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EP-4421580-B1 - AUTONOMOUS TRAVEL CONTROL SYSTEM, AUTONOMOUS TRAVEL CONTROL DEVICE, AUTONOMOUS TRAVEL DEVICE, AUTONOMOUS TRAVEL CONTROL METHOD, AUTONOMOUS TRAVEL CONTROL PROGRAM

EP4421580B1EP 4421580 B1EP4421580 B1EP 4421580B1EP-4421580-B1

Inventors

  • FUJIMOTO, KEIGO

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20221012

Claims (6)

  1. An autonomous travel control system (100) for controlling an autonomous travel device (1), the autonomous travel device (1) being capable of communicating with an external center (200) and executing autonomous traveling, the autonomous travel control system (100) comprising a processor (102), wherein the processor (102) is configured to carry out executing an autonomous travel mode in which the autonomous traveling of the autonomous travel device (1) is executed, executing a stop mode in which movement of the autonomous travel device (1) is restricted, executing a user operation mode in which restriction of movement of the autonomous travel device (1) is released and a movement operation of the autonomous travel device (1) by a user is accepted, determining whether to permit switching of control modes including the autonomous travel mode, the stop mode and the user operation mode, and detecting an external abnormality that occurs outside the autonomous travel device (1), and the determining whether to permit the switching of the control modes includes permitting switching from the stop mode to the user operation mode in response to acquisition of a permission regarding the switching from the stop mode to the user operation mode from the external center (200) when the external abnormality is not detected, and permitting switching from the stop mode to the user operation mode regardless of the acquisition of the permission from the external center (200) when the external abnormality is detected.
  2. The autonomous travel control system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the detecting the external abnormality includes acquiring a notification related to an occurrence of the external abnormality from the external center (200).
  3. The autonomous travel control system (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the detecting the external abnormality includes acquiring detection information of the external abnormality from a sensor mounted on the autonomous travel device (1).
  4. The autonomous travel control system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processor (102) is further configured to carry out notifying the user of information regarding the switching from the stop mode to the user operation mode.
  5. An autonomous travel control method executed by a processor (102) for controlling an autonomous travel device (1), the autonomous travel device (1) being capable of communicating with an external center (200) and executing autonomous traveling, the method comprising: executing an autonomous travel mode in which the autonomous traveling of the autonomous travel device (1) is executed; executing a stop mode in which movement of the autonomous travel device (1) is restricted; executing a user operation mode in which restriction of movement of the autonomous travel device (1) is released and a movement operation of the autonomous travel device (1) by a user is accepted; determining whether to permit switching of control modes including the autonomous travel mode, the stop mode and the user operation mode; and detecting an external abnormality that occurs outside the autonomous travel device (1), wherein the determining whether to permit the switching of the control modes includes permitting switching from the stop mode to the user operation mode in response to acquisition of a permission regarding the switching from the stop mode to the user operation mode from the external center (200) when the external abnormality is not detected, and permitting switching from the stop mode to the user operation mode regardless of the acquisition of the permission from the external center (200) when the external abnormality is detected.
  6. An autonomous travel control program stored in a storage medium (101) and including instructions to be executed by a processor (102) for controlling an autonomous travel device (1), the autonomous travel device (1) being capable of communicating with an external center (200) and executing autonomous traveling, the instructions being configured to, when executed by the processor (102), cause the processor (102) to carry out: executing an autonomous travel mode in which the autonomous traveling of the autonomous travel device (1) is executed; executing a stop mode in which movement of the autonomous travel device (1) is restricted; executing a user operation mode in which restriction of movement of the autonomous travel device (1) is released and a movement operation of the autonomous travel device (1) by a user is accepted; determining whether to permit switching of control modes including the autonomous travel mode, the stop mode and the user operation mode; and detecting an external abnormality that occurs outside the autonomous travel device (1), wherein the determining whether to permit the switching of the control modes includes permitting switching from the stop mode to the user operation mode in response to acquisition of a permission regarding the switching from the stop mode to the user operation mode from the external center (200) when the external abnormality is not detected, and permitting switching from the stop mode to the user operation mode regardless of the acquisition of the permission from the external center (200) when the external abnormality is detected.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a technique for controlling an autonomous travel device capable of executing autonomous traveling. BACKGROUND ART WO 2020 / 059189 A1 discloses a traveling carriage that is self-propelled with a motor. The traveling carriage executes a self-traveling operation in which the traveling carriage self-travels by rotationally driving drive wheels with a motor, and a manual operation in which the traveling carriage can be operated by an external force by releasing brakes of the drive wheels. Moreover, US 2021 / 018913 A1 discloses a vehicle controller device including a travel control section configured to control autonomous driving and remote driving, and a section to acquire and determine biometric information of an occupant to predict an abnormality. US 2009 / 0248267 A1 discloses a distance regulation using an object detection sensor. JP 2011 037318 A discloses an obstacle determination in the travel direction and a permission or non-permission of acceleration accordingly. JP 2013 136299 A discloses a vehicular authentication device that can permit a driver to start an engine of a vehicle without making the driver have a key or an ID card, even if the driver taken picture by a camera is not authenticated as a normal user of the vehicle. SUMMARY OF INVENTION In a situation of relatively low urgency, it is desirable to avoid leaving a start of a moving operation by a user of the autonomous travel device only to the determination of the user. On the other hand, in a situation of relatively high urgency, it is desirable that the moving operation by the user can be quickly started. WO 2020 / 059189 A1 does not disclose that the movement operation by the user is appropriately enabled according to a situation. An object of the present disclosure is to provide an autonomous travel control system capable of appropriately enabling a moving operation by a user according to a situation. Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an autonomous travel control device capable of appropriately enabling a moving operation by a user according to a situation. Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an autonomous travel device capable of appropriately enabling a moving operation by a user according to a situation. Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an autonomous travel control method capable of appropriately enabling a moving operation by a user according to a situation. Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an autonomous travel control program capable of appropriately enabling a moving operation by a user according to a situation. Hereinafter, a technical solution of the present disclosure for solving the problem will be described. The invention is set out in the appended claims. Note that the reference numerals in parentheses in the claims and this column indicate the corresponding relationship with the specific means described in the embodiments described in detail later, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure. According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, an autonomous travel control system for controlling an autonomous travel device, the autonomous travel device being capable of communicating with a center and executing autonomous traveling, the autonomous travel control system comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to carry out executing an autonomous travel mode in which the autonomous traveling of the autonomous travel device is executed,executing a stop mode in which movement of the autonomous travel device is restricted,executing a user operation mode in which restriction of movement of the autonomous travel device is released and a movement operation of the autonomous travel device by a user is accepted,determining whether to permit switching of control modes including the autonomous travel mode, the stop mode and the user operation mode, anddetecting an external abnormality that occurs outside the autonomous travel device, andthe determining whether to permit the switching of the control modes includes permitting switching from the stop mode to the user operation mode in response to acquisition of a permission regarding the switching from the stop mode to the user operation mode from the center when the external abnormality is not detected, andpermitting switching from the stop mode to the user operation mode regardless of the acquisition of the permission from the center when the external abnormality is detected. According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, an autonomous travel control device for controlling an autonomous travel device, the autonomous travel device being capable of communicating with a center and executing autonomous traveling, the autonomous travel control system comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to carry out executing an autonomous travel mode in which the autonomous traveling of the autonomous tra