Control system, control device, control method, control program

Abstract

To provide a control system for enabling energy saving.SOLUTION: A control system controls autonomous traveling of an autonomous transport device Ma to which power is supplied from a power generation unit 9 for generating power by receiving sunlight, in order to accommodate an article requiring cold storage in a transport chamber 20 and transport the article by the autonomous traveling. A processor included in the control system executes: acquiring incident information on incidence of the sunlight onto the autonomous transport device Ma; and adjusting a traveling attitude of the autonomous transport device Ma during the autonomous traveling to a control attitude Ac in which, with respect to a light-receiving surface 92 directed according to the incident information in a sun direction Ds for receiving the sunlight in the power generation unit, the transport chamber 20 is located in a reverse direction Dr to the sun direction Ds.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for controlling autonomous driving of an autonomous transport device.

Background Art

[0002] The disclosed technique of Patent Document 1 searches for a future route with a large amount of sunlight irradiation for a vehicle equipped with a solar cell as a power generation unit that generates electricity by sunlight.

[0003] On the other hand, the disclosed technique of Patent Document 2 determines a future route in which the temperature of the transport environment decreases based on the simulation result of sunlight incidence for an autonomous transport device that transports articles that require cold storage.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] [[ID=?]]

Patent Document 1

[0005]

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, when the disclosed technique of Patent Document 1 is used for a device equipped with a power generation unit by sunlight as an autonomous transport device that transports articles that require cold storage, the temperature of the transport environment rises in the future route. Conversely, when the disclosed technique of Patent Document 2 is used for a device equipped with a power generation unit by sunlight as an autonomous transport device that transports articles that require cold storage, the amount of sunlight irradiation decreases in the future route.

[0007] These problems stem from the conflict between the power generation efficiency of the power generation unit and the cooling efficiency of the goods. Therefore, a technological solution that overcomes this conflict from an energy-saving perspective is expected.

[0008] The objective of this disclosure is to provide an energy-saving control system. Another objective of this disclosure is to provide an energy-saving control device. Yet another objective of this disclosure is to provide an energy-saving control method. Yet another objective of this disclosure is to provide an energy-saving control program. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The following describes the technical means of solving the problem described in this disclosure. Note that the claims and the reference numerals in parentheses in this section indicate the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments detailed later, and do not limit the technical scope of this disclosure.

[0010] The first aspect of this disclosure is, A control system for controlling the autonomous driving of an autonomous transport device (Ma) which has a processor (12) and is supplied with power from a power generation unit (9) that generates electricity by receiving sunlight, for transporting articles (Gc) that require refrigeration into a transport chamber (20) by autonomous driving, The processor is To acquire incident information (Is) regarding the incidence of sunlight on the autonomous transport device, The system is configured to adjust the driving posture of the autonomous transport device during autonomous driving to a control posture (Ac) in which the transport chamber is positioned in the opposite direction (Dr) to the direction of the sun (Ds) relative to the light-receiving surface (92) in the power generation unit, which is directed in accordance with incident information to the direction of the sun (Ds) for receiving sunlight.

[0011] A second aspect of this disclosure is, A control device that controls the autonomous driving of an autonomous transport device, which has a processor (12) and is powered by a power generation unit (9) that generates electricity by receiving sunlight, for transporting articles (Gc) that require refrigeration in a transport chamber (20) by autonomous driving, wherein the autonomous transport device has a power generation unit (9) that generates electricity by receiving sunlight, and is configured to be mounted on the autonomous transport device. The processor is To acquire incident information (Is) regarding the incidence of sunlight on the autonomous transport device, The system is configured to adjust the driving posture of the autonomous transport device during autonomous driving to a control posture (Ac) in which the transport chamber is positioned in the opposite direction (Dr) to the direction of the sun (Ds) relative to the light-receiving surface (92) in the power generation unit, which is directed in accordance with incident information to the direction of the sun (Ds) for receiving sunlight.

[0012] A third aspect of this disclosure is: A control method executed by a processor (12) is a control method for controlling the autonomous movement of an autonomous transport device (Ma) that is supplied with power from a power generation unit (9) that generates electricity by receiving sunlight, in order to transport an item (Gc) requiring refrigeration in a transport chamber (20) by autonomous movement, To acquire incident information (Is) regarding the incidence of sunlight on the autonomous transport device, This includes adjusting the driving posture of the autonomous transport device during autonomous driving to a control posture (Ac) in which the transport chamber is positioned in the opposite direction (Dr) to the direction of the sun (Ds) in the power generation unit, in accordance with incident information for sunlight reception.

[0013] The fourth aspect of this disclosure is: A control program stored in a storage medium (10) that includes instructions to be executed by a processor (12) is a control program that controls the autonomous driving of an autonomous transport device (Ma) that is powered by a power generation unit (9) that generates electricity by receiving sunlight, in order to transport an item (Gc) that requires refrigeration into a transport room (20) by autonomous driving, To acquire incident information (Is) regarding the incidence of sunlight on the autonomous transport device, In a power generation unit, it includes an instruction to execute adjusting the traveling posture of an autonomous conveyance device in autonomous traveling to a control posture (Ac) in which a conveyance chamber is positioned in a direction (Dr) opposite to the solar direction with respect to a light receiving surface (92) oriented according to incident light information in the solar direction (Ds) for receiving sunlight.

[0014] According to these first to fourth aspects, for storing an article that requires cold insulation in a conveyance chamber and conveying it by autonomous traveling, the autonomous traveling of an autonomous conveyance device supplied with power from a power generation unit that receives sunlight and generates power is controlled. Therefore, in the first to fourth aspects, by acquiring incident light information regarding the incidence of sunlight on the autonomous conveyance device, the traveling posture of the autonomous conveyance device in autonomous traveling is adjusted according to the incident light information. Specifically at this time, the traveling posture is adjusted to a control posture in which the conveyance chamber is positioned in a direction opposite to the solar direction with respect to a light receiving surface oriented according to incident light information in the solar direction for receiving sunlight in the power generation unit. According to this, in a power generation unit with a light receiving surface facing the solar direction, while ensuring power generation efficiency, in a conveyance chamber in a direction opposite to the solar direction with respect to the light receiving surface, the cold insulation efficiency of the article is ensured, and energy saving can be achieved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram showing the physical configuration of a control system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a perspective view showing the physical configuration of an autonomous traveling device to which the first embodiment is applied. [Figure 3] It is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an autonomous traveling device to which the first embodiment is applied. [Figure 4] It is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a control system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a flowchart showing the control flow according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a schematic diagram for explaining the control posture according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a schematic diagram for explaining the control posture according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a graph for explaining the cold storage efficiency according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a graph for explaining the cold storage efficiency according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] It is a flowchart showing the control flow according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] It is a flowchart showing the control flow according to the third embodiment. [Figure 12] It is a flowchart showing the control flow according to the third embodiment. [Figure 13] It is a graph for explaining the determination of the optimal route according to the third embodiment.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described based on the drawings. In each embodiment, the same reference numerals may be assigned to corresponding components, and redundant descriptions may be omitted. In addition, when only a part of the configuration is described in each embodiment, the configuration of other embodiments described previously can be applied to other parts of the configuration. Furthermore, not only the combinations of configurations explicitly shown in the description of each embodiment, but also the configurations of a plurality of embodiments can be partially combined with each other as long as there is no problem with the combination.

[0017] The control system 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 controls the autonomous transport device Ma that houses the article Gc in the transport chamber 20 and transports it by autonomous driving as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The autonomous transport device Ma is constructed to be able to autonomously travel in any direction along the horizontal plane.

[0018] The autonomous transport device Ma is designed to transport items Gc that require refrigeration. Items Gc that require refrigeration may include at least one type of food product, such as refrigerated goods, frozen goods, and items that can be stored at room temperature. Items Gc that require refrigeration may also include at least one type of non-food product, such as pharmaceuticals, animal feed, solvents, solutions, miscellaneous goods, building materials, and electronic equipment. Such items Gc that require refrigeration may be loaded into the transport chamber 20 in a state of being packed or wrapped in at least one type of packaging, such as cardboard boxes, polystyrene foam cases, plastic cases, and plastic film. The autonomous transport device Ma may also transport items Gc that do not require refrigeration, as long as it is constructed to transport items Gc that require refrigeration.

[0019] The autonomous transport device Ma may be a delivery vehicle or delivery robot that autonomously travels on routes in the external environment (i.e., roads) as the travel area, or on routes inside and outside buildings in a smart city as the travel area, to deliver goods Gc. The autonomous transport device Ma may be a transport vehicle or transport robot that autonomously travels on routes inside and outside warehouses in a logistics facility as the travel area, to transport goods Gc. The autonomous transport device Ma may be a serving robot that autonomously travels on routes inside restaurants or hospitals as the travel area, to deliver food and beverages as goods Gc. The autonomous transport device Ma may be a disaster relief robot that autonomously travels to disaster areas as the travel area, searching for drivable routes, to transport supplies as goods Gc. The autonomous transport device Ma may, of course, be any other type of device. Furthermore, any type of autonomous transport device Ma may receive remote driving assistance or driving control from an external center.

[0020] The autonomous transport device Ma comprises a body 2, a drive system 3, a battery 4, a sensor system 5, a communication system 6, a map database 7, and an information display system 8. The body 2 is formed in a hollow shape, for example, from metal. The body 2 holds the other components of the autonomous transport device Ma either internally or spanning from the internal to the external.

[0021] Body 2 forms a transport chamber 20 to house items Gc that are loaded onto the autonomous transport device Ma from the outside as items to be transported. The transport chamber 20 is preferably configured to provide cooling performance for the items Gc by being enclosed in a box shape by chamber walls made of insulating material, for example, the internal space of a refrigerated container. The transport chamber 20 may also be configured to keep the items Gc below a set temperature by the cooling function of a cooling unit 21 (see dashed line in Figure 3) mounted on body 2. Here, the cooling unit 21 may be an air conditioning unit that adjusts the air conditioning temperature of the transport chamber 20, or it may be a refrigeration unit that refrigerates (or freezes) the items Gc inside the transport chamber 20.

[0022] The drive system 3 comprises wheels 30 and electric actuators 34. Multiple wheels 30 are supported by the body 2. Each wheel 30 is configured to rotate independently. Of the multiple wheels 30, a pair of drive wheels 300, one on each side of the body 2, are driven independently by individual electric actuators 34. In particular, in this embodiment, the driving state of the autonomous transport device Ma switches between straight-line driving and turning driving depending on the difference in rotational speed between these drive wheels 300 (i.e., the difference in rotations per unit time).

[0023] Specifically, when the rotational speed difference between the two left and right drive wheels 300 is zero, or within a range where it can be simulated to be zero, the autonomous transport device Ma is driven in a straight line. On the other hand, when the rotational speed difference between the left and right drive wheels 300 increases, the turning radius of the autonomous transport device Ma is reduced in accordance with the increase in the rotational speed difference. Here, the turning radius refers to the distance in a plan view between the vertical centerline of the body 2 and the turning center of the turning drive, so a turning drive in which the turning radius is reduced to virtually zero becomes a point turning drive. Note that the multiple wheels 30 may include at least one driven wheel that rotates in conjunction with the drive wheels 300.

[0024] The battery 4 shown in Figure 3 is mounted on the body 2, with at least one unit installed. The battery 4 is mainly composed of a rechargeable battery, such as a lithium-ion battery. The battery 4 stores the output power from the power generation unit 9 as power to be supplied to the electrical components in the body 2 by discharge. The battery 4 may also store the power to be supplied to the electrical components in the body 2 by discharge through external charging. The battery 4 may also store regenerative power from the electric actuator 34. The battery 4 is connected via a wire harness to the electric actuator 34, sensor system 5, communication system 6, map database 7, information display system 8, and power generation unit 9, which are the recipients of the power supply. The battery 4 may also be connected via a wire harness to the cooling unit 21 when mounted on the body 2, so as to be able to supply power.

[0025] The electric actuators 34 are supported in pairs by the body 2. Each electric actuator 34, one on the left and one on the right of the body 2, is mainly composed of a set of electric motor 340 and motor driver 341. In each electric actuator 34, the electric motor 340 independently rotates the corresponding drive wheel 300. In each electric actuator 34, the motor driver 341 controls the output of drive torque to the corresponding drive wheel 300 according to the current command value by adjusting the current applied to the same set of electric motors 340 according to the current command value from the control system 1. Each electric actuator 34 may be equipped with a brake unit that applies braking while the corresponding drive wheel 300 is rotating.

[0026] The sensor system 5 shown in Figures 2 and 3 acquires sensing information usable by the control system 1 through sensing of the external and internal environments of the autonomous transport device Ma. For this purpose, the components of the sensor system 5 are mounted at multiple locations on the body 2. Specifically, the sensor system 5 consists of an external sensor 50 and an internal sensor 51.

[0027] The external environment sensor 50 acquires external environment information as sensing information from the external environment surrounding the autonomous transport device Ma. The external environment sensor 50 acquires external environment information by detecting objects present in the external environment of the autonomous transport device Ma. The object detection type external environment sensor 50 is at least one of the following: a camera, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging / Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), radar, sonar, ambient light sensor, and impact sensor.

[0028] The internal environment sensor 51 shown in Figure 3 acquires internal environment information as sensing information from the internal environment, which is the internal environment of the autonomous transport device Ma. The internal environment sensor 51 may be a physical quantity detection type that acquires internal environment information by detecting specific kinetic physical quantities within the internal environment of the autonomous transport device Ma. The physical quantity detection type internal environment sensor 51 is at least one of the following: a velocity sensor, an acceleration sensor, and an inertia sensor. The internal environment sensor 51 may also be an indoor detection type that acquires internal environment information by detecting the inside of the transport chamber 20, which is the internal environment of the autonomous transport device Ma. The indoor detection type internal environment sensor 51 is at least one of the following: a temperature sensor, a weight sensor, a pressure sensor, a camera, and an RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) ​​reader.

[0029] The communication system 6 transmits and receives communication information usable by the control system 1 via wireless communication with the outside world of the autonomous transport device Ma. The communication system 6 may be a positioning type that acquires communication information by receiving positioning signals from GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellites located outside the autonomous transport device Ma. A positioning type communication system 6 is, for example, a GNSS receiver.

[0030] The communication system 6 may be a V2X type that transmits and receives communication information with a V2X system existing outside the autonomous transport device Ma. The V2X type communication system 6 is at least one of the following: a DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) communication device, a cellular V2X (C-V2X) communication device, etc. The communication system 6 may also be a terminal communication type that transmits and receives communication information with a mobile terminal existing outside the autonomous transport device Ma. The terminal communication type communication system 6 is at least one of the following: a Bluetooth (registered trademark) device, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) device, a infrared communication device, etc.

[0031] The map database 7 stores map information available to the control system 1. The map database 7 is composed of at least one type of non-transitory tangible storage medium, such as semiconductor memory, magnetic media, and optical media. The map database 7 may also be a database for locators that estimate the self-position of the autonomous transport device Ma. The map database 7 may also be a database for a planning unit that plans the movement of the autonomous transport device Ma. The map database 7 may be composed of a combination of multiple types of these databases.

[0032] The map database 7 acquires and stores the latest map information, for example, through communication with an external center. Here, the map information is digitized in two or three dimensions as information representing the driving area of ​​the autonomous transport device Ma. In particular, high-precision digital map data is preferred for the three-dimensional map data. Here, the map information may be acquired as data downloaded to the map database 7 via the communication system 6 from an infrastructure database in an infrastructure system such as an external center. In particular, the map information may be acquired linked to individual spatial IDs for each of the multiple three-dimensional voxels (i.e., three-dimensional grids) obtained by virtually dividing the driving area into a three-dimensional array, or for each of the multiple two-dimensional grids obtained by virtually dividing the driving area into two-dimensional tiles.

[0033] The map information stored in the map database 7 may include road information that represents at least one type of information, such as the position coordinates, size, shape, and road surface condition of a road. The map information may also include static object information that represents at least one type of information, such as the position coordinates, size, and shape of buildings, structures, and plants facing the road. The map information may also include road marking information that represents at least one type of information, such as the position coordinates, size, and shape of signs, lane markings, and traffic lights attached to the road as a road.

[0034] Information display system 8 displays notification information directed at those surrounding the autonomous transport device Ma. Information display system 8 may also display notification information by stimulating the visual sense of those around it. A visual stimulation type information display system 8 is, for example, at least one of a monitor unit and a light-emitting unit. Information display system 8 may also display notification information by stimulating the auditory sense of those around it. An auditory stimulation type information display system 8 is, for example, at least one of a speaker, a buzzer and a vibration unit.

[0035] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the power generation unit 9 is equipped with a solar panel 90. The solar panel 90 is a panel capable of converting the energy of received sunlight into electricity and outputting it, such as a silicon-based, compound-based, organic-based, or quantum dot-based panel. The solar panel 90 has a light-receiving surface 92 for receiving sunlight. The solar panel 90 outputs electricity generated in response to the sunlight received on the light-receiving surface 92, which is then stored in the battery 4. As a result, the power output from the solar panel 90 is used to transport the goods Gc that require refrigeration into the transport chamber 20 by autonomous driving.

[0036] In this embodiment in particular, the solar panel 90 is supported so as to be able to move relative to the body 2. As a result, at least the elevation angle of the solar panel 90 in the autonomous transport device Ma, which is one of the azimuth angle in the horizontal plane and the elevation angle in the vertical plane, can be adjusted by the attitude adjustment unit 91 mounted on the power generation unit 9.

[0037] The control system 1 shown in Figure 1 controls the autonomous driving of the autonomous transport device Ma along a planned future route while recognizing the external environment and its own position. To this end, the control system 1 consists of at least one dedicated computer, including a computer mounted on the body 2. The dedicated computer constituting the control system 1 is connected to the electric actuator 34, battery 4, sensor system 5, communication system 6, map database 7, information display system 8, and power generation unit 9 via at least one of the following: a LAN (Local Area Network) line, wire harness, internal bus, and wireless communication line. The dedicated computer constituting the control system 1 may also be connected to the cooling unit 21 when mounted on the body 2 via at least one of the following: a LAN line, wire harness, and internal bus.

[0038] The dedicated computer constituting the control system 1 may be a planning ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that plans a future route as a travel plan for the autonomous transport device Ma. The dedicated computer constituting the control system 1 may be an actuator ECU that controls the electric actuator 34 of the autonomous transport device Ma. The dedicated computer constituting the control system 1 may be a power supply ECU that controls the battery 4 of the autonomous transport device Ma. The dedicated computer constituting the control system 1 may be a sensing ECU that controls the sensor system 5 of the autonomous transport device Ma.

[0039] The dedicated computer constituting the control system 1 may be a locator ECU that estimates the self-position of the autonomous transport device Ma based on the map database 7. The dedicated computer constituting the control system 1 may be an information presentation ECU that controls the information presentation system 8 of the autonomous transport device Ma. The dedicated computer constituting the control system 1 may be a power generation ECU that controls the power generation unit 9 of the autonomous transport device Ma. The dedicated computer constituting the control system 1 may be a computer outside the body 2 that constitutes an external center or mobile terminal, etc., that can communicate via the communication system 6.

[0040] The dedicated computer constituting the control system 1 has at least one memory 10 and at least one processor 12. The memory 10 is at least one type of non-transitory tangible storage medium, such as semiconductor memory, magnetic media, and optical media, which non-temporarily stores programs and data that can be read by the computer. The processor 12 includes at least one type as a core, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)-CPU, DFP (Data Flow Processor), and GSP (Graph Streaming Processor).

[0041] In the control system 1, the processor 12 executes multiple instructions contained in the control program stored in the memory 10 to control the autonomous movement of the autonomous transport device Ma. This allows the control system 1 to construct multiple functional blocks for controlling the autonomous movement of the autonomous transport device Ma. The multiple functional blocks constructed in the control system 1 include a monitoring block 100 and a control block 110, as shown in Figure 4.

[0042] Through the combined action of these blocks 100 and 110, the control method for the control system 1 to control the autonomous movement of the autonomous transport device Ma is executed according to the control flow shown in Figure 5. In the first embodiment, the control flow is executed repeatedly from the time the autonomous transport device Ma is started up and the transport of goods Gc by autonomous movement begins until the device Ma arrives at the destination of the future route. In the control flow, each "S" represents a step executed by multiple instructions included in the control program.

[0043] In S10, the monitoring block 100 acquires incidence information Is regarding the incidence of sunlight onto the autonomous transport device Ma. At this time, the incidence information Is includes the solar direction Ds (see Figures 6 and 7) as the three-dimensional direction in which the sun is located as viewed from the autonomous transport device Ma. Here, the solar direction Ds is defined by both the azimuth angle in the horizontal plane and the elevation angle in the vertical plane at the latest control travel point among the travel points on the future route planned for the autonomous transport device Ma.

[0044] The incident information Is acquired in S10 may include, in addition to the solar direction Ds, at least one of the following: for example, the altitude or position of the sun, the illuminance or amount of incident sunlight, weather information, and shade information on the future route. Therefore, incident information Is, which includes at least the solar direction Ds, should be acquired based on at least one of the following necessary types: for example, sensing information from the ambient light sensor as the external sensor 50, weather information which is communication information from the communication system 6, positioning information which is communication information from the communication system 6, map information from the map database 7, and self-position information from the locator ECU. However, for control driving points with environmental conditions that are judged negatively in S20 described later, the acquisition of the solar direction Ds as incident information Is may be skipped.

[0045] In the control flow, S20 is executed immediately following the completion of S10. In S20, the monitoring block 100 determines whether the external environmental conditions of the autonomous transport device Ma are such that sunlight is incident on the device Ma. The determination of the sunlight conditions is based on the incident information Is obtained in S10.

[0046] If a positive determination is made in S20 in the control flow, S30 is executed. In S30, the control block 110 plans the driving attitude of the autonomous transport device Ma during autonomous driving. At this time, the driving attitude of the autonomous transport device Ma is planned to be an optimized control attitude Ac with respect to the latest control driving point among the driving points in the future route planned for the autonomous transport device Ma.

[0047] In S30, the control attitude Ac is defined as a driving attitude in which the transport chamber 20 is positioned in the opposite direction Dr to the direction Ds of the sun with respect to the light-receiving surface 92 of the solar panel 90 of the power generation unit 9, which is oriented in the direction Ds of the sun to receive sunlight, as shown in Figures 6 and 7. Therefore, in the control attitude Ac, which is planned to be adjusted at the latest control driving point, it is desirable that at least a part of the transport chamber 20 be positioned within the shadow cast in the opposite direction Dr by the solar panel 90, whose light-receiving surface 92 is oriented in the direction Ds of the sun according to the incident information Is obtained in S20.

[0048] In planning the driving posture in S30, it may be assumed that the attitude angle of the autonomous transport device Ma on the travel path is controlled in the horizontal plane by each electric actuator 34 to adjust to a control posture Ac in which the light-receiving surface 92 is oriented towards the sun Ds and the transport chamber 20 is positioned in the opposite direction Dr. In planning the driving posture, it may be assumed that the attitude angle of the solar panel 90 on the autonomous transport device Ma is controlled in the vertical plane, of which there are horizontal and vertical planes, by the attitude adjustment unit 91 to adjust to a control posture Ac in which the light-receiving surface 92 is oriented towards the sun Ds and the transport chamber 20 is positioned in the opposite direction Dr. In planning the driving posture, both adjustment of the attitude angle of the autonomous transport device Ma on the travel path and adjustment of the attitude angle of the solar panel 90 on the autonomous transport device Ma may be assumed.

[0049] In the planning stage of S30, the control posture Ac, which can be called the control target for the driving posture, is set based on the correlation between the power generation efficiency Eg of the solar panel 90 in the power generation unit 9 and the cooling efficiency Ek of the goods Gc in the transport chamber 20. Therefore, the control posture Ac is set as a control target that maximizes the energy efficiency Ee correlated with the efficiencies Eg and Ek, according to the following equation 1 using the weights ωg and ωk for each of the efficiencies Eg and Ek. For this purpose, in S30, at least one of the following is considered as a candidate for the control posture Ac: a reference posture Ab in which the light-receiving surface 92 is orthogonal to the sun direction Ds as shown in Figure 6, and an inclined posture As in which the light-receiving surface 92 is inclined with respect to the sun direction Ds as shown in Figure 7.

number

[0050] In S30, the power generation efficiency Eg is obtained as a power generation performance index based on the relative ratio of the power generated by the solar panel 90 in each orientation Ab and As, with respect to the power generated in the reference orientation Ab. At this time, the acquisition of the power generation efficiency Eg in each orientation Ab and As is based on power generation-related parameters, including at least the solar direction Ds, from among, for example, the solar direction Ds, the altitude or position of the sun, the illuminance or amount of incident sunlight, shade information on the future route, the temperature of the solar panel 90, and the power generation performance of the power generation unit 9. Therefore, when acquiring the power generation efficiency Eg, it is preferable that the power generation-related parameters be determined based on at least one necessary type from among, for example, the incident information Is acquired in S10 and the state detection information of the power generation unit 9.

[0051] In S30, the cooling efficiency Ek is obtained as a cooling performance index by a relative ratio of the temperature rise time, which is defined as the temperature rise time per unit temperature rise of the article Gc in each orientation Ab and As, with respect to the temperature rise time in the reference orientation Ab. In this case, the cooling efficiency Ek may be obtained by predicting the temperature rise time in each orientation Ab and As according to the pre-loading cooling temperature Tc of the article Gc that has been cooled before loading into the transport chamber 20, as shown in Figures 8 and 9. The cooling efficiency Ek may also be obtained by predicting the temperature rise time in each orientation Ab and As according to the cooling performance of the unit 21, as shown in Figure 9, with respect to the cooling temperature of the article Gc that can be cooled during autonomous driving in the transport chamber 20 when the cooling unit 21 is installed. Figures 8 and 9 schematically show the correlation between time and cooling temperature, starting from immediately after loading of item Gc, in order to facilitate understanding of the explanation regarding temperature rise time. However, in practice, it is preferable to consider the time change of the cooling temperature according to the control attitude Ac based on the control flow of previous cycles when predicting the temperature rise time (see Figure 12 of the third embodiment described later).

[0052] In S30, the acquisition of the cooling efficiency Ek for each orientation Ab and As is based on cooling-related parameters, including at least the orientation Ds or Dr, from among, for example, the direction of the sun Ds or the opposite direction Dr, information on the generation of shadows by the solar panel 90, the ambient temperature of the outside world, the initial temperature of the goods Gc at the time of loading, the initial temperature inside the transport chamber 20 at the time of loading, the cooling performance in the transport chamber 20, and information on shaded areas along the future route. Therefore, when acquiring the cooling efficiency Ek, the cooling-related parameters should be determined based on at least one necessary type from among, for example, the incident information Is acquired in S10, the temperature information from the temperature sensor as the internal sensor 51, and the cooling condition information of the goods Gc before loading.

[0053] In S30, the energy efficiency Ee based on each efficiency Eg and Ek is obtained separately for the candidate attitudes Ab and As for the control attitude Ac. At this time, as mentioned above, the weights ωg and ωk for each efficiency Eg and Ek in number 1 that gives the energy efficiency Ee are set using a rule-based method, such as a simulation model, function, map, or table.

[0054] Specifically, in S30, the relationship may be adjusted such that, for example, the weight ωg of the power generation efficiency Eg is greater than the weight ωk of the cooling efficiency Ek when a condition is met, such as the stored power in battery 4 falling below or below a threshold, and the opposite relationship may be adjusted when the condition is not met. In S30, the relationship may be adjusted such that, for example, the weight ωg of the power generation efficiency Eg is greater than the weight ωk of the cooling efficiency Ek when a condition is met, such as the rate of change of temperature in the transport chamber 20 falling below or below a threshold in response to a low ambient temperature (i.e., outside temperature), and the opposite relationship may be adjusted when the condition is not met.

[0055] In S30, the relationship may be adjusted so that the weight ωk of the cooling efficiency Ek is greater than the weight ωg of the power generation efficiency Eg when a condition such as the temperature inside the transport chamber 20 rises to or exceeds a threshold is met, and the opposite relationship may be adjusted when the condition is not met. In S30, the relationship may be adjusted so that the weight ωk of the cooling efficiency Ek is greater than the weight ωg of the power generation efficiency Eg when a condition such as the cooling temperature of the goods Gc cooled before loading is to or exceeds a threshold is met, and the opposite relationship may be adjusted when the condition is not met.

[0056] Based on the above, in S30, the optimal attitude that maximizes energy efficiency Ee is selected from among the candidate attitudes Ab and As for the control attitude Ac. However, in S30, the optimal control attitude Ac may be assumed to be selected based on at least one of the following: for example, the continuity from the control attitude Ac selected in S30 executed in a previous control flow, and attitude restrictions according to the driving environment at each driving point. In this case, any attitude Ab or As that has the greatest possible energy efficiency Ee while being less than the maximum efficiency may be assumed to be the optimal control attitude Ac. Furthermore, the weights ωg and ωk for each efficiency Eg and Ek may be adjusted by a machine learning model to maximize energy efficiency Ee, and the control attitude Ac corresponding to the maximized energy efficiency Ee may be selected.

[0057] As shown in Figure 5, in the control flow, S40 is executed following the completion of S30. In S40, the control block 110 adjusts the driving attitude of the autonomous transport device Ma at the latest control driving point according to the control attitude Ac selected in S30. At this time, for example, if there is concern that the power generation efficiency Ek corresponding to the control attitude Ac selected in S30 will decrease significantly due to the temperature rise of the solar panel 90, the driving speed of the autonomous transport device Ma may be increased to allow air cooling of the solar panel 90 by the airflow while driving. The current execution of the control flow ends upon completion of S40.

[0058] On the other hand, in the control flow, if a negative judgment is made in S20, S50 is executed. In S50, the control block 110 adjusts the driving posture of the autonomous transport device Ma at the latest control travel point. However, in S50, the driving posture is controlled to the latest posture among the control postures Ac selected by S30 executed in previous control flows since the startup of the device Ma, or to the default posture if S30 has never been executed in previous control flows. The current execution of the control flow also ends upon completion of S50.

[0059] (Effects and Benefits) The effects and benefits of the first embodiment described above will be explained below.

[0060] According to the first embodiment, in order to transport articles Gc that require refrigeration into the transport chamber 20 by autonomous driving, the autonomous driving of the autonomous transport device Ma, which is supplied with power from a power generation unit 9 that generates electricity by receiving sunlight, is controlled. In the first embodiment, incident information Is regarding the incidence of sunlight onto the autonomous transport device Ma is acquired, and the driving posture of the autonomous transport device Ma during autonomous driving is adjusted according to the incident information Is. Specifically, in this case, the driving posture is adjusted to a control posture Ac in which the transport chamber 20 is positioned in the opposite direction Dr to the direction Ds of the sun relative to the light-receiving surface 92 of the power generation unit 9, which is oriented in the direction Ds of the sun according to the incident information Is. With this, it is possible to save energy by ensuring power generation efficiency Eg in the power generation unit 9 where the light-receiving surface 92 is oriented in the direction Ds of the sun, while ensuring the refrigeration efficiency Ek of the articles Gc in the transport chamber 20 which is oriented in the opposite direction Dr to the direction Ds of the sun relative to the light-receiving surface 92.

[0061] According to the first embodiment, the attitude angle of the autonomous transport device Ma on the travel path is controlled so that the light-receiving surface 92 of the power generation unit 9 is oriented towards the direction of sunlight Ds. This allows for precise alignment of the light-receiving surface 92 towards the direction of sunlight Ds to ensure power generation efficiency Eg, and for positioning the transport chamber 20 in the opposite direction Dr to the direction of sunlight Ds relative to the light-receiving surface 92 to ensure cooling efficiency Ek, both of which can be accurately achieved through attitude angle control of the entire autonomous transport device Ma. Therefore, it becomes possible to increase the reliability of energy saving.

[0062] According to the first embodiment, the attitude angle of the power generation unit 9 in the autonomous transport device Ma is controlled so that the light-receiving surface 92 of the power generation unit 9 is oriented towards the direction of sunlight Ds. This allows for precise alignment of the light-receiving surface 92 towards the direction of sunlight Ds to ensure power generation efficiency Eg, and for positioning the transport chamber 20 in the opposite direction Dr to the direction of sunlight Ds relative to the light-receiving surface 92 to ensure cooling efficiency Ek, both of which can be accurately achieved through individual attitude angle control of the power generation unit 9. Therefore, it becomes possible to increase the reliability of energy saving.

[0063] According to the first embodiment, the driving posture of the autonomous transport device Ma may be adjusted to a control posture Ac that controls the cooling efficiency Ek of the cooled articles Gc before loading into the transport chamber 20. This makes it possible to control the cooling efficiency Ek in the transport chamber 20, which is in the opposite direction Dr to the direction of the sun Ds with respect to the light-receiving surface 92, to the optimal efficiency for the cooled articles Gc, thereby saving energy. Furthermore, it is possible to promote energy saving by reducing the cooling temperature and / or cooling time of the articles Gc before loading as much as possible, and by optimally controlling the cooling efficiency Ek in accordance with this reduction.

[0064] According to the first embodiment, the driving posture of the autonomous transport device Ma may be adjusted to a control posture Ac that controls the cooling efficiency Ek of the articles Gc that can be cooled while autonomously traveling in the transport chamber 20. This makes it possible to save energy by controlling the cooling efficiency Ek in the transport chamber 20 in the opposite direction Dr to the sun direction Ds with respect to the light-receiving surface 92 to optimal efficiency by utilizing the cooling function (specifically the cooling unit 21).

[0065] According to the first embodiment, the driving posture of the autonomous transport device Ma is adjusted to a control posture Ac that maximizes the energy efficiency Ee, which is correlated with the power generation efficiency Eg of the power generation unit 9 and the cooling efficiency Ek of the goods Gc. This allows the power generation efficiency Eg of the power generation unit 9, where the light-receiving surface 92 faces the direction of the sun Ds, and the cooling efficiency Ek of the transport chamber 20, which is located in the opposite direction Dr to the direction of the sun Ds relative to the light-receiving surface 92, to be optimized by adjusting the control posture Ac from the viewpoint of maximizing the energy efficiency Ee. Therefore, it becomes possible to save energy according to the driving environment of the autonomous transport device Ma.

[0066] (Second embodiment) The second embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment. The control flow of the second embodiment shown in Figure 10 is executed once after the autonomous transport device Ma is started up.

[0067] In S200, the monitoring block 100 selects a planned travel point from among multiple travel points planned at set distance intervals or set time intervals along the future route of the autonomous transport device Ma, in which the control attitude Ac is pre-planned. Here, for each execution of S200, the planned travel points are selected one by one in order of distance from or proximity to the destination of the future route.

[0068] In the control flow, S210 is executed following the completion of S200. In S210, the monitoring block 100 predicts the solar direction Ds of sunlight on the solar panel 90 of the power generation unit 9 as incident information Is related to the latest planned driving point selected by S200. At this time, the solar direction Ds, which is defined in the same way as in S20 of the first embodiment, should be predicted based on at least one of the necessary types, such as weather information which is communication information of the communication system 6, positioning information which is communication information of the communication system 6, map information of the map database 7, and self-position information of the locator ECU. However, for planned driving points with environmental conditions for which a negative prediction is given in S220, which will be described later, the prediction of the solar direction Ds may be skipped.

[0069] In the control flow, S220 is executed following the completion of S210. In S220, the monitoring block 100 predicts, with respect to the planned travel point selected by S200, whether the environmental conditions outside the autonomous transport device Ma are such that sunlight is incident on the device Ma. At this time, the prediction of the sunlight conditions is based on the incident information Is obtained by S210.

[0070] If a positive prediction is given in S220 in the control flow, S230 is executed. In S230, the control block 110 plans a control attitude Ac for autonomous transport device Ma in autonomous driving with respect to the latest planned driving point selected in S200, similar to S30 in the first embodiment. However, in S230, the driving attitude of the autonomous transport device Ma is planned with respect to the latest planned point so as to be adjusted to a control attitude Ac that controls the power generation efficiency Eg of the power generation unit 9 and the cooling efficiency Ek of the goods Gc, according to the prediction result of the solar direction Ds by S210.

[0071] In the control flow, S231 is executed following the completion of S230. In S231, the monitoring block 100 determines whether the planning of the control attitude Ac is complete, since all travel points on the planned future route for the autonomous transport device Ma are pre-set as planned travel points. If the result is negative, the control flow returns to S200, and the next planned travel point is selected from among the travel points for which the planning of the control attitude Ac is incomplete.

[0072] In the control flow, if a negative prediction is given in S220, S231 is executed similarly after S232. Here, in S232, the control block 110 plans the driving attitude of the autonomous transport device Ma in autonomous driving with respect to the planned driving point selected by S200 to a control attitude Ac with a different definition than that of S230. Specifically, the control attitude Ac in S232 is defined as the selected attitude for the planned driving point closest to the current location among the control attitudes Ac selected by S230 which has already been executed in the current control flow, or as the default attitude if S230 has not been executed even once in the current control flow. Even if S232 is passed through in this way, if a negative determination is made in S231, the control flow returns to S200.

[0073] Regardless of whether S232 is taken, that is, regardless of the prediction result of S220, if an affirmative judgment is made in S231, S240 is executed. In S240, the monitoring block 100 determines whether or not the autonomous transport device Ma has started transporting the item Gc by autonomous driving. As long as a negative judgment is made, the execution of S240 is repeated.

[0074] On the other hand, if an affirmative judgment is made in S240, S241 is executed. In S241, the control block 110 determines whether the latest control driving point achieved by autonomous driving has reached one of the planned driving points for control attitude Ac, as determined in S230 or S232. As long as a negative judgment is made, the execution of S241 is repeated while maintaining autonomous driving control with the most recently adjusted control attitude Ac.

[0075] In the control flow, if a positive determination is made in S241, S242 is executed. In S242, the control block 110 adjusts the driving posture of the autonomous transport device Ma in accordance with S40 of the first embodiment so as to conform to the control posture Ac at the planned driving point corresponding to the latest control driving point reached.

[0076] Here, if the deviation between the optimal value and the observed value of the energy efficiency Ee for each travel point rises outside the acceptable range, S200 to S241 may be re-executed in parallel with S242, and the control attitude Ac for each travel point may be replanned. In this case, if a machine learning model is used to optimize the energy efficiency Ee in S230 in accordance with S30 of the first embodiment, the machine learning model may be updated based on the optimal value and the observed value. In addition to the above, the predicted values ​​of each efficiency Eg and Ek in S230 and the optimal value of the energy efficiency Ee based thereon may be acquired and compared for multiple autonomous transport devices Ma by a dedicated computer that constitutes at least a part of the control system 1, for example, at an external center, and the autonomous transport device Ma best suited to the future route may be selected.

[0077] In S243, which follows the completion of S242, the control block 110 determines whether the latest control driving point achieved by autonomous driving has reached the destination on the future route. If the result is negative, the control flow returns to S241. On the other hand, if the result is positive, the current execution of the control flow ends.

[0078] According to the second embodiment described above, the direction of the sun Ds at each travel point along the future route of the autonomous transport device Ma is predicted as incident information Is. This allows both the orientation of the light-receiving surface 92, which is adjusted to match the predicted direction of the sun Ds in order to ensure power generation efficiency Eg, and the position of the transport chamber 20, which is adjusted in the opposite direction Dr to the predicted direction of the sun Ds relative to the light-receiving surface 92 in order to ensure cooling efficiency Ek, to be planned in advance for each travel point along the future route. Therefore, it becomes possible to achieve energy savings according to the travel environment of the autonomous transport device Ma.

[0079] According to the second embodiment, the driving attitude of the autonomous transport device Ma is adjusted to a control attitude Ac that controls the power generation efficiency Eg of the power generation unit 9 and the cooling efficiency Ek of the goods Gc at each driving point along the autonomous transport device Ma's future route, according to the predicted result of the sun direction Ds. With this, the attitude of the light-receiving surface 92, which is adjusted to match the predicted result of the sun direction Ds in order to control the power generation efficiency Eg to optimal efficiency, and the position of the transport chamber 20, which is adjusted in the opposite direction Dr to the predicted result of the sun direction Ds relative to the light-receiving surface 92 in order to control the cooling efficiency Ek to optimal efficiency, can be planned in advance for each driving point along the future route. Therefore, it is possible to increase the reliability of energy saving according to the driving environment of the autonomous transport device Ma.

[0080] (Third embodiment) The third embodiment is a modification of the second embodiment. The control flow of the third embodiment shown in Figures 11 and 12 is executed once after the autonomous transport device Ma is started up.

[0081] In S300 shown in Figure 11, the monitoring block 100 selects an attitude planning route from among multiple travel routes planned as the future route of the autonomous transport device Ma, which plans the control attitude A for each travel point. Here, it is preferable that one attitude planning route be selected each time S300 is executed.

[0082] In the control flow, once the execution of S300 is completed, S200 to S232 of the second embodiment are executed for the attitude planning route selected by S300. If a positive determination is made in S231, S330 is executed. In S330, the monitoring block 100 determines whether all future routes planned for the autonomous transport device Ma have been selected as attitude planning routes, and whether the planning of the control attitude Ac for each travel point is complete for all of these routes. If a negative determination is made, the control flow returns to S300, and the next attitude planning route is selected from among the future routes for which the planning of the control attitude Ac for each travel point is incomplete.

[0083] In the control flow, if a positive judgment is made in S330, S340 is executed. In S340, the control block 100 determines the optimal route from the perspective of energy efficiency Ee from among all future routes for which the control attitude Ac has been planned for each travel point. At this time, the optimal route is determined based on the average value of the energy efficiency Ee corresponding to the control attitude Ac for each travel point. However, as shown in Figure 13, it is preferable to exclude from the candidates for the optimal route any attitude planning route in which the predicted cooling temperature of the item Gc by the time it reaches the destination is equal to or exceeds the allowable temperature Tk. Note that in Figure 13, each line graph with a different thickness individually shows the correlation between time and cooling temperature for each attitude planning route.

[0084] As shown in Figures 11 and 12, in the control flow, once the execution of S340 is completed, S240 to S243 will be executed for the optimal route selected by S340. If a positive judgment is made in S243, the current execution of the control flow ends.

[0085] According to the third embodiment described above, a future route (specifically, the optimal route) is determined by adjusting the travel attitude to the controlled attitude Ac at each travel point based on the power generation efficiency Eg of the power generation unit 9 and the cooling efficiency Ek of the goods Gc at each travel point in each of the multiple planned future routes. This allows the efficiencies Eg and Ek, which are used to adjust the attitude of the light-receiving surface 92 to match the predicted sun direction Ds and to adjust the position of the transport chamber 20 in the opposite direction Dr to the predicted sun direction Ds, to be effectively utilized in route determination as well. Moreover, in the third embodiment, energy saving can be promoted by determining the route from the perspective of energy efficiency Ee, which is correlated with each efficiency Eg and Ek.

[0086] (Other embodiments) Although several embodiments have been described above, this disclosure is not limited to those embodiments and can be applied to various embodiments and combinations without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0087] In the modified example, the dedicated computer constituting the control system 1 may have at least one of the digital circuit and the analog circuit as a processor. Here, the digital circuit is at least one of the following, for example, ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), SOC (System on a Chip), PGA (Programmable Gate Array), and CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device). Furthermore, such a digital circuit may have a memory that stores a program.

[0088] In the modified power generation unit 9, the solar panel 90 may be fixed in position relative to the body 2. In steps S30 and S230 of the modified control flow, a control attitude Ac that controls only one of the efficiencies Eg and Ek may be selected.

[0089] In addition to the embodiments described so far, the above-described embodiments and modifications may be implemented in the form of a processing circuit (e.g., a processing ECU, etc.) or a semiconductor device (e.g., a semiconductor chip, etc.) as a control device configured to be mounted on an autonomous transport device Ma and having at least one processor 12 and one memory 10.

[0090] (Additional note) This specification discloses several technical concepts and several combinations thereof, as listed below. The symbols in parentheses in this supplementary section indicate correspondences with the specific means described in the embodiments detailed above, and do not limit the technical scope of this disclosure.

[0091] (Technical thought 1) A control system for controlling the autonomous driving of an autonomous transport device (Ma) having a processor (12) and supplied with power from a power generation unit (9) that generates electricity by receiving sunlight, for transporting articles (Gc) that require refrigeration into a transport chamber (20) by autonomous driving, The aforementioned processor, To acquire incident information (Is) regarding the incidence of sunlight onto the autonomous transport device, A control system configured to perform the following actions: adjust the driving posture of the autonomous transport device during autonomous driving to a control posture (Ac) in which the transport chamber is positioned in the opposite direction (Dr) to the direction of the sun (Ds) in the power generation unit according to the incident information for receiving sunlight.

[0092] (Technical thought 2) Adjusting the aforementioned driving posture means A control system according to technical concept 1, which includes controlling the attitude angle of the autonomous transport device on the travel path to orient the light-receiving surface toward the sun.

[0093] (Technical Thought 3) Adjusting the aforementioned driving posture means A control system according to technical concept 1 or 2, which includes controlling the attitude angle of the power generation unit in the autonomous transport device to orient the light-receiving surface toward the sun.

[0094] (Technical Thought 4) Adjusting the aforementioned driving posture means A control system according to any one of the technical concepts 1 to 3, which includes adjusting the travel posture to a control posture that controls the cooling efficiency of the article that has been cooled before being loaded into the transport chamber.

[0095] (Technical Thought 5) Adjusting the aforementioned driving posture means A control system according to any one of technical ideas 1 to 4, which includes adjusting the driving posture to a control posture that controls the cooling efficiency of the article that can be cooled during autonomous driving in the transport chamber.

[0096] (Technical Thought 6) Adjusting the aforementioned driving posture means A control system according to any one of technical ideas 1 to 5, which includes adjusting the driving posture to a control posture that maximizes the energy efficiency correlated with the power generation efficiency of the power generation unit and the cooling efficiency of the article.

[0097] (Technical Thought 7) Acquiring the aforementioned incident information means A control system according to any one of the technical ideas 1 to 6, which includes predicting the direction of the sun at each travel point along the future route of the autonomous transport device as incident information.

[0098] (Technical Thought 8) Adjusting the aforementioned driving posture means A control system according to technical concept 7, which includes adjusting the driving posture to a control posture that controls the power generation efficiency of the power generation unit and the cooling efficiency of the article at each of the aforementioned driving points according to the predicted result of the direction of the sun.

[0099] (Technical Thought 9) Adjusting the aforementioned driving posture means A control system according to technical idea 7 or 8, which includes determining the future route for adjusting the driving posture to the control posture for each driving point based on the power generation efficiency of the power generation unit and the cooling efficiency of the article at each of the multiple planned future routes.

[0100] Furthermore, the technical concepts 1 to 9 described above may be understood within the respective technical concepts of the apparatus, method, and program. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 1: Control system, 9: Power generation unit, 10: Memory, 12: Processor, 20: Transport chamber, 92: Light receiving surface, Ac: Control attitude, Dr: Reverse direction, Ds: Solar direction, Gc: Item, Is: Incidence information, Ma: Autonomous transport device

Claims

1. A control system for controlling the autonomous driving of an autonomous transport device (Ma) having a processor (12) and supplied with power from a power generation unit (9) that generates electricity by receiving sunlight, for transporting articles (Gc) that require refrigeration into a transport chamber (20) by autonomous driving, The aforementioned processor, To acquire incident information (Is) regarding the incidence of sunlight onto the autonomous transport device, A control system configured to perform the following actions: adjust the driving posture of the autonomous transport device during autonomous driving to a control posture (Ac) in which the transport chamber is positioned in the opposite direction (Dr) to the direction of the sun (Ds) in the power generation unit according to the incident information for receiving sunlight.

2. Adjusting the aforementioned driving posture means The control system according to claim 1, which includes controlling the attitude angle of the autonomous transport device on the travel path to orient the light-receiving surface toward the sun.

3. Adjusting the aforementioned driving posture means The control system according to claim 1, which includes controlling the attitude angle of the power generation unit in the autonomous transport device to orient the light-receiving surface toward the sun.

4. Adjusting the aforementioned driving posture means The control system according to claim 1, which includes adjusting the travel posture to the control posture that controls the cooling efficiency of the articles cooled before being loaded into the transport chamber.

5. Adjusting the aforementioned driving posture means The control system according to claim 1, which includes adjusting the driving posture to a control posture that controls the cooling efficiency of the article that can be cooled during autonomous driving in the transport chamber.

6. Adjusting the aforementioned driving posture means The control system according to claim 1, further comprising adjusting the driving posture to a control posture that maximizes the energy efficiency correlated with the power generation efficiency of the power generation unit and the cooling efficiency of the article.

7. Acquiring the aforementioned incident information means The control system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which includes predicting the direction of the sun at each travel point along the future route of the autonomous transport device as incident information.

8. Adjusting the aforementioned driving posture means The control system according to claim 7, which includes adjusting the driving posture to a control posture that controls the power generation efficiency of the power generation unit and the cooling efficiency of the article at each of the driving points according to the predicted result of the direction of the sun.

9. Adjusting the aforementioned driving posture means The control system according to claim 7, further comprising determining the future route for which the driving posture is adjusted to the control posture for each driving point, based on the power generation efficiency of the power generation unit and the cooling efficiency of the article at each of the multiple planned future routes.

10. A control device for controlling the autonomous driving of an autonomous transport device (Ma) which has a processor (12) and is powered by a power generation unit (9) that generates electricity by receiving sunlight, for transporting articles (Gc) that require refrigeration in a transport chamber (20) by autonomous driving, wherein the autonomous transport device has a power generation unit (9) that generates electricity by receiving sunlight, and the control device is configured to be mounted on the autonomous transport device. The aforementioned processor, To acquire incident information (Is) regarding the incidence of sunlight onto the autonomous transport device, A control device configured to perform the following actions: adjust the driving posture of the autonomous transport device during autonomous driving to a control posture (Ac) in which the transport chamber is positioned in the opposite direction (Dr) to the direction of the sun (Ds) in the power generation unit according to the incident information for receiving sunlight.

11. A control method executed by a processor (12) is a control method for controlling the autonomous movement of an autonomous transport device (Ma) that is supplied with power from a power generation unit (9) that generates electricity by receiving sunlight, in order to transport an item (Gc) requiring refrigeration in a transport chamber (20) by autonomous movement, To acquire incident information (Is) regarding the incidence of sunlight onto the autonomous transport device, A control method comprising adjusting the driving posture of the autonomous transport device during autonomous driving to a control posture (Ac) in which the transport chamber is positioned in the opposite direction (Dr) to the direction of the sun (Ds) in the power generation unit according to the incident information for receiving sunlight.

12. A control program stored in a storage medium (10) that includes instructions to be executed by a processor (12) is a control program that controls the autonomous driving of an autonomous transport device (Ma) that is supplied with power from a power generation unit (9) that generates electricity by receiving sunlight, in order to transport an item (Gc) that requires refrigeration into a transport room (20) by autonomous driving, To acquire incident information (Is) regarding the incidence of sunlight onto the autonomous transport device, A control program that includes the command to adjust the driving posture of the autonomous transport device during autonomous driving to a control posture (Ac) in which the transport chamber is positioned in the opposite direction (Dr) to the direction of the sun (Ds) in the power generation unit according to the incident information for receiving sunlight.

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