US-12619245-B2 - Unmanned driving system, control device, and unmanned driving method

US12619245B2US 12619245 B2US12619245 B2US 12619245B2US-12619245-B2

Abstract

An unmanned driving system includes a moving object movable by remote control; a moving object configured to be movable by remote control; a remote control unit configured to perform the remote control for the moving object, wherein the remote control unit moves the moving object that has been finished a first work at a first place in a factory to a second place in the factory by the remote control, wherein the first work is a work using production equipment, wherein the second place is a place for performing a second work on the moving object; an information acquisition unit configured to acquire abnormality information, wherein the abnormality information includes at least one of information regarding abnormality in the production equipment, information regarding abnormality in the moving object, and information regarding abnormality in another moving object of the same type as the moving object; and an estimation unit configured to estimate whether or not the moving object has an abnormality using the abnormality information, wherein the remote control unit moves an estimated moving object to a third place in the factory, wherein the estimated moving object is the moving object that is estimated to have an abnormality by the estimation unit, wherein the third place is different from both the first place and the second place.

Inventors

Kento IWAHORI
Daiki Yokoyama

Assignees

TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240214
Priority Date: 20230329

Claims (6)

1 . An unmanned driving system, comprising: a moving object configured to be movable by remote control; and processing circuitry configured to: move the moving object, after completion of a first work at a first place in a factory, to a second place in the factory by the remote control, wherein the first work is a work using production equipment, and wherein the second place is a place for performing a second work on the moving object; acquire abnormality information, wherein the abnormality information includes at least one of information regarding abnormality in the production equipment and information regarding abnormality in another moving object of a same type as the moving object, and wherein the another moving object has not yet arrived at the second place; estimate whether or not the moving object has an abnormality using the abnormality information; and move an estimated moving object to a third place in the factory, wherein the estimated moving object is the moving object that is estimated to have an abnormality, and wherein the third place is different from both the first place and the second place.
2 . The unmanned driving system according to claim 1 , wherein the third place is a place where a third work to resolve the abnormality in the estimated moving object is performed, and the processing circuitry is further configured to move the estimated moving object, after completion of the third work, to the second place.
3 . The unmanned driving system according to claim 1 , wherein the factory has a plurality of third places, and the processing circuitry is further configured to: store a database in which types of abnormalities are associated with locations of the plurality of third places; and determine a transfer destination of the estimated moving object from among the plurality of third places using the database.
4 . The unmanned driving system according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to instruct the second place to not perform the second work on the estimated moving object when the estimated moving object moves to the third place via the second place.
5 . A control device, comprising: processing circuitry configured to: move a moving object, after completion of a first work at a first place in a factory, to a second place in the factory by remote control, wherein the first work is a work using production equipment, and wherein the second place is a place for performing a second work on the moving object; acquire abnormality information, wherein the abnormality information includes at least one of information regarding abnormality in the production equipment and information regarding abnormality in another moving object of a same type as the moving object, and wherein the another moving object has not yet arrived at the second place; estimate whether or not the moving object has an abnormality using the abnormality information; and move an estimated moving object to a third place in the factory, wherein the estimated moving object is the moving object that is estimated to have an abnormality, and wherein the third place is different from both the first place and the second place.
6 . An unmanned driving method, comprising: moving a moving object, after completion of a first work at a first place in a factory, to a second place in the factory, wherein the first work is a work using production equipment, and wherein the second place is a place for performing a second work on the moving object; acquiring abnormality information, wherein the abnormality information includes at least one of information regarding abnormality in the production equipment and information regarding abnormality in another moving object of a same type as the moving object, and wherein the another moving object has not yet arrived at the second place; estimating whether or not the moving object has an abnormality using the abnormality information; and moving an estimated moving object to a third place in the factory, wherein the estimated moving object is the moving object that is estimated to have an abnormality in the estimating, and wherein the third place is different from both the first place and the second place.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The patent application claims the priority based on Japanese Patent Applications No. 2023-052893 filed on Mar. 29, 2023, and No. 2023-181565 filed on Oct. 23, 2023, the disclosure of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. BACKGROUND Field The present disclosure relates to an unmanned driving system, a control device, and an unmanned driving method. There are known technologies for causing vehicles to run by automatic driving during vehicle production steps (for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2017-538619). In the production steps of moving objects such as vehicles, when a moving object is moved from a work place for a pre-step to a work place for a post-step by unmanned driving, a moving object having an abnormality may interfere with the post-step. SUMMARY The present disclosure may be realized by the following aspects. (1) According to the first aspect of the present disclosure, an unmanned driving system is provided. This unmanned driving system comprises a moving object configured to be movable by remote control; a remote control unit configured to perform the remote control for the moving object, wherein the remote control unit moves the moving object that has been finished a first work at a first place in a factory to a second place in the factory by the remote control, wherein the first work is a work using production equipment, wherein the second place is a place for performing a second work on the moving object; an information acquisition unit configured to acquire abnormality information, wherein the abnormality information includes at least one of information regarding abnormality in the production equipment, information regarding abnormality in the moving object, and information regarding abnormality in another moving object of the same type as the moving object; and an estimation unit configured to estimate whether or not the moving object has an abnormality using the abnormality information, wherein the remote control unit moves an estimated moving object to a third place in the factory, wherein the estimated moving object is the moving object that is estimated to have an abnormality by the estimation unit, wherein the third place is different from both the first place and the second place. The unmanned driving system according to this aspect is capable of moving the estimated moving object that is estimated to have abnormality to the third place instead of the second place. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the second work at the second place from being interfered with by a moving object having an abnormality. (2) In the unmanned driving system according to the above aspect, the third place may be a place where a third work to resolve the abnormality in the estimated moving object is performed, and the remote control unit may move the estimated moving object that has been finished the third work to the second place. The unmanned driving system according to this aspect is capable of moving the estimated moving object in which the abnormality has been addressed at the third place to the second place by remote control. (3) In the unmanned driving system according to the above aspect, the factory may have a plurality of third places, the unmanned driving system may further comprise a storage unit configured to store a database that types of the abnormality are associated with locations of the plurality of third places, and the remote control unit may determine a transfer destination of the estimated moving object from among the plurality of third places using the database. The unmanned driving system according to this aspect is capable of determining the transfer destination of the estimated moving object according to the type of abnormality. (4) In the unmanned driving system according to the above aspect, the remote control unit may notify the second place not to perform the second work on the estimated moving object when the estimated moving object moves to the third place via the second place. The unmanned driving system according to this aspect is capable of preventing the second work from being performed on the estimated moving object. (5) According to the second aspect of the present disclosure, a control device is provided. This control device comprises a remote control unit configured to perform remote control for a moving object, wherein the moving object configured to be movable by remote control, wherein the remote control unit moves the moving object that has been finished a first work at a first place in a factory to a second place in the factory by the remote control, wherein the first work is a work using production equipment, wherein the second place is a place for performing a second work on the moving object; an information acquisition unit configured to acquire abnormality information, wherein the abnormality information includes at least one of information