anomaly. More specifically, the anomaly detection unit 218 detects that an unplanned operation of the operation unit 170 has occurred when the amount of manual operation of the operation unit 170 exceeds a threshold 226 that has been relaxed by the control content change unit 216, as described later. The detection result from the anomaly detection unit 218 is output to the server 300c.

[0074] The threshold 226 is used to determine whether or not to perform a so-called override. In this specification, "override" means a process that prioritizes the operation of the vehicle 100 by the operation unit 170 over the operation of the vehicle 100 by remote control when the operation of the vehicle 100 by remote control and the operation of the operation unit 170 are performed simultaneously.

[0075] The threshold 226 is preset using the operating amount of the operating unit 170. In this embodiment, the threshold 226 includes a lower limit that is a predetermined operating amount smaller than the reference value and an upper limit that is a predetermined operating amount larger than the reference value, when the operating amount of the operating unit 170 planned for remote control is taken as the reference value. If the detected operating amount of the operating unit 170 is less than the lower limit or greater than the upper limit, the operation control by operating the operating unit 170 is given priority by override. For example, if steering operation of the vehicle 100 is performed by remote control and at the same time a manual steering operation is performed with an operating amount greater than the upper limit or less than the lower limit, the operation control by manual steering operation is given priority by override. If the operating amount of the operating unit 170 is between the lower limit and the upper limit, the operation control by remote control takes priority over the operation control by manual operation. The threshold 226 is set individually for each type of operating unit 170, such as steering wheel, accelerator, brake, etc. The threshold 226 may be included in the control content change table 224.

[0076] During the manufacturing process of vehicle 100, the self-propelled transport of vehicle 100 by remote control may be performed in an unmanned state with no occupants inside vehicle 100. In an unmanned state, the control unit 170 is normally not manually operated, and overrides do not occur. However, even during the self-propelled transport of vehicle 100, workers may board vehicle 100 for purposes such as inspecting the vehicle or installing parts inside vehicle 100. In this case, for example, if a worker accidentally touches the control unit 170, the amount of operation of the control unit 170 may exceed the threshold 226, potentially causing an override and unintentionally stopping the self-propelled transport of vehicle 100.

[0077] In this embodiment, in processes where a worker may come into contact with the operating unit 170 during self-propelled transport, the threshold 226 is relaxed to a value that makes it less likely for the operation control by the operating unit 170 to take priority, i.e., a value that makes overrides less likely to occur, thereby suppressing or preventing unintended overrides by workers during self-propelled transport. From this, the relaxed threshold 226 can also be said to be a threshold for detecting unplanned operation of the operating unit 170. The correspondence between processes in which a worker may come into contact with the operating unit 170 during self-propelled transport and the relaxed threshold 226 is pre-set in the control content change table 224. The relaxed threshold 226 is pre-set using a value suitable for each type of operating unit 170.

[0078] The abnormality response unit 318 executes predetermined abnormality measures when the abnormality detection unit 218 detects an unscheduled operation of the operation unit 170. These abnormality measures include, for example, notifying the manager or worker of the process where the abnormality occurred, or stopping the production of the vehicle 100 by making an emergency stop of the manufacturing equipment or production line.

[0079] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the manufacturing method of the vehicle 100 according to the third embodiment. This flowchart differs from the manufacturing method of the vehicle 100 of the first embodiment shown in Figure 6 in that it includes steps S12, S14, and S16 after step S10, and steps S22 and S32 are included instead of steps S20 and S30.

[0080] In step S12, the manual operation detection unit 217 monitors the amount of operation of the operation unit 170. In step S14, the manual operation detection unit 217 determines whether the amount of operation of the operation unit 170 exceeds the relaxed threshold 226. If the amount of operation of the operation unit 170 is within the relaxed threshold 226 (S14; NO), the process proceeds to step S18. If the threshold 226 has not been relaxed at the time of step S12, steps S12, S14, and S16 may be omitted and the process may proceed to step S18.

[0081] In step S14, if the amount of operation of the operation unit 170 exceeds the relaxed threshold 226 (S14: YES), the manual operation detection unit 217 proceeds to step S16. In step S16, the abnormality action unit 318 performs abnormality action. More specifically, the abnormality detection unit 218 outputs the detection result of an unscheduled operation of the operation unit 170 to the server 300c. When the abnormality action unit 318 of the server 300c receives the detection result from the abnormality detection unit 218 of the vehicle 100, it performs abnormality action and terminates this flow. Specifically, the abnormality action unit 318 notifies the manager or worker of the process where the abnormality occurred of the abnormality and performs an emergency stop of the manufacturing line to stop the production of the vehicle 100.

[0082] In step S22, the control content change unit 216 checks whether there is a possibility that an operator may come into contact with the operation unit 170 in the next step. Specifically, the control content change unit 216 refers to the control content change table 224 to check whether the next step is one in which an operator may come into contact with the operation unit 170. If the next step is one in which there is no possibility of contact with the operation unit 170 (S22: NO), the control content change unit 216 proceeds to step S40. Note that steps S22 and S32 may be executed after it is determined that the entire process has not been completed in step S40, and before step S50.

[0083] If there is a possibility that an operator will come into contact with the operating unit 170 in the next process (S22: YES), the control content change unit 216 relaxes the threshold 226. More specifically, the control content change unit 216 changes the threshold 226 to the relaxed value according to the control content change table 224.

[0084] As described above, in the vehicle 100 of this embodiment, a threshold 226 for determining whether to prioritize the operation control by the operation unit 170 over the operation control by remote control when the operation control by remote control and the operation control by the operation unit 170 are executed simultaneously is stored in the storage device 220c of the ECU 200c. The processing completion detection unit 214 detects the completion of processing by a process prior to the process in which a worker may come into contact with the operation unit 170. When the processing completion detection unit 214 detects the completion of processing by the preceding process, the control content modification unit 216 modifies the control content of the vehicle 100 so as to relax the threshold 226 to a value that makes it less likely for the operation control by the operation unit 170 to be prioritized.Therefore, it is possible to suppress or prevent the malfunction in which the self-propelled transport of the vehicle 100 is unintentionally stopped due to a worker or the like accidentally coming into contact with the operation unit 170 while the vehicle 100 is being transported by remote control.

[0085] D. Fourth Embodiment: Figure 13 is a block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the ECU 200d in the vehicle 100 according to the fourth embodiment. Figure 14 is a block diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the server 300d according to the fourth embodiment. As shown in Figures 13 and 14, this embodiment differs from the configuration of the ECU 200c and server 300c shown in the third embodiment in that the control content change table 224 is not stored in the storage device 220d of the ECU 200d, and the control content change table 324 is stored in the storage device 320 of the server 300d. The configuration of the control content change table 324 is the same as the control content change table 224 shown in the third embodiment.

[0086] The CPU 210d of the ECU 200d differs from the configuration of the CPU 210c of the ECU 200c shown in the third embodiment in that it does not function as a processing completion detection unit 214 and an abnormality detection unit 218. The CPU 310d of the server 300d further differs from the configuration of the server 300c in the third embodiment in that it functions as a control content change instruction unit 316 and an abnormality detection unit 317.

[0087] In this embodiment, the manufacturing information acquisition unit 314 acquires manufacturing information and, by referring to the acquired manufacturing information, acquires the completion of processing in a step prior to the step in which an operator may come into contact with the operation unit 170. The acquisition results by the manufacturing information acquisition unit 314 are output to the control content change instruction unit 316.

[0088] The control content change instruction unit 316 may refer to the control content change table 224 and use the manufacturing information acquired by the manufacturing information acquisition unit 314 to confirm whether the next step is a step in which an operator may come into contact with the operation unit 170. If the next step is a step in which an operator may come into contact with the operation unit 170, the control content change instruction unit 316 instructs the control content change unit 216 to change the threshold value 226 to the relaxed value according to the control content change table 224. As a result, the threshold value 226 stored in the storage device 220d of the ECU 200d is changed to the relaxed value.

[0089] The abnormality detection unit 317 sequentially acquires the amount of operation of the operation unit 170 acquired by the manual operation detection unit 217. Similar to the abnormality detection unit 218 shown in the third embodiment, the abnormality detection unit 317 detects that an unplanned operation of the operation unit 170 has occurred when the acquired amount of operation of the operation unit 170 exceeds the relaxed threshold 226. The detection result from the abnormality detection unit 317 is output to the abnormality action unit 318. Similar to the abnormality action unit 318 shown in the third embodiment, the abnormality action unit 318 executes a predetermined abnormality action when an unplanned operation of the operation unit 170 is detected.

[0090] As described above, according to the server 300d of this embodiment, the manufacturing information acquisition unit 314 acquires the completion of processing in a process prior to a process predetermined as a process in which an operator may come into contact with the operation unit 170. When the completion of processing in the previous process is acquired, the control content change instruction unit 316 instructs the vehicle 100 to change the content of the control of the vehicle 100 so as to relax the threshold 226 to a value that makes it less likely for the operation control by the operation unit 170 to take priority. Therefore, in this embodiment as well as in the third embodiment, it is possible to suppress or prevent the malfunction in which the self-propelled transport of the vehicle 100 is unintentionally stopped due to an operator accidentally coming into contact with the operation unit 170 while the vehicle 100 is being transported by remote control.

[0091] According to the server 300d of this embodiment, if the threshold 226 is relaxed by the control content change unit 216 and then operation control by the operation unit 170 is given priority, the server 300d will perform abnormal measures such as stopping the production of the vehicle 100 and issuing a notification. By performing abnormal measures instead of override, the risks associated with relaxing the threshold 226 can be suppressed or prevented.

[0092] E. Fifth Embodiment: Figure 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of system 500e in the fifth embodiment. In this embodiment, system 500e differs from the first embodiment in that it does not include server 300. The other configurations of system 500e are the same as in the first embodiment unless otherwise specified.

[0093] Figure 16 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal functional configuration of the ECU 200e of the vehicle 100e in the fifth embodiment. As shown in Figure 16, the ECU 200e includes a CPU 210e as a central processing unit, a storage device 220e such as ROM or RAM, and a vehicle communication unit 190 connected to an interface circuit (not shown). These are connected bidirectionally via an internal bus. In this embodiment, various functions such as the driving control unit 212e, the processing completion detection unit 214, and the control content change unit 216 are realized by the CPU 210e executing various computer programs stored in the storage device 220e. As will be described later, the driving control unit 212e in this embodiment is capable of driving the vehicle 100e by autonomous control of the vehicle 100e. Specifically, the driving control unit 212e acquires detection results from sensors, generates a driving control signal using the detection results, and outputs the generated driving control signal to operate various actuators of the vehicle 100e, thereby enabling the vehicle 100e to be driven by autonomous control.

[0094] Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for controlling the driving of vehicle 100e in the fifth embodiment. In step S101, vehicle 100e acquires vehicle position information using the detection result output from the camera 80, which is an external sensor. In step S102, vehicle 100e determines the target position to which vehicle 100e should next go. In step S103, vehicle 100e generates a driving control signal to drive vehicle 100e toward the determined target position. In step S104, vehicle 100e drives vehicle 100e according to the parameters expressed in the driving control signal by controlling the actuators of vehicle 100e using the generated driving control signal. Vehicle 100e repeats the acquisition of vehicle position information, determination of target position, generation of driving control signal, and control of actuators at predetermined intervals. According to the system 500e in this embodiment, vehicle 100e can be driven by autonomous control of vehicle 100e without remote control of vehicle 100e by server 300.

[0095] In this embodiment, a manufacturing method substantially the same as that shown in Figure 6 is performed. In this embodiment, the completion of the process in step S18 is detected by the process completion detection unit 214. The process completion detection unit 214 may acquire the completion of the process for the vehicle by each process from, for example, sensors or cameras provided at each process, or it may acquire it using manufacturing information. The process completion detection unit 214 may acquire the manufacturing information from, for example, a process control device provided at each process, or a production control device that comprehensively manages the manufacturing status of each process. In step S50 of this embodiment, the driving control unit 212e of the vehicle 100e starts the vehicle 100e moving and drives the vehicle 100e toward the next process. In this case, the driving control of the vehicle 100e is performed based on the rewritten control program 222.

[0096] As described above, according to the system 500e of this embodiment, the control content of the vehicle 100e can be changed after each process is completed, and the operation control of the vehicle 100e can be performed by autonomous control suitable for each process.

[0097] In addition, in other embodiments in which the vehicle 100e is driven by autonomous control, similar to this embodiment, for example, the CPU 210e may be equipped with a manual operation detection unit 217, an abnormality detection unit 218, and an abnormality correction unit 318, the threshold value 226 may be stored in the storage device 220e, and the manufacturing method shown in Figure 12 may be executed. In this case, step S16 is executed by the abnormality correction unit 318 of the vehicle 100e in substantially the same manner as in the third embodiment. Specifically, the abnormality detection unit 218 outputs the detection result of an unplanned operation of the operation unit 170, and the abnormality correction unit 318 acquires this detection result and executes an abnormality correction. In this way, it is possible to suppress or prevent the malfunction in which the autonomous transport of the vehicle 100e is unintentionally stopped due to a worker or the like accidentally touching the operation unit 170 while the vehicle 100e is being transported autonomously.

[0098] Furthermore, in other embodiments in which the vehicle 100e is driven by autonomous control, for example, the system 500 may be equipped with a server 300. In this case, the CPU 310 of the server 300 may function, for example, as a manufacturing information acquisition unit 314, a control content change instruction unit 316, and an abnormality response unit 318, similar to the embodiments described above. Also in this case, the storage device 320 of the server 300 may store, for example, manufacturing information 322 and a control content change table 324, similar to the embodiments described above.

[0099] F. Other embodiments: (F1) In the second embodiment described above, an example was shown in which the control content change instruction unit 316 is provided on the server 300b and the control content change unit 216 is provided on the ECU 200b of the vehicle 100. In contrast, the server 300b may be provided with a control content change unit instead of the control content change instruction unit 316. With this configuration, the server 300b can directly change the control content of the vehicle 100. In this case, the control content change unit 216 of the ECU 200b can be omitted, and the processing load on the ECU 200b can be reduced.

[0100] (F2) In each of the above embodiments, the vehicle 100 only needs to have a configuration that allows it to move by unmanned operation, and may, for example, be in 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 is sufficient to have at least a control device that controls the movement of the vehicle 100 and actuators for the vehicle 100e. When the vehicle 100 acquires information from the outside for unmanned operation, the vehicle 100 may further have a communication device. 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 the driver's seat and dashboard attached, at least some of the exterior parts such as the bumper and fenders attached, and does not need to have a body shell attached. In this case, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100 before the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory, or the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100 after the vehicle 100 has been shipped from the factory without the remaining parts such as the body shell attached to the vehicle 100. Each component may be attached to the vehicle 100 from any direction, such as the top, bottom, front, rear, right, or left side, and 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.

[0101] (F3) In the third embodiment described above, an example was shown in which the threshold 226 includes a lower limit that is a predetermined amount smaller than a reference value of the operating amount of the operating unit 170 planned for remote control, and an upper limit that is a predetermined amount larger than the reference value. In contrast, the threshold 226 may be set using only either the upper limit or the lower limit. The threshold 226 may be set using, for example, the difference between the operating amount of the operating unit 170 during unmanned operation and the operating amount of the operating unit 170 during manual operation. The threshold 226 may be set using the absolute value of the operating amount of the operating unit 170 during manual operation. The threshold 226 may be set using the sum of the operating amount of the operating unit 170 during unmanned operation and the operating amount of the operating unit 170 added by manual operation.

[0102] (F4) In the third embodiment described above, an example was shown in which the threshold 226 is relaxed to a value that makes it less likely for the override to be performed. In contrast, relaxing the threshold 226 may include turning off the override function.

[0103] (F5) In the third embodiment described above, in step S14, if the amount of operation of the operation unit 170 exceeds the relaxed threshold 226, an example was shown in step S16 in which an abnormality measure is executed by the abnormality measure unit 318. In contrast, in step S16, instead of or together with the abnormality measure, the operation control of the vehicle 100 by the operation unit 170 may be given priority over the operation control of the vehicle 100 by remote control by override. By configuring in this way, it is possible to suppress the stopping of the self-propelled transport of the vehicle 100 due to erroneous operation of the operation unit 170, and manual operation of the operation unit 170 can be performed by override.

[0104] (F6) In each of the above embodiments, the external sensor is a camera 80. However, the external sensor does not have to be a camera 80; for example, it may be a LiDAR. In this case, the detection result output by the external sensor may be 3D point cloud data representing the vehicle 100. In this case, the server 300 and the vehicle 100 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.

[0105] (F7) In the first to fourth embodiments described above, the server 300 performs the processing from acquiring vehicle position information to generating a driving control signal. In contrast, 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 also be used.

[0106] (1) The server 300 may acquire vehicle location information, determine the next target location that vehicle 100 should head to, and generate a route from the vehicle 100's current location, as shown in the acquired vehicle location information, to the target location. The server 300 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 server 300 may transmit the generated route to vehicle 100. Vehicle 100 may generate a driving control signal so that vehicle 100 travels along the route received from the server 300, and may use the generated driving control signal to control the actuators of vehicle 100.

[0107] (2) The server 300 may acquire vehicle location information and transmit the acquired vehicle location 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 location 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 actuators of the vehicle 100.

[0108] (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. Specifically, 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 server 300 may acquire the detection results from the internal sensors and reflect the detection results from the internal sensors in the route when generating a route. In the embodiment of (1) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection results from the internal sensors and reflect the detection results from 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 from the internal sensors and reflect the detection results from the internal sensors in the route when generating a route. In the embodiment of (2) above, the vehicle 100 may acquire the detection results from the internal sensors and reflect the detection results from the internal sensors in the driving control signal when generating a driving control signal.

[0109] (F8) In the fifth embodiment described above, the vehicle 100e is equipped with an internal sensor, and the detection result output from the internal sensor may be used in at least one of the generation of the route and the generation of the driving control signal. For example, the vehicle 100e may acquire the detection result from the internal sensor and reflect the detection result from the internal sensor in the route when generating the route. The vehicle 100e may acquire the detection result from the internal sensor and reflect the detection result from the internal sensor in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0110] (F9) In the fifth embodiment described above, the vehicle 100e acquires vehicle position information using the detection results of an external sensor. In contrast, the vehicle 100e may be equipped with an internal sensor, and the vehicle 100e may acquire vehicle position information using the detection results of the internal sensor, determine the next target location to which the vehicle 100e should go, generate a route from the vehicle 100e's current location to the target location as shown in the acquired vehicle position information, generate a driving control signal for driving along the generated route, and control the actuators of the vehicle 100e using the generated driving control signal. In this case, the vehicle 100e can drive without using the detection results of an external sensor at all. The vehicle 100e may also acquire the target arrival time and congestion information from outside the vehicle 100e and reflect the target arrival time and congestion information in at least one of the route and the driving control signal. Furthermore, all the functional configurations of the system 500 may be provided in the vehicle 100. That is, the processing realized by the system 500 in this disclosure may be realized by the vehicle 100 alone.

[0111] (F10) In the first to fourth embodiments described above, the server 300 automatically generates driving control signals to be transmitted to the vehicle 100. Alternatively, the server 300 may generate driving control signals to be transmitted to the vehicle 100 in accordance with the operations 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 steering wheel for remotely controlling the vehicle 100, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a communication device for communicating with the server 300 via wired or wireless communication, and the server 300 may generate driving control signals in accordance with the operations applied to the control device. Hereinafter, the operation of the vehicle 100 by such control will also be referred to as "remote manual operation". Even in this configuration, for example, when the completion of processing by at least one step included in the manufacturing process is detected by the processing completion detection unit 214 or the manufacturing information acquisition unit 314, the control content change unit 216 can change the content of the control of the vehicle 100. Specifically, when completion of processing is detected, the control content modification unit 216 may, for example, modify the control content of the remote manual operation so that it uses the elements added or modified to the vehicle 100 upon completion of processing, or it may cancel the remote manual operation and start unmanned operation using the added or modified elements. Also, when completion of processing is detected, the control content modification unit 216 may modify the control content of the remote manual operation so that the threshold 226 is relaxed to a value that makes it less likely for the operation control by the operation unit 170 to take priority. Furthermore, when completion of processing is detected, the control content modification instruction unit 316 may, for example, instruct the vehicle 100 to modify the content of each of the above controls.

[0112] (F11) 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.

[0113] (F12) 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 a factory that manufactures vehicle 100, at least a portion of the transport of vehicle 100 is realized by autonomous transport.

[0114] The control and methods described herein may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. Alternatively, the control and methods described herein may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor by one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control and methods described herein may be implemented by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions and a processor configured by one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by the computer on a computer-readable non-transitional tangible recording medium.

[0115] 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]

[0116] 50...Pre-processing, 50p...Radar device installation process, 50q...On-board camera installation process, 50r...Wheel speed sensor installation process, 60...Post-processing, 70...Access point, 72...Network, 80...Camera, 100, 100e, 100p, 100q, 100r...Vehicle, 120...Battery, 130...PCU, 140...Motor, 150...Power receiving device, 170...Operation unit 180...Detection devices, 190...Vehicle communication unit, 200, 200b, 200c, 200d, 200e...ECU, 210, 210c, 210d, 210e...CPU, 212, 212e...Operation control unit, 214...Processing completion detection unit, 216...Control content change unit, 217...Manual operation detection unit, 218...Anomaly detection unit, 220, 220c, 220d, 220e...Memory unit 222…Control program, 224…Control content change table, 226…Threshold, 280…Interface circuit, 300, 300b, 300c, 300d…Server, 310, 310c, 310d…CPU, 312…Remote control unit, 314…Manufacturing information acquisition unit, 316…Control content change instruction unit, 317…Anomaly detection unit, 318…Anomaly response unit, 320…Storage device, 322…Manufacturing information, 324…Control content change table, 390…Remote communication unit, 500, 500e…System, 801, 802, 803, 804…Camera, C1, C2, C3…Transport section, FC…Factory, P2…Parking position, PA…Parking lot, PG…Input position, RT…Track, RT1…First track, RT2…Second track, RT3…Third track, RT4…Fourth track

Claims

1. A mobile device manufactured in a factory, A communication unit for receiving remote control commands, In the manufacturing process of the mobile body at the aforementioned factory, an operation control unit that performs operation control of the mobile body in accordance with the received control command, A processing completion detection unit that detects the completion of processing by at least one step included in the manufacturing process, The system includes a control content modification unit that modifies the control content of the moving body when the completion of the aforementioned process is detected, The processing completion detection unit detects the completion of the processing of adding an element to the moving body or the processing of changing an element provided on the moving body by at least one step, When the completion of the process is detected, the control content modification unit modifies the control content of the moving body so that the control uses the elements added or modified to the moving body as a result of the completion of the process. The above step includes a speed detection device mounting step, which involves adding a speed detection device to the moving body as an element, the speed detection device which includes at least one of a vehicle speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a yaw rate sensor, and which is capable of acquiring speed information relating to the speed of the vehicle as a moving body. The control content modification unit modifies the control content of the moving body so that, when the completion of the speed detection device installation process is detected, it executes driving control using the speed information detected by the added speed detection device. A mobile object.

2. A mobile body manufactured in a factory, A communication unit for receiving remote control commands, In the manufacturing process of the mobile body at the aforementioned factory, an operation control unit that performs operation control of the mobile body in accordance with the received control command, A processing completion detection unit that detects the completion of processing by at least one step included in the manufacturing process, The system includes a control content modification unit that modifies the control content of the moving body when the completion of the aforementioned process is detected, The processing completion detection unit detects the completion of the processing of adding an element to the moving body or the processing of changing an element provided on the moving body by at least one step, When the completion of the process is detected, the control content modification unit modifies the control content of the moving body so that the control uses the elements added or modified to the moving body as a result of the completion of the process. The process includes an adjustment process which includes at least one of the following: a wheel alignment adjustment process which performs a process to change the wheel alignment of the vehicle as a moving body as the element; and a suspension adjustment process which performs a process to change the suspension of the vehicle as the element. The control content modification unit, upon detecting the completion of the adjustment process, modifies the control content of the vehicle to increase the upper limit of the vehicle's travel speed. A mobile object.

3. A mobile body manufactured in a factory, A communication unit for receiving remote control commands, In the manufacturing process of the mobile body at the aforementioned factory, an operation control unit that performs operation control of the mobile body in accordance with the received control command, A processing completion detection unit that detects the completion of processing by at least one step included in the manufacturing process, When the completion of the above process is detected, a control content modification unit modifies the content of the control of the moving body, An operating unit for manually operating the aforementioned mobile body, The system includes a memory device that stores a threshold value, which is set in advance using the operation amount of the operation unit, for determining whether or not to prioritize the operation control by the operation unit over the operation control by the remote control when the operation control by the remote control and the operation control by the operation unit are performed simultaneously. The processing completion detection unit detects the completion of the processing of adding an element to the moving body or the processing of changing an element provided on the moving body by at least one step, When the completion of the process is detected, the control content modification unit modifies the control content of the moving body so that the control uses the elements added or modified to the moving body as a result of the completion of the process. The processing completion detection unit detects the completion of a process in a predetermined step prior to a step in which an operator may come into contact with the operating unit, among the at least one of the steps. The control content modification unit modifies the control content of the moving body so that, when it detects the completion of the processing in the previous step, it relaxes the threshold to a value that makes it less likely for the operation control by the operation unit to take priority. A mobile object.

4. A mobile body according to claim 3, The processing completion detection unit detects the completion of the processing of adding an element to the moving body or the processing of changing an element provided on the moving body by at least one step, When the completion of the process is detected, the control content modification unit modifies the control content of the moving body so that the control uses the elements added to or modified by the moving body upon completion of the process. A mobile object.

5. A mobile body according to claim 1 or 2, The above step includes an object detection device mounting step, which involves adding an object detection device capable of detecting objects around the moving body as an element to the moving body, the object detection device comprising at least one of a radar device and a camera, The control content modification unit modifies the control content of the moving body so that, when the completion of the object detection device installation process is detected, collision prevention control using the added object detection device is executed. A mobile object.

6. A mobile body according to claim 5, The control content modification unit further modifies the control content of the mobile body so that the mobile body travels using the collision prevention control instead of the remote control operation control. A mobile object.

7. It is a server, A mobile body manufactured in a factory, comprising a communication unit for receiving remote control commands, and an operation control unit that performs operational control of the mobile body in accordance with the received control commands during the manufacturing process within the factory where the mobile body is manufactured, a remote control unit that moves the mobile body by remote control, A manufacturing information acquisition unit that acquires manufacturing information including the progress of processing by at least one step included in the manufacturing process, The system includes a control content change instruction unit that, when the completion of the aforementioned process is detected, instructs the mobile body to change the content of its control, The manufacturing information acquisition unit acquires the completion of processing in at least one of the processes, prior to the process in which an operator may come into contact with the operating part for manually operating the mobile body. The control content change instruction unit is: When the completion of the process in the preceding step is obtained, When the operation control by the control unit and the operation control by the remote control are performed simultaneously, the threshold for determining whether to prioritize the operation control by the control unit over the operation control by the remote control is relaxed to a value that makes it less likely for the operation control by the control unit to be prioritized, and the mobile body is instructed to change the content of the control of the mobile body. server.

8. The server according to claim 7, The manufacturing information acquisition unit acquires the completion of the process of adding an element to the moving body or changing an element provided on the moving body by at least one step. When the completion of the process is detected, the control content change instruction unit instructs the mobile body to change the content of its control so that the control becomes one that uses the elements added or modified to the mobile body as a result of the completion of the process. server.

9. Furthermore, the server according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising an abnormality action unit that, if the operation control by the operation unit is prioritized after the threshold has been relaxed, causes the server to perform at least one of the abnormality measures, namely stopping the manufacture of the mobile body and issuing a notification.

10. A method for manufacturing a mobile body, In the manufacturing process within a factory that manufactures a mobile body, the mobile body is operated unmanned. Manufacturing information is obtained, including the progress of processing in at least one step included in the aforementioned manufacturing process. When the completion of the above process is detected, the mobile body is instructed to change the control content of the mobile body. The completion of the process of adding an element to the moving body or changing an element provided on the moving body by at least one of the steps described above is detected. When the completion of the process is detected, the control of the moving body is modified so that it uses the elements added to or modified by the completion of the process. The above step includes a speed detection device mounting step, which involves adding a speed detection device to the moving body as an element, the speed detection device which includes at least one of a vehicle speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a yaw rate sensor, and which is capable of acquiring speed information relating to the speed of the vehicle as a moving body. When the completion of the speed detection device installation process is detected, the control content of the moving body is modified to perform driving control using the speed information detected by the added speed detection device. A method for manufacturing a mobile body.

11. A mobile device manufactured in a factory, In the manufacturing process of the mobile body at the aforementioned factory, an operation control unit generates a control signal for moving the mobile body by unmanned operation and executes operation control of the mobile body according to the control signal, A processing completion detection unit that detects the completion of processing by at least one step included in the manufacturing process, The system includes a control content modification unit that modifies the control content of the moving body when the completion of the aforementioned process is detected, The processing completion detection unit detects the completion of the processing of adding an element to the moving body or the processing of changing an element provided on the moving body by at least one step, When the completion of the process is detected, the control content modification unit modifies the control content of the moving body so that the control uses the elements added or modified to the moving body as a result of the completion of the process. The above step includes a speed detection device mounting step, which involves adding a speed detection device to the moving body as an element, the speed detection device which includes at least one of a vehicle speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a yaw rate sensor, and which is capable of acquiring speed information relating to the speed of the vehicle as a moving body. The control content modification unit modifies the control content of the moving body so that, when the completion of the speed detection device installation process is detected, it executes driving control using the speed information detected by the added speed detection device. A mobile object.

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