JP7635814B2 - Control device and remote control method - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a control device and a remote control method.

There is known a technique for confirming whether a vehicle is being remotely controlled appropriately by sending a command to operate the vehicle's wipers, etc., by remote control, and observing whether the vehicle's wipers, etc., operate in response to the command (for example, Patent Document 1).

U.S. Pat. No. 1,053,2771

With the above-mentioned technology, it is difficult to determine whether a vehicle is being remotely controlled appropriately if a remotely controlled vehicle and a non-remotely controlled vehicle accidentally perform the same operation at the same time, or if it is not easy to observe the vehicle's operation.

The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms.
[Form 1] According to one form of the present disclosure, a control device is provided, the control device including: an information acquisition unit capable of acquiring command information related to a control command for remotely controlling a moving state of a vehicle, internal sensor information representing the moving state of the vehicle detected by an internal sensor mounted on the vehicle, and external sensor information representing the moving state of the vehicle detected by an external sensor located outside the vehicle, and a comparison unit that compares at least one of the command information and the internal sensor information with the external sensor information to confirm that a vehicle that is a control target of the control command is being remotely controlled.
[Mode 2] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a remote control method executed by a computer, which acquires command information related to a control command for remotely controlling a moving state of a vehicle, internal sensor information representing the moving state of the vehicle detected by an internal sensor mounted on the vehicle, and external sensor information representing the moving state of the vehicle detected by an external sensor located outside the vehicle, and compares at least one of the command information and the internal sensor information with the external sensor information to confirm that the vehicle that is the control target of the control command is being remotely controlled.
The present disclosure can also be realized in the following forms.

(1) According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a control device comprising: an information acquisition unit capable of acquiring command information relating to a control command for remotely controlling a moving state of a moving body, internal sensor information representing the moving state of the moving body detected by an internal sensor mounted on the moving body, and external sensor information representing the moving state of the moving body detected by an external sensor located outside the moving body, a comparison unit that compares at least two pieces of information, the command information, the internal sensor information, and the external sensor information, and a control unit that performs different processing on the moving body depending on whether the at least two pieces of information match or do not match.
According to this form of control device, when a moving object is not remotely controlled appropriately, at least two pieces of information among the command information, the internal sensor information, and the external sensor information will not match, and therefore it is possible to determine whether or not the moving object is being remotely controlled appropriately based on whether or not the above at least two pieces of information match.
(2) In the control device of the above form, when the at least two pieces of information do not match, the control unit may execute at least one of the following processes: a process for notifying that an abnormality has occurred, a process for changing the speed of the moving body, and a process for stopping remote control of the moving body.
According to this form of control device, when at least two pieces of information among the command information, the internal sensor information, and the external sensor information do not match, the necessary processing can be executed when the moving object is not properly remotely controlled.
(3) In the control device of the above-described form, the comparison unit may compare the command information with the external sensor information when the current situation matches a situation that is predetermined as a situation in which it is not appropriate to use the internal sensor information for the comparison.
According to the control device of this aspect, it is possible to suppress a case where it is erroneously determined that the moving object is not remotely controlled appropriately when the moving object is actually remotely controlled appropriately.
(4) In the control device of the above-described form, the comparison unit may compare the command information with the internal sensor information when the current situation matches a situation that is predetermined as a situation in which it is not appropriate to use the external sensor information for the comparison.
According to the control device of this aspect, it is possible to suppress a case where it is erroneously determined that the moving object is not remotely controlled appropriately when the moving object is actually remotely controlled appropriately.
(5) In the control device of the above aspect, the comparison unit may compare three pieces of information: the command information, the internal sensor information, and the external sensor information.
According to the control device of this aspect, it is possible to suppress a situation in which it is erroneously determined that the moving object is being remotely controlled appropriately when the moving object is not being remotely controlled appropriately.
(6) According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a remote control method, which acquires command information relating to a control command for remotely controlling a moving state of a moving body, internal sensor information representing the moving state of the moving body detected by an internal sensor mounted on the moving body, and external sensor information representing the moving state of the moving body detected by an external sensor located outside the moving body, compares the command information with at least two pieces of information, the internal sensor information, and the external sensor information, and performs different processing on the moving body depending on whether the at least two pieces of information match or do not match.
According to this form of remote control method, if the moving object is not remotely controlled appropriately, at least two pieces of information among the command information, the internal sensor information, and the external sensor information will not match, and therefore it is possible to determine whether the moving object is being remotely controlled appropriately based on whether the at least two pieces of information match.
The present disclosure may be realized in various forms other than the control device and the remote control method, for example, in the form of a remote control system, a moving body, a method for manufacturing a moving body, a vehicle, a method for manufacturing a vehicle, a computer program, and a recording medium on which a computer program is recorded.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a remote control system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a vehicle moves by remote control in a factory. 6 is a flowchart showing the contents of a confirmation process according to the first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing the contents of a transmission process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a remote control device transmits and receives information; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a comparison between command information, internal sensor information, and external sensor information.

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

As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the remote control system 10 includes a remotely controllable vehicle 100, a remote control device 200 for remotely controlling the vehicle 100, a group of external sensors 300 installed in a factory, an alarm device 400 for notifying the occurrence of an abnormality in the factory, and a process management device 500 for managing the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100 in the factory. Note that the remote control device 200 may also be simply referred to as a control device.

2, the vehicle 100 includes a vehicle control device 110 for controlling each part of the vehicle 100, a driving device 120 for accelerating the vehicle 100, a steering device 130 for changing the traveling direction of the vehicle 100, a braking device 140 for decelerating the vehicle 100, a communication device 150 for communicating with the remote control device 200 by wireless communication, and an internal sensor group 160. In this embodiment, the driving device 120 includes a battery, a motor driven by the battery power, and a driving wheel rotated by the motor. The internal sensor group 160 is composed of at least one internal sensor. The internal sensor is a sensor mounted on the vehicle 100. The internal sensor is used to measure a physical quantity representing the moving state of the vehicle 100. The physical quantity representing the moving state of the vehicle 100 may include, for example, the speed, acceleration, yaw axis angular velocity (yaw rate), and yaw axis angular acceleration of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the internal sensor group 160 may include a vehicle speed sensor for measuring the speed of the vehicle 100 and a yaw rate sensor for measuring the yaw axis angular velocity of the vehicle 100.

The vehicle control device 110 is composed of a computer including a processor 111, a memory 112, an input/output interface 113, and an internal bus 114. The processor 111, the memory 112, and the input/output interface 113 are connected via the internal bus 114 so as to be able to communicate in both directions. The input/output interface 113 is connected to the drive unit 120, the steering unit 130, the braking unit 140, the communication unit 150, and the internal sensor group 160. The memory 112 stores a computer program PG2.

The processor 111 executes the computer program PG1 to function as the vehicle control unit 115. The vehicle control unit 115 controls the driving device 120, the steering device 130, and the braking device 140. When a driver is on board the vehicle 100, the vehicle control unit 115 controls the driving device 120, the steering device 130, and the braking device 140 in response to the driver's operation, thereby allowing the vehicle 100 to travel. Regardless of whether a driver is on board the vehicle 100 or not, the vehicle control unit 115 controls the driving device 120, the steering device 130, and the braking device 140 in response to a control command supplied from the remote control device 200, thereby allowing the vehicle 100 to travel. The vehicle control unit 115 measures physical quantities that indicate the moving state of the vehicle 100 using the internal sensor group 160.

As shown in FIG. 1, the remote control device 200 is configured by a computer including a processor 201, a memory 202, an input/output interface 203, and an internal bus 204. The processor 201, the memory 202, and the input/output interface 203 are connected via the internal bus 204 so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally. The input/output interface 203 is connected to a communication device 205 for communicating with the vehicle 100 via wireless communication. In this embodiment, the communication device 205 can communicate with the external sensor group 300, the alarm device 400, and the process management device 500 via wired communication or wireless communication. The memory 202 stores a computer program PG1 and a database DB.

The processor 201 executes the computer program PG2 to function as a remote control unit 210, an information acquisition unit 220, and a comparison unit 230. The remote control unit 210 transmits a control command to the vehicle 100 for remotely controlling the moving state of the vehicle 100, thereby causing the vehicle 100 to run. In this embodiment, the control command transmitted from the remote control unit 210 to the vehicle 100 includes a target value for the speed of the vehicle 100 and a target value for the yaw axis angular velocity of the vehicle 100. The information acquisition unit 220 acquires command information, which is information related to the control command transmitted from the remote control unit 210 to the vehicle 100, internal sensor information, which is information related to the moving state of the vehicle 100 obtained from the internal sensor group 160, and external sensor information, which is information related to the moving state of the vehicle 100 obtained from the external sensor group 300. The comparison unit 230 compares at least two of the target movement states of the vehicle 100 derived from the command information, the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from the internal sensor information, and the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from the external sensor information, and determines whether or not the at least two movement states match. The database DB stores information about situations in which it is not appropriate to use the internal sensor information for comparison, and information about situations in which it is not appropriate to use the external sensor information for comparison.

The external sensor group 300 is composed of at least one external sensor. An external sensor is a sensor installed outside the vehicle 100. The external sensor is used to measure physical quantities that represent the moving state of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the external sensor group 300 is composed of multiple cameras installed in a factory. Each camera is equipped with a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with the remote control device 200 by wired communication or wireless communication.

The notification device 400 is a device for notifying the manager of the remote control system 10 and factory workers that an abnormality has occurred in the factory. In the following description, the manager of the remote control system 10 and the factory workers are referred to as the manager, etc. The notification device 400 is, for example, an alarm buzzer installed in the factory or an alarm lamp installed in the factory. The notification device 400 may be a tablet terminal carried by the manager, etc. The notification device 400 is equipped with a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with the remote control device 200 via wired communication or wireless communication.

The process management device 500 is a device for managing the manufacturing process of the vehicle 100 in a factory. The process management device 500 is composed of at least one computer. The process management device 500 is equipped with a communication device (not shown) and can communicate with the remote control device 200 and various equipment in the factory by wired or wireless communication. By communicating with various equipment in the factory, the process management device 500 determines when, where, who, and which vehicle 100 are scheduled to perform what work, and when, where, who, and which vehicle 100 have performed what work.

Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing how the vehicle 100 moves by remote control in the factory KJ. Five vehicles 100A-100E are shown in Figure 3. In the following description, when the five vehicles 100A-100E are not to be distinguished from one another, they are simply referred to as vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the factory KJ includes a first location PL1 for assembling the vehicle 100, a second location PL2 for inspecting the vehicle 100, and a third location PL3 for storing the vehicle 100 that has passed the inspection. The first location PL1, the second location PL2, and the third location PL3 are connected by a road SR along which the vehicle 100 can travel.

The vehicle 100 assembled at the first location PL1 is equipped with a vehicle control device 110, a drive device 120, a steering device 130, a braking device 140, a communication device 150, and an internal sensor group 160. The vehicle 100 assembled at the first location PL1 is remotely controlled by a remote control device 200 to run from the first location PL1 to the second location PL2. The vehicle 100 that passes the inspection at the second location PL2 is remotely controlled by the remote control device 200 to run from the second location PL2 to the third location PL3. The vehicle 100 is then shipped from the factory KJ.

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

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

Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the contents of the confirmation process executed in the remote control device 200. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the contents of the information transmission process executed in the vehicle 100. Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing how the remote control device 200 transmits and receives information. Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing how the command information DT1, the internal sensor information DT2, and the external sensor information DT3 are compared. The remote control method executed in the remote control system 10 will be explained using Figures 4 to 7.

The confirmation process shown in FIG. 4 is repeatedly executed by the remote control device 200. When the confirmation process is started, in step S110, the information acquisition unit 220 determines whether or not the vehicle 100 is being moved by remote control. In the following description, the vehicle 100 that is the target of remote control is referred to as the target vehicle 100. If it is determined in step S110 that the target vehicle 100 is not being moved by remote control, the information acquisition unit 220 skips the process after step S110 and ends the confirmation process.

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

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

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

In this embodiment, the comparison unit 230 basically compares the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the command information DT1, the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the internal sensor information DT2, and the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the external sensor information DT3. However, if the current situation matches a situation that is predefined as a situation in which it is not appropriate to use the internal sensor information DT2 for comparison, the comparison unit 230 excludes the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the internal sensor information DT2 from the comparison target, and if the current situation matches a situation that is predefined as a situation in which it is not appropriate to use the external sensor information DT3 for comparison, the comparison unit 230 excludes the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the external sensor information DT3 from the comparison target.

A situation in which it is not appropriate to use the internal sensor information DT2 for comparison corresponds, for example, to a situation in which the target vehicle 100 is driven on an uneven road for inspection. Under such a situation, it is difficult to properly measure the speed of the target vehicle 100 using the vehicle speed sensor included in the internal sensor group 160. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned situation is recorded in the database DB as a situation in which it is not appropriate to use the internal sensor information DT2 for comparison. When the comparison unit 230 acquires information from the process management device 500 indicating that the manufacturing process of the target vehicle 100 is a process in which the above-mentioned inspection is performed, the comparison unit 230 excludes the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the internal sensor information DT2 from the comparison target, and compares the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the command information DT1 and the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the external sensor information DT3.

For example, a situation in which it is not appropriate to use the external sensor information DT3 for comparison corresponds to a situation in which the target vehicle 100 is traveling outdoors in the evening or at night. In this situation, it is difficult to properly measure the speed of the target vehicle 100 using the camera CM included in the external sensor group 300. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned situation is recorded in the database DB as a situation in which it is not appropriate to use the external sensor information DT3 for comparison. When the comparison unit 230 acquires information from the process management device 500 indicating that the target vehicle 100 is in a process of traveling outdoors and information indicating that the current time is in the evening or nighttime, the comparison unit 230 excludes the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the external sensor information DT3 from the comparison target, and compares the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the command information DT1 and the speed of the target vehicle 100 derived from the internal sensor information DT2.

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

If it is determined in step S150 that the comparison results are a match, the remote control unit 210 continues to move the target vehicle 100 by remote control in step S160. The remote control device 200 then ends the confirmation process.

If it is determined in step S150 that the comparison results do not match, in step S165, the remote control unit 210 uses the alarm device 400 to notify the administrator or the like that an abnormality has occurred. In step S168, the remote control unit 210 transmits a control command to brake the target vehicle 100, thereby stopping the movement of the target vehicle 100. Thereafter, the remote control device 200 ends the confirmation process.

The information transmission process shown in FIG. 5 is repeatedly executed in the vehicle 100. When the information transmission process is started, in step S210, the vehicle control unit 115 determines whether or not a transmission command SS has been received from the remote control device 200. If it is determined in step S210 that a transmission command SS has not been received from the remote control device 200, the vehicle control unit 115 skips the process after step S210 and ends the information transmission process. If it is determined in step S210 that a transmission command SS has been received from the remote control device 200, the vehicle control unit 115 transmits the internal sensor information DT2 to the remote control device 200 in accordance with the transmission command SS in step S220. Thereafter, the vehicle control unit 115 ends the information transmission process.

According to the remote control system 10 in this embodiment described above, the comparison unit 230 can determine whether the vehicle 100 is appropriately remotely controlled by comparing at least two of the movement states of the vehicle 100 derived from the command information DT1, the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from the internal sensor information DT2, and the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from the external sensor information DT3. In particular, by comparing the three movement states of the vehicle 100 derived from the command information DT1, the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from the internal sensor information DT2, and the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from the external sensor information DT3, it can be confirmed that the intended vehicle 100 is being remotely controlled and that the vehicle 100 is operating in the intended movement state.

In addition, in this embodiment, when it is not appropriate to use the internal sensor information DT2, the comparison unit 230 excludes the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from the internal sensor information DT2 from the comparison target. This makes it possible to prevent the vehicle 100 from being erroneously determined to be not appropriately remotely controlled when it is actually being appropriately remotely controlled. By comparing the two movement states of the vehicle 100 derived from the command information DT1 and the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from the external sensor information DT3, it is possible to confirm that the intended vehicle 100 is being remotely controlled and that the vehicle 100 is operating in the intended movement state.

In addition, in this embodiment, when it is not appropriate to use the external sensor information DT3, the comparison unit 230 excludes the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from the external sensor information DT3 from the comparison target. This makes it possible to prevent the vehicle 100 from being erroneously determined to be not appropriately remotely controlled when it is actually being appropriately remotely controlled. By comparing the two movement states of the vehicle 100 derived from the command information DT1 and the movement state of the vehicle 100 derived from the internal sensor information DT2, it is possible to confirm that the vehicle 100 is operating in the intended movement state.

In addition, in this embodiment, if the comparison results in a match, the remote control device 200 continues the movement of the vehicle 100, and if the comparison results in a mismatch, the remote control device 200 notifies an administrator or the like that an abnormality has occurred using the notification device 400, and then stops the movement of the vehicle 100 by remote control. Therefore, unintended continuation of the movement of the vehicle 100 can be prevented.

B. Other embodiments:
(B1) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the information acquisition unit 220 and the comparison unit 230 are provided in the remote control device 200. In contrast, the information acquisition unit 220 and the comparison unit 230 may be provided in the vehicle control device 110. When the comparison results by the comparison unit 230 provided in the vehicle control device 110 match, the vehicle control unit 115 continues the process of running the vehicle 100 according to the control command transmitted from the remote control device 200, and when the comparison results do not match, the vehicle control unit 115 executes at least one process of notifying that an abnormality has occurred, changing the speed of the vehicle 100, and stopping the reception of the control command transmitted from the remote control device 200. In the process of notifying that an abnormality has occurred, the vehicle control unit 115 may notify that an abnormality has occurred using the notification device 400 located outside the vehicle 100, or may notify that an abnormality has occurred to an operator located near the vehicle 100 by sounding a horn mounted on the vehicle 100. In the process of changing the speed of the vehicle 100, the vehicle control unit 115 may stop the vehicle 100, or may decelerate the vehicle 100 within a range in which the vehicle 100 does not stop.

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

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

(B4) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the remote control unit 210 may increase the speed limit of the target vehicle 100 in step S160 of the confirmation process compared to before step S160 if the target vehicle 100 is to continue moving.

(B5) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, in step S168 of the confirmation process, the remote control unit 210 stops the movement of the target vehicle 100. In contrast, in the confirmation process, the remote control unit 210 may decelerate the target vehicle 100 within a range in which the movement of the target vehicle 100 is not stopped. The remote control unit 210 may lower the speed limit of the target vehicle 100 compared to before step S160 without decelerating the target vehicle 100.

(B6) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the remote control unit 210 notifies the occurrence of an abnormality using the notification device 400 located outside the vehicle 100. In response to this, the remote control unit 210 may notify the occurrence of an abnormality by remotely controlling the horn of the vehicle 100 to sound, or may notify the occurrence of an abnormality by remotely controlling the headlights of the vehicle 100 to flash.

(B7) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, if the comparison unit 230 determines that the movement state derived from the command information DT1 does not match the movement state derived from the external sensor information DT3, instead of steps S165 and S168, or in addition to steps S165 and S168, the comparison unit 230 may use the external sensor group 300 to identify a vehicle 100 whose movement state derived from the command information DT1 matches the movement state derived from the external sensor information DT3.

(B8) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, when the assembly work at the first location PL1 is completed, the vehicle 100 is in a state in which it can be moved by remote control. The state in which the vehicle 100 can be moved by remote control means that the vehicle 100 is equipped with the vehicle control device 110, the drive device 120, the steering device 130, the braking device 140, and the communication device 150, and can perform the three functions of "running," "turning," and "stopping" by remote control. Therefore, the vehicle 100 moving by remote control may not have at least some of the interior parts such as the driver's seat and dashboard attached, at least some of the exterior parts such as the bumper and fenders attached, or a body shell attached. In this case, the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100 before the vehicle 100 is shipped from the factory KJ, or the remaining parts such as the body shell may be attached to the vehicle 100 after it is shipped from the factory KJ.

(B9) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the remote control unit 210 automatically generates the control command to be sent to the vehicle 100. In contrast, the remote control unit 210 may generate the control command to be sent to the vehicle 100 in accordance with the operation of an operator located outside the vehicle 100. For example, the operator may operate a driving device that includes a display that displays the position and orientation of the vehicle 100, a steering wheel for operating the vehicle 100, an accelerator pedal, and a brake pedal, and the remote control unit 210 may generate the remote control command in response to the operation applied to the driving device.

(B10) In the remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above, the external sensor group 300 may include a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) instead of a camera, or may include a camera and a LiDAR.

(B11) The remote control system 10 of the first embodiment described above is used to remotely control the vehicle 100 in a factory KJ where the vehicle 100 is manufactured. In contrast, the remote control system 10 may be used to remotely control the vehicle 100 in places other than the factory KJ, such as parks, commercial facilities, and universities.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described in the Summary of the Invention column can be replaced or combined as appropriate to solve some or all of the above-described problems or to achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be deleted as appropriate.

10... remote control system, 100... vehicle, 110... vehicle control device, 111... processor, 112... memory, 113... input/output interface, 114... internal bus, 115... vehicle control device, 120... drive device, 130... steering device, 140... braking device, 150... communication device, 160... internal sensor, 200... remote control device, 201... processor, 202... memory, 203... input/output interface, 204... internal bus, 205... communication device, 210... remote control device, 220... information acquisition unit, 230... comparison unit, 300... external sensor group, 400... alarm device, 500... process management device

Claims (5)

A control device,
an information acquisition unit capable of acquiring command information related to a control command for remotely controlling a moving state of a vehicle, internal sensor information representing the moving state of the vehicle detected by an internal sensor mounted on the vehicle, and external sensor information representing the moving state of the vehicle detected by an external sensor located outside the vehicle;
a comparison unit that confirms that a vehicle that is a control target of the control command is being remotely controlled by comparing at least one of the command information and the internal sensor information with the external sensor information;
A control device comprising: The control device according to claim 1 ,
The control device further includes a control unit that executes at least one of the following processes when the comparison result of the comparison unit indicates that at least one of the command information and the internal sensor information does not match the external sensor information: a process of notifying that an abnormality has occurred, a process of changing the speed of the vehicle, and a process of stopping remote control of the vehicle. The control device according to claim 1 ,
A control device, wherein the comparison unit compares the command information with the external sensor information when a current situation matches a situation that is predetermined as a situation in which it is not appropriate to use the internal sensor information for the comparison. The control device according to claim 1 ,
The comparison unit compares three pieces of information: the command information, the internal sensor information, and the external sensor information. 1. A computer-implemented remote control method, comprising:
Acquire command information related to a control command for remotely controlling a moving state of a vehicle, internal sensor information representing the moving state of the vehicle detected by an internal sensor mounted on the vehicle, and external sensor information representing the moving state of the vehicle detected by an external sensor located outside the vehicle,
confirming that the vehicle that is the control target of the control command is being remotely controlled by comparing at least one of the command information and the internal sensor information with the external sensor information;
Remote control method.

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