Control device and remote control method

Abstract

To prevent false determination as to whether or not a mobile body is appropriately remote-controlled.SOLUTION: A control apparatus for remotely controlling a plurality of mobile bodies includes: a generation unit which generates control commands corresponding to the plurality of mobile bodies, respectively; a transmission unit which can transmit the control commands corresponding to the plurality of mobile bodies, respectively, to the plurality of mobile bodies; an information acquisition unit which can acquire command information regarding the control commands, internal sensor information regarding a moving state of the mobile body detected by an internal sensor mounted on the mobile body, and external sensor information regarding a moving state of the mobile body detected by an external sensor located outside the mobile body; and a detection unit which compares at least two pieces of information among the command information, the internal sensor information, and the external sensor information, to detect that a control command has been transmitted from the transmission unit to the mobile body that does not correspond to the control command.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device and a remote control method.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a technique for transmitting a command to move a vehicle wiper or the like by remote control and observing whether the vehicle wiper or the like moves according to the command to confirm whether the vehicle is appropriately remotely controlled (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described technique, it is difficult to determine whether the vehicle is appropriately remotely controlled when a vehicle being remotely controlled and a vehicle not being remotely controlled accidentally perform the same operation at the same time or when it is not easy to observe the operation of the vehicle.

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 control device for remotely controlling a plurality of mobile bodies is provided. The control device comprises: a generation unit that generates a control command corresponding to each of the plurality of mobile bodies; a transmission unit capable of transmitting the control command corresponding to each of the plurality of mobile bodies to each of the plurality of mobile bodies; an information acquisition unit capable of acquiring command information relating to the control command, internal sensor information relating to the movement state of the mobile body detected by an internal sensor mounted on the mobile body, and external sensor information relating to the movement state of the mobile body detected by an external sensor located outside the mobile body; and a detection unit that detects that the control command has been transmitted from the transmission unit to a mobile body that does not correspond to the control command by comparing at least two pieces of information: the command information, the internal sensor information, and the external sensor information. According to this type of control device, if the mobile object is not properly remotely controlled, at least two of the command information, internal sensor information, and external sensor information will not match. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the mobile object is properly remotely controlled based on whether or not these at least two pieces of information match. (2) In the control device of the above form, the detection unit may detect that the control command has been transmitted from the transmission unit to the moving body that does not correspond to the control command by comparing at least two of the parameters identified from the command information, the parameters identified from the internal sensor information, and the parameters identified from the external sensor information. With this type of control device, by comparing parameters, it is possible to detect that a control command has been transmitted from the transmitting unit to a mobile object that does not correspond to the control command. (3) In the control device of the above form, the detection unit may detect that the control command has been transmitted from the transmission unit to a mobile body that does not correspond to the control command by comparing at least two of the following: identification information for identifying the mobile body identified from the command information, identification information for identifying the mobile body identified from the internal sensor information, and identification information for identifying the mobile body identified from the external sensor information. According to this type of control device, by comparing identification information, it is possible to detect that a control command has been transmitted from the transmitting unit to a mobile object that does not correspond to the control command. (4) In the control device of the above form, the detection unit may compare the command information with the external sensor information if the current situation matches a situation predetermined as a situation in which it is not appropriate to use the internal sensor information for the comparison. This type of control device can prevent the system from mistakenly determining that a mobile object is not being properly remotely controlled, even when it is actually being properly remotely controlled. (5) In the control device of the above form, the detection unit may compare the command information with the internal sensor information if the current situation matches a situation predetermined as a situation in which it is not appropriate to use the external sensor information for the comparison. This type of control device can prevent the system from mistakenly determining that a mobile object is not being properly remotely controlled, even when it is actually being properly remotely controlled. (6) In the control device of the above form, the detection unit may compare the three pieces of information: the command information, the internal sensor information, and the external sensor information. This type of control device can prevent a mobile object from being mistakenly determined to be properly remotely controlled when it is not. (7) According to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, a remote control method is provided for remotely controlling a plurality of mobile bodies. This remote control method generates a control command corresponding to each of the plurality of mobile bodies, transmits the control command corresponding to each of the plurality of mobile bodies to each of the plurality of mobile bodies, acquires command information relating to the control command, internal sensor information relating to the movement state of the mobile body detected by an internal sensor mounted on the mobile body, and external sensor information relating to the movement state of the mobile body detected by an external sensor located outside the mobile body, and detects that the control command has been transmitted to a mobile body that does not correspond to the control command by comparing the command information with at least two pieces of information: the command information and the internal sensor information and the external sensor information. According to this form of remote control method, if the moving object is not properly remotely controlled, at least two of the command information, internal sensor information, and external sensor information will not match. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the moving object is properly remotely controlled based on whether or not these at least two pieces of information match. This disclosure can also be implemented in various forms other than control devices and remote control methods. For example, it can be implemented in the form of a remote control system, a mobile body, a method for manufacturing a mobile body, a vehicle, a method for manufacturing a vehicle, a computer program, and a recording medium on which the computer program is stored. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the remote control system of the first embodiment. [Figure 2] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] An explanatory diagram showing how vehicles are moved remotely within a factory. [Figure 4] A flowchart showing the contents of the verification process in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] A flowchart illustrating the transmission process in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] An explanatory diagram showing how a remote control device performs information transmission and reception. [Figure 7] An explanatory diagram showing the comparison of command information, internal sensor information, and external sensor information. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] A. First Embodiment: Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the remote control system 10 in the first embodiment. Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle 100 in the first embodiment. The remote control system 10 is used in a factory that manufactures mobile bodies to move them by remote control. In this embodiment, the mobile body is a vehicle 100. More specifically, the mobile body is an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle). However, the mobile body is not limited to an electric vehicle, and may be, for example, a gasoline vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or a fuel cell vehicle. The mobile body is not limited to a vehicle 100, and may be, for example, an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (a so-called flying car).

[0009] As shown in Figure 1, in this embodiment, the remote control system 10 includes a plurality of remotely controllable vehicles 100, a remote control device 200 for remotely controlling each vehicle 100, a group of external sensors 300 installed in the factory, a notification device 400 for notifying of abnormalities occurring in the factory, and a process control device 500 for managing the manufacturing process of each vehicle 100 in the factory. Note that the remote control device 200 is sometimes simply referred to as the control device. Although only one vehicle 100 is shown in Figure 1, the remote control device 200 remotely controls multiple vehicles 100.

[0010] As shown in Figure 2, each vehicle 100 is equipped with a vehicle control device 110 for controlling various parts of the vehicle 100, a drive device 120 for accelerating the vehicle 100, a steering device 130 for changing the direction of travel of the vehicle 100, a braking device 140 for decelerating the vehicle 100, a communication device 150 for communicating with a remote control device 200 via wireless communication, and an internal sensor group 160. In this embodiment, the drive device 120 includes a battery, a motor driven by the battery's power, and drive wheels rotated by the motor. The internal sensor group 160 is composed of at least one internal sensor. An internal sensor is a sensor mounted on the vehicle 100. The internal sensor is used to detect physical quantities related to the movement state of the vehicle 100. The internal sensor may also be used to detect identification information of the vehicle 100. Physical quantities related to the movement state of the vehicle 100 may include, for example, the vehicle 100's position, velocity, acceleration, azimuth angle, yaw axis angular velocity (yaw rate), and yaw axis angular acceleration. In this embodiment, the internal sensor group 160 may include a vehicle speed sensor for measuring the speed of the vehicle 100 and a yaw rate sensor for measuring the yaw axis angular velocity of the vehicle 100.

[0011] The vehicle control device 110 is comprised of a computer comprising a processor 111, a memory 112, an input / output interface 113, and an internal bus 114. The processor 111, the memory 112, and the input / output interface 113 are connected via the internal bus 114 to enable bidirectional communication. The input / output interface 113 is connected to the drive unit 120, the steering unit 130, the braking unit 140, the communication unit 150, and the internal sensor group 160. The memory 112 stores the computer program PG1.

[0012] Processor 111 functions as a vehicle control unit 115 by executing computer program PG1. The vehicle control unit 115 controls the drive device 120, the steering device 130, and the braking device 140. When a driver is on board the vehicle 100, the vehicle control unit 115 can drive the vehicle 100 by controlling the drive device 120, the steering device 130, and the braking device 140 according to the driver's operation. Regardless of whether a driver is on board the vehicle 100 or not, the vehicle control unit 115 can drive the vehicle 100 by controlling the drive device 120, the steering device 130, and the braking device 140 according to the control command supplied from the remote control device 200. The vehicle control unit 115 measures a physical quantity representing the moving state of the vehicle 100 using the internal sensor group 160.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the remote control device 200 is constituted by a computer including a processor 201, a memory 202, an input / output interface 203, and an internal bus 204. The processor 201, the memory 202, and the input / output interface 203 are connected so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally via the internal bus 204. A communication device 205 for communicating with the vehicle 100 by wireless communication is connected to the input / output interface 203. In the present embodiment, the communication device 205 can communicate with the external sensor group 300, the notification device 400, and the process management device 500 by wired communication or wireless communication. The computer program PG2 and the database DB are stored in the memory 202. Note that the input / output interface 203, or a part combining the input / output interface 203 and the communication device 205 may be called a transmission unit.

[0014] The processor 201 functions as a remote control unit 210, an information acquisition unit 220, and a detection unit 230 by executing the computer program PG2. The remote control unit 210 drives the vehicle 100 by transmitting control commands to the vehicle 100 for remote control of the vehicle's movement state. In this embodiment, the remote control unit 210 remotely controls multiple vehicles 100. Specifically, the remote control unit 210 generates control commands for remotely controlling each of the multiple vehicles 100. The remote control unit 210 transmits the control commands corresponding to each of the multiple vehicles 100 to each of the multiple vehicles 100 via the input / output interface 203 and the communication device 205. The remote control unit 210 may remotely control the multiple vehicles 100 one by one in sequence, or it may remotely control the multiple vehicles 100 simultaneously and in parallel. In this embodiment, the control commands transmitted from the remote control unit 210 to the vehicle 100 include a target value for the vehicle 100's speed and a target value for the vehicle 100's yaw axis angular velocity. The remote control unit 210 is sometimes referred to as the generation unit.

[0015] The information acquisition unit 220 acquires command information, which is information relating to control commands transmitted from the remote control unit 210 to the vehicle 100; internal sensor information, which is information relating to the movement state of the vehicle 100 obtained from the internal sensor group 160; and external sensor information, which is information relating to the movement state of the vehicle 100 obtained from the external sensor group 300.

[0016] The detection unit 230 detects that a control command has been transmitted from the communication device 205 to a vehicle 100 that does not correspond to the control command by comparing at least two pieces of information among the command information, internal sensor information, and external sensor information acquired by the information acquisition unit 220. Here, "a control command has been transmitted from the communication device 205 to a vehicle 100 that does not correspond to the control command" means that a control command generated to remotely control one vehicle 100 among a plurality of vehicles 100 has been transmitted from the communication device 205 to another vehicle 100 other than the one vehicle 100. Such an event may be referred to as a mistake in the vehicle 100 to be remotely controlled. When the remote control device 200 remotely controls a plurality of vehicles 100, a mistake in the vehicle 100 to be remotely controlled may occur due to a defect in the remote control system 10 or a human error of a factory worker. The detection unit 230 can detect a mistake in the vehicle 100 to be remotely controlled by comparing at least two pieces of information among the command information, internal sensor information, and external sensor information acquired by the information acquisition unit 220. In the present embodiment, the database DB records information on situations where it is not appropriate to use internal sensor information for comparison, and information on situations where it is not appropriate to use external sensor information for comparison. When the current situation corresponds to a situation where it is not appropriate to use internal sensor information for comparison, the detection unit 230 compares the command information and the external sensor information without using the internal sensor information for comparison. When the current situation corresponds to a situation where it is not appropriate to use external sensor information for comparison, the detection unit 230 compares the command information and the internal sensor information without using the external sensor information for comparison.

[0017] As a method for the detection unit 230 to detect that a control command has been transmitted from the communication device 205 to a vehicle 100 that does not correspond to the control command, for example, one or more of the following various methods can be used.

[0018] <Detection method D1> The detection unit 230 uses at least two pieces of information from among the command information, internal sensor information, and external sensor information for comparison. The detection unit 230 identifies parameters related to the vehicle 100 from each piece of information used for comparison and compares each identified parameter. If the difference between each parameter is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the detection unit 230 determines that a control command has been transmitted from the communication device 205 to a vehicle 100 that does not correspond to the control command. In other words, the detection unit 230 detects that a control command has been transmitted from the communication device 205 to a vehicle 100 that does not correspond to the control command by comparing at least two of the parameters identified from the command information, the parameters identified from the internal sensor information, and the parameters identified from the external sensor information. The parameters related to the vehicle 100 can be any type of numerical value that reflects the state of the vehicle 100. For example, the parameters related to the vehicle 100 may be the speed of the vehicle 100, the steering angle of the vehicle 100, or the position coordinates of the vehicle 100.

[0019] <Detection Method D2> The detection unit 230 uses at least two pieces of information from among the command information, internal sensor information, and external sensor information for comparison. The detection unit 230 identifies the identification information of the vehicle 100 from each piece of information used for comparison and compares each identified piece of identification information. If the pieces of identification information do not match, the detection unit 230 determines that a control command has been transmitted from the communication device 205 to a vehicle 100 that does not correspond to the control command. In other words, the detection unit 230 detects that a control command has been transmitted from the communication device 205 to a vehicle 100 that does not correspond to the control command by comparing at least two pieces of identification information: the identification information identified from the command information, the identification information identified from the internal sensor information, and the identification information identified from the external sensor information. The identification information included in each piece of information used for comparison can be of any type of information, as long as it is information that can identify the vehicle 100. For example, the identification information of vehicle 100 may be a vehicle identification number (VIN), a chassis number, information about the color and shape of vehicle 100, or an identification number of a component installed in vehicle 100. For example, the identification information of vehicle 100 is pre-stored in the memory 112 of vehicle 100, and the processor 111 of vehicle 100 generates internal sensor information including information obtained from the internal sensor group 160 and the identification information stored in the memory 112, and transmits the generated internal sensor information to the remote control device 200 via the communication device 150. Here, if it is possible to determine whether each identification information being compared pertains to the same vehicle 100, the types of identification information being compared may be different. For example, if one of the command information and the internal sensor information includes a vehicle identification number and the other includes a vehicle identification number, and the database DB records the vehicle identification number and vehicle identification number linked together, the detection unit 230 can determine whether the identification information contained in the command information and the identification information contained in the internal sensor information relate to the same vehicle 100 by referring to the database DB.

[0020] The external sensor group 300 consists of at least one external sensor. An external sensor is a sensor installed on the outside of the vehicle 100. The external sensor is used to detect a physical quantity that represents the movement state of the vehicle 100. External sensors may be used. In this embodiment, the external sensor group 300 consists of a plurality of cameras installed in the factory. Each camera is equipped with a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with the remote control device 200 by wired or wireless communication.

[0021] The notification device 400 is a device for notifying the administrator of the remote control system 10 or factory workers that an abnormality has occurred in the factory. An abnormality includes the transmission of a control command from the communication device 205 to a vehicle 100 that does not correspond to the control command. In the following description, the administrator of the remote control system 10 and factory workers will be referred to as administrators, etc. The notification device 400 is, for example, a warning buzzer or a warning lamp installed in the factory. The notification device 400 may also be a tablet terminal carried by administrators, etc. The notification device 400 is equipped with a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with the remote control device 200 by wired or wireless communication.

[0022] The process control device 500 is a device for managing the manufacturing process of vehicles 100 in a factory. The process control device 500 consists of at least one computer. The process control device 500 is equipped with a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with the remote control device 200 and various factory equipment via wired or wireless communication. By communicating with various factory equipment, the process control device 500 knows when, where, who, and which vehicle 100 is scheduled to perform what work, and when, where, who, and which vehicle 100 has performed what work.

[0023] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing how vehicle 100 moves remotely within factory KJ. Figure 3 shows five vehicles 100A to 100E. In the following description, when the five vehicles 100A to 100E are not specifically distinguished, they will simply be referred to as vehicle 100. In this embodiment, factory KJ includes a first location PL1 for assembling vehicle 100, a second location PL2 for inspecting vehicle 100, and a third location PL3 for storing vehicle 100 that has passed inspection. The first location PL1, the second location PL2, and the third location PL3 are connected by a travel path SR on which vehicle 100 can travel.

[0024] Vehicle 100 assembled at location PL1 is equipped with a vehicle control device 110, a drive unit 120, a steering unit 130, a braking unit 140, a communication device 150, and an internal sensor group 160. Vehicle 100 assembled at location PL1 is remotely controlled by a remote control device 200 and travels from location PL1 to location PL2. Vehicle 100 that passes inspection at location PL2 is remotely controlled by the remote control device 200 and travels from location PL2 to location PL3. After that, vehicle 100 is shipped from factory KJ.

[0025] The method by which the remote control unit 210 moves the vehicle 100 remotely will be described. The remote control unit 210 determines a target route for the vehicle 100 to travel to its destination via the road SR. Multiple cameras CM are installed in factory KJ to photograph the road SR, and the remote control unit 210 can obtain the relative position and orientation of the vehicle 100 with respect to the target route in real time by analyzing the images captured by each camera CM. In this embodiment, each camera CM is included in the external sensor group 300 described above. The remote control unit 210 generates a control command to drive the vehicle 100 along the target route and transmits the control command to the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the control command indicates a target value for the speed of the vehicle 100 and a target value for the yaw axis angular velocity of the vehicle 100. The vehicle control device 110 mounted on the vehicle 100 drives the vehicle 100 by controlling the drive unit 120, steering unit 130, and braking unit 140 according to the received control command. Therefore, the vehicle 100 can be moved without using transport devices such as cranes or conveyors.

[0026] In this embodiment, the remote control unit 210 remotely controls and drives multiple vehicles 100A to 100E one by one. For example, the remote control unit 210 remotely moves vehicle 100B from the second location PL2 to the third location PL3, then switches the remote control target from vehicle 100B to vehicle 100A, and remotely moves vehicle 100A from the first location PL1 to the second location PL2. In this embodiment, the remote control unit 210 can also remotely control and drive multiple vehicles 100A to 100E simultaneously and in parallel. For example, the remote control unit 210 can remotely move vehicle 100B from the second location PL2 to the third location PL3 while remotely moving vehicle 100A from the first location PL1 to the second location PL2.

[0027] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the contents of the verification process performed in the remote control device 200. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the contents of the information transmission process performed in the vehicle 100. Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing how the remote control device 200 performs information transmission and reception. Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a comparison of command information DT1, internal sensor information DT2, and external sensor information DT3. The remote control method performed in the remote control system 10 will be explained using Figures 4 to 7.

[0028] The verification process shown in Figure 4 is repeatedly executed by the remote control device 200. When the verification process starts, in step S110, the information acquisition unit 220 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 is being moved by remote control. In the following description, the vehicle 100 that is being remotely controlled will be referred to as the target vehicle 100. If it is determined in step S110 that the target vehicle 100 is not being moved by remote control, the information acquisition unit 220 skips the processing after step S110 and terminates the verification process.

[0029] If it is determined in step S110 that the target vehicle 100 is being moved by remote control, the information acquisition unit 220 sends a control command to the target vehicle 100 in step S120 to cause the target vehicle 100 to transmit internal sensor information DT2 to the remote control device 200. In the following description, the control command that causes the transmission of internal sensor information to the remote control device 200 will be referred to as the transmission command SS.

[0030] In step S130, the information acquisition unit 220 acquires command information DT1, internal sensor information DT2, and external sensor information DT3. In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 220 acquires command information DT1 from the remote control unit 210. As shown in Figure 6, the information acquisition unit 220 acquires internal sensor information DT2 transmitted from the target vehicle 100 in response to the transmission command SS, and acquires external sensor information DT3 transmitted from the external sensor group 300.

[0031] In step S140, as shown in Figure 7, the detection unit 230 compares at least two of the following: the movement state of the target vehicle 100 derived from command information DT1, the movement state of the target vehicle 100 derived from internal sensor information DT2, and the movement state of the target vehicle 100 derived from external sensor information DT3. Specifically, the detection unit 230 compares at least two of the following: the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from command information DT1, the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from internal sensor information DT2, and the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from external sensor information DT3. Note that the detection unit 230 may, for example, compare the yaw axis angular velocity of the target vehicle 100 instead of just comparing the speed of the target vehicle 100, or it may compare both the speed and the yaw axis angular velocity of the target vehicle 100.

[0032] In this embodiment, the detection unit 230, in principle, compares three speeds of the target vehicle 100: the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from command information DT1, the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from internal sensor information DT2, and the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from external sensor information DT3. However, if the current situation matches a predetermined situation in which it is not appropriate to use internal sensor information DT2 for comparison, the detection unit 230 excludes the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from internal sensor information DT2 from the comparison. Similarly, if the current situation matches a predetermined situation in which it is not appropriate to use external sensor information DT3 for comparison, the detection unit 230 excludes the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from external sensor information DT3 from the comparison.

[0033] Situations in which it is not appropriate to use the internal sensor information DT2 for comparison include, for example, a situation in which the target vehicle 100 is driven on an uneven road for inspection. Under these circumstances, it is difficult to appropriately measure the speed of the target vehicle 100 using the vehicle speed sensor included in the internal sensor group 160. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned situation is recorded in the database DB as a situation in which it is not appropriate to use the internal sensor information DT2 for comparison. When the detection unit 230 obtains information from the process control device 500 indicating that the manufacturing process of the target vehicle 100 is the process in which the above inspection is performed, it excludes the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the internal sensor information DT2 from the comparison target and compares the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the command information DT1 with the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the external sensor information DT3.

[0034] Situations where it is not appropriate to use the external sensor information DT3 for comparison include, for example, when the target vehicle 100 is traveling outdoors in the evening or at night. Under these circumstances, it is difficult to appropriately measure the speed of the target vehicle 100 using the camera CM included in the external sensor group 300. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned situation is recorded in the database DB as a situation where it is not appropriate to use the external sensor information DT3 for comparison. When the detection unit 230 obtains information from the process control device 500 indicating that the target vehicle 100 is in a process that involves moving outdoors, and information indicating that the current time is in the evening or at night, it excludes the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the external sensor information DT3 from the comparison and compares the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the command information DT1 with the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the internal sensor information DT2.

[0035] In step S150, the detection unit 230 determines whether the movement states of the objects to be compared match each other. In this embodiment, when the detection unit 230 compares three of the following: the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from command information DT1, the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from internal sensor information DT2, and the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from external sensor information DT3, it determines that the comparison results match if one of the three speeds is used as a reference value and the difference between the reference value of the remaining two speeds is within a predetermined value. If one of the three speeds is used as a reference value and the difference between the reference value of at least one of the remaining two speeds exceeds a predetermined value, it determines that the comparison results do not match. When comparing two of the following speeds of the target vehicle 100: the speed derived from command information DT1, the speed derived from internal sensor information DT2, and the speed derived from external sensor information DT3, if the difference between the two speeds is within a predetermined value, the comparison result is determined to be a match; if the difference between the two speeds exceeds a predetermined value, the comparison result is determined to be a mismatch.

[0036] If the comparison results are determined to match in step S150, the remote control unit 210 continues to remotely control the movement of the target vehicle 100 in step S160. After that, the remote control device 200 terminates the verification process.

[0037] If the comparison results are determined to be inconsistent in step S150, the remote control unit 210 notifies the administrator or other relevant party of the occurrence of an abnormality using the notification device 400 in step S165. In step S168, the remote control unit 210 transmits a control command to brake the target vehicle 100, stopping its movement. After that, the remote control device 200 terminates the verification process.

[0038] The information transmission process shown in Figure 5 is repeatedly executed in the vehicle 100. When the information transmission process starts, in step S210, the vehicle control unit 115 determines whether or not it has received a transmission command SS from the remote control device 200. If it is determined in step S210 that it has not received a transmission command SS from the remote control device 200, the vehicle control unit 115 skips the processing after step S210 and terminates the information transmission process. If it is determined in step S210 that it has received a transmission command SS from the remote control device 200, the vehicle control unit 115 transmits the internal sensor information DT2 to the remote control device 200 in step S220 according to the transmission command SS. After that, the vehicle control unit 115 terminates the information transmission process.

[0039] As described above, the remote control system 10 of this embodiment allows the detection unit 230 to determine whether the vehicle 100 is being properly remotely controlled by comparing at least two of the following movement states: the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from command information DT1, the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from internal sensor information DT2, and the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from external sensor information DT3. In particular, by comparing the three movement states of the vehicle 100 derived from command information DT1, the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from internal sensor information DT2, and the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from external sensor information DT3, it is possible to confirm that the intended vehicle 100 is being remotely controlled and that the vehicle 100 is operating in the intended movement state.

[0040] Furthermore, as in this embodiment, when the remote control device 200 remotely controls multiple vehicles 100, a control command may be transmitted from the communication device 205 to a vehicle 100 that does not correspond to the control command. For example, as shown in Figure 3, when the remote control device 200 remotely controls five vehicles 100A to 100E in the order of vehicle 100E, vehicle 100D, vehicle 100C, vehicle 100B, and vehicle 100A, a control command may be transmitted from the communication device 205 to a vehicle 100 that does not correspond to the control command. Specifically, if, after the remote control device 200 has finished remotely controlling vehicle 100C, the communication device 150 removed from vehicle 100C is to be installed in vehicle 100B, and the remote control device 200 is scheduled to start remotely controlling vehicle 100B, but the communication device 150 removed from vehicle 100C is mistakenly installed in vehicle 100A, then the control command generated to remotely control vehicle 100B will be transmitted to vehicle 100A. Even in such a case, in this embodiment, the detection unit 230 can detect that a control command has been transmitted from the communication device 205 to a vehicle 100 that does not correspond to the control command by comparing at least two pieces of information from the command information acquired by the information acquisition unit 220, the internal sensor information, and the external sensor information. Therefore, it becomes possible to mistakenly remove the communication device 150, which is installed on vehicle 100A, from vehicle 100A and install it on vehicle 100B, and start remote control of vehicle 100B.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if it is not appropriate to use the internal sensor information DT2, the detection unit 230 excludes the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from the internal sensor information DT2 from the comparison target. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the system from mistakenly determining that the vehicle 100 is not being remotely controlled properly, even though it is actually being remotely controlled properly. By comparing the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from the command information DT1 and the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from the external sensor information DT3, it is possible to confirm that the intended vehicle 100 is being remotely controlled and that the vehicle 100 is operating in the intended movement state.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if it is not appropriate to use the external sensor information DT3, the detection unit 230 excludes the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from the external sensor information DT3 from the comparison target. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle 100 from being incorrectly determined to be not properly remotely controlled when it is actually being properly remotely controlled. By comparing the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from the command information DT1 and the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from the internal sensor information DT2, it is possible to confirm that the vehicle 100 is operating in the intended movement state.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the comparison results match, the remote control device 200 continues the movement of the vehicle 100. If the comparison results do not match, the notification device 400 notifies the administrator or other relevant party that an abnormality has occurred, and then remotely stops the movement of the vehicle 100. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unintended continued movement of the vehicle 100.

[0044] B. Other embodiments: (B1) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the information acquisition unit 220 and the detection unit 230 are provided in the remote control device 200. In contrast, the information acquisition unit 220 and the detection unit 230 may be provided in the vehicle control device 110. If the comparison results from the detection unit 230 provided in the vehicle control device 110 match, the vehicle control unit 115 continues the process of driving the vehicle 100 in accordance with the control command transmitted from the remote control device 200. If the comparison results do not match, the vehicle control unit 115 executes at least one of the following processes: a process of notifying that an abnormality has occurred, a process of changing the speed of the vehicle 100, and a process of stopping the acceptance of control commands transmitted from the remote control device 200. In the process of notifying that an abnormality has occurred, the vehicle control unit 115 may notify that an abnormality has occurred using a notification device 400 located outside the vehicle 100, or it may notify workers located around the vehicle 100 that an abnormality has occurred by sounding a horn mounted on the vehicle 100. In the process of changing the speed of vehicle 100, the vehicle control unit 115 may stop vehicle 100, or it may decelerate vehicle 100 within a range where vehicle 100 does not stop.

[0045] (B2) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the detection unit 230 may exclude the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the command information DT1 from the comparison target and compare the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the internal sensor information DT2 with the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the external sensor information DT3.

[0046] (B3) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the detection unit 230 compares the movement state of the target vehicle 100. In contrast, the detection unit 230 may also compare other operating states of the target vehicle 100. For example, the detection unit 230 may compare the oscillation state of the wipers of the target vehicle 100, the illumination state of the headlights of the target vehicle 100, or the sounding state of the horn of the target vehicle 100. When comparing the sounding state of the horn, the external sensor group 300 includes a microphone for detecting the sound of the horn.

[0047] (B4) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the detection unit 230 may compare the identification information of the vehicle 100 included in the command information with the identification information of the vehicle 100 included in the internal sensor information. Here, as the identification information of the vehicle 100 included in the command information and the internal sensor information, for example, the vehicle identification number of the vehicle 100 or the vehicle identification number of the vehicle 100 can be used. In this case, the communication device 150 can be considered as an internal sensor, and the operation of the communication device 150 to read the vehicle identification number, etc. from the vehicle control unit 115 can be considered as the operation to detect the identification information of the vehicle 100.

[0048] (B5) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the detection unit 230 may compare the identification information of the vehicle 100 read from the electronic tag attached to the vehicle 100 with the identification information read from the vehicle control device 110. In this case, first, the identification information stored in the electronic tag is read by the reader. The reader is connected to the remote control device 200 by wired or wireless communication, and the identification information read by the reader is transmitted to the remote control device 200. Next, the remote control unit 210 generates a control command for remotely controlling the vehicle 100 having the identification information received from the reader, and the generated control command is transmitted to the vehicle 100. Next, the identification information of the vehicle 100 stored in the vehicle control device 110 mounted on the vehicle 100 is read by the communication device 150 mounted on the vehicle 100, and the read identification information is transmitted to the remote control device 200. The detection unit 230 then compares the identification information of the vehicle 100 read from the electronic tag with the identification information read from the vehicle control device 110. In this case, the reading device can be considered as an external sensor, and the identification information read by the reading device can be considered as external sensor information. Furthermore, the identification information transmitted from the reading device to the remote control device 200 is used to generate control commands and can therefore be considered as command information. In other words, the identification information stored in the electronic tag can be used as both external sensor information and command information.

[0049] (B6) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the remote control unit 210 may increase the speed limit of the target vehicle 100 compared to before step S160 if it decides to continue moving the target vehicle 100 in step S160 of the confirmation process.

[0050] (B7) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, in step S168 of the confirmation process, the remote control unit 210 stops the movement of the target vehicle 100. Alternatively, in the confirmation process, the remote control unit 210 may decelerate the target vehicle 100 within a range in which the movement of the target vehicle 100 does not stop. The remote control unit 210 may also lower the speed limit of the target vehicle 100 compared to before step S160 without decelerating the target vehicle 100.

[0051] (B8) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the remote control unit 210 notifies of the occurrence of an abnormality using a notification device 400 located outside the vehicle 100. Alternatively, the remote control unit 210 may notify of the occurrence of an abnormality by sounding the horn of the vehicle 100 via remote control, or by flashing the headlights of the vehicle 100 via remote control.

[0052] (B9) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, if the detection unit 230 determines that the movement state derived from command information DT1 does not match the movement state derived from external sensor information DT3, it may, instead of steps S165 and S168, or in addition to steps S165 and S168, use the external sensor group 300 to identify a vehicle 100 in which the movement state derived from command information DT1 matches the movement state derived from external sensor information DT3.

[0053] (B10) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the vehicle 100 is in a state where it can be moved by remote control once the assembly work at the first location PL1 is completed. The state in which the vehicle 100 is in a state where it can be moved by remote control means that the vehicle 100 is equipped with a vehicle control device 110, a drive device 120, a steering device 130, a braking device 140, and a communication device 150, and is in a state where it can perform the three functions of "driving," "turning," and "stopping" by remote control. Therefore, at least some of the interior parts such as the driver's seat and dashboard may not be attached to the vehicle 100 while it is being moved by remote control, at least some of the exterior parts such as the bumper and fenders may not be attached, and the body shell may not be attached. In this case, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100 before it is shipped from factory KJ, or the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100 after it has been shipped from factory KJ.

[0054] (B11) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the remote control unit 210 automatically generates control commands to be transmitted to the vehicle 100. In contrast, the remote control unit 210 may generate control commands to be transmitted to the vehicle 100 according to the operations of an operator located outside the vehicle 100. For example, an operator may operate a driving device that includes a display showing the position and orientation of the vehicle 100, a steering wheel for operating the vehicle 100, an accelerator pedal, and a brake pedal, and the remote control unit 210 may generate remote control commands in response to the operations applied to the driving device.

[0055] (B12) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the external sensor group 300 may include LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) instead of a camera, or it may include both a camera and a LiDAR.

[0056] (B13) The remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above is used to remotely control the vehicle 100 at factory KJ where the vehicle 100 is manufactured. In contrast, the remote control system 10 may be used to remotely control the vehicle 100 at locations other than factory KJ, such as parks, commercial facilities, or universities.

[0057] 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]

[0058] 10...Remote control system, 100...Vehicle, 110...Vehicle control device, 111...Processor, 112...Memory, 113...Input / output interface, 114...Internal bus, 115...Vehicle control unit, 120...Drive unit, 130...Steering unit, 140...Brake unit, 150...Communication device, 160...Internal sensor, 200...Remote control device, 201...Processor, 202...Memory, 203...Input / output interface, 204...Internal bus, 205...Communication device, 210...Remote control unit, 220...Information acquisition unit, 230...Detection unit, 300...External sensor group, 400...Notification device, 500...Process control device

Claims

1. A control device for remotely controlling multiple mobile objects, A generation unit that generates control commands corresponding to each of multiple moving objects, A transmitting unit capable of transmitting the control command corresponding to each of the plurality of moving bodies to each of the plurality of moving bodies, An information acquisition unit capable of acquiring command information relating to the control command, internal sensor information relating to the movement state of the mobile body detected by an internal sensor mounted on the mobile body, and external sensor information relating to the movement state of the mobile body detected by an external sensor located outside the mobile body, A detection unit detects that the control command has been transmitted from the transmission unit to a mobile body that does not correspond to the control command by comparing at least two pieces of information: the command information, the internal sensor information, and the external sensor information. A control device equipped with the following features.

2. A control device according to claim 1, The control device detects that a control command has been transmitted from the transmission unit to a moving body that does not correspond to the control command by comparing at least two of the following: a parameter identified from the command information, a parameter identified from the internal sensor information, and a parameter identified from the external sensor information.

3. A control device according to claim 1, The control device detects that the control command has been transmitted from the transmission unit to a mobile body that does not correspond to the control command by comparing at least two pieces of identification information: identification information for identifying the mobile body identified from the command information, identification information for identifying the mobile body identified from the internal sensor information, and identification information for identifying the mobile body identified from the external sensor information.

4. A control device according to claim 1, The control device compares the command information with the external sensor information when the detection unit matches a predetermined situation in which it is inappropriate to use the internal sensor information for the comparison.

5. A control device according to claim 1, The control device compares the command information with the internal sensor information when the detection unit matches a predetermined situation in which it is inappropriate to use the external sensor information for the comparison.

6. A control device according to claim 1, The detection unit is a control device that compares three pieces of information: the command information, the internal sensor information, and the external sensor information.

7. A remote control method for remotely controlling multiple mobile objects, Generate control commands corresponding to each of the multiple moving objects, To each of the plurality of moving bodies, the control command corresponding to each of the plurality of moving bodies is transmitted. The command information relating to the control command, internal sensor information relating to the movement state of the mobile body detected by an internal sensor mounted on the mobile body, and external sensor information relating to the movement state of the mobile body detected by an external sensor located outside the mobile body are acquired. By comparing at least two pieces of information, namely the command information, the internal sensor information, and the external sensor information, it is detected that the control command has been transmitted to the moving body that does not correspond to the control command. Remote control method.

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