JP7575066B2 - Autonomous driving work vehicle control system, remote control device and vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a control system, a remote control device, and a vehicle control device for an autonomous work vehicle, and is particularly suitable for use in a system in which multiple workers can control multiple autonomous work vehicles.

In recent years, as the farm population declines, farmland has been concentrated among farmers and the scale of operations has expanded. As a result, it is predicted that it will become difficult to secure skilled workers in the future. Under these circumstances, there is a need to realize highly productive agricultural work techniques that can handle the large number of fields that come with the expansion of scale with a limited number of personnel. For example, there is hope for the development of technology that can increase the working area per worker by utilizing autonomous work vehicles.

In this regard, a system that remotely controls the travel of multiple autonomous work vehicles is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the multiple-vehicle parallel work system described in Patent Document 1, when an operation to start work is performed using a single remote control device, multiple autonomous work vehicles run parallel to each other and perform work by traveling back and forth along a pre-set travel route within the field, with an operator holding the remote control device nearby to operate them. The remote control device is capable of controlling the multiple autonomous work vehicles individually, and can switch between and operate each autonomous work vehicle, allowing the start of work and emergency stops to be controlled simultaneously for multiple vehicles.

The system described in Patent Document 1 is based on "visual monitoring," where multiple work vehicles run side by side and workers visually check the work vehicles with the naked eye. This is limited by the workers' cognitive abilities, and there is a limit to how many work vehicles can be safely run without the constraint of running side by side. Therefore, it is desirable to increase the number of work vehicles that can be operated simultaneously by building a system in which multiple supervisors monitor and control multiple work vehicles.

When configuring a system in which multiple monitors control the operation of multiple work vehicles from multiple remote control devices, there will be multiple work vehicles to which operation commands can be issued from a single remote control device. In addition, there will be multiple remote control devices that can issue operation commands to a single work vehicle. This makes the control system complex.

However, for some reason, communication may be interrupted between one of the remote control devices and the work vehicle. In such a case, in a system having a complex control system as described above, it is necessary to be able to appropriately control the operation of multiple work vehicles while ensuring safety throughout the entire system, including not only the work vehicle where the connection was interrupted, but also other work vehicles.

JP 2016-95659 A

The present invention was made to solve such problems, and aims to enable a system in which multiple monitors control the operation of multiple work vehicles from multiple remote control devices to continue safely controlling the operation of multiple work vehicles from multiple remote control devices even if a communication connection between any of the remote control devices and the work vehicles is interrupted.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a work vehicle control system capable of controlling the operation of multiple work vehicles according to external instructions given from a remote control device to multiple vehicle control devices. The vehicle control device transmits control device messages at predetermined time intervals and the remote control device receives them, and the remote control device transmits operation device messages at predetermined time intervals and the vehicle control device receives them. The control device messages include a control device ID that can identify the control device itself, a list of operation device IDs included in the operation device messages received from the remote control device within a certain time period immediately prior to transmitting the control device message, and status information indicating the operating status of the work vehicle on which the control device is mounted. On the other hand, the operation device messages include an operation device ID that can identify the control device itself, a list of control device IDs included in the control device messages received from the vehicle control device within a certain time period immediately prior to transmitting the operation device message, and a command for the vehicle control device.

The remote control device recognizes the vehicle control devices that are communicatively connected to the remote control device based on the control device ID included in the received control device message, and recognizes, for each vehicle control device whose communication connection state has been recognized, whether it is in a redundant state in which the number of remote control device connections is a predetermined number or more, or a non-redundant state in which the number of remote control device connections is less than a predetermined number, based on the list of control device IDs included in the received control device message. When it detects a change from a communication connection state to a communication disconnection state with a vehicle control device recognized as being in a non-redundant state, it determines whether there are any other vehicle control devices recognized as being in a non-redundant state other than the vehicle control device that has become communication disconnected, and if there are, it transmits a command related to the operation of the work vehicle to the other vehicle control device.

In the present invention configured as described above, when a remote control device used by a certain monitor detects that a communication connection state has changed to a communication disconnection state with a vehicle control device that is recognized as being in a non-redundant state, the situation is likely to be one in which the monitor will take some kind of action. At this time, if the monitor is controlling other work vehicles using a remote control device, there is a possibility that the monitor will no longer be able to monitor the other work vehicles as adequately as before.

In such a situation, if it is determined that there is another vehicle control device that is connected in a non-redundant state in addition to the vehicle control device in the communication disconnection state, a command regarding the operation of the work vehicle is sent to the other vehicle control device, and the operation of the other work vehicle is automatically controlled. This ensures a safe state in the operation of the other work vehicle. On the other hand, even if there is another work vehicle controlled by the monitor using a remote control device, if it is recognized that the communication connection between the vehicle control device connected to the other work vehicle is in a redundant state, the other monitor is in a state in which the other work vehicle can be monitored with sufficient attention, so no command is sent to the other vehicle control device, and remote control of the other work vehicle continues as is. In this way, according to the present invention, even if a communication connection is disconnected between any of the remote control devices and the vehicle control device, it is possible to continue to safely control the operation of multiple work vehicles from multiple remote control devices.

1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a control system for a work vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the remote control device according to the present embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a redundant state and a non-redundant state. 11 is a diagram for explaining a processing example of an instruction control unit according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a processing example of an instruction control unit according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the remote control device according to the present embodiment. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of processing by an instruction control unit according to a first modified example; FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of processing by a connection management unit and an instruction control unit according to a second modified example. FIG. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a vehicle control device according to a third modified example. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a processing example according to a third modified example. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining another processing example according to the third modified example (application of the second modified example). FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a processing example according to a fourth modified example.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of a work vehicle control system (hereinafter simply referred to as the control system) according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control system of this embodiment is configured to include vehicle control devices _10-1 to _10-4 mounted on multiple work vehicles _100-1 to _100-4 , a first remote control device 30 of a remote control type used by a monitor (hereinafter referred to as a site monitor) at a site where the work vehicle 100 can be seen, and a second remote control device 40 of a remote monitoring type used by a monitor (hereinafter referred to as a remote monitor) at a base station 200 in a remote location where the work vehicle 100 cannot be seen. In the following description, when the multiple work vehicles _100-1 to _100-4 are not particularly distinguished from each other, they are simply referred to as work vehicles 100. Furthermore, when the multiple vehicle control devices _10-1 to _10-4 are not particularly distinguished from each other, they are simply referred to as vehicle control devices 10. Furthermore, the first remote control device 30 and the second remote control device 40 are collectively referred to as remote control devices 30, 40.

The work vehicles _100-1 to _100-4 are respectively equipped with work machines _101-1 to _101-4 (in the following description, when there is no particular need to distinguish between them, they will simply be referred to as work machines 101). The work machine 101 is arbitrary, but as an example in this embodiment, it is a tiller that is connected to the rear of the vehicle body when used. The work machine 101 is connected to the work vehicle 100 so that it can be raised and lowered, and is lowered when working and raised when not working.

The vehicle control device 10 and the first remote control device 30 are connected via wireless communication means such as a specific low-power radio, infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or wireless LAN, and are capable of communicating with each other. The vehicle control device 10 and the second remote control device 40 are connected via a communication line such as the Internet or a dedicated line, and via wireless communication means such as wireless LAN, and are capable of communicating with each other. The first remote control device 30 may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet on which an application having a remote control function is installed.

In the control system of this embodiment, it is possible to control the operations (traveling and work by the work machine 101 ₎ of multiple work vehicles 10-1 to 10-4 in accordance with instructions (hereinafter referred to as external instructions) given to the vehicle control device 10 from the first remote operation device 30 and the second remote operation device ₄₀ , respectively, and instructions (hereinafter referred to as internal instructions) issued based on autonomous control by the vehicle control device 10 itself. This external instruction corresponds to a "command" in the claims.

These external instructions include instructions to set an operating mode (described in detail below) for driving the work vehicle 100 (hereinafter referred to as a mode setting instruction) and instructions to control the driving of the work vehicle 100 (including the driving of the work vehicle 100 and the operation of the work equipment 101) (hereinafter referred to as a driving instruction). The driving instructions include instructions for starting and stopping the engine, instructions for starting and stopping driving, instructions for steering control, instructions for controlling the driving speed, instructions for controlling gear changes, instructions for operating the work equipment 101 (lifting, lowering and driving), etc.

In FIG. 1, for the sake of simplicity, an example is shown in which there is one on-site monitor and one first remote control device 30, and one remote monitor at the base station 200 and one second remote control device 40, but there may be multiple first remote control devices 30 and multiple second remote control devices 40. A form in which one on-site monitor operates multiple first remote control devices 30 may also be used. When multiple first remote control devices 30 are to be distinguished from one another, and when multiple second remote control devices 40 are to be distinguished from one another, a subscript number is added to the symbol "30" or "40". In addition, there may be multiple on-site monitors and multiple first remote control devices 30 (without a second remote control device 40), or there may be multiple remote monitors and multiple second remote control devices 40 (without a first remote control device 30). In addition, in this embodiment, an example of a system in which one to a maximum of four work vehicles 100 can run simultaneously is described, but a maximum of four is merely an example, and two or more vehicles may be used.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the vehicle control device 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle control device 10 according to this embodiment has, as its functional configuration, a status information acquisition unit 11, a mode setting unit 12, a driving control unit 13, a control device message transmission unit 14, and an operation device message reception unit 15. The vehicle control device 10 also has a route data storage unit 10A as a storage medium. Various sensors 17 and a camera 18 are also electrically connected to the vehicle control device 10.

Each of the functional blocks 11 to 15 can be configured using either hardware, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or software. For example, when configured using software, each of the functional blocks 11 to 15 is actually configured with a computer's CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and is realized by the operation of a program stored in a recording medium such as the RAM, ROM, hard disk, or semiconductor memory.

The status information acquisition unit 11 acquires driving status information indicating the driving status of the work vehicle 100 detected by the various sensors 17, operation status information indicating the operation status of the work machine 101 detected by the various sensors 17, and vehicle surroundings images indicating the status of the vehicle surroundings captured by the camera 18, and sequentially supplies these to the control device message transmission unit 14. The status information acquisition unit 11 also acquires information on the operation mode of the work vehicle 100 set by the mode setting unit 12, and supplies this to the control device message transmission unit 14. Hereinafter, the driving status information, operation status information, vehicle surroundings images, and operation mode information are collectively referred to as various status information.

The mode setting unit 12 sets an operation mode related to the operation of the work vehicle 100 according to a mode setting instruction included as an external instruction in an operation device message (details of which will be described later) received by the operation device message receiving unit 15. The mode setting unit 12 may also set an operation mode related to the operation of the work vehicle 100 according to a mode setting instruction issued as an internal instruction based on autonomous control by the operation control unit 13. In this embodiment, the operation modes that can be set are, for example, a manual operation mode, an automatic operation mode, a remote control mode, a standby mode, an emergency stop mode, a temporary stop mode, and an automatic stop mode.

The manual driving mode is an operating mode in which the site supervisor gets on board the work vehicle 100 and manually drives the work vehicle 100 by operating various operating parts of the work vehicle 100.

The automatic driving mode is an operating mode in which driving is automatically performed according to a preset plan (route data stored in the route data storage unit 10A). The route data storage unit 10A stores route data that represents a preset driving route in the field on which the work vehicle 100 travels. The route data also includes work instruction data that indicates a work plan as to at what position in the field the work implement 101 is to be lowered to perform work, and at what position the work implement 101 is to be raised to stop work.

For example, this route data is transmitted from the second remote control device 40 to the vehicle control device 10 before the work vehicle 100 starts traveling, and is stored in the route data storage unit 10A. Note that the method of storing route data in the route data storage unit 10A is not limited to the above-mentioned transmission. For example, a removable storage medium storing the route data may be connected to the vehicle control device 10, and the route data may be transferred from the removable storage medium to the route data storage unit 10A. In addition, the route data may be dynamically generated based on data from various sensors 17 while operating in the autonomous driving mode. In this case, data obtained in advance, such as the work area and the field outline, is recorded in the route data storage unit 10A.

The remote control mode is an operation mode in which an observer (a site observer or a remote observer not on board the work vehicle 100; the same applies below) transmits external instructions from the remote control devices 30, 40 to the vehicle control device 10 of the work vehicle 100 one by one to control the operation. Note that an operation mode in which the operation is controlled based on external instructions from the first remote control device 30 and an operation mode in which the operation is controlled based on external instructions from the second remote control device 40 may be managed separately. The standby mode is an operation mode in which the work vehicle 100 is controlled to be stopped in place when neither operation is required, and waits for an instruction to set the mode to another operation mode.

The emergency stop mode is an operating mode in which, when a fault occurs that could threaten safety and cannot be handled by the normal functions of the system, the work vehicle 100 and the work machine 101 are put into a safe state, prioritizing urgency, despite the inconvenience to the work, such as the inability to resume or continue the work currently being performed by the system.

The temporary stop mode is an operation mode in which automatic execution of driving is temporarily stopped by an instruction from the remote operation device 30, 40 for some reason while the automatic driving mode is set. The automatic driving mode can be returned to by a simple restart operation. In this embodiment, when communication is interrupted between a certain vehicle control device 10 _-i and the remote operation device 30, 40, the mode setting unit 12 of another vehicle control device 10 _-j (j ≠ i) may transition to the temporary stop mode upon receiving an instruction from the remote operation device 30, 40. Details of this will be described later. The automatic stop mode is an operation mode in which the driving control unit 13 automatically stops automatic execution of driving due to some malfunction of the various sensors 17, the camera 18, the vehicle control device 10, etc.

The driving control unit 13 controls the driving of the work vehicle 100 according to the operation mode set by the mode setting unit 12. When the manual driving mode is set by the mode setting unit 12, the driving control unit 13 controls the driving of the work vehicle 100 according to external instructions sent from various operation units (not shown) mounted on the work vehicle 100 and internal instructions issued based on the autonomous control by the vehicle control device 10 itself.

When the mode setting unit 12 sets the automatic driving mode, the driving control unit 13 detects the deviation of the vehicle position and orientation from the driving route based on the data of the driving route stored in the route data storage unit 10A and the current position and current orientation (hereinafter referred to as the vehicle position and orientation) of the work vehicle 100 detected by the position and orientation sensor included in the various sensors 17, and automatically controls the steering of the work vehicle 100 to reduce the deviation. In addition, when the automatic driving mode is set, the driving control unit 13 automatically executes control of driving other than steering, such as the driving speed and gear changes of the work vehicle 100. In addition, it also automatically executes control of the operation of the work machine 101. In other words, after starting automatic driving, the driving control unit 13 automatically controls all driving according to internal instructions without receiving external instructions from the remote control devices 30 and 40.

When the remote control mode is set by the mode setting unit 12, the driving control unit 13 controls the driving of the work vehicle 100 according to the driving instructions included as commands (external instructions) in the operation device messages sent from the remote control devices 30, 40. When the standby mode is set by the mode setting unit 12, the driving control unit 13 puts the transmission in neutral to put the vehicle into an idling state while keeping the engine running, and stops the work vehicle 100. In addition, the power of the PTO shaft is stopped by the PTO clutch, and the work machine 101 is kept at a predetermined height while waiting.

The control device message transmitter 14 transmits a control device message at a predetermined time interval. This control device message includes a control device ID that can identify the vehicle control device 10 itself (hereinafter referred to as the local control device), a list of operation device IDs included in operation device messages received from the remote operation devices 30, 40 within a certain period immediately prior to transmitting the control device message, and status information indicating the operating status of the work vehicle 100 on which the local control device is mounted. The status information indicating the operating status is all or part of the various status information described above, and it is sufficient to include at least operation mode information.

Here, the control device ID is an ID that can distinguish multiple vehicle control devices 10 from one another. Also, the operation device ID is an ID that can distinguish remote operation devices 30, 40 from one another. For the ID, for example, a unique number is used. As an example, numbers 0 to 7 are assigned to the remote operation devices 30, 40, and numbers 8 to 15 are assigned to the vehicle control device 10. In this way, it is possible to identify whether the number is for the remote operation device 30, 40 or the vehicle control device 10 just by looking at the number.

The operation device message receiving unit 15 receives operation device messages sent at predetermined time intervals from the remote operation devices 30, 40. As described above, the mode setting unit 12 sets an operation mode related to the operation of the work vehicle 100 according to the mode setting instruction included as an instruction in the operation device message received by the operation device message receiving unit 15. In addition, the driving control unit 13 executes control of the driving of the work vehicle 100 according to the steering instruction included as an instruction in the operation device message received by the operation device message receiving unit 15.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the remote control devices 30 and 40 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the remote control devices 30 and 40 according to this embodiment include a control device message sending unit 21, a control device message receiving unit 22, a connection management unit 23, a redundancy management unit 24, and a command control unit 25 as functional configurations common to the first remote control device 30 and the second remote control device 40.

Each of the functional blocks 21 to 25 can be configured using hardware, a DSP, or software. For example, when configured using software, each of the functional blocks 21 to 25 is actually configured with a computer's CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and is realized by the operation of a program stored in a recording medium such as the RAM, ROM, hard disk, or semiconductor memory.

The operation device message sending unit 21 sends out an operation device message at a predetermined time interval. This operation device message includes an operation device ID that can identify the remote operation device 30, 40 itself (hereinafter referred to as the self-operation device), a list of control device IDs included in control device messages received from the vehicle control device 10 within a certain time period immediately prior to sending out the operation device message, and a command (mode setting command or steering command) for the vehicle control device 10. Note that the operation device message is sent even when the monitor is not operating the remote operation device 30, 40, and in that case the command included in the operation device message will indicate "no command."

The control device message receiving unit 22 receives control device messages sent from the vehicle control device 10 at predetermined time intervals.

The connection management unit 23 recognizes the vehicle control device 10 for which a mutual communication connection with the subject controlled device has been confirmed based on the control device ID included in the control device message received by the control device message receiving unit 22, and holds the control device ID of the recognized vehicle control device 10. For example, when the control device message receiving unit 22 receives control device messages from the first vehicle control device _10-1 and the second vehicle control device _10-2 , but does not receive control device messages from the third vehicle control device _10-3 and the fourth vehicle _control device _10-4 , the connection management unit 23 recognizes that the two vehicle control devices _10-1 , _10-2 are communicatively connected to the subject controlled device (connected in a state capable of communicating with each other) based on the control device IDs of the vehicle control devices _10-1 , _10-2 included in the control device messages received from the two vehicle control devices 10-1, _10-2 .

The redundancy management unit 24 recognizes, for each vehicle control device 10 whose communication connection state has been recognized by the connection management unit 23, whether the state is a redundant state in which the number of connections of the remote control devices 30, 40 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, or a non-redundant state in which the number of connections of the remote control devices 30, 40 is less than a predetermined number, based on the list of operation device IDs included in the control device message received by the control device message receiving unit 22, and holds information on the recognition result (hereinafter referred to as redundancy information). The list of operation device IDs included in the control device message indicates the operation device IDs included in the operation device message received from the remote control devices 30, 40 whose interconnection has been confirmed. In this embodiment, the predetermined number is two. Here, the redundant state and the non-redundant state will be explained based on FIG. 4.

4 shows a situation in which two site supervisors U1, U2 are remotely controlling four work vehicles _100-1 to _100-4 using a first remote control type remote operation device _{30-1, 30-2, respectively. The operation device IDs assigned to the first remote operation devices 30-1 , 30-2 are} ID0, ID1, and the control device IDs assigned to the four vehicle control devices _10-1 to _10-4 are ID8 to ID11. In the following description, the first remote operation device 30 will be referred to as a remote control 30.

In FIG. 4, the contents of the control device message transmitted by the second vehicle control device _10-2 are expressed as "ID9, [ID0, ID1], auto". "ID9" is the control device ID of the second vehicle control device _10-2 itself. "[ID0, ID1]" is a list of operation device IDs contained in the operation device message received from the two remote controls _30-1 , _30-2 within a certain period immediately before the second vehicle control device _10-2 transmits the control device message. "Auto" is status information indicating the operation mode of the work vehicle _100-2 on which the second vehicle control device _10-2 is mounted, and indicates that it is in the automatic driving mode here.

Similarly, the contents of the control device message sent by the first vehicle control device _10-1 are represented as "ID8, [ID0], auto", the contents of the control device message sent by the third vehicle control device _10-3 are represented as "ID10, [ID1], auto", and the contents of the control device message sent by the fourth vehicle control device _10-4 are represented as "ID11, [ID1], auto".

Furthermore, the contents of the operation device message sent by the first remote control _30-1 are expressed as "ID0, [ID8, ID9], nop.""ID0" is the operation device ID of the first remote control _30-1 itself. "[ID8, ID9]" is a list of control device IDs contained in control device messages received from the two vehicle control devices _10-1 , _10-2 within a certain period of time immediately before the first remote control _30-1 sent the operation device message. "nop" is information indicating a command issued by the first remote control _30-1 , and indicates "no command" here.

Furthermore, the contents of the operation device message sent by the second remote control _30-2 are expressed as "ID1, [ID9, ID10, ID11], nop.""ID1" is the operation _device ID of the second remote control _30-2 itself. "[ID9, ID10, ID11]" is a list of control device IDs contained in control device messages received from the three vehicle control devices _10-2 to _10-4 within a certain period of time immediately before the second remote control 30-2 sends out the operation device message. "nop" is information indicating a command issued by the second remote control _30-2 , and indicates "no command" here.

In the example of Fig. 4, the second vehicle control device _10-2 has two remote controls _30-1 , _30-2 in a communication-connected state with it. This is a redundant state. In Fig. 4, the communication connection state in the redundant state is indicated by a dotted line. In this case, in the remote controls _30-1 , _30-2 that are communication-connected with the second vehicle control device _10-2 in the redundant state, the control device message receiving unit 22 receives from the second vehicle control device _10-2 a control device message including a list of two operation device IDs ID0, ID1. Therefore, the redundancy management unit 24 can recognize that the second vehicle control device _10-2 is in a redundant state by the fact that the list includes the two operation device IDs ID0, ID1.

In contrast, the first vehicle control device _10-1 has only one remote control 30, the first remote control _{30-1, in a communication-connected state with it. This is a non-redundant state. In Fig. 4, the communication connection state in the non-redundant state is indicated by a solid line. In this case, in the first remote control 30-1 that} is communication-connected with the first vehicle control device _10-1 in the non-redundant state, the control device message receiving unit 22 receives from the first vehicle control device _10-1 a control device message including one operation device ID0. Therefore, the redundancy management unit 24 can recognize that the first vehicle control device _10-1 is in a non-redundant state by the inclusion of one operation device ID0 in the list.

Similarly, the third vehicle control device _10-3 and the fourth vehicle control device _10-4 have only one remote control 30, the second remote control _30-2 , in a communicatively connected state with them. In this case, in the second remote control _30-2 which is communicatively connected with the vehicle control devices _10-3 , _10-4 , the control device message receiving unit 22 receives a control device message including one operating device ID1, and therefore the redundancy management unit 24 can recognize that the third work vehicle _100-3 and the fourth work vehicle _100-4 are in a non-redundant state by the inclusion of one operating device ID1 in the list.

When the vehicle control device 10 is communicatively connected to two or more remote controls 30 in a redundant state, two or more on-site monitors can monitor the work vehicle 100 on which the vehicle control device 10 is mounted. Even if one of the monitors is unable to monitor the work vehicle 100 (is unable to monitor with sufficient attention), the other on-site monitors can continue to monitor the work vehicle 100, so remote control can be continued safely. On the other hand, when the vehicle control device 10 is communicatively connected to only one remote control 30 in a non-redundant state, if the on-site monitor is unable to monitor the work vehicle 100, the work vehicle 100 cannot be remotely controlled safely. In this embodiment, the command control unit 25 controls the commands issued to the vehicle control device 10, taking into account the difference in the nature of the redundant state and the non-redundant state.

When the connection management unit 23 detects a change from a communication connection state to a communication disconnection state with a vehicle control device 10 that is recognized by the redundancy management unit 24 as being in a non-redundant state, the command control unit 25 determines, based on the redundancy information it holds, whether or not there are other vehicle control devices 10 that are recognized as being in a non-redundant state other than the vehicle control device 10 that has become in a communication disconnection state, and if there are, controls the operation device message transmission unit 21 to transmit a command regarding the operation of the work vehicle 100 to the other vehicle control device 10. As an example in this embodiment, the command control unit 25 controls the operation device message transmission unit 21 to transmit a command to stop the operation of the work vehicle 100 (a mode setting instruction to set the vehicle to a temporary stop mode).

When the connection management unit 23 detects that a communication connection state has changed to a communication disconnection state with a vehicle control device 10 that is recognized as being in a non-redundant state, the connection management unit 23 reports this to an alarm unit (not shown), which then performs a predetermined alarm process to notify the communication disconnection. The alarm process is performed, for example, by displaying a message on an LED or display provided on the remote control device 30, 40, or by outputting a buzzer sound from a speaker. In this way, the supervisor operating the remote control device 30, 40 can recognize the vehicle control device 10 that has entered a communication disconnection state, and can take measures to restore the communication connection state from the communication disconnection state.

5 and 6 are diagrams for explaining a processing example of the command control unit 25. In FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the precondition is the same as the state shown in FIG. 4. As shown by the cross mark in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the communication connection state between the second remote control _30-2 and the fourth vehicle control device _10-4 , which are communication-connected in a non-redundant state, changes to a communication disconnection state for some reason. The communication disconnection may occur due to a deterioration in the communication state, due to the movement of the second site monitor U2 or the fourth vehicle control device _10-4 to go out of the communication range, or due to a failure of the fourth vehicle control device _10-4 .

When such a change from a communication connected state to a communication disconnected state is detected by the connection management unit 23, the command control unit 25 of the second remote control _30-2 determines whether there are any other vehicle control devices 10 that are recognized to be in a non-redundant state other than the fourth vehicle control device _10-4 that has become in a communication disconnected state. In the example of Fig. 5, the third vehicle control device _10-3 is also communicatively connected to the second remote control _30-2 in a non-redundant state. In this case, the command control unit 25 controls the operation device message transmission unit 21 to transmit an operation device message including a command to stop operation of the third work vehicle _100-3 (a mode setting instruction to set the vehicle to a temporary stop mode).

On the other hand, the command control unit 25 of the second remote control _30-2 does not transmit an operation device message including a command to stop operation of the second work vehicle _100-2 to the second vehicle control device _10-2 that is communicatively connected to the second remote control _30-2 . This is because the second vehicle control device _10-2 is in a redundant state in that it is communicatively connected to the first remote control _30-1 in addition to the second remote control _30-2 .

In the example of FIG. 5, the contents of the operation device message sent by the second remote control _30-2 are expressed as "ID1, [ID9, ID10], stop>ID10". Since communication with the fourth vehicle control device _10-4 has been cut off, the list of operation device IDs is "[ID9, ID10]", and ID11 has been excluded from the list. "stop>ID10" indicates that this is a mode setting instruction for the temporary stop mode for the third vehicle control device _10-3 of "ID10". An operation device message including a mode setting instruction of "stop>ID10" is transmitted to all vehicle control devices _10-2 , _10-3 that are communicatively connected to the second remote control _30-2 , and the vehicle control devices _10-2 , _10-3 that receive this message determine whether or not the instruction is for their own control devices, and execute the instruction only if it is for their own control devices.

When the second site monitor U2 confirms through a notification process that communication between the second remote control _30-2 and the fourth vehicle control device _-4 , which is connected in a non-redundant state, is cut off, it is highly likely that some action will be taken to restore communication connection from the cut off state. At this time, the second monitor U2 is also remotely controlling the third work vehicle _100-3 using the second remote control _30-2 , but there is a possibility that he or she will not be able to monitor the third work vehicle _100-3 with sufficient attention as before. In such a situation, in this embodiment, an operating device message including a mode setting instruction is automatically issued under the control of the command control unit 25, and the third work vehicle _100-3 is automatically transitioned to the temporary stop mode. This ensures a safe state during operation of the third work vehicle _100-3 .

On the other hand, as described above, the second work vehicle _100-2 is in a redundant state in which it is communicatively connected not only to the second remote control _30-2 but also to the first remote control _30-1 , and the second work vehicle _100-2 is in a state in which the first site monitor U1 can monitor it with sufficient attention. In this case, even if a communication disconnection occurs between the fourth vehicle control device _10-4 and the second remote control _30-2 and the second site monitor U2 may take some action to restore the communication connection state from the communication disconnection state, no mode setting command is issued to the second vehicle control device _10-2 , and the second work vehicle _100-2 remains in the automatic driving mode.

Also, as shown in Fig. 6, suppose that the first remote control _30-1 and the first vehicle control device _10-1 , which are communicatively connected in a non-redundant state, change from a communicatively connected state to a communicatively disconnected state for some reason. When such a change from a communicatively connected state to a communicatively disconnected state is detected by the connection management unit 23, the command control unit 25 determines whether or not there are other vehicle control devices 10 that are recognized as being in a non-redundant state other than the first vehicle control device _10-1 that has become a communicatively disconnected state. In the example of Fig. 6, there are no other vehicle control devices 10 that are communicatively connected in a non-redundant state to the first remote control _30-1 . In this case, the command control unit 25 does not transmit an operation device message including a mode setting instruction for the pause mode.

The first site monitor U1 uses the first remote control _30-1 to remotely control the second work vehicle _{100-2 in addition to the first work vehicle 100-1 equipped with the first vehicle control device 10-1 with which communication has been cut off. However, the second work vehicle 100-2 is in} a redundant state in which it is also communicatively connected to the second remote control _30-2 , and the second site monitor U2 is in a state in which it can monitor the second work vehicle _100-2 with sufficient attention. In this case, even if communication is cut off between the first vehicle control device _10-1 and the first remote control _30-1 and there is a possibility that the first site monitor U1 will take some kind of action, no mode setting instruction is issued to the second vehicle control device _10-2 , and the second work vehicle _100-2 remains in the automatic driving mode. Furthermore, even if, for example, the second work vehicle _100-2 moves and becomes distant from the second remote control _30-2 , causing a communication interruption between the second vehicle control device _10-2 and the second remote control _30-2 , the communication connection between the second vehicle control device _10-2 and the first remote control _30-1 is maintained, and the first site monitor U1 can remotely control the second work vehicle _100-2 .

Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the remote control devices 30, 40 according to this embodiment configured as described above. The flowchart shown in Figure 7 is executed repeatedly at a predetermined time interval. Note that Figure 7 shows an example of processing, and is not limited to this. That is, in Figure 7, the reception of a control device message, the confirmation of communication connection, the confirmation of redundancy, and the transmission of a control device message are executed synchronously at a predetermined time interval, but this is for the sake of simplicity of explanation, and it is not necessary that all of the steps are executed synchronously. That is, each of the above processes may be executed asynchronously.

First, the control device message receiving unit 22 receives one or more control device messages sent from the vehicle control device 10 (step S1). The connection management unit 23 recognizes the vehicle control device 10 that is communicatively connected to its own operation device based on the control device ID included in the received control device message, and retains the control device ID of the recognized vehicle control device 10 (step S2). Next, the redundancy management unit 24 recognizes whether the communication connection state of each of the vehicle control devices 10 recognized is in a redundant state or a non-redundant state based on the list of operation device IDs included in the received control device message, and retains redundancy information indicating the recognition result (step S3).

Next, the operation device message sending unit 21 judges whether or not the observer has operated the remote control device 30, 40 (step S4). If it is judged that the remote control device 30, 40 has been operated, the operation device message sending unit 21 sends an operation device message including a command (mode setting instruction or operation instruction) according to the operation (step S5). This ends one processing cycle that is performed at a predetermined time interval.

On the other hand, if the operation device message sending unit 21 determines that no operation has been performed on the remote operation devices 30, 40, the connection management unit 23 compares the control device ID of the vehicle control device 10 recognized as being in a communication connected state in step S2 above with the control device ID held during processing a predetermined time interval ago to determine whether a change from a communication connected state to a communication disconnected state has occurred between the vehicle control device 10 recognized as being in a non-redundant state by the redundancy management unit 24 during processing a predetermined time interval ago (step S6).

If the connection management unit 23 determines that a change to a communication cutoff state has occurred, the command control unit 25 determines whether there are other vehicle control devices 10 that are recognized as being in a non-redundant state other than the vehicle control device 10 that has become communication cutoff (step S7). If the command control unit 25 determines that there are other vehicle control devices 10 that are connected in a non-redundant state, the operation device message transmission unit 21, under the control of the command control unit 25, transmits an operation device message including a mode setting instruction to set the operation mode of the other vehicle control device 10 to a pause mode (step S8).

On the other hand, if the command control unit 25 determines that there are no other vehicle control devices 10 connected in a non-redundant state, the operation device message sending unit 21 sends an operation device message including a command with the content "no command" (step S9). Even if it is determined in the above step S6 that there has been no change from a communication connection state to a communication disconnection state, the operation device message sending unit 21 sends an operation device message including a command with the content "no command" (step S9). The processing of step S8 or step S9 ends one processing cycle performed at a predetermined time interval.

As described above in detail, in this embodiment, the remote control devices 30, 40 recognize the vehicle control devices 10 that are connected to the remote control device itself based on the control device ID included in the received control device message, and recognize, for each vehicle control device 10 whose communication connection state has been recognized, whether the remote control devices 30, 40 are in a redundant state in which the number of connections is two or more, or in a non-redundant state in which there is only one, based on the list of control device IDs included in the received control device message. Then, when a change from a communication connection state to a communication disconnection state with a vehicle control device 10 recognized as being in a non-redundant state is detected, it is determined whether there are other vehicle control devices 10 recognized as being in a non-redundant state other than the vehicle control device 10 that has become in a communication disconnection state, and if there are, a command regarding the operation of the work vehicle 100 is sent to the other vehicle control device 10.

According to the present embodiment configured as described above, when it is determined that there is another vehicle control device 10 that is connected in communication in a non-redundant state in addition to the vehicle control device 10 in the communication disconnection state, a command related to driving is sent to the other vehicle control device 10, and the driving of the other work vehicle 100 is automatically controlled. This makes it possible to ensure a safe state in the driving of the other work vehicle 100. On the other hand, even if there is another work vehicle 100 that the monitor controls using the remote operation device 30, 40, if it is recognized that the communication connection between the vehicle control device 10 connected to the other work vehicle 100 is in a redundant state, a command related to driving is not sent to the vehicle control device 10, and the remote control of the other work vehicle 100 continues as it is. Thus, according to the present embodiment, even if a communication disconnection occurs between any of the remote operation devices 30, 40 and the vehicle control device 10, it is possible to continue to safely control the operation of multiple work vehicles 100 from multiple remote operation devices 30, 40.
<First Modification>
In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the number of connections of the remote control devices 30, 40 that are considered to be in a redundant state is two, but the predetermined number may be three or more. In this case, the command control unit 25 issues a command to the other vehicle control devices 10 that are recognized to be in a non-redundant state other than the vehicle control device 10 in the communication cutoff state as a mode setting command for the temporary stop mode, as in the above embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of processing by the command control unit 25 according to the first modified example. FIG. 8 shows a situation in which three site supervisors U1 to U3 are remotely controlling four work vehicles 100 _-1 to 100 _-4 using one each of remote controls 30 _-1 to 30 _-3 . In FIG. 8, the first site supervisor U1 is remotely controlling two work vehicles 100 _-1 and 100 _-2 using the first remote control 30 _-1 , and the second site supervisor U2 is remotely controlling three work vehicles 100 _-2 to 100 _-4 using the second remote control 30 _-2 . This is the same as the state in FIG. 4. In FIG. 8, the third site supervisor U3 is further remotely controlling two work vehicles 100 _-2 and 100 _-3 using the third remote control 30 _-3 .

In the first modified example shown in Fig. 8, the vehicle control device 10 is in a redundant state when the number of remote controls 30 connected to it is three or more, and in a non-redundant state when the number is less than three. Thus, the second vehicle control device _10-2 is in a redundant state in which it is communicatively connected to three remote controls _30-1 to _30-3 , and the other vehicle control devices _10-1 , _10-3 , and _10-4 are in a non-redundant state in which it is communicatively connected to less than three remote controls 30. In particular, the third vehicle control device _10-3 is communicatively connected to two remote controls _30-2 and _30-3 , but is in a non-redundant state.

In the state shown in Fig. 8, suppose that for some reason the communication connection state changes to a communication disconnection state between the second remote control _30-2 and the fourth vehicle control device _10-4 , which are communication-connected in a non-redundant state. In this case, as in the above embodiment, an operation device message including a command related to driving is transmitted from the second remote control _30-2 to the third vehicle control device _10-3 , which is communication-connected in a non-redundant state, while no operation device message including a command related to driving is transmitted from the second remote control _30-2 to the second vehicle control device _10-2 , which is communication-connected in a redundant state.
<Second Modification>
In the situation shown in FIG. 5, if an operation device message including driving instructions is sent from the second remote control _30-2 to the third vehicle control device _10-3 with which the second remote control 30-2 is communicatively connected in a non-redundant state, while an operation device message including driving instructions is not sent from the second remote control _30-2 to the second vehicle control device _10-2 with which the second remote control 30-2 is communicatively connected in a redundant state, the second work vehicle _100-2 continues to operate in the autonomous driving mode.

In this situation, suppose that a communication interruption occurs between the first remote control _30-1 and the first vehicle control device _10-1 . In this case, since the second vehicle control device _10-2 is still in a redundant state connected to both the first remote control _30-1 and the second remote control _30-2 , no operation device message including a command related to driving is transmitted from the first remote control _30-1 to the second vehicle control device _10-2 . In this case, while the second site supervisor U2 is in a situation where he is substantially unable to monitor the second work vehicle _100-2 in order to handle the fourth work vehicle _100-4 , it is possible that the first site supervisor U1 will also be in a situation where he is substantially unable to monitor the second work vehicle _100-2 in order to handle the first work vehicle _100-1 .

The second modified example is intended to prevent such a situation from occurring. In the second modified example, when the control device message sending unit 14 of the vehicle control device 10 receives an operation device message including a driving command (a command for another control device, not for the own control device) transmitted from a remote control device 30, 40 in a communication-connected state at the operation device message receiving unit 15, the control device message sending unit 14 regards the vehicle control device 10 as being virtually disconnected from the remote control device 30, 40 that sent the operation device message, and excludes the operation device ID of the remote control device 30, 40 that sent the operation device message from the list of operation device IDs of the control device message.

Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the second modified example. In Fig. 9, the state is the same as that in Fig. 5 up to the point where an operating device message including a mode setting instruction (stop>ID10) for setting the third vehicle control device _10-3 to a temporary stop mode is transmitted from the second remote control _30-2 to the second vehicle control device _10-2 and the third vehicle control device _10-3 (state (1) in Fig. 9).

As shown in (2) of FIG. 9, when the operation device message receiving unit 15 of the second vehicle control device _10-2 receives an operation device message including a mode setting instruction to set the third vehicle control device _10-3 to a pause mode from the second remote control _30-2 with which the communication connection is established, the control device message sending unit 14 of the second vehicle control device _10-2 regards the second remote control _30-2 , which is the sender of the operation device message, as being virtually disconnected, as indicated by the △ mark, and excludes the operation device ID of the second remote control _30-2 , which is the sender of the operation device message, from the list of operation device IDs of the control device message.

That is, the control device message sending unit 14 of the second vehicle control device _10-2 does not send a control device message with contents such as "ID9, [ID0, ID1], auto" as in the above embodiment, but sends a control device message with contents such as "ID9, [ID0], auto" in which the operation device ID1 of the second remote control _30-2 is excluded from the list of operation device IDs. In this way, the redundancy management unit 24 of the first remote control _30-1 comes to recognize that there is a non-redundant state between the first remote control _30-1 and the second vehicle control device _10-2 (state (3) in FIG. 9).

Therefore, if communication is subsequently interrupted between the first remote control _30-1 and the first vehicle control device _10-1 , an operation device message including a command related to driving will be transmitted from the first remote control _30-1 to the second vehicle control device _10-2 . This causes the second work vehicle _100-2 to transition to temporary stop mode, ensuring a safe state for the operation of the second work vehicle _100-3 .

The period during which the second remote control _30-2 , which is the sender of the operation device message including commands related to the operation of the third work vehicle _100-3 , is regarded as being in a virtually disconnected state is, for example, the period until the operation device message receiving unit 15 of the second vehicle control device _10-2 receives again the operation device message including commands related to the operation of the third work vehicle _100-3 . For example, when the second site supervisor U2 finishes processing the fourth work vehicle _100-4 and transmits an operation device message including a mode setting instruction for returning the third work vehicle _100-3 from the temporary stop mode to the automatic driving mode from the second remote control _30-2 to each of the vehicle control devices _10-2 , _10-3 , _10-4 connected thereto, the control device message transmitting unit 14 of the second vehicle control device _10-2 that receives this resumes transmission of a control device message with contents such as "ID9, [ID0, ID1], auto" instead of "ID9, [ID0], auto".

In this way, before a communication interruption occurs between the first remote control _30-1 and the first vehicle control device _10-1 , if the second site supervisor U2 issues a mode setting instruction to return the third work vehicle _100-3 to the automatic driving mode, the state in which the first remote control _30-1 and the second vehicle control device _10-2 are regarded as being in a non-connected state is released and the normal redundant state is restored. Therefore, if a communication interruption occurs thereafter between the first remote control _30-1 and the first vehicle control device _10-1 , it is possible to prevent the first remote control _30-1 from transmitting an operation device message including a mode setting instruction to set the second vehicle control device _10-2 to the temporary stop mode, thereby allowing the second work vehicle _100-2 to continue operating in the automatic driving mode.
<Third Modification>
In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which only the remote operation devices 30, 40 are provided with the connection management unit 23 and the redundancy management unit 24. In contrast, in the third modified example, not only the remote operation devices 30, 40 but also the vehicle control device 10 is provided with the same configuration as the connection management unit 23 and the redundancy management unit 24. In the third modified example, the number of connections of the remote operation devices 30, 40 that are in a redundant state may be two, or may be three or more.

Figure 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a vehicle control device 10 according to a third modified example. In this Figure 10, components with the same reference numerals as those shown in Figure 2 have the same functions, and therefore redundant explanations will be omitted here. As shown in Figure 10, the vehicle control device 10 according to the third modified example further includes a second connection management unit 23A and a second redundancy management unit 24A as examples of functional configurations. In addition, the vehicle control device 10 according to the third modified example includes a driving control unit 13A instead of the driving control unit 13.

The second connection management unit 23A recognizes the remote control devices 30, 40 that are communicatively connected to the control device itself, based on the operation device ID included in the operation device message received by the operation device message receiving unit 15. The second redundancy management unit 24A recognizes, based on the number of remote control devices 30, 40 that are recognized as communicatively connected by the second connection management unit 23A, whether the state is a redundant state in which the number of connections of the remote control devices 30, 40 is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, or a non-redundant state in which the number of connections of the remote control devices 30, 40 is less than a predetermined number.

When the second redundancy management unit 24A detects a change from a redundant state to a non-redundant state, the driving control unit 13A issues an internal instruction including a command related to the operation of the work vehicle 100 to its own control device. For example, the driving control unit 13A issues a mode setting instruction to the mode setting unit 12 to set the work vehicle 100 to a temporary stop mode.

Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining a processing example of the third modified example. Fig. 11 shows the same connection relationship as Fig. 8. However, Fig. 11 shows an example in which the redundant state occurs when the number of connections of the remote operation devices 30, 40 is two, which is different from Fig. 8, which shows an example in which the redundant state occurs when the number of connections of the remote operation devices 30, 40 is three or more. Since the redundant state occurs when the number of connections of the remote operation devices 30, 40 is two, the area where the third vehicle control device 10 _-3 is connected to the two remote controllers 30 _-2 , 30 _-3 also becomes redundant.

11 , the redundancy management units 24 of the first remote control _30-2 , the second remote control _30-2 and the third remote control _30-3 recognize that the second vehicle control device _10-2 is in a redundant state based on the list of operation device IDs included in the control device message "ID9, [ID0, ID1, ID2], auto" received from the second vehicle control device _10-2 by the control device message receiving unit 22. Similarly, the redundancy management units 24 of the second remote control _30-2 and the third remote control _30-3 recognize that the third vehicle control device 10-3 is in a redundant state based on the list of operation device IDs included in the control device message "ID10, [ID1, ID2], auto" received from the third vehicle control device _10-3 by the control device message receiving unit ₂₂ .

On the other hand, the connection management unit 23A of the second vehicle control device _10-2 recognizes the three remote controls _30-1, 30-2, and 30-3 that are communicatively connected to the control device itself based on the operation device IDs included in the operation device message "ID0, [ID8, ID9], nop" received by the operation device message receiving unit 15 from the first remote control _30-1 , the operation device message "ID1, [ID9, ID10, ID11], nop" received from the second remote control _30-2 , and the operation device message "ID2, [ID9, ID10], nop" received from the third remote control _30-3 . Also, the second redundancy management unit 24A recognizes that the number of connections of the remote controls _30-1 , _30-2 , _{and 30-3} to the second vehicle control device _10-2 is in a redundant state of two or _more based on the number of the remote controls _30-1 , _30-2 , and _30-3 that are communicatively connected recognized by the second connection management unit 23A.

Similarly, the connection management unit 23A of the third vehicle control device _10-3 recognizes the two remote controls _{30-2 and 30-3 that are communicatively connected to the control device itself, based on the operation device IDs included in the operation device message "ID1, [ID9, ID10], nop" received from the second remote control 30-2 by} the operation device message receiving unit 15 and the operation device message "ID2, [ID9, ID10, ID11], nop" received from the third remote control _30-3 . Also, the second redundancy management unit 24A recognizes that the number of connections of the remote controls _{30-2 and 30-3} to the third vehicle control device _10-3 is in a redundant state of two, based on the number of the remote controls _30-2 and _30-3 recognized as being communicatively connected by the second connection management unit 23A.

In this state, for example, as shown in FIG. 11A, suppose that the communication connection state between the second vehicle control device _10-2 and the second remote control _30-2 changes to a communication disconnection state for some reason. In this case, the second connection management unit 23A of the second vehicle control device _10-2 recognizes the two remote controls _30-1 and _30-3 that are communicatively connected to the control device itself. In addition, the second redundancy management unit 24A recognizes that the number of connections of the remote controls _30-1 and _30-3 to the second vehicle control device _10-2 is two, which is a redundant state, based on the number of remote controls _30-1 and _30-3 that are communicatively connected by the second connection management unit 23A. In this way, since the second vehicle control device _10-2 maintains a redundant state, the driving control unit 13A does not issue a mode setting instruction to the mode setting unit 12 to set the temporary stop mode.

Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 11B, suppose that the communication connection state between the third vehicle control device _10-3 and the third remote control _30-3 changes to a communication disconnection state for some reason. In this case, the second connection management unit 23A of the third vehicle control device _10-3 recognizes one remote control _30-2 that is communicatively connected to the control device itself. Also, the second redundancy management unit 24A recognizes that the number of connections of the remote control _30-2 to the third vehicle control device _10-3 is less than two, which is a non-redundant state, based on the number of remote controls _30-2 recognized by the second connection management unit 23A as being communicatively connected. In this case, since the redundancy management unit 24A detects the change from the redundant state to the non-redundant state, the driving control unit 13A issues a mode setting instruction to the mode setting unit 12 to set the temporary stop mode.

In the above-mentioned second modified example, as shown in Fig. 9, the second vehicle control device _10-2 that has received an operation device message including a command related to driving from the second remote control _30-2 regards the second remote control _30-2 that is the sender of the operation device message as being virtually disconnected, and excludes the operation device ID "ID1" of the second remote control _30-2 from the list of operation device IDs in the control device message. However, this can also be applied to the third modified example. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a processing example when applied to the third modified example.

When applied to the third modified example, the operation device message sending unit 21 of the remote operation device 30, 40 sends an operation device message including commands related to the operation of the work vehicle 100 to the vehicle control device 10 in a communication-connected state, and then considers the vehicle control device 10 to which the operation device message is to be sent (a vehicle control device 10 other than the destination of the command) to be in a virtually disconnected state, and excludes the control device ID of the destination vehicle control device 10 from the list of control device IDs of the operation device message.

In the example shown in Figure 12, the operation device message transmitting unit 21 of the second remote control _30-2 transmits an operation device message "ID1, [ID9, ID10], stop>ID10" including a command related to driving the work vehicle 100 to the vehicle control devices _10-2 , _10-3 in a communication connected state, and then regards the second vehicle control device _10-2 as being virtually disconnected, and excludes the control device ID of the second vehicle control device _10-2 from the list of control device IDs for the operation device message to be transmitted subsequently. As a result, as shown in Figure 12 (1), the operation device message to be transmitted subsequently will be "ID1, [ID10], nop".

The second connection management unit 23A shown in FIG. 10 only targets operation device messages in which the control device ID of the control device itself is included in the list of control device IDs in the operation device message received from the remote operation device 30, 40, and recognizes the remote operation device 30, 40 that is communicatively connected to the control device itself based on the operation device ID included in the operation device message.

In the example shown in Fig. 12, the second connection management unit 23A of the second vehicle control device _10-2 ignores the operation device message "ID1, [ID10], nop" received from the second remote control _30-2 because the list of control device IDs in the operation device message does not include "ID9", which is the control device ID of the second control device 10-2. Then, the second connection management unit 23A only targets the operation device message "ID0, [ID8, ID9], nop" received from the first remote control _30-1 and recognizes the first remote control _30-1 that is communicatively connected to the second control device 10-2 based on the operation device ID "ID0" included in the operation device message.

Therefore, in this case, the second redundancy management unit 24A recognizes that the number of connections of the remote control _30-1 is less than a predetermined number and is in a non-redundant state based on the number of remote controls _30-1 recognized as being communicatively connected by the second connection management unit 23A ((2) in FIG. 12). As a result, the control device message transmitted by the control device message transmission unit 14 changes from "ID9, [ID0, ID1], auto" to "ID9, [ID0], auto" as in FIG. 9 ((3) in FIG. 12).
<Fourth Modification>
4 to 6, 8, 9, 11, and 12, an example has been described in which a plurality of site monitors remotely control a plurality of work vehicles 100 using a plurality of remote controls (first remote control devices) 30, but a second remote control device 40 may be included in addition to the first remote control device 30. FIG. 13(a) shows an example in which a second remote control device 40 is used instead of the second remote control _30-2 in FIG. 5. Note that this shows a state in which a remote control camera capable of taking an overhead image of the field is installed at a predetermined position in the field, and monitoring is performed using the image taken by the camera. FIG. 13(b) shows a state similar to FIG. 5 (however, as will be described later, the contents of the command issued from the second remote control _30-2 are different from those in FIG. 5).

In the fourth modified example, when multiple work vehicles 100 are remotely controlled using the first remote control device 30 and the second remote control device 40, the command control unit 25 issues different driving commands to the vehicle control device 10 in a non-redundant state depending on whether the self-operating device that transmits the operating device message is the first remote control device 30 or the second remote control device 40. In the case of the first remote control device 30, the on-site monitor can see the work vehicle 100, whereas in the case of the second remote control device 40, the remote monitor can only see the work vehicle 100 through the monitoring video. Therefore, the second remote control device 40 is considered to have a lower monitoring capability than the first remote control device 30.

13(a), when the communication between the second remote operation device 40 and the fourth vehicle control device _10-4 changes from a connected state to a disconnected state, the driving command transmitted from the second remote operation device 40 to the third vehicle control device _10-3 is a mode setting command to set the third work vehicle _100-3 into a temporary stop mode. In this way, when the self-operated device that transmits the operation device message is the second remote operation device 40, the second remote operation device 40 is considered to have a lower monitoring capability than the first remote operation device 30, and therefore issues a strict command such as setting the work vehicle 100 into a temporary stop mode.

13(b), when the communication between the first remote control device _30-2 and the fourth vehicle control device _10-4 changes from a connected state to a disconnected state, the driving command sent from the first remote control device _30-2 to the third vehicle control device _10-3 is a steering command to slow down the traveling speed of the third vehicle control device _10-3 . In this way, when the self-operated device that sends the operating device message is the first remote control device 30, the first remote control device 30 is considered to have a higher monitoring capability than the second remote control device 40, so it issues a gentler command such as to slow down the traveling speed of the work vehicle 100.

The fourth modified example described above can also be applied to the third modified example shown in FIG. 11. In this case, for example, it is conceivable to vary the content of the command regarding the operation of the work vehicle 100 depending on whether the remote control device 30, 40 that maintains the communication connection state is the first remote control device 30 or the second remote control device 40.

For example, when the second remote control device 40 is used instead of the second remote control _30-2 in Fig. 11(b), when the communication state between the third vehicle control device _10-3 and the third remote control _30-3 changes from a connected state to a disconnected state for some reason, the driving command issued by the third vehicle control device _10-3 as an internal command is a mode setting command for setting the third work vehicle _100-3 to a temporary stop mode. This is because the second remote control device 40 maintains a connected state with the third vehicle control device _10-3 . On the other hand, when the second remote control _30-2 is used as in Fig. 11(b), when the communication state between the third vehicle control device _10-3 and the third remote control _30-3 changes from a connected state to a disconnected state for some reason, the driving command issued by the third vehicle control device _10-3 as an internal command is a steering command for reducing the traveling speed of the third vehicle control device _10-3 . This is because it is the first remote control device 30 that maintains a communication connection state with the third vehicle control device _10-3 .
<Other Modifications>
In the above embodiment and modified example, an example has been described in which a command related to driving, such as "stop>ID10", is issued using the control device ID of a specific vehicle control device 10 to be controlled, but the present invention is not limited to this. In a configuration in which the vehicle control device 10 has the second redundancy management unit 24A as shown in Fig. 10, for example, in the state shown in Fig. 5, the second remote control _30-2 may transmit a mode setting command such as "stop>single" to all vehicle control devices _10-2 , _10-3 communicatively connected thereto, and the vehicle control devices _10-2 , _10-3 that receive this may determine whether their own control devices are in a non-redundant state or not, and execute the command only if they are in a non-redundant state.

The content of the command related to driving may be different depending on whether the number of remote control devices 30, 40 connected to the redundant state is two or three or more. For example, when the number of remote control devices 30, 40 connected to the redundant state is two, the command related to driving is a mode setting command to set the mode to a pause mode. On the other hand, when the number of remote control devices 30, 40 connected to the redundant state is three or more, the command related to driving is a steering command to reduce the driving speed.

In addition, the number of connections of the remote control devices 30, 40 that are considered to be in a redundant state may be switched to either two or three or more depending on whether or not the second remote control device 40 is included in the remote control devices that monitor the multiple work vehicles 100. For example, if the second remote control device 40 is not included in the remote control devices (if all are the first remote control device 30), the predetermined number may be two, and if the second remote control device 40 is included in the remote control devices, the predetermined number may be three or more.

In addition, in the above embodiment and modified example, an example has been described in which a mode setting instruction is issued to change the work vehicle 100 from the autonomous driving mode to the temporary stop mode, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a mode setting instruction may be issued to change the work vehicle 100 operating in the remote control mode to the temporary stop mode. Also, a mode setting instruction may be issued to change to the standby mode instead of the temporary stop mode. Furthermore, when the operating mode is changed, a notification process may be performed to notify the supervisor of this.

In addition, the above embodiments are merely examples of how the present invention can be implemented, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted in a limiting manner. In other words, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its gist or main features.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Vehicle control device 11 Status information acquisition unit 12 Mode setting unit 13, 13A Driving control unit 14 Control device message transmission unit 15 Operation device message reception unit 21 Operation device message transmission unit 22 Control device message reception unit 23 Connection management unit 23A Second connection management unit 24 Redundancy management unit 24A Second redundancy management unit 25 Command control unit 30 First remote control device (remote control)
40 Second remote control device

Claims (10)

A work vehicle control system comprising a vehicle control device mounted on each of a plurality of work vehicles capable of automatic travel, and at least one of a first remote control device used by an on-site supervisor who can visually observe the work vehicles and a second remote control device used by an supervisor who cannot visually observe the work vehicles, the system being capable of controlling the operation of the plurality of work vehicles in accordance with external instructions given from the remote control device to the vehicle control device,
The vehicle control devices mounted on the work vehicles each include
a control device message transmission unit that transmits the control device message at a predetermined time interval, the control device message including a control device ID that can identify the control device, a list of operation device IDs included in an operation device message received from the remote control device within a certain time period immediately prior to transmitting the control device message, and status information indicating the operating status of a work vehicle equipped with the control device;
an operation device message receiving unit for receiving the operation device message transmitted from the remote operation device at the predetermined time intervals;
The remote control device is
an operation device message transmission unit that transmits the operation device message at the predetermined time interval, the operation device message including an operation device ID capable of identifying the operation device itself, a list of control device IDs included in the control device message received from the vehicle control device within a certain time period immediately prior to transmitting the operation device message, and a command for the vehicle control device;
a control device message receiving unit for receiving the control device message transmitted from the vehicle control device at the predetermined time interval;
a connection management unit that recognizes a vehicle control device that is communicatively connected to the subject control device based on the control device ID included in the control device message received by the control device message receiving unit;
a redundancy management unit that recognizes, for each vehicle control device whose communication connection state has been recognized by the connection management unit, whether the vehicle control device is in a redundant state in which the number of connections of the remote control device is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, or in a non-redundant state in which the number of connections of the remote control device is less than a predetermined number, based on a list of the operation device IDs included in the control device message received by the control device message receiving unit;
a command control unit that, when the connection management unit detects a change from the communication connection state to a communication disconnection state with a vehicle control device that is recognized by the redundancy management unit to be in the non-redundant state, determines whether there are any other vehicle control devices that are recognized as being in the non-redundant state other than the vehicle control device that has entered the communication disconnection state, and if so, controls the operation device message sending unit to send commands regarding the operation of the work vehicle to the other vehicle control devices. The predetermined number is two,
2. The autonomous driving work vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the command control unit controls the operation device message sending unit to send a command to the other vehicle control devices to stop driving the work vehicle. The predetermined number is three or more,
2. The autonomous driving work vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the command control unit controls the operation device message sending unit to send a command to the other vehicle control devices to stop driving the work vehicle. The control system for an autonomous work vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that when the control device message sending unit of the vehicle control device receives the operation device message including instructions regarding the operation of the work vehicle transmitted from a remote control device in the communication connection state at the operation device message receiving unit, the control device message sending unit considers the remote control device that sent the operation device message to be in a virtually disconnected state, and excludes the operation device ID of the remote control device that sent the operation device message from the list of operation device IDs of the control device message. The control system for an autonomous work vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the command control unit differs in content of the command regarding the operation of the work vehicle depending on whether the self-operated device that transmits the operating device message is the first remote controlled device or the second remote controlled device. The vehicle control device includes:
A driving control unit that controls the operation of the work vehicle in accordance with an internal command generated by the autonomous control of the vehicle control device;
A second connection management unit that recognizes a remote operation device that is communicatively connected to the control device itself based on the operation device ID included in the operation device message received by the operation device message receiving unit;
a second redundancy management unit that recognizes, based on the number of the remote control devices recognized as being communicatively connected by the second connection management unit, whether the state is a redundant state in which the number of connections of the remote control devices is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, or a non-redundant state in which the number of connections of the remote control devices is less than the predetermined number,
When the second redundancy management unit detects a change from the redundant state to the non-redundant state, the driving control unit issues an internal instruction including a command regarding the driving of the work vehicle to the control device.
4. The control system for an autonomous working vehicle according to claim 1 , The operation device message transmission unit of the remote control device transmits the operation device message including a command for driving the work vehicle to the vehicle control device in the communication connection state, and then considers the vehicle control device remote control device to be the destination of the operation device message as being in a virtually disconnected state, and excludes the control device ID of the destination vehicle control device from the list of control device IDs of the operation device message,
The second connection management unit of the vehicle control device recognizes remote operation devices that are communicatively connected to the vehicle control device based on the operation device ID contained in the operation device message, only for the operation device messages whose control device ID is included in the list of control device IDs. The control system for an autonomous work vehicle as described in claim 6, characterized in that when the second redundancy management unit detects a change from the redundant state to the non-redundant state, the driving control unit differs the content of the command regarding the operation of the work vehicle depending on whether the remote control device with which the communication connection state is maintained is the first remote control device or the second remote control device. A remote control device is used in a control system that includes a vehicle control device mounted on each of a plurality of work vehicles capable of automatic travel, and at least one of a first remote control device used by an observer at a site where the work vehicles can be seen and a second remote control device used by an observer at a remote location where the work vehicles cannot be seen, and that is capable of controlling the operation of the plurality of work vehicles according to external instructions given from the remote control device to the vehicle control device,
an operation device message transmission unit that transmits, at a predetermined time interval, the operation device message including an operation device ID capable of identifying the own operation device, a list of control device IDs included in a control device message received from the vehicle control device within a certain time period immediately prior to transmitting the operation device message, and a command for the vehicle control device;
a control device message receiving unit for receiving the control device message transmitted from the vehicle control device at the predetermined time interval;
a connection management unit that recognizes a vehicle control device that is communicatively connected to the subject control device based on the control device ID included in the control device message received by the control device message receiving unit;
a redundancy management unit that recognizes, for each vehicle control device whose communication connection state has been recognized by the connection management unit, whether the vehicle control device is in a redundant state in which the number of connections of the remote control device is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, or in a non-redundant state in which the number of connections of the remote control device is less than a predetermined number, based on a list of the operation device IDs included in the control device message received by the control device message receiving unit;
a command control unit that, when the connection management unit detects a change from the communication connection state to a communication disconnection state with a vehicle control device that is recognized by the redundancy management unit to be in the non-redundant state, determines whether there are any other vehicle control devices that are recognized as being in the non-redundant state other than the vehicle control device that has experienced the communication disconnection state, and, if so, controls the operation device message sending unit to send commands regarding the operation of the work vehicle to the other vehicle control devices. A vehicle control device is mounted on each of a plurality of work vehicles capable of automatic travel, and a remote control device which is at least one of a first remote control device used by an observer at a site where the work vehicles can be seen and a second remote control device used by an observer at a remote location where the work vehicles cannot be seen, the vehicle control device being used in a control system capable of controlling the operation of the plurality of work vehicles according to external instructions given from the remote control device to the vehicle control device and internal instructions by autonomous control of the vehicle control device,
a driving control unit that controls the operation of the work vehicle in accordance with the external instruction and the internal instruction;
a control device message transmission unit that transmits the control device message at a predetermined time interval, the control device message including a control device ID that can identify the control device, a list of operation device IDs included in an operation device message received from the remote control device within a certain time period immediately prior to transmitting the control device message, and status information indicating the operating status of a work vehicle equipped with the control device;
an operation device message receiving unit for receiving the operation device message transmitted from the remote operation device at the predetermined time interval;
A second connection management unit that recognizes a remote operation device that is communicatively connected to the control device itself based on the operation device ID included in the operation device message received by the operation device message receiving unit;
a second redundancy management unit that recognizes whether the state is a redundant state in which the number of connections of the remote control devices is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, or a non-redundant state in which the number of connections of the remote control devices is less than a predetermined number, based on a list of the control device IDs included in the operation device message received by the operation device message receiving unit;
The vehicle control device is characterized in that when the second connection management unit detects a change from a communication connection state to a communication disconnection state between the driving control unit and a remote control device that is recognized by the second redundancy management unit as being in the non-redundant state, the driving control unit sends an internal instruction including a command regarding the operation of the work vehicle to the control device itself.