Calculation device

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of accurately calculating a position and orientation of a movable body, using sensor information.SOLUTION: A calculation device includes: an acquisition unit for acquiring sensor information and equipping information; and a calculation unit for calculating at least one of a position and orientation of a movable body, using the sensor information. In a first case where the movable body is equipped with an onboard distance measuring device, the calculation unit uses, as the sensor information, at least onboard distance measuring device information acquired by the onboard distance measuring device, thereby calculating at least one of the position and orientation of the movable body. In a second case where the movable body is not equipped with the onboard distance measuring device, the calculation unit uses, as the sensor information, at least one of image information acquired by an external camera installed at a location different from that of the movable body, and external distance measuring device information acquired by an external distance measuring device installed at a location different from that of the movable body, thereby calculating at least one of the position and orientation of the movable body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a calculation apparatus. [Background Art]

[0002] Conventionally, vehicles that automatically travel via remote control have been known (Patent Document 1). [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese National Publication of International Patent Application No. 2017-538619 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] When moving a moving object such as a vehicle by unmanned driving, it is desired to accurately calculate the position and orientation of the moving object. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0005] The present disclosure can be implemented in the following modes.

[0006] (1) According to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, a calculation device is provided. The calculation device includes an acquisition unit that acquires sensor information acquired by a sensor and mounting information indicating whether or not a mobile body that is movable by unmanned operation is equipped with a mounted distance measuring device as a sensor mounted on the mobile body, and a calculation unit that uses the sensor information acquired by the acquisition unit to calculate at least one of the position and orientation of the mobile body. In the first case, the calculation unit calculates at least one of the position and orientation of the mobile body by using at least the mounted distance measuring device information acquired by the mounted distance measuring device as the sensor information, and in the second case, the calculation unit calculates at least one of the position and orientation of the mobile body by using at least one of image information acquired by an external camera as a sensor installed at a location different from the mobile body and external distance measuring device information acquired by an external distance measuring device as a sensor installed at a location different from the mobile body as the sensor information. According to this configuration, in the first case, at least one of the position and orientation of the moving object can be calculated using the onboard rangefinder information without using external rangefinder information and image information. In this way, in the first case, for example, the decrease in the accuracy of calculating the position and orientation of the moving object as the distance between the external camera and external rangefinder and the moving object increases can be suppressed. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of calculating the position and orientation of the moving object when the moving object is moved by unmanned operation. (2) In the above configuration, the acquisition unit further acquires calibration information indicating whether or not the calibration of the mounted distance measuring device has been completed, and the calculation unit, in the first case, if the calibration of the mounted distance measuring device has been completed, calculates at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body by using at least the mounted distance measuring device information as the sensor information, and in the first case, if the calibration of the mounted distance measuring device has not been completed, the calculation of at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body by using at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information as the sensor information, without using the mounted distance measuring device information as the sensor information. According to this configuration, if the calibration of the mounted distance measuring device has not been completed, at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body can be calculated using at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information without using the mounted distance measuring device information. This makes it possible to more reliably suppress a decrease in the accuracy of calculating the position and orientation of the moving body. (3) In the above configuration, in the first case, the acquisition unit acquires at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information as sensor information in addition to the mounted distance measuring device information, the calculation unit uses the mounted distance measuring device information as sensor information to calculate at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body, and uses at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information as sensor information to calculate at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body, (i) the moving body calculated using the mounted distance measuring device information (i) If the difference between the aforementioned position and the position of the moving body calculated using at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information is greater than or equal to a predetermined position threshold, (ii) if the difference between the orientation of the moving body calculated using the mounted distance measuring device information and the orientation of the moving body calculated using at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information is greater than or equal to a predetermined direction threshold, the calculation unit may stop calculating the position and orientation of the moving body using the sensor information. According to this configuration, the calculation of the position and orientation of the moving body can be stopped when there is a possibility that the detection accuracy of the sensor has decreased. This makes it possible to avoid calculating the position and orientation of the moving body based on sensor information that may have decreased accuracy. (4) The above configuration further comprises a signal generation unit that generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the moving body, and a transmission unit that transmits the control signal generated by the signal generation unit to the moving body, wherein in the first case, the acquisition unit acquires at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information as the sensor information in addition to the mounted distance measuring device information, the calculation unit calculates at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body using the mounted distance measuring device information as the sensor information, and calculates at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body using at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information as the sensor information, and (i) the position of the moving body calculated using the mounted distance measuring device information and the difference between the image information and the external distance measuring device information (i) If the difference between the position of the moving body calculated using either of the above is greater than or equal to a predetermined position threshold, and (ii) if the difference between the orientation of the moving body calculated using the mounted distance measuring device information and the orientation of the moving body calculated using at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information is greater than or equal to a predetermined direction threshold, the signal generation unit may generate either (a) a stop control signal for stopping the moving body, or (b) a change control signal for changing the destination of the moving body when it is traveling by remote control from an external location from a predetermined target location to a maintenance location where at least one of a repair process for repairing the mounted distance measuring device and a calibration process for calibrating the mounted distance measuring device is performed, as the control signal. According to this configuration, the moving body can be stopped more safely or the mounted distance measuring device can be maintained when the detection accuracy of the sensor may be reduced. (5) The above configuration further includes a notification control unit that notifies the user of specific information indicating that the detection accuracy of the sensor may be decreasing, wherein in the first case, the acquisition unit acquires at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information as the sensor information in addition to the mounted distance measuring device information, and the calculation unit calculates at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body using the mounted distance measuring device information as the sensor information, and calculates at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body using at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information as the sensor information The notification control unit may notify the user of the specific information if, at least one of the following conditions is met: (i) the difference between the position of the moving body calculated using the mounted distance measuring device information and the position of the moving body calculated using at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information is greater than or equal to a predetermined position threshold; or (ii) the difference between the orientation of the moving body calculated using the mounted distance measuring device information and the orientation of the moving body calculated using at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information is greater than or equal to a predetermined direction threshold. This configuration allows the user to be notified that the detection accuracy of the sensor may be decreasing. This disclosure can be implemented in various forms other than the calculation device described above. For example, it can be implemented in the form of a method for calculating at least one of the position and orientation of a moving object, a method for manufacturing the calculation device, a method for controlling the calculation device, a computer program for implementing the control method, and a non-temporary recording medium on which the computer program is stored. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This figure shows the schematic configuration of the calculation system in the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for vehicle driving control in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart showing the calculation method and operation control method of the first embodiment. [Figure 4]This figure shows a method for calculating the position and orientation of a vehicle using in-vehicle RID information. [Figure 5] This figure shows a method for calculating the orientation of a vehicle using external RID information. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart showing the calculation method in the second embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart showing the operation control method in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] This figure shows the schematic configuration of the calculation system in the third embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for vehicle driving control in the third embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] A. First Embodiment: Figure 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the calculation system 1 in the first embodiment. The calculation system 1 calculates at least one of the position and orientation of a moving object. The calculation system 1 comprises one or more vehicles 10 as the moving object, one or more types of external sensors 300 installed in locations different from the vehicles 10, and a calculation device 5.

[0009] One or more external sensors 300, installed in a location different from the vehicle 10, acquire overhead information indicating the state of the vehicle 10 and the area surrounding the vehicle 10. The external sensors 300 are sensors located outside the vehicle 10. In this embodiment, the calculation system 1 includes one or more external lidars 90 as external sensors 300 that acquire overhead information. The external lidars 90 are an example of an external distance measuring device installed in a location different from the vehicle 10. In other embodiments, the distance measuring device may be other sensors such as a stereo camera.

[0010] The external LiDAR 90 is a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) that detects the vehicle 10 from outside the vehicle 10. The external LiDAR 90 detects the distance and angle between the external LiDAR 90 and the object, the shape of the object, etc., by irradiating a predetermined detection range RG2 with laser light and detecting the reflected light reflected by an object such as the vehicle 10. The external LiDAR 90 transmits the acquired external LiDAR information to the calculation device 5. The installation position and number of external LiDARs 90 are determined by considering the detection range RG2 of each external LiDAR 90 and the objects (obstacles), etc., present in the surrounding area of ​​the track R, in order to detect the entire track R with one or more external LiDARs 90. Note that the configuration of the external LiDAR 90 is not limited to the above.

[0011] In this disclosure, “mobile object” means an object that can move, such as a vehicle or an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (so-called flying car). A vehicle may be a wheeled vehicle or a tracked vehicle, such as a passenger car, truck, bus, motorcycle, car, tank, or construction vehicle. Vehicles include electric vehicles (BEVs: Battery Electric Vehicles), gasoline vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. If the mobile object is not a vehicle, the terms “vehicle” and “car” in this disclosure may be replaced with “mobile object” as appropriate, and the term “driving” may be replaced with “moving” as appropriate.

[0012] Vehicle 10 is configured to operate autonomously. "Autonomous operation" means operation without the operation of a passenger. Operation refers to operations related to at least one of the following: "going," "turning," or "stopping" of vehicle 10. Autonomous operation is achieved by automatic or manual remote control using a device located outside vehicle 10, or by autonomous control of vehicle 10. A passenger who does not perform operation may be on board vehicle 10 while it is operating autonomously. A passenger who does not perform operation includes, for example, a person simply sitting in the seat of vehicle 10, or a person performing tasks other than operation, such as assembly, inspection, or operating switches, while on board vehicle 10. Operation by a passenger is sometimes called "manned operation."

[0013] In this specification, "remote control" includes "fully remote control," in which all operations of the vehicle 10 are completely determined from outside the vehicle 10, and "partial remote control," in which some operations of the vehicle 10 are determined from outside the vehicle 10. Furthermore, "autonomous control" includes "fully autonomous control," in which the vehicle 10 autonomously controls its own operations without receiving any information from external devices, and "partial autonomous control," in which the vehicle 10 autonomously controls its own operations using information received from external devices.

[0014] In this embodiment, the calculation system 1 is used in a factory that manufactures the vehicle 10. The factory's reference coordinate system is the global coordinate system. That is, any location within the factory is represented by X, Y, Z coordinates in the global coordinate system. In other embodiments, the calculation system 1 may be used in locations other than a factory.

[0015] A vehicle 10 includes an actuator group 120. The actuator group 120 includes an actuator for a drive device that accelerates the vehicle 10, an actuator for a steering device that changes the traveling direction of the vehicle 10, and an actuator for a braking device that decelerates the vehicle 10. Further, the vehicle 10 includes a communication device 130 for communicating with other devices other than the host vehicle 10 (for example, a calculation device 5) and other vehicles 10 using wireless communication or the like, a vehicle control device 150 that controls the operation of the vehicle 10, and an in-vehicle sensor group 160 having one or more types of internal sensors.

[0016] The vehicle control device 150 includes a vehicle CPU 111, a vehicle storage unit 112, an input / output interface 113, and an internal bus 114. The input / output interface 113 is used for communicating with various devices mounted on the host vehicle 10 (for example, a drive device), the in-vehicle sensor group 160, and the like. The vehicle CPU 111, the vehicle storage unit 112, and the input / output interface 113 are communicatively connected bidirectionally via the internal bus 114. The vehicle CPU 111 implements various functions including the function as a vehicle control unit 115 by executing a program PG1 stored in the vehicle storage unit 112.

[0017] The vehicle control unit 115 causes the vehicle 10 to travel by controlling the actuator group 120. The vehicle control unit 115 can cause the vehicle 10 to travel by controlling the actuator group 120 using a travel control signal received from the calculation device 5. The travel control signal is a control signal for causing the vehicle 10 to travel. In the present embodiment, the travel control signal includes the acceleration and the steering angle of the vehicle 10 as parameters. In other embodiments, the travel control signal may include the speed of the vehicle 10 as a parameter instead of or in addition to the acceleration of the vehicle 10.

[0018] The in-vehicle sensor group 160 includes, for example, an in-vehicle camera, an in-vehicle radar, and an in-vehicle LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) as sensors that acquire ambient information indicating the state of the area surrounding the vehicle 10. The in-vehicle camera captures images of the state of the area surrounding the vehicle 10. The in-vehicle radar and in-vehicle LiDAR detect objects present in the area surrounding the vehicle 10. The in-vehicle LiDAR is an example of an on-board rangefinder as a rangefinder mounted on the vehicle 10. Note that the configuration of the vehicle 10 is not limited to the above.

[0019] The calculation device 5 uses sensor information to calculate at least one of the position and orientation of the vehicle 10. In this embodiment, the calculation device 5 is a server installed in a location different from the vehicle 10. In this embodiment, the calculation device 5 calculates the position and orientation of the vehicle 10. The calculation device 5 also uses the calculated position and orientation of the vehicle 10 to generate a driving control signal that defines the driving operation of the vehicle 10 and transmits the driving control signal to the vehicle 10. Sensor information is acquired by sensors that acquire at least one of overhead information and surrounding information. Therefore, the sensor information is at least one of the following: onboard lidar information, which is onboard lidar information acquired by an onboard lidar as an onboard distance measuring device, and external lidar information, which is external lidar information acquired by an external lidar 90 as an external distance measuring device. The position of the vehicle 10 is the position of a positioning point 10e that is pre-set for a specific part of the vehicle 10. The position of the positioning point 10e is expressed as a coordinate value in the global coordinate system. The orientation of vehicle 10 is represented by a vector that points from the rear side Re to the front side Fr of vehicle 10, along the longitudinal axis of vehicle 10 passing through the center of gravity of vehicle 10.

[0020] The calculation device 5 comprises a communication device 51, a device storage unit 53, a device CPU 52, an input / output interface 54, and an internal bus 55. The device CPU 52, the device storage unit 53, and the input / output interface 54 are connected via the internal bus 55 to enable bidirectional communication. The input / output interface 54 is connected to a communication device 51 for communicating with various devices outside the calculation device 5. The communication device 51 can communicate with a communication device 130 mounted on the vehicle 10 and an external rider 90, etc. The communication device 51 is, for example, a wireless communication device. The device storage unit 53 stores various information, including various programs PG2 that control the operation of the calculation device 5. The device storage unit 53 includes, for example, RAM, ROM, and a hard disk drive (HDD). The device CPU 52 realizes various functions, including those of an acquisition unit 521, a calculation unit 522, a signal generation unit 523, and a transmission unit 524, by expanding the various programs PG2 stored in the device storage unit 53.

[0021] The acquisition unit 521 acquires various types of information. In this embodiment, the acquisition unit 521 acquires various types of information, including mounting information and sensor information. Mounting information is information indicating whether or not an on-board rider is mounted on the vehicle 10, which is the target vehicle for which the position and orientation are calculated. The acquisition unit 521 acquires mounting information for the target vehicle 10 by, for example, referring to a mounting database that has been stored in the device storage unit 53 in advance. By referring to a mounting database that links vehicle identification information that identifies the vehicle 10 with whether or not an on-board rider is mounted, the acquisition unit 521 acquires mounting information for the vehicle 10 for which the position and orientation are calculated. Note that the method of acquiring mounting information is not limited to the above. For example, the acquisition unit 521 may acquire communication feasibility information from the vehicle control device 150 as mounting information, indicating whether or not the on-board rider mounted on the target vehicle 10, which is the target vehicle for which the position and orientation are calculated, and the vehicle control device 150 were able to communicate. Furthermore, if the on-board lid is mounted on the outside of the vehicle 10, the acquisition unit 521 may acquire a detection result as mounting information indicating whether or not it was able to detect the on-board lid mounted on the vehicle 10 in the image information as an captured image including the vehicle 10.

[0022] The calculation unit 522 uses the sensor information acquired by the acquisition unit 521 to calculate at least one of the position and orientation of the vehicle 10. In this embodiment, the calculation unit 522 acquires vehicle position information by calculating the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 using the sensor information. The vehicle position information is the position information that forms the basis for generating the driving control signal. In this embodiment, the vehicle position information includes the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 in the factory's global coordinate system.

[0023] The signal generation unit 523 generates a driving control signal to define the driving operation of the vehicle 10 and control the vehicle 10. For example, the signal generation unit 523 generates a standard control signal, which is a driving control signal for driving the vehicle 10 along a predetermined reference path RR. The signal generation unit 523 may also generate the following driving control signals, for example, depending on the accuracy of the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 calculated by the calculation unit 522 and the driving conditions of the vehicle 10. In this case, the signal generation unit 523 may generate a stop control signal, which is a driving control signal for stopping the vehicle 10, or a change control signal, which is a driving control signal for changing the destination of the vehicle 10.

[0024] The transmitting unit 524 transmits various types of information. In this embodiment, the transmitting unit 524 transmits the driving control signal generated by the signal generation unit 523 to the vehicle 10. Note that the configuration of the device CPU 52 is not limited to the above. At least some of the functions of the device CPU 52 may be implemented as a function of another device (for example, an external rider 90, an on-board rider, or a vehicle control device 150).

[0025] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for controlling the vehicle 10's movement in the first embodiment. The flow shown in Figure 2 is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals, for example, from the moment the vehicle 10 starts moving under remote control.

[0026] In step 1, the calculation unit 522 of the calculation device 5 acquires vehicle position information using sensor information.

[0027] In step 2, the signal generation unit 523 determines the next target location that the vehicle 10 should head to. In this embodiment, the target location is represented by X, Y, Z coordinates in the global coordinate system. The device storage unit 53 has a reference route RR, which is the route that the vehicle 10 should travel, pre-stored in it. The route is represented by a node indicating the starting point, nodes indicating waypoints, a node indicating the destination, and links connecting each node. The signal generation unit 523 uses the vehicle position information and the reference route RR to determine the next target location that the vehicle 10 should head to. The signal generation unit 523 determines the target location on the reference route RR beyond the current location of the vehicle 10.

[0028] In step 3, the signal generation unit 523 generates a driving control signal to drive the vehicle 10 toward the determined target position. The signal generation unit 523 calculates the vehicle's speed from the change in the vehicle's position and compares the calculated speed with the target speed. Overall, the signal generation unit 523 determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 10 accelerates if the speed is lower than the target speed, and determines the acceleration so that the vehicle 10 decelerates if the speed is higher than the target speed. Furthermore, if the vehicle 10 is located on the reference path RR, the signal generation unit 523 determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 10 does not deviate from the reference path RR, and if the vehicle 10 is not located on the reference path RR, in other words, if the vehicle 10 has deviated from the reference path RR, the signal generation unit 523 determines the steering angle and acceleration so that the vehicle 10 returns to the reference path RR.

[0029] In step 4, the transmitting unit 524 transmits the generated driving control signal to the vehicle 10. The calculation device 5 repeats the acquisition of vehicle position information, determination of target position, generation of driving control signal, and transmission of driving control signal at predetermined intervals.

[0030] In step 5, the vehicle control unit 115 of the vehicle control device 150 mounted on the vehicle 10 receives a driving control signal transmitted from the calculation device 5. In step 6, the vehicle control unit 115 uses the received driving control signal to control the actuator group 120, thereby driving the vehicle 10 at the acceleration and steering angle expressed in the driving control signal. The vehicle control device 150 repeats the reception of the driving control signal and the control of the actuator group 120 at predetermined intervals. According to the calculation system 1 in this embodiment, the vehicle 10 can be driven by remote control, and the vehicle 10 can be moved without using transport equipment such as cranes or conveyors.

[0031] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the calculation method and operation control method in the first embodiment. The calculation method is a method for calculating the position and orientation of the vehicle 10. The operation control method is a method for controlling the driving operation of the vehicle 10 by generating and transmitting a driving control signal using the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 calculated by the execution of the calculation method. The flowchart shown in Figure 3 is executed, for example, when the power to the calculation device 5, the external rider 90, and the vehicle 10 is turned on.

[0032] In step 101, the acquisition unit 521 of the calculation device 5 acquires mounting information. In the first case where the vehicle 10 is equipped with an on-board lidar (step 102: Yes), in step 103, the transmission unit 524 transmits a request signal to the vehicle 10 requesting sensor information. On the other hand, in the second case where the vehicle 10 is not equipped with an on-board lidar (step 102: No), in step 104, the transmission unit 524 transmits a request signal to the external lidar 90.

[0033] If the vehicle control device 150 of vehicle 10 receives a request signal (step 105: Yes), in step 106, the vehicle control device 150 acquires onboard lidar information from the onboard lidar. Then, in step 107, the vehicle control device 150 transmits the onboard lidar information to the calculation device 5. As a result, the acquisition unit 521 of the calculation device 5 acquires the onboard lidar information as sensor information if vehicle 10 is equipped with an onboard lidar.

[0034] If the external lidar 90 receives a request signal (step 108: Yes), in step 109, the external lidar 90 transmits the external lidar information to the calculation device 5. As a result, the acquisition unit 521 of the calculation device 5 acquires the external lidar information as sensor information if the vehicle 10 does not have an on-board lidar installed.

[0035] If the sensor information acquired by the acquisition unit 521 is in-vehicle sensor information (step 110: Yes), in step 111, the calculation unit 522 acquires vehicle position information by calculating the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 using the in-vehicle lid information.

[0036] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for calculating the position and orientation of vehicle 10 using onboard RID information. In this disclosure, the X direction along the X-axis is the longitudinal (overall length) direction of vehicle 10, with the +X direction being the front side Fr of vehicle 10 and the -X direction being the rear side Re of vehicle 10. Therefore, the forward direction of vehicle 10 is the +X direction and the backward direction of vehicle 10 is the -X direction. The Y direction along the Y-axis is the left-right (vehicle width) direction of vehicle 10, with the +Y direction being the left side Lf of vehicle 10 and the -Y direction being the right side Ri of vehicle 10. The Z direction along the Z-axis is the vertical (vehicle height) direction of vehicle 10, with the +Z direction being the upper side Tp (ceiling side) of vehicle 10 and the -Z direction being the lower side Bt (floor side).

[0037] In the example shown in Figure 4, a reference object 8 capable of reflecting the laser light emitted by the on-board lidar 161 is illustrated. Multiple reference objects 8 may be placed at different locations. The coordinate values ​​(absolute positions) of one or more reference objects 8 in the global coordinate system are known. The calculation unit 522 calculates a detection vector Vs by detecting one or more reference objects 8 capable of reflecting the laser light using the on-board lidar 161, and calculates the position and orientation of the vehicle 10. The detection vector Vs is a vector from the on-board lidar 161 toward the reference object 8. The detection vector Vs has the distance L between the on-board lidar 161 and the reference object 8, and the orientation from the on-board lidar 161 toward the reference object 8. The orientation from the on-board lidar 161 toward the reference object 8 is represented by the angle θ between the optical axis reference Ls and the detection vector Vs. The optical axis reference Ls corresponds to the center line of the detection range RG1, which is the irradiation range of the laser light emitted from the projector of the on-board lidar 161. The reference object 8 is, for example, a pole (support column) to which a reflective material that reflects laser light is attached. Information regarding the absolute position of the reference object 8 and information regarding the on-board ridiculous device 161 are stored in advance in, for example, the device memory unit 53. Information regarding the on-board ridiculous device 161 includes, for example, the installation position of the on-board ridiculous device 161 relative to the vehicle 10, the relative positional relationship between the on-board ridiculous device 161 and the positioning point 10e of the vehicle 10, and the angular difference between the longitudinal axis Cp of the vehicle 10 and the optical axis reference Ls of the on-board ridiculous device 161. In this embodiment, the on-board ridiculous device 161 is installed on the vehicle 10 such that the optical axis reference Ls of the on-board ridiculous device 161 coincides with the X-axis, which is the longitudinal axis Cp of the vehicle 10. In other words, the angular difference between the longitudinal axis Cp of the vehicle 10 and the optical axis reference Ls of the on-board ridiculous device 161 is zero.

[0038] The on-board lidar 161 emits laser light from a projector and measures the time it takes for the reflected light, which has been reflected by a reflector attached to a reference object 8, to be received by a light receiver, thereby obtaining the distance L from the installation position of the on-board lidar 161 to the reference object 8. Furthermore, the on-board lidar 161 obtains the laser light emission angle θ with respect to the optical axis reference Ls of the on-board lidar 161 as the direction from the on-board lidar 161 to the reference object 8. The distance L obtained by the on-board lidar 161 and the angle difference θ between the optical axis reference Ls and the detected vector Vs are then transmitted to the calculation device 5 as on-board lidar information, and the acquisition unit 521 of the calculation device 5 obtains the on-board lidar information.

[0039] The calculation unit 522 acquires the most recent driving control signal transmitted to the vehicle 10 by the transmission unit 524 in order to calculate the direction of the vehicle 10. The calculation unit 522 then determines whether the vehicle 10 is traveling in the forward or reverse direction. If it determines that the vehicle 10 is traveling in the forward direction, the calculation unit 522 rotates the detected vector Vs in a first predetermined direction by the angle difference θ between the optical axis reference Ls of the onboard lidar 161 and the detected vector Vs, using the onboard lidar 161 as the rotation center. In the example shown in Figure 4, the first predetermined direction is counterclockwise. If it is determined that the vehicle 10 is traveling in the forward direction, the direction of the forward vector Va, which is the vector after this rotation, is the direction of the vehicle 10 and is the direction of travel of the vehicle 10. On the other hand, if the calculation unit 522 determines that the vehicle 10 is traveling in the reverse direction, it rotates the detected vector Vs in a second predetermined direction by an angle (180°-θ) obtained by subtracting the angle difference θ between the optical axis reference Ls of the onboard lidar 161 and the detected vector Vs from 180°, for example, using the onboard lidar 161 as the rotation center. In the example shown in Figure 4, the second predetermined direction is clockwise. When it is determined that the vehicle 10 is traveling in the reverse direction, the direction of the reverse vector Vr, which is the vector after this rotation, is the direction of travel of the vehicle 10, and the forward vector Va is the orientation of the vehicle 10.

[0040] The calculation unit 522 may, for example, determine whether the vehicle 10 is traveling in the forward or reverse direction by comparing the angle difference θ between the optical axis reference Ls and the detected vector Vs of the on-board lidar 161, using angle differences θ acquired at different points in time. Specifically, if the angle difference θ between the optical axis reference Ls and the detected vector Vs at a first point in time is smaller than the angle difference θ between the optical axis reference Ls and the detected vector Vs at a second point in time, the calculation unit 522 determines that the vehicle 10 is traveling in the forward direction. The second point in time is a later point in time than the first point in time. On the other hand, if the angle difference θ between the optical axis reference Ls and the detected vector Vs at a first point in time is larger than the angle difference θ between the optical axis reference Ls and the detected vector Vs at a second point in time, the calculation unit 522 determines that the vehicle 10 is moving in reverse.

[0041] The calculation unit 522 calculates the coordinate values ​​in the global coordinate system that indicate the position of the onboard rider 161 using the onboard rider information in order to calculate the position of the vehicle 10. Specifically, the calculation unit 522 performs the following processing using the absolute position of the reference object 8, the distance L from the installation position of the onboard rider 161 to the reference object 8, and the angular difference θ between the optical axis reference Ls of the onboard rider 161 and the detected vector Vs. In this case, the calculation unit 522 uses trigonometric functions to calculate the difference ΔX in the X direction of coordinate values ​​between the onboard rider 161 and a specific reference object 8, which is a specific reference object 8, and the difference ΔY in the Y direction of coordinate values ​​between the onboard rider 161 and the specific reference object 8. Then, the calculation unit 522 reflects the difference ΔX in the X direction and the difference ΔY in the Y direction, respectively, in the coordinate values ​​that indicate the absolute position of the specific reference object 8, taking into account the angular difference θ between the optical axis reference Ls of the onboard rider 161 and the detected vector Vs. As a result, the calculation unit 522 calculates the coordinate values ​​of the on-board RIDER 161 in the global coordinate system. Next, based on the relative positional relationship between the on-board RIDER 161 and the positioning point 10e of the vehicle 10, the calculation unit 522 calculates the coordinate values ​​of the positioning point 10e of the vehicle 10 in the global coordinate system from the calculated coordinate values ​​of the on-board RIDER 161 in the global coordinate system. Then, the calculation unit 522 adopts the coordinate values ​​of the positioning point 10e of the vehicle 10 in the global coordinate system as the position of the vehicle 10.

[0042] The method shown in Figure 4 may also be applied when calculating the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 using external lidar information. In this case, the calculation unit 522 can calculate the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 using distance and angle information included in the external lidar information. The external lidar information is information obtained by detecting a specific reference object 8 and the vehicle 10 using the external lidar 90. When calculating the position of the vehicle 10, the calculation unit 522 uses the distance between the external lidar 90 and the specific reference object 8 and the angle difference between the optical axis reference of the external lidar 90 and the detection vector from the external lidar 90 toward the reference object 8 to calculate coordinate values ​​in a global coordinate system that indicate the more accurate position of the external lidar 90. Subsequently, the calculation unit 522 uses the distance between the external lidar 90 and the vehicle 10 and the angle difference between the optical axis reference of the external lidar 90 and the detection vector from the external lidar 90 toward the vehicle 10 to calculate coordinate values ​​in a global coordinate system that indicate the position of the vehicle 10. In this way, the calculation unit 522 can calculate the position of the vehicle 10 based on the more accurate absolute position of the external lidar 90. Furthermore, when the position and orientation of vehicle 10 are calculated using external RIDER information, it is not mandatory to use information about the reference object 8.

[0043] As shown in Figure 3, if the sensor information acquired by the acquisition unit 521 is external RID information (step 110: No), in step 112, the calculation unit 522 uses the external RID information to calculate the position and orientation of the vehicle 10, thereby acquiring vehicle position information.

[0044] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for calculating the orientation of vehicle 10 using external RIDER information. In the example shown in Figure 5, the calculation unit 522 calculates the orientation of vehicle 10 using coordinate values ​​indicating the positions of multiple detection points Dp1 to Dp4 of vehicle 10 detected from the 3D point cloud information included in the external RIDER information. In Figure 5, the multiple detection points Dp1 to Dp4 of vehicle 10 are the first detection point Dp1 located at the left rear end of vehicle 10, the second detection point Dp2 located at the left front end of vehicle 10, the third detection point Dp3 located at the right front end of vehicle 10, and the fourth detection point Dp4 located at the right rear end of vehicle 10. The calculation method using the above-mentioned detection points Dp1 to Dp4 located at the four corners of vehicle 10 will be explained below.

[0045] First, the external lidar 90 acquires the relative positional relationship between multiple detection points Dp1 to Dp4 of the vehicle 10 and a specific reference object 8, and transmits it to the calculation device 5 as infrastructure sensor information. Next, the calculation unit 522 uses the absolute position of the specific reference object 8 and the infrastructure sensor information acquired by the acquisition unit 521 to calculate the coordinate values ​​of each detection point Dp1 to Dp4 in the global coordinate system. Next, the calculation unit 522 calculates the intermediate points Mp1 and Mp2 on the front side Fr and rear side Re of the vehicle 10, respectively. Specifically, the calculation unit 522 calculates the first intermediate point Mp1, which has the coordinate value of the intermediate position between the second detection point Dp2 and the third detection point Dp3, and the second intermediate point Mp2, which has the coordinate value of the intermediate position between the first detection point Dp1 and the fourth detection point Dp4. When calculating each intermediate point Mp1 and Mp2, the calculation unit 522 only needs to calculate the coordinate values ​​in at least the X and Y directions. Next, the calculation unit 522 calculates the intermediate axis Ci, which is the axis connecting the first intermediate point Mp1 and the second intermediate point Mp2. Then, based on the determination result of whether the vehicle 10 is traveling in the forward or reverse direction, the calculation unit 522 calculates the intermediate vector Vi, which is a vector along the intermediate axis Ci. The direction in which this intermediate vector Vi is pointing is the direction of travel of the vehicle 10. Based on the most recent travel control signal transmitted to the vehicle 10 by the transmission unit 524, the calculation unit 522 determines whether the vehicle is traveling in the forward or reverse direction. Then, based on the direction of travel of the vehicle 10 and the direction in which the intermediate vector Vi is pointing, the calculation unit 522 calculates the orientation of the vehicle 10.

[0046] The number of detection points Dp1 to Dp4 and their positions on the vehicle 10 are not limited to those described above. There may be as few as two detection points; for example, one detection point may be an antenna mounted on the roof of the vehicle 10, and the other detection point may be an emblem mounted on the front grille or the like on the front side Fr of the vehicle 10. In this case, the calculation unit 522 uses the coordinate values ​​of the two detection points in the global coordinate system and the installation positions of the antenna and emblem relative to the vehicle 10, that is, the relative positional relationship of the antenna and emblem with respect to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 10, to calculate the orientation of the vehicle 10.

[0047] As shown in Figure 3, in step 113, the signal generation unit 523 of the calculation device 5 uses the vehicle position information and the reference path RR to perform the following processing. In this case, the signal generation unit 523 determines the next target position that the vehicle 10 should head to and generates a first control signal to drive the vehicle 10 toward the determined target position. The first control signal is, for example, a standard control signal. Then, in step 114, the transmission unit 524 transmits the first control signal to the vehicle 10. If the vehicle control device 150 receives the first control signal (step 115: Yes), in step 116, the vehicle control device 150 controls the actuator group 120 using the received first control signal.

[0048] According to the first embodiment described above, when the vehicle 10 is equipped with an on-board rider 161, the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 can be calculated using the on-board rider information acquired by the on-board rider 161. When using a sensor located in a different location from the vehicle 10, such as an external rider 90, the proportion of the vehicle 10 in the detection range RG2 decreases as the distance between the vehicle 10 and the sensor increases. Therefore, there is a risk that the accuracy of calculating the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 will decrease. On the other hand, according to the first embodiment described above, when the vehicle 10 is equipped with an on-board rider 161, the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 can be calculated without using sensor information acquired by a sensor installed in a different location from the vehicle 10. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the accuracy of calculating the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 when the vehicle 10 is equipped with an on-board rider 161.

[0049] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment described above, if the vehicle 10 is not equipped with an on-board lidar 161, the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 can be calculated using external lidar information. For example, when calculating the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 by analyzing image information including the vehicle 10, the accuracy of calculating the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 may decrease due to differences in imaging conditions such as weather, season, time of day, and location of imaging. On the other hand, according to the first embodiment described above, the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 can be calculated without using image information. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the accuracy of calculating the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 when the vehicle 10 is not equipped with an on-board lidar 161.

[0050] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment described above, when the vehicle 10 is driven by unmanned operation, the driving operation of the vehicle 10 can be controlled by generating a driving control signal using the calculated position and orientation of the vehicle 10.

[0051] B. Second Embodiment: Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the calculation method in the second embodiment. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the operation control method in the second embodiment. In this embodiment, a method for generating different driving control signals according to the detection accuracy of the sensor that acquires sensor information will be described.

[0052] As shown in Figure 6, in step 201, the acquisition unit 521 of the calculation device 5 acquires the mounting information. In the first case where the vehicle 10 is equipped with the onboard lidar 161 (step 202: Yes), in step 203, the transmission unit 524 transmits a request signal to the vehicle 10 and the external lidar 90. On the other hand, in the second case where the vehicle 10 is not equipped with the onboard lidar 161 (step 202: No), in step 204, the transmission unit 524 transmits a request signal to the external lidar 90.

[0053] If the vehicle control device 150 of vehicle 10 receives a request signal (step 205: Yes), in step 206, the vehicle control device 150 acquires onboard RID information from the onboard RID 161. Then, in step 207, it transmits the onboard RID information to the calculation device 5. If the external RID 90 receives a request signal (step 208: Yes), in step 209, the external RID 90 transmits the external RID information to the calculation device 5.

[0054] If the vehicle 10 is equipped with an on-board RID 161, that is, if the acquisition unit 521 acquires both on-board RID information and external RID information (step 210: Yes), the calculation unit 522 executes steps 211 and 212. In step 211, the calculation unit 522 acquires vehicle position information by calculating the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 using the on-board RID information. Furthermore, in step 212, the calculation unit 522 acquires vehicle position information by calculating the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 using the external RID information. Steps 211 and 212 may be executed in any order, or they may be executed concurrently.

[0055] As shown in Figure 7, if the position difference is less than a predetermined position threshold (step 214: No), the signal generation unit 523 executes step 215. The position difference is the difference between the position of the vehicle 10's positioning point 10e calculated using the on-board lidar information and the position of the vehicle 10's positioning point 10e calculated using the external lidar information corresponding to the acquisition timing of the on-board lidar information. If the direction difference is less than a predetermined direction threshold (step 215: No), the signal generation unit 523 executes step 216. In step 216, the signal generation unit 523 generates a first control signal. The direction difference is the difference between the vectors Va and Vr indicating the direction of the vehicle 10 calculated using the on-board lidar information and the vector Vi indicating the direction of the vehicle 10 calculated using the external lidar information corresponding to the acquisition timing of the on-board lidar information. In step 217, the signal generation unit 523 generates a second control signal if at least one of the following is true: if the position difference is greater than or equal to the position threshold (step 214: Yes), or if the direction difference is greater than or equal to the direction threshold (step 215: Yes). The second control signal is, for example, a driving control signal, which is either a stop control signal or a change control signal. The stop control signal is a control signal for stopping the vehicle 10. The change control signal is a control signal for changing the destination when the vehicle 10 is driven by remote control from an external source, from a predetermined target location to a maintenance location. The maintenance location is a location where at least one of the following is performed: a repair process for repairing the onboard lidar 161, or a calibration process for calibrating the onboard lidar 161. The calibration process is, for example, adjusting the optical axis direction of the onboard lidar 161 so that the optical axis reference Ls of the onboard lidar 161 shown in Figure 4 coincides with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 10, or correcting the distance L and angle difference θ acquired by the onboard lidar 161 so that they are correct. As shown in Figure 7, in step 218, the transmitting unit 524 transmits the control signal generated by the signal generating unit 523 to the vehicle 10. If the vehicle control device 150 receives the control signal (step 219: Yes), in step 220, the vehicle control device 150 uses the received control signal to control the actuator group 120.

[0056] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 6, if the vehicle 10 is not equipped with an on-board lidar 161, that is, if the acquisition unit 521 acquires external lidar information without acquiring on-board lidar information (step 210: No), the calculation unit 522 executes step 213. In step 213, the calculation unit 522 acquires vehicle position information by calculating the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 using the external lidar information. Then, as shown in Figure 7, in step 216, the signal generation unit 523 generates a first control signal. Note that when the vehicle 10 is not equipped with an on-board lidar 161, each step from step 216 onwards is the same as when the vehicle 10 is equipped with an on-board lidar 161.

[0057] According to the second embodiment described above, when the vehicle 10 is equipped with an on-board lidar 161, the on-board lidar information and external lidar information are acquired as sensor information, and the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 are calculated from each sensor information, thereby calculating the position difference and the orientation difference. If at least one of the position difference and the orientation difference is greater than or equal to a threshold, a stop control signal is generated, and the vehicle 10 can be stopped. In this way, it is possible to understand that the detection accuracy of at least one of the sensors, the on-board lidar 161 and the external lidar 90, may be degraded. And if at least one of the position difference and the orientation difference is greater than or equal to a threshold, that is, if the detection accuracy of the sensor may be degraded, the vehicle 10 can be stopped more safely.

[0058] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment described above, if at least one of the positional difference and the directional difference is greater than or equal to a threshold, a change control signal is generated, and the vehicle 10 can be driven toward the maintenance location. In this way, if the detection accuracy of the on-board lidar 161 may be degraded, the on-board lidar 161 can be maintained. In addition, by inspecting whether or not there is a malfunction such as misalignment of the optical axis in the on-board lidar 161 at the maintenance location, it is possible to estimate whether the malfunction is in the on-board lidar 161 or the external lidar 90.

[0059] C. Third Embodiment: Figure 8 shows a schematic configuration of the calculation system 1v in the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the functions of the calculation device 5 are realized by the vehicle control device 150v. As a result, the vehicle 10v in this embodiment can be driven by autonomous control of the vehicle 10v.

[0060] The vehicle CPU 111v of the vehicle control device 150v executes the program PG1v stored in the vehicle memory unit 112v, thereby realizing various functions including those of the acquisition unit 116, the calculation unit 117, the signal generation unit 118, and the vehicle control unit 115v.

[0061] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for vehicle 10v's driving control in the third embodiment. The flow shown in Figure 9 is executed repeatedly at predetermined intervals, for example, from the time vehicle 10v starts autonomous driving control.

[0062] In step 11, the calculation unit 117 of the vehicle control device 150v mounted on the vehicle 10v acquires vehicle position information using sensor information. In step 21, the signal generation unit 118 determines the target position to which the vehicle 10v should next go. In step 31, the signal generation unit 118 generates a driving control signal to drive the vehicle 10v toward the determined target position. In step 41, the vehicle control unit 115v controls the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal to drive the vehicle 10v according to the parameters expressed in the driving control signal. The vehicle control device 150v repeats the acquisition of vehicle position information, determination of target position, generation of driving control signals, and control of actuators at predetermined intervals. According to the calculation system 1v in this embodiment, the vehicle 10v can be driven by autonomous control of the vehicle 10v without remote control of the vehicle 10v by a calculation device 5 installed in a different location from the vehicle 10v, such as a server.

[0063] D. Other embodiments: D-1. Other Embodiments 1: The calculation system 1,1v may include an external camera as an external sensor 300 that acquires overhead information installed at a location different from the vehicles 10,10v, in place of or in addition to the external lidar 90. The external camera is an imaging device such as a CCD image sensor that acquires captured images as image information including the vehicles 10,10v as sensor information and outputs the captured images as detection results. When the external sensor 300 is an external camera, the calculation unit 117,522 acquires vehicle position information using the captured images acquired from the external camera, which is the external sensor 300. Specifically, the calculation unit 117,522, for example, detects the outline of the vehicles 10,10v from the captured images, calculates the coordinates of the positioning point 10e of the vehicles 10,10v in the coordinate system of the captured images, i.e., the local coordinate system, and acquires the position of the vehicles 10,10v by converting the calculated coordinates to coordinates in the global coordinate system. The outlines of vehicles 10 and 10v included in the captured images can be detected, for example, by inputting the captured images into a detection model utilizing artificial intelligence. The detection model is prepared, for example, within or outside of the calculation system 1 and 1v and pre-stored in the memory units 53 and 112v. Examples of detection models include pre-trained machine learning models that have been trained to implement either semantic segmentation or instance segmentation. As this machine learning model, for example, a convolutional neural network (CNN) trained by supervised learning using a training dataset can be used. The training dataset includes, for example, multiple training images containing vehicles 10 and 10v, and labels indicating whether each region in the training image represents a region representing a vehicle 10 or 10v or a region representing something other than a vehicle 10 or 10v. When training the CNN, it is preferable to update the CNN parameters by backpropagation to reduce the error between the output result of the detection model and the labels. Furthermore, the calculation units 117 and 522 can obtain the orientation of vehicles 10 and 10v by, for example, using the optical flow method, estimating the orientation of the movement vector of vehicles 10 and 10v calculated from the positional changes of feature points of vehicles 10 and 10v between frames of the captured image.In this configuration, the position and orientation of vehicles 10 and 10v can be calculated by inputting the image information into a pre-trained machine learning model that has been trained to detect the outline (contour) of vehicles 10 and 10v in the image.

[0064] D-2. Other Embodiments 2: When a vehicle 10,10v is equipped with an on-board lidar 161, and the calibration of the on-board lidar 161 has not been completed, the calculation unit 117,522 may calculate the position and orientation of the vehicle 10,10v by using at least one of the image information and the external lidar information as sensor information, without using the on-board lidar information as sensor information. In this case, for example, the acquisition unit 116,521 acquires calibration information indicating whether or not the calibration of the on-board lidar 161 has been completed. Specifically, the acquisition unit 116,521 acquires calibration information for the on-board lidar 161 mounted on the vehicle 10,10v for which the position and orientation are calculated, for example, by referring to a calibration database. The calibration database is, for example, a database that links vehicle identification information, on-board lidar identification information that identifies the on-board lidar 161, and the calibration status of the on-board lidar 161. In this way, the calculation device 5 selects the type of sensor information to be used when calculating the position and orientation of the vehicle 10,10v based on the calibration information. If the calibration of the on-board lidar 161 is not complete, the acquisition unit 521 may acquire only at least one of the image information and the external lidar information as sensor information without acquiring the on-board lidar information. Alternatively, even if the calibration of the on-board lidar 161 is not complete, the acquisition units 116 and 521 may acquire the on-board lidar information as sensor information in addition to at least one of the image information and the external lidar information. In this case, the calculation units 117 and 522 calculate the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 using the information other than the on-board lidar information from the acquired sensor information. Furthermore, if the calibration of the on-board lidar 161 is not complete, the vehicle control device 150 may transmit an incomplete signal indicating that the calibration of the on-board lidar 161 is not complete to a calculation device 5 installed in a location different from the vehicle 10 and 10v, such as a server, without acquiring the on-board lidar information. Alternatively, even if the calibration of the on-board lidar 161 is not complete, the vehicle control devices 150 and 150v may acquire the on-board lidar information. In this case, the vehicle control device 150 may transmit an incomplete signal to the calculation device 5, such as a server, instead of the acquired onboard lidar information. In this configuration, the position and orientation of the vehicles 10 and 10v can be calculated using the onboard lidar information acquired by the calibrated onboard lidar 161.This approach more reliably suppresses a decrease in the accuracy of calculating the position and orientation of vehicles 10 and 10v. This reduces the possibility of generating control signals based on sensor information that may have reduced detection accuracy. Therefore, it is possible to prevent vehicles 10 and 10v from traveling along a path different from the desired route.

[0065] D-3. Other Embodiments 3: When vehicles 10,10v are equipped with an on-board lidar 161, the calculation units 117,522 may stop calculating the position and orientation of vehicles 10,10v using sensor information if the position difference is greater than or equal to the position threshold, or if the orientation difference is greater than or equal to the orientation threshold. In this way, the calculation of the position and orientation of vehicles 10,10v can be stopped if there is a possibility that the detection accuracy of the sensors has decreased. This prevents the calculation of the position and orientation of vehicles 10,10v based on sensor information that may have decreased detection accuracy. Therefore, it is possible to avoid generating driving control signals based on the incorrect position and orientation of vehicles 10,10v. Thus, it is possible to suppress vehicles 10,10v from traveling along a path different from the desired driving path.

[0066] D-4. Other Embodiments 4: In the first case, if the position difference is greater than or equal to the position threshold, and if the direction difference is greater than or equal to the direction threshold, the calculation unit 117,522 may estimate which sensor is malfunctioning. The calculation unit 117,522 estimates which sensor is malfunctioning by comparing the position difference and direction difference calculated from the sensor information of the onboard rider 161 and the external rider 90 acquired at multiple different timings, for example. The calculation unit 117,522 may then stop calculating the position and direction of the vehicle 10,10v using the sensor information from the sensor estimated to be malfunctioning, without stopping the calculation of the position and direction of the vehicle 10,10v using the sensor information from sensors other than the one estimated to be malfunctioning. In this configuration, it is possible to estimate which sensor is malfunctioning. This makes it possible to continue calculating the position and direction of the vehicle 10,10v using the sensor information acquired by the sensor that is less likely to have reduced detection accuracy.

[0067] D-5. Other Embodiments 5: The calculation device 5 may further include a notification control unit that notifies the user of specific information in at least one of the following cases when vehicles 10,10v are equipped with an on-board lidar 161: when the position difference is greater than or equal to a position threshold, or when the direction difference is greater than or equal to a direction threshold. The specific information is information indicating that the detection accuracy of the sensor that acquires sensor information may be degraded. When there is a possibility that the sensor's detection accuracy is degraded, the notification control unit notifies the user of the specific information, for example, by displaying a message indicating the specific information on a display device or by playing an audio message indicating the specific information from a speaker. In this form, the user can be notified as quickly as possible that the sensor's detection accuracy may be degraded. This reduces the possibility of generating a driving control signal based on information indicating that the detection accuracy may be degraded, and reduces the number of vehicles 10,10v that stop due to receiving a stop control signal.

[0068] D-6. Other Embodiments 6: The calculation device 5 may calculate only one of the position or orientation of the vehicles 10 and 10v. Even in this configuration, at least one of the position or orientation of the vehicles 10 and 10v can be used as one of the pieces of information when generating the driving control signal.

[0069] D-7. Other Embodiments 7: In each of the embodiments from the first to the third described above, the calculation device 5 selected the type of sensor information to be used when calculating the position and orientation of the vehicles 10 and 10v based on the mounting information. In contrast, the calculation device 5 may also include a determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicles 10 and 10v are equipped with an on-board lidar 161 based on whether or not it was possible to acquire on-board lidar information from the vehicles 10 and 10v. In such a configuration, the type of sensor information to be used when calculating the position and orientation of the vehicles 10 and 10v can be selected based on whether or not on-board lidar information can be acquired.

[0070] D-8. Other Embodiments 8: In the calculation system 1,1v, the function of the calculation device 5 may be realized by multiple devices. For example, the calculation system 1,1v may include a calculation device 5 comprising acquisition units 116,521 and calculation units 117,522, and a remote control device comprising signal generation units 118,523 and transmission unit 524. In this case, the calculation device 5 and the remote control device are installed in locations different from the vehicles 10,10v. Even in this configuration, the position and orientation of the vehicles 10,10v can be calculated using sensor information, depending on the mounting status of the on-board lidar 161.

[0071] D-9. Other Embodiments 9: Multiple reference objects 8 may be installed near the track R. If multiple reference objects 8 are installed near the track R, reflective material may be attached to each reference object 8 in a manner that differs in arrangement pattern, such as mounting position, mounting range, and number of objects. In this case, when the on-board lidar 161 and the external lidar 90 detect the reference objects 8, differences will occur in the 3D point cloud information representing each reference object 8 in the on-board lidar information and the external lidar information. This allows the calculation device 5 to distinguish between multiple reference objects 8 included in the on-board lidar information and the external lidar information. Alternatively, the calculation device 5 may distinguish between multiple reference objects 8 based, for example, on the positional relationship (separation distance) between the position of the vehicle 10 and the absolute position of each reference object 8. In this configuration, the position and orientation of the vehicle 10 can be calculated using multiple reference objects 8 whose absolute positions are known as indicators. Therefore, the accuracy of calculating the position and orientation of the vehicles 10 and 10v can be improved.

[0072] D-10. Other Embodiments 10: When calculating the position and orientation of vehicles 10 and 10v using 3D point cloud information as external lidar information, the calculation units 117 and 522 may acquire vehicle position information as follows. In this case, the calculation units 117 and 522 may acquire vehicle position information by template matching using, for example, 3D point cloud information as external lidar information output from the external lidar 90 as a detection result and pre-prepared reference point cloud information.

[0073] D-11. Other Embodiments 11: In the first and second embodiments described above, the calculation device 5 performs the processing from acquiring vehicle position information to generating a driving control signal. In contrast, the vehicle 10 may perform at least a part of the processing from acquiring vehicle position information to generating a driving control signal. For example, the following forms (1) to (3) may also be used.

[0074] (1) The calculation device 5 may acquire vehicle position information, determine the next target location that the vehicle 10 should head to, and generate a route from the vehicle 10's current location, as shown in the acquired vehicle position information, to the target location. The calculation device 5 may generate a route to the target location between the current location and the destination, or it may generate a route to the destination. The calculation device 5 may transmit the generated route to the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 may generate a driving control signal so that the vehicle 10 travels along the route received from the calculation device 5, and may use the generated driving control signal to control the actuator group 120.

[0075] (2) The calculation device 5 may acquire vehicle position information and transmit the acquired vehicle position information to the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 may determine the next target position to which the vehicle 10 should go, generate a route from the vehicle 10's current location shown in the received vehicle position information to the target position, generate a driving control signal so that the vehicle 10 travels along the generated route, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal.

[0076] (3) In the embodiments of (1) and (2) above, the vehicle 10 is equipped with internal sensors, and the detection results output from the internal sensors may be used in at least one of the generation of the route and the generation of the driving control signal. The internal sensors are sensors mounted on the vehicle 10. The internal sensors may include, for example, sensors that detect the motion state of the vehicle 10, sensors that detect the operating state of each part of the vehicle 10, and sensors that detect the environment around the vehicle 10. Specifically, the internal sensors may include, for example, cameras, LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic sensors, GPS sensors, acceleration sensors, gyro sensors, etc. For example, in the embodiment of (1) above, the calculation device 5 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the route when generating the route. In the embodiment of (1) above, the vehicle 10 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal. In the embodiment of (2) above, the vehicle 10 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the route when generating the route. In the embodiment described in (2) above, the vehicle 10 may acquire the detection results of the internal sensors and reflect the detection results of the internal sensors in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0077] D-12. Other Embodiments 12: In the third embodiment described above, the vehicle 10v is equipped with an internal sensor, and the detection result output from the internal sensor may be used in at least one of the generation of the route and the generation of the driving control signal. For example, the vehicle 10v may acquire the detection result from the internal sensor and reflect the detection result from the internal sensor in the route when generating the route. The vehicle 10v may acquire the detection result from the internal sensor and reflect the detection result from the internal sensor in the driving control signal when generating the driving control signal.

[0078] D-13. Other Embodiments 13: In the third embodiment described above, the vehicle 10v acquires vehicle position information using the detection results of the external sensor 300. Alternatively, the vehicle 10v may be equipped with an internal sensor, which can acquire vehicle position information using the detection results of the internal sensor, determine the next target location to which the vehicle 10v should go, generate a route from the vehicle 10v's current location to the target location as shown in the acquired vehicle position information, generate a driving control signal for traveling along the generated route, and control the actuator group 120 using the generated driving control signal. In this case, the vehicle 10v can travel without using the detection results of the external sensor 300 at all. The vehicle 10v may also acquire target arrival time and congestion information from outside the vehicle 10v and reflect the target arrival time and congestion information in at least one of the route and the driving control signal. Furthermore, the functional configuration of the calculation systems 1 and 1v may all be provided in the vehicle 10v. In other words, the processing realized by the calculation systems 1 and 1v in this disclosure may be realized by the vehicle 10v alone. For example, a vehicle 10V equipped with an on-board lidar 161 can implement all the functions of the calculation system 1,1V using only the vehicle 10V itself.

[0079] D-14. Other Embodiments 14: In the first and second embodiments described above, the calculation device 5 automatically generates a driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 10. In contrast, the calculation device 5 may generate a driving control signal to be transmitted to the vehicle 10 according to the operation of an external operator located outside the vehicle 10. For example, the external operator may operate a control device that includes a display for displaying captured images output from the external sensor 300, a steering wheel for remotely controlling the vehicle 10, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a communication device for communicating with the calculation device 5 via wired or wireless communication, and the calculation device 5 may generate a driving control signal in response to the operation applied to the control device. In this case, the calculation device 5 may, for example, notify the external operator by displaying the calculated position and orientation of the vehicle 10 on the display of the control device.

[0080] D-15. Other Embodiments 15: In each of the above embodiments, the vehicles 10 and 10v only need to be configured to be able to move by unmanned operation, and may, for example, be in the form of a platform having the configuration described below. Specifically, in order for the vehicles 10 and 10v to perform the three functions of "driving," "turning," and "stopping" by unmanned operation, they only need to be equipped with at least a vehicle control device 150 and 150v and an actuator group 120. When the vehicles 10 and 10v acquire information from the outside for unmanned operation, they may further be equipped with a communication device 130. That is, the vehicles 10 and 10v that can move by unmanned operation do not need to be equipped with at least some of the interior parts such as the driver's seat and dashboard, at least some of the exterior parts such as the bumper and fender, and do not need to be equipped with a body shell. In this case, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 10,10v before it is shipped from the factory, or the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 10,10v after it has been shipped from the factory, while the remaining parts such as the body shell are not attached to the vehicle 10,10v. Each part may be attached from any direction, such as the top, bottom, front, rear, right, or left side of the vehicle 10, and each part may be attached from the same direction or from different directions. The position of the platform may also be determined in the same way as the vehicle 10,10v in the first embodiment.

[0081] D-16. Other Embodiments 16: Vehicle 10,10v may be manufactured by combining multiple modules. A module means a unit composed of multiple parts grouped together according to the part or function of vehicle 10,10v. For example, the platform of vehicle 10,10v may be manufactured by combining a front module that constitutes the front part of the platform, a central module that constitutes the central part of the platform, and a rear module that constitutes the rear part of the platform. The number of modules that make up the platform is not limited to three, and may be two or fewer, or four or more. In addition to, or instead of, the parts that make up the platform may be modularized, as well as parts that make up parts of vehicle 10,10v that are different from the platform. Various modules may also include any exterior parts such as bumpers and grilles, or any interior parts such as seats and consoles. Furthermore, not limited to vehicle 10,10v, any type of mobile body may be manufactured by combining multiple modules. Such modules may be manufactured, for example, by joining multiple parts by welding or fasteners, or by integrally molding at least a part of the parts that make up the module as a single part by casting. A molding technique for integrally molding a single component, especially a relatively large component, is also called gigacast or megacast. For example, the front module, central module, and rear module mentioned above may be manufactured using gigacast.

[0082] D-17. Other Embodiments 17: The use of unmanned operation of the 10,10v vehicle to transport the vehicle is also called "autonomous transport." The configuration for realizing autonomous transport is also called a "vehicle remote control autonomous driving transport system." Furthermore, a production method that uses autonomous transport to produce the 10,10v vehicle is also called "autonomous production." In autonomous production, for example, in a factory that manufactures the 10,10v vehicle, at least a portion of the transport of the 10,10v vehicle is realized by autonomous transport.

[0083] 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 of 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]

[0084] 1,1v...Calculation system, 5...Calculation device, 8...Reference object, 10,10v...Vehicle, 10e...Positioning point, 51...Calculation device communication device, 52...Device CPU, 53...Device memory unit, 54...Calculation device input / output interface, 55...Calculation device internal bus, 90...External lider, 111,111v...Vehicle CPU, 112,112v...Vehicle memory unit, 113...Vehicle control device input / output interface, 114...Vehicle control device internal bus, 115,115v...Vehicle control unit, 116,521...Acquisition unit, 117,522...Calculation unit, 118,523...Signal generation unit, 120...Actuator group, 130...Vehicle communication device, 150 ,150v…Vehicle control unit, 160…On-board sensor group, 161…On-board lidar, 300…External sensor, 524…Transmitter, Bt…Downward side, Cp…Vehicle's longitudinal axis, Ci…Intermediate axis, Dp1…First detection point, Dp2…Second detection point, Dp3…Third detection point, Dp4…Fourth detection point, Fr…Forward side, L…Distance, Lf…Left side, Ls…Optical axis reference, Mp1…First intermediate point, Mp2…Second intermediate point, PG1,PG1v,PG2…Program, R…Track, RG1,RG2…Detection range, Re…Rear side, Ri…Right side, RR…Reference path, Tp…Upward side, Va…Forward vector, Vi…Intermediate vector, Vr…Reverse vector, Vs…Detection vector

Claims

1. A calculation device, An acquisition unit that acquires sensor information obtained by a sensor and mounting information indicating whether or not the mobile body is equipped with the mounting distance measuring device, which is mounted as the sensor on the mobile body that can be moved by unmanned operation. The system includes a calculation unit that uses the sensor information acquired by the acquisition unit to calculate at least one of the position and orientation of the moving object, The calculation unit described above, In the first case where the moving body is equipped with the mounted rangefinder, at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body is calculated by using the mounted rangefinder information acquired by the mounted rangefinder as the sensor information. In the second case where the moving body does not have the mounted rangefinder, at least one of the image information acquired by the external camera, which is installed as the sensor at a location different from the moving body, and the external rangefinder information acquired by the external rangefinder, which is installed as the sensor at a location different from the moving body, is used as the sensor information to calculate at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body. The aforementioned calculation device further, A signal generation unit that generates a control signal for controlling the movement of the moving body, The system comprises a transmitting unit that transmits the control signal generated by the signal generation unit to the mobile body, In the first case, The acquisition unit acquires, in addition to the mounted distance measuring device information, at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information as the sensor information. The calculation unit uses the mounted distance measuring device information as sensor information to calculate at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body, and uses at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information as sensor information to calculate at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body. Calculation device, in at least one of the following cases: (i) when the difference between the position of the moving body calculated using the mounted distance measuring device information and the position of the moving body calculated using at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information is greater than or equal to a predetermined position threshold; and (ii) when the difference between the orientation of the moving body calculated using the mounted distance measuring device information and the orientation of the moving body calculated using at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information is greater than or equal to a predetermined direction threshold, the signal generation unit generates either (a) a stop control signal for stopping the moving body, or (b) a change control signal for changing the destination of the moving body when it moves by unmanned operation from a predetermined target location to a maintenance location where at least one of a repair process for repairing the mounted distance measuring device and a calibration process for calibrating the mounted distance measuring device is performed, as the control signal.

2. A calculation device according to claim 1, The acquisition unit further acquires calibration information indicating whether or not the calibration of the mounted distance measuring device has been completed. The calculation unit described above, In the first case described above, if the calibration of the mounted distance measuring device has been completed, at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body is calculated by using at least the information from the mounted distance measuring device as the sensor information. In the first case, if the calibration of the mounted distance measuring device has not been completed, a calculation device that calculates at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body by using at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information as the sensor information, without using the mounted distance measuring device information as the sensor information.

3. A calculation device according to claim 1, In the first case, The acquisition unit acquires, in addition to the mounted distance measuring device information, at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information as the sensor information. The calculation unit uses the mounted distance measuring device information as sensor information to calculate at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body, and uses at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information as sensor information to calculate at least one of the position and orientation of the moving body. A calculation device in which, in at least one of the following cases, the calculation unit stops calculating the position and orientation of the moving body using the sensor information: (i) when the difference between the position of the moving body calculated using the mounted distance measuring device information and the position of the moving body calculated using at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information is greater than or equal to a predetermined position threshold; and (ii) when the difference between the orientation of the moving body calculated using the mounted distance measuring device information and the orientation of the moving body calculated using at least one of the image information and the external distance measuring device information is greater than or equal to a predetermined direction threshold.

4. The calculation device according to claim 1, further, The system includes a notification control unit that notifies the user of specific information indicating that the detection accuracy of the aforementioned sensor may be degraded, A calculation device which, in at least one of the cases where the position threshold is greater than or equal to the direction threshold, the notification control unit notifies the user of the specific information.

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