Remote control device

Abstract

To perform an appropriate control for vehicles each with a different control mode.SOLUTION: A remote control device that automatically moves a moving object by remote control comprises: a moving object identifying unit that identifies whether the moving object is a first moving object or a second moving object; and a remote control command unit that sends a control command to the moving object. The remote control command unit performs at least one operation, i.e., generating a control value as the control command when the moving object is identified as the first moving object, and sending the control value to the first moving object; and sending information for control value generation to the second moving object as the control command when the moving object is identified as the second moving object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a remote control device. [Background Art]

[0002] In a vehicle manufacturing process, a technology for causing a vehicle to travel by remote control is known. Further, as control commands for remotely controlling a vehicle, it has been proposed to transmit control values indicating specific control contents such as a steering angle and an acceleration, and to transmit information used for generating control values (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior Art Documents] [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] However, in Patent Document 1, sufficient studies have not been conducted on means for controlling a vehicle by properly using the two types of control commands described above. Such a problem is common not only to vehicles but also to any type of moving body. Further, the problem is common not only in a manufacturing process but also in a case where a completed vehicle is moved by remote control in an inspection process or a shipping process. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0005] The present disclosure can be implemented as the following modes. (1) According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a remote control device is provided that automatically moves a mobile body by remote control. The remote control device includes a mobile body identification unit that performs identification of whether the mobile body is a first mobile body that receives a control value that controls the movement of the mobile body and moves according to the control value, or a second mobile body that receives information for generating the control value that is used to generate the control value, generates the control value using the information for generating the control value, and moves according to the generated control value, and includes at least one of an image of the mobile body and three-dimensional point cloud information of the mobile body, and vehicle management information stored in advance that can identify whether the mobile body is the first mobile body or the second mobile body, The mobile body identification unit performs at least one of the following: performing the identification using the mobile body; and performing the identification using manufacturing management information indicating the manufacturing status of the mobile body; and the remote control command unit transmits a control command to the mobile body, wherein the remote control command unit performs at least one of the following: when the mobile body is identified as the first mobile body, it generates the control value as the control command and transmits the control value to the first mobile body; and when the mobile body is identified as the second mobile body, it transmits information for generating the control value as the control command to the second mobile body. (2) According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a remote control device is provided for automatically moving a mobile body by remote control. The remote control device is capable of the mobile body receiving a control value that controls the movement of the mobile body and moving in accordance with the control value, receiving control value generation information used to generate the control value, generating the control value using the control value generation information, and moving in accordance with the generated control value, and the remote control device comprises a manufacturing process information acquisition unit that acquires manufacturing process information indicating the manufacturing process in which the mobile body is currently located, and a remote control command unit that transmits a control command to the mobile body, wherein the remote control command unit determines that the manufacturing process is a process in which the transmission of the control value to the mobile body is required. At least one of the following is performed: when a manufacturing process is identified based on the manufacturing process information, generate the control value as a control command and transmit the control value to the mobile body; and when a manufacturing process is identified based on the manufacturing process information as not requiring the transmission of the control value to the mobile body, transmit information for generating the control value to the mobile body as a control command, wherein the process requiring the transmission of the control value is a process performed when no sensor is attached to the mobile body for acquiring information necessary for the mobile body to generate the control value using the information for generating the control value. (3) According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a remote control device is provided for automatically moving a mobile body by remote control. The remote control device is capable of the mobile body receiving a control value that controls the movement of the mobile body and moving in accordance with the control value, receiving control value generation information used to generate the control value, generating the control value using the control value generation information, and moving in accordance with the generated control value, and the remote control device comprises a mobile body detection information acquisition unit that acquires mobile body detection information which is information for detecting the mobile body, a mobile body manufacturing state identification unit that identifies the manufacturing state of the mobile body using the mobile body detection information, and a remote control command unit that transmits a control command to the mobile body, The remote control command unit performs at least one of the following: when the manufacturing state of the mobile body is determined to be a state in which the transmission of the control value is required, it generates the control value as a control command and transmits the control value to the mobile body; or when the manufacturing state of the mobile body is determined to be a state in which the transmission of the control value is not required, it transmits information for generating the control value to the mobile body as a control command. The state in which the transmission of the control value is required is a state in which a sensor for acquiring information necessary for the mobile body to generate the control value using the information for generating the control value is not attached to the mobile body. (4) According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a remote control device is provided for automatically moving a mobile body by remote control. The remote control device is capable of the mobile body receiving a control value that controls the movement of the mobile body and moving in accordance with the control value, receiving control value generation information used to generate the control value, generating the control value using the control value generation information, and moving in accordance with the generated control value, and the remote control device comprises a platform information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating whether the mobile body is in a platform state, and a remote control command unit that transmits a control command to the mobile body, wherein the remote control command unit transmits the control command as the control command when the mobile body is in a platform state. A control value is generated and transmitted to the mobile body. The state of the platform is such that it includes a drive unit for accelerating the mobile body, a steering unit for changing the direction of travel of the mobile body, a braking unit for decelerating the mobile body, a control device for controlling the drive unit, the steering unit, and the braking unit, and a communication device for communicating with the remote control command unit via wireless communication. At least one of the interior components, exterior components, and body shell, and sensors for acquiring information necessary for the mobile body to generate the control value using the control value generation information, are not attached to the mobile body.

[0006] (1) According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a remote control device is provided that automatically moves a mobile body by remote control. The remote control device includes a mobile body identification unit that identifies whether the mobile body is a first mobile body that receives a control value that controls the movement of the mobile body and moves according to the control value, or a second mobile body that receives information for generating the control value that is used to generate the control value, generates the control value using the information for generating the control value, and moves according to the generated control value, and a remote control command unit that transmits a control command to the mobile body, wherein the remote control command unit performs at least one of the following: when the mobile body is identified as the first mobile body, it generates the control value as the control command and transmits the control value to the first mobile body; and when the mobile body is identified as the second mobile body, it transmits the information for generating the control value to the second mobile body as the control command. This remote control device performs at least one of the following actions: it identifies whether the mobile object is a first mobile object or a second mobile object; if the mobile object is a first mobile object, it generates a control value as a control command and transmits the control value to the first mobile object; and if the mobile object is identified as a second mobile object, it transmits information for generating a control value as a control command to the second mobile object. This allows the device to send appropriate control commands depending on whether the mobile object is a first or second mobile object, and to perform appropriate control over the mobile object. (2) According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a remote control device is provided for automatically moving a mobile body by remote control. The remote control device comprises a manufacturing process information acquisition unit that acquires manufacturing process information indicating the manufacturing process in which the mobile body is currently located, and a remote control command unit that transmits control commands to the mobile body, wherein the mobile body is capable of receiving a control value that controls the movement of the mobile body and moving in accordance with the control value, receiving control value generation information used to generate the control value, generating the control value using the control value generation information, and moving in accordance with the generated control value, wherein the remote control command unit performs at least one of the following: when the manufacturing process is identified based on the manufacturing process information as a process that requires the transmission of the control value to the mobile body, it generates the control value as a control command and transmits the control value to the mobile body, and when the manufacturing process is identified based on the manufacturing process information as a process that does not require the transmission of the control value to the mobile body, it transmits the control value generation information to the mobile body as a control command. This remote control device acquires manufacturing process information and, if the manufacturing process in which the mobile object is currently located requires the transmission of control values ​​to the mobile object, generates control values ​​as a control command and transmits the control values ​​to the mobile object; or, if the manufacturing process in which the mobile object is currently located does not require the transmission of control values ​​to the mobile object, generates information for generating control values ​​as a control command and transmits the information for generating control values ​​to the mobile object. This enables the transmission of appropriate control commands according to the manufacturing process in which the vehicle is currently located, and enables appropriate control of the mobile object. (3) According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a remote control device is provided for automatically moving a mobile body by remote control. The remote control device includes a mobile body detection information acquisition unit that acquires mobile body detection information which is information for detecting the mobile body; a mobile body manufacturing state identification unit that identifies a mobile body manufacturing state which is the manufacturing state of the mobile body using the mobile body detection information; and a remote control command unit that transmits a control command to the mobile body. The mobile body is capable of receiving a control value that controls the movement of the mobile body and moving according to the control value, and receiving control value generation information used to generate the control value, generating the control value using the control value generation information, and moving according to the generated control value. The remote control command unit performs at least one of the following: when the mobile body manufacturing state is identified as a state requiring the transmission of the control value, it generates the control value as a control command and transmits the control value to the mobile body; and when the mobile body manufacturing state is identified as a state not requiring the transmission of the control value, it transmits the control value generation information to the mobile body as a control command. This remote control device uses mobile object detection information to identify the mobile object's manufacturing state, and if the mobile object's manufacturing state requires the transmission of a control value, it generates a control value as a control command and transmits the control value to the mobile object; or, if the mobile object's manufacturing state does not require the transmission of a control value, it transmits information for generating a control value to the mobile object as a control command. This allows for the transmission of appropriate control commands according to the mobile object's manufacturing state identified using vehicle detection information, and enables appropriate control of the mobile object. (4) According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a remote control device is provided for automatically moving a mobile body by remote control. The remote control device comprises a platform information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating whether or not the mobile body is in a platform state, and a remote control command unit that transmits control commands to the mobile body, wherein the mobile body is capable of receiving a control value that controls the movement of the mobile body and moving in accordance with the control value, receiving control value generation information used to generate the control value, generating the control value using the control value generation information, and moving in accordance with the generated control value, wherein the remote control command unit generates the control value as a control command and transmits the control value to the mobile body when the mobile body is in a platform state. According to this remote control device, when the mobile object is in a platform state, it generates a control value as a control command and transmits the control value to the mobile object. Therefore, appropriate control can be performed on the mobile object depending on whether or not it is in a platform state. (5) In the above remote control device, the mobile object identification unit may perform the identification using the captured image of the mobile object. This remote control device can accurately identify whether a moving object is the first moving object or the second moving object by using the captured image of the moving object. (6) In the remote control device described above, the mobile body is placed in the manufacturing process, and the mobile body identification unit may perform the identification using manufacturing management information indicating the manufacturing status of the mobile body. This remote control device uses manufacturing management information to perform identification, allowing for appropriate control based on the manufacturing status of the moving object in the manufacturing process. (7) In the remote control device described above, the information for generating control values ​​may include route information indicating the path for moving the moving body. This remote control device allows for the control of the movement of a mobile object, which can generate control values ​​using path information. (8) In the above remote control device, the control value may include a value that indicates the steering angle of the moving body and a value that indicates the acceleration of the moving body. This remote control device allows for the control of the movement of a moving object by controlling its rudder angle and acceleration. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is an explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of a remote control system equipped with a remote control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of a remote control system equipped with a remote control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram showing the general configuration of the first vehicle type. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing the general configuration of the second vehicle type. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart showing the procedure for the vehicle control process in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of a remote control system equipped with a remote control device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart showing the procedure for the vehicle control process in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of a remote control system equipped with a remote control device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart showing the procedure for the vehicle control process in the third embodiment. [Figure 10] This is a flowchart showing the procedure for the vehicle control process in the fourth embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] A. First Embodiment: A-1. System Configuration: FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a remote control system 10 including a remote control device 200 according to the present embodiment. The remote control system 10 includes a vehicle 100 as a moving object, a remote control device 200 that automatically drives the vehicle 100 by remote control, a plurality of vehicle detectors 300 that measure three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle 100, and a process control device 400 that manages the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100.

[0009] In the present embodiment, the vehicle 100 is configured as a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV). Note that the vehicle 100 is not limited to an electric vehicle, and may be, for example, a gasoline vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or a fuel cell vehicle. Further, instead of the vehicle 100, any other type of moving object such as an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (a so-called flying car) may be used.

[0010] In the present embodiment, the remote control device 200 executes remote control of the vehicle 100 in the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100. A factory that manufactures the vehicle 100 includes a first location PL1 and a second location PL2. The first location PL1 is, for example, a location where the vehicle 100 is assembled, and the second location PL2 is, for example, a location where inspection of the vehicle 100 is performed. The first location PL1 and the second location PL2 are connected by a travel path SR on which the vehicle 100 can travel.

[0011] A plurality of vehicle detectors 300 that target the vehicle 100 for measurement are installed around the travel path SR. The vehicle detector 300 is configured as a camera or LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), and acquires information used for detecting the vehicle 100, such as images of the vehicle 100 and three-dimensional point cloud data of the vehicle 100 (hereinafter also referred to as "vehicle detection information").

[0012] The remote control device 200 generates control commands to move the vehicle 100 along the travel path SR and transmits the control commands to the vehicle 100. As will be described later, there are two types of "control commands". The vehicle 100 travels according to the received control commands. Therefore, the remote control system 10 can move the vehicle 100 from the first location PL1 to the second location PL2 by remote control without using transport devices such as cranes or conveyors.

[0013] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of a remote control system 10 equipped with the remote control device 200 of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the remote control system 10 remotely controls vehicles 101 and 102, which are vehicles 100 of different vehicle types. "Vehicle type" indicates the manner of remote control of vehicle 100. In this embodiment, as will be described later, there is a "first vehicle type" that requires the transmission of control values ​​and a "second vehicle type" that does not require the transmission of control values. In this embodiment, the vehicle type is predetermined according to the vehicle type of vehicle 100. However, the vehicle type is not limited to the vehicle type and may be arbitrarily determined for each vehicle 100.

[0014] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of a vehicle 101, which is the first vehicle type. The vehicle 101 includes a vehicle control device 110 for controlling various parts of the vehicle, an actuator group 120 driven under the control of the vehicle control device 110, and a communication device 130 for communicating with a remote control device 200 via wireless communication. In this embodiment, the actuator group 120 includes actuators for a drive system to accelerate the vehicle 101, actuators for a steering system to change the direction of travel of the vehicle 100, and actuators for a braking system to decelerate the vehicle 101. The drive system includes a battery, a driving motor driven by the battery's power, and drive wheels rotated by the driving motor. The actuators for the drive system include the driving motor. The actuator group 120 may also include actuators for swinging the wipers of the vehicle 101, actuators for opening and closing the power windows of the vehicle 101, and so on. The vehicle 101 may also be equipped with various object detectors such as a camera, millimeter-wave radar, and LiDAR, and a GPS receiver for acquiring position information indicating the current position of the vehicle 101. Vehicle 101 corresponds to the “first mobile body” in this disclosure.

[0015] The vehicle control device 110 is comprised of a computer comprising a processor 111, a memory 112, an input / output interface 113, and an internal bus 114. The processor 111, the memory 112, and the input / output interface 113 are connected via the internal bus 114 to enable bidirectional communication. The input / output interface 113 is connected to an actuator group 120 and a communication device 130.

[0016] In this embodiment, the processor 111 functions as a vehicle control unit 115 by executing a program PG11 pre-stored in the memory 112. The vehicle control unit 115 controls the actuator group 120. When a driver is on board the vehicle 101, the vehicle control unit 115 can drive the vehicle 101 by controlling the actuator group 120 in accordance with the driver's operation. In addition, the vehicle control unit 115 can drive the vehicle 101 by receiving control values ​​and controlling the actuator group 120 according to the control values, regardless of whether a driver is on board the vehicle 101 or not. The vehicle control unit 115 of the vehicle 101 receives control values ​​from the remote control device 200, as will be described later.

[0017] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of vehicle 102, which is the second vehicle type. As shown in Figure 4, in vehicle 102, program PG12 is pre-stored in memory 112 instead of program PG11. Furthermore, the processor 111 functions as a control value generation unit 116 in addition to the vehicle control unit 115 by executing program PG12. As will be described later, the control value generation unit 116 receives information used to generate control values ​​(hereinafter also called "control value generation information") from the remote control device 200, generates control values ​​for controlling the actuator group 120 using the control value generation information, and transmits the control values ​​to the vehicle control unit 115. The vehicle control unit 115 of vehicle 102 drives vehicle 102 by controlling the actuator group 120 according to the control values ​​received from the control value generation unit 116. Furthermore, the vehicle control unit 115 of vehicle 102, like the vehicle control unit 115 of vehicle 101, can receive control values ​​from the remote control device 200 and control the actuator group 120 according to the control values ​​to drive vehicle 102. The other configurations of vehicle 102 are the same as those of vehicle 101, so a detailed explanation thereof is omitted. Vehicle 102 corresponds to the "second mobile body" in this disclosure.

[0018] As shown in Figure 2, the remote control device 200 is comprised of a computer comprising a processor 201, memory 202, input / output interface 203, and internal bus 204. The processor 201, memory 202, and input / output interface 203 are connected via the internal bus 204 to enable bidirectional communication. A communication device 205 for communicating with the vehicle 100 via wireless communication is connected to the input / output interface 203.

[0019] In this embodiment, the processor 201 functions as a vehicle detection information acquisition unit 210, a vehicle status calculation unit 220, a vehicle identification unit 230, a route information creation unit 240, and a remote control command unit 250 by executing a program PG2 that is pre-stored in the memory 202.

[0020] The vehicle detection information acquisition unit 210 acquires vehicle detection information acquired by the vehicle detector 300. The vehicle state calculation unit 220 uses the vehicle detection information to calculate at least one of the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 (hereinafter also referred to as "vehicle state"). The vehicle state calculation unit 220 calculates the vehicle state by, for example, using the image or 3D point cloud information of the vehicle 100 acquired as vehicle detection information, and performing pattern matching between the point cloud information indicated by the vehicle detection information and a pre-prepared template point cloud of the vehicle 100. The vehicle detection information acquisition unit 210 corresponds to the "moving object detection information acquisition unit" in this disclosure. The vehicle state calculation unit 220 also corresponds to the "moving object state calculation unit" in this disclosure.

[0021] The vehicle identification unit 230 identifies the vehicle 100 to be controlled using vehicle detection information and uses vehicle management information VI stored in memory 202 to identify the vehicle type of the vehicle 100. The "vehicle management information VI" may include various information that can identify the vehicle type of the vehicle 100, such as the vehicle type, color, shape, etc. The vehicle identification unit 230 identifies the vehicle type of the vehicle 100 by, for example, performing pattern matching between the 3D point cloud information of the vehicle 100 acquired as vehicle detection information and the point cloud information indicating the shape of the vehicle 100 stored as vehicle management information VI. The vehicle identification unit 230 corresponds to the "mobile object identification unit" in this disclosure.

[0022] The route information creation unit 240 uses the vehicle status obtained from the vehicle status calculation unit 220 to create route information indicating the route for moving the vehicle 100. The remote control command unit 250 generates a control command for remote control and transmits it to the vehicle 100 to drive the vehicle 100 along the route determined by the route information creation unit 240. The control command can be generated as a specific control value including driving force or braking force and steering angle. In this embodiment, the control value includes information indicating at least one of the acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 100 at each point along the route. The acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 100 that are not indicated as control values ​​may be set in advance for each section along the travel path SR. Alternatively, the remote control command unit 250 may generate the control command as a command that includes the vehicle status of the vehicle 100 and travel route information instead of the control value. Note that the control command does not have to include the vehicle status of the vehicle 100.

[0023] The process control device 400 manages manufacturing control information that indicates the manufacturing status of vehicles 100 in the factory. "Manufacturing control information" includes, for example, the progress of processing in each process, the number of work-in-progress items, the number of products being processed, the manufacturing time for each process, the start and completion times of processing by each process, vehicle identification information of vehicles 100 present in each process, the planned number of vehicles to be manufactured per day, and the target manufacturing time for each process to manufacture one vehicle 100. For example, when a vehicle 100 starts moving along the road SR, vehicle identification information, such as the identification number and model of the vehicle 100, is transmitted from the process control device 400 to the remote control device 200. The vehicle status of the vehicle 100 detected by the remote control device 200 may also be transmitted to the process control device 400. The functions of the process control device 400 may be implemented in the same device as the remote control device 200.

[0024] A-2. Vehicle control processing: Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure for the vehicle control process in the first embodiment. This process is executed each time vehicle detection information is transmitted from the vehicle detector 300 while the remote control device 200 is operational.

[0025] In step S10, the vehicle detection information acquisition unit 210 acquires vehicle detection information. In step S20, the vehicle status calculation unit 220 calculates the vehicle status using the acquired vehicle detection information.

[0026] In step S30, the route information creation unit 240 creates route information using the calculated vehicle status. In step S40, the vehicle identification unit 230 identifies the vehicle type using the vehicle detection information. Step S40 may be performed after step S10, before step S20, or before step S30.

[0027] In step S50, the remote control command unit 250 determines whether the vehicle 100 to be controlled is a vehicle type that requires the transmission of control values. If it is a first vehicle type that requires the transmission of control values ​​(step S50: Yes), that is, if the vehicle 100 to be controlled is vehicle 101, the remote control command unit 250 generates control values ​​in step S60 to cause the vehicle 101 to travel along the route indicated by the route information, and transmits the control values ​​to vehicle 101 as a control command in step S70.

[0028] On the other hand, in the case of a second vehicle type in which transmission of control values ​​is not required (step S50: No), that is, when the vehicle to be controlled 100 is vehicle 102, in step S62, the remote control command unit 250 transmits route information to vehicle 102 as a control command. In step S72, the control value generation unit 116 of vehicle 102 generates control values ​​to drive vehicle 102 along the route indicated by the route information, and transmits the control values ​​to the vehicle control unit 115 of vehicle 102.

[0029] In step S62, the route information transmitted to the vehicle 102 may be information indicating multiple locations along the travel route at predetermined intervals, or it may be information indicating only the endpoint of the travel route. In step S72, the control value generation unit 116 of the vehicle 102 detects the vehicle state of the vehicle 102 and obstacles such as structures and workers present around the vehicle 102 using sensors (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 102, and generates control values ​​to control the speed, acceleration, and steering angle of the vehicle 102 so that the vehicle 102 travels along the travel route, according to the detected vehicle state of the vehicle 102 and obstacles. The route information is information used to generate control values ​​and corresponds to "control value generation information" in this disclosure.

[0030] In step S80, the vehicle control unit 115 controls the vehicle 100 according to the control values ​​transmitted from the remote control command unit 250 or the control value generation unit 116. This completes the processing in the remote control device 200.

[0031] According to the remote control device 200 of the first embodiment described above, it performs at least one of the following: it identifies whether vehicle 100 is vehicle 101 or vehicle 102; if vehicle 100 is vehicle 101, it generates a control value as a control command and transmits the control value to vehicle 101; and if vehicle 100 is identified as vehicle 102, it transmits information for generating a control value as a control command to vehicle 102. This enables the transmission of an appropriate control command depending on whether vehicle 100 is vehicle 101 or vehicle 102, and enables appropriate control of vehicle 100.

[0032] Furthermore, vehicle 100 can be identified with high accuracy as it is determined whether it is vehicle 101 or vehicle 102 by using the captured image of vehicle 100. In addition, the movement of vehicle 102, which can generate control values ​​using path information, can be controlled. Furthermore, the movement of vehicle 100, which moves with controlled steering angle and acceleration, can be controlled.

[0033] B. Second Embodiment: Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the remote control system 10 equipped with the remote control device 200A of the second embodiment. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure for vehicle control processing in the second embodiment. The remote control device 200A of the second embodiment differs from the remote control device 200 of the first embodiment in that, as shown in Figure 6, it is equipped with a manufacturing process information acquisition unit 230A instead of a vehicle identification unit 230, and as shown in Figure 7, it executes steps S40A and S50A instead of steps S40 and S50 in the vehicle control processing. In addition, in the remote control device 200A of the second embodiment, the vehicle management information VI does not need to be stored in memory 202 in advance. Note that the system configuration and other procedures in the vehicle control processing of the remote control device 200A of the second embodiment are the same as those of the remote control device 200 of the first embodiment, so the same components and procedures are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their detailed explanation is omitted.

[0034] As shown in Figure 6, the processor 201 of the remote control device 200A of the second embodiment functions as a vehicle detection information acquisition unit 210, a vehicle status calculation unit 220, a manufacturing process information acquisition unit 230A, a route information creation unit 240, and a remote control command unit 250 by executing program PG2A stored in memory 202 instead of program PG2. The manufacturing process information acquisition unit 230A acquires manufacturing process information for the vehicle 100 to be controlled from the process management device 400. "Manufacturing process information" refers to information indicating the manufacturing process in which the vehicle 100 is currently located, and means, for example, information indicating the name of the work-in-progress process or the previous process for the vehicle 100. Note that the other functional units realized in the processor 201 of the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment, so their description is omitted.

[0035] In step S40A shown in Figure 7, the manufacturing process information acquisition unit 230A acquires manufacturing process information for the controlled vehicle 100 from the process control device 400. More specifically, the manufacturing process information acquisition unit 230A identifies the controlled vehicle 100 using vehicle detection information and acquires manufacturing process information for that vehicle 100 from the process control device 400.

[0036] In step S50A, the remote control command unit 250 determines, based on the manufacturing process information, whether the process in which the vehicle 100 to be controlled is currently located is a process that requires the transmission of control values. A "process that requires the transmission of control values" means a process that is performed before sensors for acquiring the information necessary for the control value generation unit 116 to generate control values ​​using route information are attached to the vehicle 100. More specifically, for example, if the control value generation unit 116 determines the acceleration and steering angle of the vehicle 100 using point cloud data of obstacles surrounding the vehicle 100 detected by a LiDAR mounted on the vehicle, in addition to route information transmitted from the remote control device 200, then any process prior to the process in which the LiDAR is mounted on the vehicle 100 can be said to be a process that requires the transmission of control values ​​to the vehicle 100. Furthermore, whether or not a process requires the transmission of control values ​​may be predetermined and managed in a database in the process management device 400 for each process, and the remote control command unit 250 may refer to this database to perform the above determination.

[0037] If it is determined that a process requires the transmission of a control value (step S50A: Yes), steps S60, S70, and S80 described above are executed. On the other hand, if it is determined that a process does not require the transmission of a control value (step S50A: No), steps S62, S72, and S80 described above are executed.

[0038] According to the remote control device 200A of the second embodiment described above, the device acquires manufacturing process information and, if it is determined based on the manufacturing process information that the manufacturing process in which the vehicle 100 is currently located is a process that requires the transmission of control values ​​to the vehicle 100, it generates control values ​​as a control command and transmits the control values ​​to the vehicle 100. If it is determined based on the manufacturing process information that the manufacturing process in which the vehicle 100 is currently located is not a process that requires the transmission of control values ​​to the vehicle 100, the device transmits information for generating control values ​​to the vehicle 100 as a control command. This enables the transmission of appropriate control commands according to the manufacturing process in which the vehicle 100 is currently located, and enables appropriate control of the vehicle 100.

[0039] C. Third Embodiment: Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the remote control system 10 equipped with the remote control device 200B of the third embodiment. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure for vehicle control processing in the third embodiment. The remote control device 200B of the third embodiment differs from the remote control device 200A of the second embodiment in that, as shown in Figure 8, it is equipped with a vehicle manufacturing state identification unit 230B instead of a manufacturing process information acquisition unit 230A, and as shown in Figure 9, it executes steps S40B and S50B instead of steps S40A and S50A in the vehicle control processing. Note that the system configuration of the remote control device 200B of the third embodiment and other procedures in the vehicle control processing are the same as those of the remote control device 200A of the second embodiment, so the same components and procedures are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their detailed explanation is omitted.

[0040] As shown in Figure 8, the processor 201 of the remote control device 200B of the third embodiment functions as a vehicle detection information acquisition unit 210, a vehicle status calculation unit 220, a vehicle manufacturing status identification unit 230B, a route information creation unit 240, and a remote control command unit 250 by executing program PG2B stored in memory 202 instead of program PG2A. The vehicle manufacturing status identification unit 230B identifies the vehicle manufacturing status using vehicle detection information. "Vehicle manufacturing status" means the progress status of the manufacturing of the vehicle 100, for example, the state of assembly of parts etc. to the vehicle 100. Note that other functional units realized in the processor 201 of the third embodiment are the same as in the second embodiment, so their description is omitted. The vehicle manufacturing status identification unit 230B corresponds to the "mobile body manufacturing status identification unit" in this disclosure.

[0041] In step S40B shown in Figure 9, the vehicle manufacturing status identification unit 230B identifies the vehicle manufacturing status using vehicle detection information. More specifically, the vehicle manufacturing status identification unit 230B identifies the vehicle manufacturing status by analyzing the captured image of the vehicle 100 acquired as vehicle detection information. The vehicle manufacturing status corresponds to the "mobile body manufacturing status" in this disclosure.

[0042] In step S50B, the remote control command unit 250 determines whether the vehicle manufacturing status of the vehicle 100 is such that it is necessary to transmit control values. More specifically, if the sensors required to acquire the information necessary for the control value generation unit 116 to generate control values ​​using route information have not yet been installed on the vehicle 100, the remote control command unit 250 determines that the vehicle manufacturing status of the vehicle 100 is such that it is necessary to transmit control values.

[0043] If it is determined that it is necessary to send a control value (step S50B: Yes), steps S60, S70, and S80 described above are executed. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not necessary to send a control value (step S50A: No), steps S62, S72, and S80 described above are executed.

[0044] According to the remote control device 200 of the third embodiment described above, the device uses vehicle detection information to identify the vehicle manufacturing state, and if the vehicle manufacturing state is one in which the transmission of a control value is required, it generates a control value as a control command and transmits the control value to the vehicle 100; and if the vehicle manufacturing state is not one in which the transmission of a control value is required, it transmits information for generating a control value to the vehicle 100 as a control command. This enables the transmission of an appropriate control command according to the vehicle manufacturing state identified using the vehicle detection information, and enables appropriate control of the vehicle 100.

[0045] D. Fourth Embodiment: Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure for the vehicle control processing of the fourth embodiment. The remote control device 200B of the fourth embodiment differs from the remote control device 200B of the third embodiment in that, as shown in Figure 10, it executes step S50C instead of step S50B in the vehicle control processing. Note that the system configuration and other procedures in the vehicle control processing of the remote control device 200B of the fourth embodiment are the same as those of the remote control device 200B of the third embodiment, so the same components and procedures are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their detailed explanation is omitted.

[0046] In this embodiment, the vehicle manufacturing state identification unit 230B shown in Figure 8 acquires the vehicle manufacturing state of vehicle 100 using vehicle detection information and determines whether the vehicle manufacturing state of vehicle 100 is a platform state or not. "Platform state" means a state in which the vehicle control unit 115 and communication device 130 are equipped and the three functions of "driving," "turning," and "stopping" can be performed by remote control. More specifically, it means a state in which interior parts such as the driver's seat and dashboard are not installed, exterior parts such as bumpers and fenders are not installed, and the body shell is not installed. In the case of vehicle 100 in a platform state, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be installed on vehicle 100 before vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory, or the remaining parts such as the body shell may be installed on vehicle 100 after vehicle 100 has been shipped from the factory without the remaining parts such as the body shell being installed. In this embodiment, the vehicle manufacturing state identification unit 230B corresponds to the "platform information acquisition unit" in this disclosure.

[0047] In step S50C shown in Figure 10, the remote control command unit 250 determines whether the vehicle manufacturing status of vehicle 100, as identified by the vehicle manufacturing status identification unit 230B, is that of a platform. This is because if vehicle 100 is in a platform state, the sensors have not yet been installed, and the control value generation unit 116 cannot generate control values ​​using the information acquired from the sensors.

[0048] If it is determined that vehicle 100 is in a platform state (step S50A: Yes), steps S60, S70, and S80 described above are executed. On the other hand, if it is determined that vehicle 100 is not in a platform state (step S50A: No), steps S62, S72, and S80 described above are executed.

[0049] According to the remote control device 200B of the fourth embodiment described above, when the vehicle 100 is in a platform state, a control value is generated as a control command and the control value is transmitted to the vehicle 100. Therefore, appropriate control can be performed on the vehicle 100 depending on whether or not the vehicle 100 is in a platform state.

[0050] E. Other embodiments: (E1) In the above embodiments, the remote control device 200 may transmit a control value as a control command and transmit a command that includes at least routing information as a control command, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. The remote control device 200 may perform only one of the following: transmitting a control value as a control command and transmitting a command that includes at least routing information as a control command. For example, the remote control device 200 may perform only the transmission of a command that includes at least routing information as a control command, and the transmission of a control value as a control command may be performed by another device.

[0051] (E2) In the above embodiment, the remote control device 200 performs remote control of the vehicle 100 during the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. The remote control device 200 may also perform remote control to drive the vehicle 100 during the inspection process after the completion of the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100 and during the shipment process of the finished vehicle after the completion of the inspection process.

[0052] (E3) In the first embodiment described above, the vehicle identification unit 230 uses vehicle management information VI stored in memory 202 to identify which vehicle type the vehicle 100 is, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. The vehicle identification unit 230 may also use manufacturing management information managed by the process control device 400 to perform the identification. With such a form of remote control device 200, appropriate control can be performed according to the manufacturing status of the vehicle 100.

[0053] (E4) In the fourth embodiment described above, the remote control command unit 250 determines whether the vehicle 100 is in a platform state using the vehicle manufacturing state identified by the vehicle manufacturing state identification unit 230B, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. The remote control device 200 of the fourth embodiment further comprises a functional unit corresponding to the manufacturing process information acquisition unit 230A of the second embodiment, and the remote control command unit 250 may determine whether the vehicle 100 is in a platform state using the acquired manufacturing process information. In such an embodiment, the functional unit corresponding to the manufacturing process information acquisition unit 230A corresponds to the "platform information acquisition unit" in this disclosure.

[0054] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from its spirit. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described in the summary of the invention can be replaced or combined as appropriate in order to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or to achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be deleted as appropriate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0055] 10…Remote control system, 100, 101, 102…Vehicle, 110…Vehicle control device, 111…Processor, 112…Memory, 113…Input / output interface, 114…Internal bus, 115…Vehicle control unit, 116…Control value generation unit, 120…Actuator group, 130…Communication device, 200, 200A, 200B…Remote control device, 201…Processor, 202…Memory, 203…Input / output interface, 204…Internal bus 205...Communication device, 210...Vehicle detection information acquisition unit, 220...Vehicle status calculation unit, 230...Vehicle identification unit, 230A...Manufacturing process information acquisition unit, 230B...Vehicle manufacturing status identification unit, 240...Route information creation unit, 250...Remote control command unit, 300...Vehicle detector, 400...Process control device, PG11, PG12, PG2, PG2A, PG2B...Program, PL1...First location, PL2...Second location, SR...Road, VI...Vehicle management information

Claims

1. A remote control device that automatically moves a mobile object via remote control, The aforementioned moving body, A first moving body receives a control value that controls the movement of the moving body and moves according to the control value, A second mobile body that receives control value generation information used to generate the control value, generates the control value using the control value generation information, and moves according to the generated control value, A mobile object identification unit that performs identification of which of the following it is, The identification is performed using at least one of the captured image of the moving body and the three-dimensional point cloud information of the moving body, and pre-stored vehicle management information that can identify whether the moving body is the first moving body or the second moving body. The identification is performed using manufacturing management information that indicates the manufacturing status of the mobile body, A mobile object identification unit that performs at least one of the following, A remote control command unit that transmits control commands to the mobile body, Equipped with, The remote control command unit is When the moving body is identified as the first moving body, the control value is generated as the control command, and the control value is transmitted to the first moving body. When the moving body is identified as the second moving body, the control command is transmitted to the second moving body, Perform at least one of the following: Remote control device.

2. A remote control device that automatically moves a mobile object via remote control, The aforementioned moving body is The moving body receives a control value that controls its movement, and moves according to the control value. The system receives information for generating the control value, generates the control value using the information for generating the control value, and moves according to the generated control value. It is possible to do this, The aforementioned remote control device is A manufacturing process information acquisition unit acquires manufacturing process information indicating the manufacturing process in which the mobile object is currently located, A remote control command unit that transmits control commands to the mobile body, Equipped with, The remote control command unit is When the manufacturing process is identified, based on the manufacturing process information, as a process requiring the transmission of the control value to the mobile body, the control value is generated as a control command and transmitted to the mobile body. If the manufacturing process is determined, based on the manufacturing process information, not to be a process that requires the transmission of the control value to the mobile body, then the control command is to transmit the control value generation information to the mobile body. Perform at least one of the following: The step requiring the transmission of the control value is performed when the mobile body is not equipped with a sensor for acquiring information necessary for the mobile body to generate the control value using the control value generation information. Remote control device.

3. A remote control device that automatically moves a mobile object via remote control, The aforementioned moving body is The moving body receives a control value that controls its movement, and moves according to the control value. The system receives information for generating the control value, generates the control value using the information for generating the control value, and moves according to the generated control value. It is possible to do this, The aforementioned remote control device is A mobile object detection information acquisition unit acquires mobile object detection information, which is information for detecting the aforementioned mobile object. A mobile body manufacturing state identification unit that identifies the mobile body manufacturing state, which is the manufacturing state of the mobile body, using the mobile body detection information, A remote control command unit that transmits control commands to the mobile body, Equipped with, The remote control command unit is When the manufacturing state of the mobile body is identified as a state requiring the transmission of the control value, the control value is generated as the control command and transmitted to the mobile body. When it is determined that the manufacturing state of the mobile body does not require the transmission of the control value, the control value generation information is transmitted to the mobile body as a control command. Perform at least one of the following: The condition requiring the transmission of the control value is when the mobile body does not have a sensor attached to it that is necessary for the mobile body to acquire the information required to generate the control value using the control value generation information. Remote control device.

4. A remote control device that automatically moves a mobile object via remote control, The aforementioned moving body is The moving body receives a control value that controls its movement, and moves according to the control value. The system receives information for generating the control value, generates the control value using the information for generating the control value, and moves according to the generated control value. It is possible to do this, The aforementioned remote control device is A platform information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating whether or not the mobile body is in a platform state, A remote control command unit that transmits control commands to the mobile body, Equipped with, The remote control command unit is When the moving body is in the state of the platform, the control value is generated as the control command, and the control value is transmitted to the moving body. The state of the platform is such that it comprises a drive unit for accelerating the mobile body, a steering unit for changing the direction of travel of the mobile body, a braking unit for decelerating the mobile body, a control device for controlling the drive unit, the steering unit, and the braking unit, and a communication device for communicating with the remote control command unit via wireless communication, and at least one of the interior components, exterior components, and body shell, and sensors for acquiring information necessary for the mobile body to generate the control value using the control value generation information are not attached to the mobile body. Remote control device.

5. A remote control device according to claim 1, The mobile object identification unit performs the identification using the captured image. Remote control device.

6. A remote control device according to claim 1 or claim 5, The aforementioned moving body is placed in the manufacturing process, The mobile body identification unit performs the identification using the manufacturing management information. Remote control device.

7. A remote control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The control value generation information includes route information indicating the path along which the moving object moves. Remote control device.

8. A remote control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The control value includes a value that indicates the steering angle of the moving body and a value that indicates the acceleration of the moving body. Remote control device.

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