JP2007122580A - Vehicle and remote control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To further improve the convenience for an operator who performs remote control. <P>SOLUTION: In remote control of this embodiment, the operator instructs a moving direction based on one direction that is his/her direction without considering the directional property to a vehicle. In this case, the vehicle for the operator can be identified with a non-directional three-dimensional body. For example, the operator can move the vehicle to the right based on himself/herself only by constantly pressing a right button, or can move the vehicle to his/her direction (to this side) only by constantly pressing a button on this side (on the lower side of the remote control device), and the operator does not need to consider the relation between the vehicle and his/her direction. Consequently, confusion resulted from dual directional property of the vehicle and the operator can be prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle and a remote control device, and relates to, for example, vehicle position movement control.

Conventionally, various devices for assisting driver operations have been put into practical use, for example, when a vehicle is parked in a narrow space.
For example, a vehicle equipped with a remote operation system that moves the vehicle in the indicated direction by an operation from the outside of the vehicle has been put into practical use, and is also proposed in Patent Document 1.

With such a remote control system, a remote control device (remote control device) is used to instruct the moving direction of the vehicle. The remote control device is provided with a direction button to which a moving direction of the vehicle such as “forward”, “backward”, “right turn”, “left turn” and the like is assigned.
The operator can instruct the moving direction of the vehicle from the outside of the vehicle body by operating these direction buttons.
The movement operation of the vehicle using the remote control system is similar to the feeling of manipulating a radio control car (toy radio control car) of a toy, so that the user operates the remote control as if he was driving in the driver's seat of the vehicle. It has become.
That is, the operator performs operations such as pressing a button arranged on the left side when moving the vehicle to the left and pressing the right button when moving the vehicle forward, assuming the remote control device as a vehicle.

JP 2004-362466 A

As described above, in the remote control device used in the conventional remote operation system, the moving direction of the vehicle is fixedly assigned to the operation buttons in advance, and the direction matches the direction in which the operator is in the driver's seat. ing.
For this reason, the operator who is outside the vehicle can operate with the same feeling as the driving operation because it is the same as the state of being on the driver's seat when operating in the traveling direction of the vehicle. For example, when moving the vehicle to the right, it is an operation such as pressing the right button or moving the button to the right, and the direction to be moved and the direction of the operation match.

However, if the direction in which the operator is facing does not match the traveling direction of the vehicle, the operator ignores the direction in which he is facing and assumes the vehicle traveling direction as a reference, and then back and forth, left and right Therefore, it is necessary to operate the button in the moving direction, which sometimes causes confusion between the operating direction and the traveling direction.
This confusion is similar to the situation where a novice driver often gets confused about which steering wheel to turn when the vehicle is moved backwards. Again, this is confusion because the direction of the vehicle (operator) does not match the traveling direction, which is similar to confusion caused by an operation outside the vehicle.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the confusion of the operator when performing remote operation.

(1) In the invention described in claim 1, from the request source existing outside the vehicle, acquisition means for acquiring movement direction instruction information indicating the movement direction with reference to the request source, and the request source for the vehicle Position specifying means for specifying an existing position, movement direction determining means for determining the moving direction of the vehicle based on the specified position of the request source and the moving direction instruction information, and the vehicle in the determined moving direction. The vehicle is provided with drive control means for driving so as to move.
(2) The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the vehicle according to claim 1, the acquisition unit acquires the moving direction instruction information transmitted from the remote control device.
(3) In the invention described in claim 3, in the vehicle according to claim 1, the requesting human body image is obtained from an imaging unit disposed in the vehicle and imaging the surroundings of the vehicle, and an image captured by the imaging unit. Image recognition means for detecting and extracting a predetermined reference part and feature part from the human body image and recognizing the position of the specific feature part with reference to the reference part, the specifying means comprising the image The position of the request source is specified from the positional relationship in the captured image of the human body image detected by the recognition means, and the acquisition means is the position of the request source and the feature part recognized by the image recognition means The movement direction instruction information is acquired based on a position with respect to the reference portion.
(4) In the invention described in claim 4, in the vehicle described in claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3, the moving direction determining means corresponds to the location of the request source and the content of the moving direction instruction information. The moving direction is determined using a conversion table in which the moving direction is defined.
(5) According to the invention described in claim 5, in the vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the acquisition means is configured as a vehicle moving direction to the right. Movement direction instruction information indicating any one of the direction, the left direction, the front direction, and the back direction is acquired.
(6) In the invention described in claim 6, the remote control device operates the moving direction from the outside of the vehicle, and information specifying the positional relationship between the vehicle recognized by the moving target vehicle and the remote control device is stored in the vehicle. Receiving means for receiving, a display means for displaying a vehicle image in a direction coinciding with the orientation of the vehicle with reference to the remote control device based on the information specifying the received positional relationship, and the remote control device as a reference The remote control device is provided with a moving direction input means for inputting the moving direction of the vehicle and a transmitting means for transmitting the moving direction instruction information corresponding to the input moving direction to achieve the object.

  According to the present invention, since the moving direction is set and the vehicle is moved based on the instruction information of the moving direction based on the request source and the position information of the requesting source based on the vehicle body, the operator can The moving direction of the vehicle can be instructed without considering the orientation relationship between the vehicle and the vehicle.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a vehicle and a remote control device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11.
(1) Outline of Embodiment In this embodiment, an operation of moving a vehicle in response to an instruction of a moving direction from a request source (the operator itself or a remote operation device possessed by the operator) existing outside the vehicle body. A vehicle remote control system for performing the above will be described.

As described above, when an operator thinks that a vehicle with directionality is a movement target, it is necessary to perform an operation in consideration of a two-way relationship between the direction of the vehicle and his / her direction.
On the other hand, in the remote operation of the present embodiment, the operator instructs the moving direction on the basis of one direction as his / her direction without considering the directionality with respect to the vehicle. In this case, the vehicle for the operator can identify the vehicle as a non-directional cube.
For example, if the operator wants to move the vehicle (virtual cube) to the right with reference to himself / herself, he / she should always press the button on the right, and if he / she wants to move the vehicle in his / her direction (front), the operator will always It is only necessary to press a button on the lower side of the remote control device, and the operator does not need to consider the relationship between the vehicle and his / her direction at all.
This prevents confusion from the dual directionality of the vehicle and the operator.

As described above, as a result of the operator instructing the movement direction without considering the directionality of the vehicle, in this embodiment, the movement direction is determined on the vehicle side in consideration of the relationship between the direction of the vehicle and the direction of the operator. Is done.
That is, since the operation signal transmitted from the remote control device indicates a direction based on the operator, the vehicle converts the direction indicated by the operator into the direction of the vehicle and determines the moving direction.

In the vehicle of the present embodiment, sensors are arranged on the front, rear, left and right side surfaces, the sensor that receives the operation signal from the remote control device is specified, and the vehicle direction and the operator direction are determined from the received sensor arrangement position. Determine the relationship.
Then, the vehicle determines the moving direction of the vehicle from the received sensor position (or the specified operator position) and the content of the operation signal, and steers and drives the drive wheels, so that the operator desires. Move the vehicle in the direction you want to go.

(2) Details of Embodiment FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a vehicle remote control system using a vehicle and a remote control device of the present embodiment.
In this vehicle remote control system, an operator present outside the vehicle body moves and operates the vehicle 10 in a desired direction using the remote control device 20. The remote control device 20 functions as a remote control device.

The vehicle 10 in this embodiment includes four drive wheels. Each of these drive wheels is provided with a wheel motor that is driven independently, and the steering direction can be changed independently of each other. For example, it can move in a wide range of directions including parallel movement in the sideways or diagonal directions. It is possible.
As shown in FIG. 1, sensors 30 a to 30 d for detecting signals from the remote control device 20 are disposed on the front, rear, left and right side surfaces outside the vehicle body of the vehicle 10. Specifically, a sensor 30a is disposed on the left side surface of the vehicle body, a sensor 30b is disposed on the rear side surface, a sensor 30c is disposed on the right side surface, and a sensor 30d is disposed on the front side surface.

The remote control device 20 is provided with a transmission / reception unit 21, a display 23, and an operation device 25.
Although details will be described later, on the display 23, a vehicle image in a direction that matches the direction of the vehicle 10 that the operator is viewing based on an operation screen selection signal transmitted from the vehicle 10 that has detected the position of the remote control device 20. Is displayed.

For example, when the signal from the remote control device 20 is detected by the sensor 30a, the vehicle 10 recognizes that the operator (the remote control device 20) exists in the area A.
Then, an operation screen selection signal for instructing the operator to display a left-facing vehicle image is transmitted to the remote control device 20, and the operator is viewing the display 23 of the remote control device 20 that has received the operation screen selection signal. A vehicle image in the same direction as the direction (leftward) is displayed.

On the other hand, when the operator moves to the area B, the display 23 displays a vehicle image facing upward (the vehicle front is on the transmission / reception unit 21 side).
In this way, since the vehicle image in the same direction as the viewed state is displayed on the display 23, the operator is prevented from thinking that the direction of the remote controller matches the direction of the vehicle. That is, since it can be confirmed from the vehicle image that the moving direction is based on the position of the operator, it is further prevented that the operator is confused about the directionality.

FIG. 2 shows a vehicle remote control system configuration for the vehicle 10 of the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 10 includes sensors 30a to 30d, a serial communication signal processing unit 31, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 32, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 33, and a serial I / F 34. These are electrically connected via a bus 35.
In the vehicle remote control system, the ECU 32 and the vehicle signal processing unit 40 are connected via a serial I / F 34.

Sensors 30 a to 30 d are detection devices that detect signals from remote control device 20 located outside vehicle 10. The sensors 30a to 30d are configured by a device having directivity, and are arranged so that the sensing direction faces the outside direction of the vehicle body.
Each of the sensors 30a to 30d includes a receiver that receives (detects) a signal transmitted from the remote control device 20, and a transmitter that transmits various control signals processed on the vehicle 10 side (for example, the ECU 32) to the remote control device 20. It has.

The serial communication signal processing unit 31 performs processing for converting signals received by the sensors 30a to 30d and signals transferred to the sensors 30a to 30d into signals of an appropriate format.
The remote control signals received by the sensors 30a to 30d are attached with identification signals of reception locations that can be identified as the signals received by the receivers of the sensors 30a to 30d.
The serial communication signal processing unit 31 receives a remote control signal with a reception location identification signal.

The ECU 32 processes the input signal and calculates a necessary output signal. The ECU 32 includes a computer system such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an internal storage device such as a RAM, and an external storage device.
The ECU 32 performs various types of processing by executing various programs stored in the ROM 33 or the external storage device, for example, a vehicle remote operation processing program in the present embodiment.
The ECU 32 supplies a steering direction and a vehicle drive signal in accordance with the vehicle remote operation processing program.

The ROM 33 is an internal storage device of the vehicle remote operation system, and stores various data such as a conversion table and vehicle ID data used in various processes in addition to various control programs such as a vehicle remote operation processing program and a security processing program. Yes.
The serial I / F 34 is an interface for connecting the ECU 32 and the vehicle signal processing unit 40.

  The vehicle signal processing unit 40 is a steering mechanism that independently controls the four wheels provided in the vehicle 10 according to the steering direction and the vehicle drive signal supplied from the ECU 32, and the drive that controls the driving force of the vehicle 10. It is supplied to a vehicle control ECU that controls an internal mechanism such as a force mechanism.

FIG. 3 shows a system configuration of the remote control device 20 of the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3, the remote control device 20 includes a transmission / reception unit 21, a serial communication signal processing unit 22, a display 23, a display controller 24, an operation device 25, an operation device signal processing unit 26, an ECU (electronic control unit) 27, A ROM 28 is provided, and these are electrically connected via a bus 29.

  The transmission / reception unit 21 is disposed at the upper end of the remote control device 20, and is processed by a receiver that receives (detects) signals transmitted from the sensors 30a to 30d of the vehicle 10 and the remote control device 20 side (for example, the ECU 27). A transmitter for transmitting various control signals to the sensors 30a to 30d of the vehicle 10 is provided.

  The serial communication signal processing unit 22 performs a process of converting the signal received by the transmission / reception unit 21 and the signal transmitted to the sensors 30a to 30d into a signal of a predetermined format.

The display 23 is an output device that displays and outputs the processing result processed by the ECU 27, and includes a liquid crystal display or the like.
The display controller 24 controls display output on the display 23. For example, when the display 23 is constituted by a liquid crystal display, the voltage applied to the liquid crystal and the backlight are controlled.
On the display 23, based on the operation screen selection signal transmitted from the sensor 30 of the vehicle 10, a vehicle image in a direction that matches the direction of the vehicle 10 that the operator is looking at is displayed.

The operation device 25 is an input device for inputting a direction instruction command to the remote control device 20, and is configured with a cross-shaped direction key in this embodiment, but is configured with a joystick and four direction instruction buttons corresponding to 4. You may make it do.
In addition to the operation device 25, the remote control device 20 includes input devices such as a power ON / OFF switch and a reset button.
The operation device signal processing unit 26 detects the operation state of the operation device 25 and supplies a corresponding signal to the ECU 27 via the bus 29.

The ECU 27 processes the input signal and calculates a necessary output signal. The ECU 27 includes a computer system such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an internal storage device such as a RAM, and an external storage device.
The ECU 27 executes various programs stored in the ROM 28, for example, a direction instruction processing program and a vehicle body direction display processing program, thereby performing various corresponding processes.
The ECU 32 controls the serial communication signal processing unit 22 and the display controller 24 according to the direction instruction processing program and the vehicle body direction display processing program.

  The ROM 28 is an internal storage device of the remote control device 20, and various control programs such as a direction instruction processing program, a vehicle body direction display processing program, and a security processing program, as well as various vehicle image data and vehicle ID data used in various processing. Data is stored.

Next, the movement process of the vehicle 10 in the remote control system configured as described above will be described.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle remote operation process.
When the operator inputs (turns on) the power supply of the remote control device 20, the remote control device 20 shifts to an on state.

When the remote control device 20 is turned on, a position detection signal having a specific frequency is transmitted from the transmission / reception unit 21 (step 11).
In the present embodiment, the position detection signal is constantly oscillated while the remote control device 20 is in the ON state. However, the position detection signal may be transmitted every predetermined time.
On the vehicle 10 side, the position detection signals transmitted from the remote control device 20 are detected by the sensors 30a to 30d, and a predetermined position detection process of the remote control device 20 is performed based on the detection results of the position detection signals (steps). 21).

Here, the position detection process of the remote control device 20 executed on the vehicle 10 side will be described.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the position detection process of the remote controller 20.
The ECU 32 of the vehicle 10 determines whether or not the left side sensor 30a of the vehicle 10 has detected a position detection signal, that is, whether or not the left side sensor 30a has reacted (step 31).
When it is determined that the left side sensor 30a has reacted (step 31; Y), the ECU 32 determines that the remote control device 20 is located in the left side direction of the vehicle 10 and sends an operation screen selection “left” signal to the remote control device. 20 (step 32), and the process ends.

If it is not determined that the left side sensor 30a has reacted (step 31; N), the ECU 32 determines whether the rear sensor 30b of the vehicle 10 has detected a position detection signal, that is, the rear sensor 30a has reacted. It is determined whether or not (step 33).
When it is determined that the rear sensor 30b has reacted (step 33; Y), the ECU 32 determines that the remote control device 20 is located behind the vehicle 10 and transmits an operation screen selection “rear” signal to the remote control device 20. (Step 34), the process is terminated.

If it is not determined that the rear sensor 30b has reacted (step 33; N), the ECU 32 determines whether the right side sensor 30c of the vehicle 10 has detected a position detection signal, that is, the right side sensor 30c has It is determined whether or not the reaction has occurred (step 35).
When it is determined that the right side sensor 30c has reacted (step 35; Y), the ECU 32 determines that the remote control device 20 is positioned in the right side direction of the vehicle 10 and sends an operation screen selection “right” signal to the remote control device. 20 (step 36), and the process ends.

If it is not determined that the right side sensor 30c has reacted (step 35; N), the ECU 32 determines whether the front sensor 30d of the vehicle 10 has detected a position detection signal, that is, the front sensor 30d has reacted. It is determined whether or not (step 37).
When it is determined that the front sensor 30d has reacted (step 37; Y), the ECU 32 determines that the remote control device 20 is located in front of the vehicle 10 and transmits an operation screen selection “front” signal to the remote control device 20. (Step 38), and the process ends.

On the other hand, if it is not determined that the front sensor 30d has reacted (step 37; N), that is, if none of the sensors 30a to 30d has reacted, error processing is executed (step 39), and the processing ends. In this error processing, for example, processing is performed to display on the remote control device 20 a message that the position of the remote control device 20 has not been correctly detected or a message that prompts the remote control device 20 to be reset.
When the position detection signal is detected by the plurality of sensors 30a to 30d, the ECU 32 determines the sensor 30a to 30d having the highest signal detection level as the corresponding sensor 30a to 30d.

Returning to the description of FIG. 4, when each operation screen selection signal is transmitted from the sensors 30 a to 30 d in the position detection process (step 21) of the remote controller 20 described above, the remote controller 20 selects the transmitted operation screen. The signal is received by the transmitter / receiver 21 (step 12).
Next, the ECU (electronic control unit) 27 of the remote control device 20 reads the vehicle image data corresponding to the type of the received operation screen selection signal (“left side”, “rear”, “right side”, “front”) from the ROM 28 and The attached vehicle image is displayed on the display 23 (step 13).

FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the positions of the vehicle 10 and the remote control device 20 and the orientation of the displayed vehicle image.
When the position detection signal of the remote control device 20 responds to the sensor 30a of the vehicle 10, that is, when the remote control device 20 is located in the left direction of the vehicle 10 (area A in FIG. 6), the remote control device 20 The operation screen selection “left side” signal transmitted from the sensor 30a is received.
When the operation screen selection “left side” signal is received by the transmission / reception unit 21, as shown in FIG. A vehicle image is displayed in a direction that is the rear part of the vehicle body in the right direction and the front part of the vehicle body in the left direction.

In other words, the vehicle image is displayed on the arrangement side (upper side) of the transmission / reception unit 21 in the display 23 so that the body part on the opposite side of the arrangement side of the sensor 30a that responds to the position detection signal faces.
As described above, the display 23 of the remote control device 20 displays a vehicle image that matches the actual direction in which the vehicle 10 is disposed as viewed from the operator.

  Similarly, when the position detection signal of the remote control device 20 responds to the sensor 30b of the vehicle 10, that is, when the remote control device 20 is located behind the vehicle 10 (region B shown in FIG. 6), the remote control device 20 The operation screen selection “rear” signal transmitted from the sensor 30b is received, and as shown in FIG. 6, as viewed from the operator on the display 23, the vehicle body is directed upward, the vehicle body is directed downward, and the vehicle body is directed downward. The vehicle image is displayed in a direction that is the left side of the vehicle body in the right direction and the right side surface of the vehicle body in the left direction.

  When the position detection signal of the remote control device 20 responds to the sensor 30c of the vehicle 10, that is, when the remote control device 20 is located in the right direction of the vehicle 10 (region C shown in FIG. 6), the remote control device 20 detects the sensor 30c. As shown in FIG. 6, the operation screen selection “right” signal transmitted from is received, and as viewed from the operator on the display 23, the left side of the vehicle body is upward, the right side surface of the vehicle body is downward, and the right direction is directed toward the right side. The vehicle image is displayed in the direction of the front part of the vehicle body and the rear part of the vehicle body in the left direction.

  When the position detection signal of the remote control device 20 responds to the sensor 30d of the vehicle 10, that is, when the remote control device 20 is located in front of the vehicle 10 (region D shown in FIG. 6), the remote control device 20 receives the signal from the sensor 30d. The transmitted operation screen selection “front” signal is received, and as shown in FIG. 6, as viewed from the operator on the display 23, the rear part of the vehicle body is upward, the front part of the vehicle body is downward, and the right part is directed toward the right. The vehicle image is displayed in a direction toward the left side of the vehicle body in the left direction toward the right side of the vehicle body.

In this way, the display 23 of the remote control device 20 always displays a vehicle image in a direction that matches the direction of the vehicle as viewed from the operator.
Thereby, the operator can easily understand that it is only necessary to indicate the moving direction of the vehicle on the basis of the direction of the remote controller or the direction of the user.

Returning to the description of FIG. 4, when the vehicle image is displayed on the display 23, the operator presses the cross-shaped direction key that is the operation device 25 in the direction in which the vehicle 10 is to be moved.
For example, when it is desired to move the vehicle 10 in the right direction as viewed from the operator, the right direction (→) key is pressed, and when it is desired to move the vehicle 10 in the left direction, the left direction (←) key is pressed. Similarly, when it is desired to move the vehicle toward the front as viewed from the operator, the down (↓) key is pressed, and when it is desired to move in the back direction, the up (↑) key is pressed.

  When the direction key (operation device 25) for instructing the desired direction of the vehicle 10 is pressed by the operator, the operation device signal processing unit 26 outputs a signal corresponding to the key of the pressed (operated) operation device 25. That is, an operation signal indicating the moving direction is generated.

Then, remote control device 20 transmits an operation signal indicating the generated moving direction from transmitting / receiving unit 21 to sensors 30a to 30d of vehicle 10 (step 14).
After transmitting the operation signal, the remote control device 20 determines whether or not the power OFF process has been performed, that is, whether or not the power switch of the remote control device 20 has been turned OFF (step 15).
When the power OFF process is performed (step 15; Y), the remote control device 20 ends the process.
If the power OFF process is not performed (step 15; N), the remote controller 20 continues to repeat the series of processes from step 11.

On the other hand, when an operation signal instructing the moving direction is transmitted from the remote control device 20, the vehicle 10 receives this operation signal via the sensors 30a to 30d (step 22).
Next, in accordance with the vehicle remote operation processing program, the ECU 32 of the vehicle 10 is based on the position information of the remote control device 20 detected in the process of step 21 and the information of the operation signal instructing the moving direction acquired in the process of step 22. The wheel steering direction is determined (step 23).
Here, from the positional relationship between the vehicle 10 and the remote control device 20, the moving direction of the vehicle desired by the operator indicated by the received operation signal, that is, the steering direction of the wheel is determined (set).

The setting of the steering direction is performed using, for example, a conversion table stored in the ROM 33.
FIG. 7 shows an example of the conversion table.
By referring to such a conversion table, the moving direction of the vehicle desired by the operator indicated by the easily received operation signal, that is, the steering direction of the wheel, is unambiguous from the position indicated by the remote control device 20 and the direction indicated by the operation signal. Can be determined.
For example, when the remote control device 20 is located in the left direction of the vehicle 10 (region A shown in FIG. 6) and the operation signal indicates “right direction”, the steering direction is the direction that causes the vehicle 10 to “retreat”. To be determined.

Next, the ECU 32 of the vehicle 10 performs steering control of the wheels of the actual vehicle 10 that are suitable for (corresponding to) the determined steering direction of the vehicle 10 (step 24).
In this wheel steering control, a steering signal indicating the determined steering direction of the vehicle 10 is output from the ECU 32 to the vehicle signal processing unit 40 via the serial I / F 34, and the vehicle signal processing unit 40 controls the four wheels. This is executed by transmitting a control signal to the steering mechanism.

Subsequently, when the wheel steering control is completed, the ECU 32 outputs a driving force suitable for (corresponding to) a driving force required for a speed (for example, 5 km / h or less) for safely moving the vehicle. (Step 25).
That is, the ECU 32 outputs a driving force signal corresponding to the driving force necessary for the movement of the vehicle 10 to the vehicle signal processing unit 40 via the serial I / F 34, and the driving force of the vehicle 10 is output from the vehicle signal processing unit 40. It is executed by supplying a control signal to a vehicle control ECU that controls an internal mechanism such as a driving force mechanism to be controlled.
The vehicle control ECU supplies the current corresponding to the driving force to each wheel motor of the driving wheel based on the supplied control signal, thereby moving the vehicle.

When the wheel driving force control is completed, the ECU 32 of the vehicle 10 determines whether or not the power supply of the remote control device 20 is in an OFF state (step 26).
The power-on state (ON / OFF state) of the remote control device 20 is determined based on whether or not a position detection signal transmitted from the remote control device 20 is detected. That is, the ECU 32 determines that the remote control device 20 is in the ON state when the sensors 30a to 30d detect the position detection signal transmitted from the remote control device 20, and if the position detection signal is not detected. Then, it is determined that the remote control device 20 is in the OFF state.

When it is determined that the power supply of the remote control device 20 is not OFF (step 26; N), that is, when it is determined that the power supply of the remote control device 20 is ON, the ECU 32 performs a series of processes from step 21. repeat.
On the other hand, when it is determined that the power supply of the remote control device 20 is in the OFF state (step 26; Y), the ECU 32 ends the process.

As described above, according to the remote operation system including the vehicle and the remote control device 20 of the present embodiment, the vehicle that the operator faces in detail according to the positional relationship between the vehicle 10 and the operator (remote control device 20). The steering direction of the vehicle 10 instructed by depressing the operation device 25 (direction key) changes according to the 10 parts.
That is, in the remote operation system of the present embodiment, the steering direction of the vehicle 10 is not fixed to the operation device 25 unlike the remote control device used in the conventional remote operation system.

Then, the operator depresses the operation device 25 (direction key) arranged (arranged) in the same direction as the direction in which the vehicle 10 is to be moved with reference to the user (remote control device 20), so that a desired direction is obtained. The vehicle 10 can be moved quickly.
Accordingly, the operator can easily instruct the desired moving direction of the vehicle 10 without considering the actual direction of the vehicle 10, thereby improving convenience when performing the remote operation of the vehicle 10. In addition, erroneous operations can be suppressed.

Although one embodiment of the vehicle of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope described in each claim.
For example, in the embodiment described above, the case where the remote controller 20 includes the display 23 and the operation device 25 that are independent of each other has been described. However, the display 23 and the operation device 25 may include a touch panel that has both an input function and a display function. You may make it comprise using a touch screen.
Thus, when the display 23 and the operation device 25 are integrated, the above-described vehicle image can be displayed superimposed on the operation device (direction key).

In the embodiment described above, a case has been described in which a method of displaying a vehicle image arranged in a specific direction on the display 23 is used as a display unit that displays the direction of the steering target vehicle in a visually recognizable manner.
However, the remote operation system may be configured without providing display means for displaying the direction of the steering target vehicle so as to be visually recognizable. In this case, since the display 23 is not required, the remote control device 20 can be easily downsized.
In addition, instead of a specific vehicle image, the actual arrangement direction of the vehicle 10 is expressed by a character string (for example, “front”, “rear”, “right”, “left”, etc.), and an operation device configured by a touch panel 25 (direction key) may be displayed, for example, next to the key.

Moreover, although embodiment demonstrated demonstrated the case where the detection of the remote control apparatus 20 was recognized from the arrangement | positioning site | part of sensor 30a-d which responded to the signal for position detection, the signal for position detection was separately provided from sensor 30a-d. The position information of the remote control device 20 may be acquired by providing a dedicated detection device for detection.
Thus, the position detection accuracy (detection sensitivity) of the remote control device 20 can be improved by providing a dedicated detection device.

(3) 2nd Embodiment Next, 2nd Embodiment in the vehicle remote control system shown to embodiment mentioned above is described.
In the second embodiment, the instruction process of the moving direction of the vehicle 10 performed by operating the remote control device 20 in the above-described embodiment is performed by a specific operation of the operator. That is, the operator himself replaces the remote control device 20.
Specifically, in the remote control system shown in the present embodiment, an operator who exists outside the vehicle body performs a specific action using the left and right hands, and moves the vehicle 10 ′ in the direction associated with the action. Let
In the present embodiment, instead of the sensors 30a to 30d in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, image sensors 50a to 50d are arranged on the front, rear, left and right side surfaces outside the vehicle body of the vehicle 10 '. Specifically, an image sensor 50a is disposed on the left side surface of the vehicle body, an image sensor 50b is disposed on the rear side surface, an image sensor 50c is disposed on the right side surface, and an image sensor 50d is disposed on the front side surface.

FIG. 8 shows a vehicle remote control system configuration for the vehicle 10 ′ shown in the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 8, the vehicle 10 ′ includes image sensors 50 a to 50 d, a serial communication signal processing unit 51, an ECU (electronic control unit) 52, a ROM (read only memory) 53, and a serial I / F 54. These are electrically connected via a bus 55.
In the vehicle remote operation system, the ECU 52 and the vehicle signal processing unit 40 are connected via the serial I / F 54.

The image sensors 50a to 50d are imaging devices that capture (photograph) the surroundings of the vehicle 10 '. The image sensors 50a to 50d are configured by a digital video camera using an image sensor such as a CCD (charge coupled device) or a CMOS sensor. A wide-angle lens with a short focal length is used as a camera lens, and the camera lens is configured to support a wide range of photographing.
Image data captured by the image sensors 50a to 50d is stored (stored) in a format that allows digital image processing.
Further, the image sensors 50a to 50d are arranged so that the imaging direction (lens direction) faces the outside direction of the vehicle body.

The serial communication signal processing unit 51 performs image processing for converting image data captured by the image sensors 50a to 50d into data of an appropriate format.
The image data picked up by the image sensors 50a to 50d is attached with identification data of an image pickup portion that can determine which image sensor 50a to 50d is the image data picked up.
The serial communication signal processing unit 51 receives image data with identification data of the imaging location.

The ECU 52 processes the input signal and calculates a necessary output signal. The ECU 52 includes a computer system such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an internal storage device such as a RAM, and an external storage device.
The ECU 52 performs various types of processing by executing various programs stored in the ROM 53 and the external storage device, for example, a vehicle remote operation processing program in the present embodiment.
The ECU 52 controls the vehicle signal processing unit 40 according to the vehicle remote operation processing program.

The ROM 53 is an internal storage device of the vehicle remote operation system. In addition to various control programs such as a vehicle remote operation processing program, a security processing program, an image analysis program, and a motion capture program, a conversion table and vehicle ID data used in various processes. Various data such as definition data indicating the correspondence between the operation pattern and the instruction direction are stored.
The serial I / F 54 is an interface for connecting the ECU 52 and the vehicle signal processing unit 40.
The vehicle signal processing unit 40 is a steering mechanism that independently controls each of the four wheels provided in the vehicle 10 ′, or a driving force mechanism that controls the driving force of the vehicle 10 ′. A process of converting into a predetermined vehicle signal for controlling an internal mechanism such as the above is performed.
Further, the vehicle 10 ′ is provided with an operation switch for switching activation / deactivation of the remote operation system.

Next, the movement process of the vehicle 10 ′ in the second embodiment of the remote control system configured as described above will be described.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vehicle remote operation process.
When the operation switch is operated by the operator and the remote operation system is activated, imaging around the vehicle body is started by the image sensors a to d (step 41).
Image data captured by the image sensors a to d is input to the ECU 52 via the serial communication signal processing unit 51.

The ECU 52 analyzes the input image data and determines whether there is any of these image data including the human body image data of the operator (step 42).
Whether or not human body image data is included is determined, for example, by performing a pattern matching process based on feature quantities in features such as eyes, nose, mouth, and the like of the face image to determine whether there is a matching (matching) image area. Based on.

If no image data including human body image data of the operator is detected (step 42; N), the processing of step 42 is continued.
On the other hand, when the image data including the human body image data of the operator is detected (step 42; Y), the ECU 52 determines the operator based on the identification data of the imaging location attached to the image data including the human body image data. Is detected (step 43).

When the imaging location is the image sensor 50a, it is detected (determined) that the operator is positioned on the left side (region A in FIG. 11 described later) viewed from the driver's seat of the vehicle 10 ′, and the imaging location is the image sensor 50b. In this case, it is detected (determined) that the operator is positioned behind the vehicle 10 ′ (region B in FIG. 11).
When the imaging location is the image sensor 50c, it is detected (determined) that the operator is positioned on the right side (region C in FIG. 11) viewed from the driver seat of the vehicle 10 ′, and the imaging location is the image sensor 50d. In this case, it is detected (determined) that the operator is positioned in front of the vehicle 10 ′ (region D in FIG. 11).

Next, the ECU 52 analyzes the image data including the human body image data of the operator, and determines the type of the operation pattern of the operator (step 44).
The operation pattern of the operator is a pattern of the positional relationship between a reference portion such as a face and its peripheral region in a human body image and a specific feature portion such as a hand.
First, the ECU 52 extracts only human body image data and image data of the surrounding area as operation instruction image data from the captured image data.
Next, the ECU 52 detects (extracts) the face and its peripheral area that are the basis of the motion pattern from the operation instruction image data.

The face image detection (extraction) process is performed as follows.
First, the ECU 52 stores the operation instruction image data as a grayscale image, and further performs a differentiation process on the grayscale image to generate an edge image.
The ECU 52 extracts a feature amount while applying a model pattern corresponding to a characteristic region such as eyes, nose, and mouth of the face image to the grayscale image and the generated edge image while shifting the position.
Then, the ECU 52 detects a face image from the operation instruction image data based on the extracted feature amount.

The ECU 52 sets (fixes) the detected face image and its peripheral area in the operation instruction image data as a central reference area. Further, for the operation instruction image data, as shown in FIG. 10A, a central reference region and five regions of the upper, lower, right, and left portions of the reference region are set.
In addition, as shown to FIG.10 (b), the specific operation | movement pattern is matched with the five areas mentioned above beforehand, respectively.
Specifically, the reference area and stop instruction operation pattern, the upper area and rear direction movement instruction operation pattern, the lower area and front direction movement instruction operation pattern, the right area and right direction movement instruction operation pattern, the left area and left direction movement instruction Each operation pattern is associated.

Subsequently, the ECU 52 captures (extracts) the feature amount in the same manner as the face image detection (extraction) process, and the region where the hand image data serving as a specific feature part exists, specifically, vertically or horizontally. An area in which motion data (motion data) of a hand that has been moved a few times quickly with a certain width exists is specified. Here, one area is specified from the five areas shown in FIG.
Then, the ECU 52 determines the type of operation pattern corresponding to the area specified as the area where the image data exists.
For example, as shown in FIG. 10B, in the captured image data, when the right hand is shaken in the area on the right side of the face, the ECU 52 determines that the type of the operation pattern of the operator is right It is determined that this is a direction movement instruction operation pattern.

Returning to the description of FIG. 9, the ECU 52 next instructs the position information of the operator detected in the process of step 43 and the moving direction determined (acquired) in the process of step 44 according to the vehicle remote operation processing program. The steering direction of the wheel is determined based on the type information of the operation pattern of the operator (step 45).
Here, from the positional relationship between the vehicle 10 and the operator, the moving direction of the vehicle desired by the operator indicated by the operation pattern, that is, the steering direction of the wheel is determined (set).
This steering direction can be set using the conversion table shown in FIG. 7 as in the above-described embodiment. However, in this second embodiment, “position of the remote control device” shown in FIG. 7 corresponds to “position of the operator”, and “instruction direction of the operation signal” shown in FIG. ".

Next, the ECU 52 performs steering control of the wheels of the actual vehicle 10 ′ that is suitable for (corresponding to) the determined steering direction of the vehicle 10 ′ (step 46).
Subsequently, when the wheel steering control is completed, the ECU 52 outputs the driving force suitable for (corresponding to) the driving force necessary for the speed (for example, 5 km / h or less) for safely moving the vehicle. (Step 47).

When the wheel driving force control is completed, the ECU 52 determines whether or not the remote operation system is in a released (stopped) state (step 48). The operation / release state of the remote control system is determined based on the state of the operation switch.
When it is determined that the remote operation system is not in the released (stopped) state (step 48; N), that is, when it is determined that the remote operation system is in the operating state, the ECU 52 repeats a series of processes from step 42. .
On the other hand, when it is determined that the remote operation system is in the released (stopped) state (step 48; Y), the ECU 52 ends the process.

FIG. 11 shows, for each position of the operator, the relationship between a region where a specific characteristic part (hand) of the operator on the operation instruction image data is detected and the steering direction of the vehicle 10 ′.
As shown in FIG. 11, in the remote operation system of the second embodiment, according to the positional relationship between the vehicle 10 ′ and the operator, more specifically, according to the part of the vehicle 10 ′ that the operator faces, the characteristic part The steering direction of the vehicle 10 'instructed by operating (hand) changes.

As described above, in the second embodiment of the remote operation system, the operator performs a specific direction instruction operation without using the dedicated remote operation device (remote control device 20), thereby the movement direction of the vehicle 10 ′ is changed. You can give instructions.
The operator moves the vehicle 10 ′ in a desired direction by moving the characteristic part (hand) in the same direction as the direction in which the vehicle 10 ′ is viewed from the operator (referenced to the operator). be able to.
Thus, the operator can instruct the desired moving direction of the vehicle 10 by simply moving his / her hand without considering the actual direction of the vehicle 10 ′. Convenience at the time of performing can be improved, and further, erroneous operations can be suppressed.

Moreover, although both described embodiment demonstrated the remote control system of the vehicle provided with the four-wheel wheel motor which drives four drive wheels each independently, the vehicle used as operation object is not limited to this. Absent.
For example, the present invention can be applied to a vehicle in which the driving force of an engine or a motor is transmitted to two wheels or four wheels via a shaft, like a normal four-wheel vehicle.

In the embodiment described above, the four directions of forward, backward, right, and left have been described as directions for operating the vehicle with the remote control device 20, but the moving direction of the vehicle is not limited to four directions, and is 360 degrees in all directions. May be instructed.
In this case, the vehicle image corresponding to the position of the operator (according to the operation screen selection signal transmitted from the vehicle) is displayed on the display 23 of the remote control device 20, and the vehicle image is displayed from the touch panel arranged on the display 23. Any direction may be indicated.
In this case, the ECU 27 of the remote control device 20 transmits the coordinate data of the touched point to the vehicle, and the vehicle uses the coordinate data and the transmitted operation screen selection signal (or the position of the specified operator) of the vehicle. Specify the direction of movement.

Further, in the second embodiment described, the case where the four image sensors 50a to 50d are arranged on the front, rear, left and right of the vehicle body has been described. However, a fisheye lens capable of imaging a wider angle range, for example, a 180 degree range. Two image sensors may be arranged using a super-wide-angle lens such as.
In this case, the imaging range of the two image sensors images each area obtained by dividing the vehicle into two diagonal lines. Specifically, areas A and B in FIG. 11 are imaged by one image sensor, and areas C and D are imaged by another image sensor. Here, the reason why the line is divided into two on the diagonal line is that the operator rarely comes on the line.
In addition, it is also possible to use one image sensor using a fisheye lens that can image the entire periphery (360 degrees) of the vehicle.
However, when a fish-eye lens is used, the image is distorted, so that the operator is identified after converting the captured fish-eye image to a true image.
The presence position (A to D) of the operator is specified from the position of the human body image in all the detected images.

In the second embodiment described, the image sensor is used. However, microphones for recognizing the operator's voice are arranged on the four front, left, and right sides of the vehicle instead of the image sensor, and the operator recognizes the voice by voice recognition. The movement instruction may be recognized.
In this case, the voice uttered by the operator is detected by a microphone, and the position of the operator with respect to the vehicle is detected (determined) from the reception level of each microphone.
Then, the voice of the front, rear, right, left, etc. spoken by the operator is recognized by voice, and the moving direction of the actual vehicle is determined from the moving direction of the vehicle instructed by the voice and the position of the operator with respect to the vehicle. Make a decision.

1 illustrates a schematic configuration of a vehicle remote control system using a vehicle and a remote control device of the present embodiment. It is a vehicle remote control system block diagram about the vehicle of this embodiment. It is a system block diagram about the remote control apparatus of this Embodiment. It is a flowchart showing operation | movement of the vehicle remote control process. It is a flowchart showing the operation | movement of the position detection process of a remote control device. It is explanatory drawing showing the relationship between the position of a vehicle and a remote control apparatus, and the vehicle image displayed. It is explanatory drawing showing an example of the conversion table. It is explanatory drawing showing the vehicle remote control system structure about the vehicle shown to a modification. It is a flowchart showing operation | movement of the vehicle remote control process. It is explanatory drawing of the determination method of an operation pattern. It is explanatory drawing showing the relationship between the area | region where the specific characteristic part of the operator on operation instruction image data is detected, and the steering direction of a vehicle for every position of an operator.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle 20 Remote control device 21 Transmission / reception part 22 Serial communication signal processing part 23 Display 24 Display controller 25 Operation device 26 Operation device signal processing part 27 ECU
28 ROM
29 Bus 30a to d Sensor 31 Serial communication signal processor 32 ECU
33 ROM
34 Serial I / F
35 Bus 40 Vehicle signal processing unit 50a to d Image sensor 51 Serial communication signal processing unit 52 ECU
53 ROM
54 Serial I / F
55 bus

Claims (6)

An acquisition means for acquiring movement direction instruction information indicating a movement direction with reference to the request source from a request source existing outside the vehicle;
Position specifying means for specifying the location of the request source for the vehicle;
A moving direction determining means for determining a moving direction of the vehicle based on the specified location of the request source and the moving direction instruction information;
Drive control means for driving the vehicle to move in the determined moving direction;
A vehicle comprising:
The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the moving direction instruction information transmitted from the remote control device.
An imaging means disposed in the vehicle for imaging the surroundings of the vehicle;
A human body image of the request source is detected from an image captured by the imaging unit, a predetermined reference part and a characteristic part are extracted from the human body image, and a position of a specific characteristic part with respect to the reference part is recognized. Image recognition means;
With
The specifying unit specifies the location of the request source from the positional relationship in the captured image of the human body image detected by the image recognition unit,
The acquisition means acquires the movement direction instruction information based on the location of the request source and the position of the characteristic part recognized by the image recognition means with respect to a reference part. The vehicle according to 1.
The moving direction determining means determines the moving direction by using a conversion table in which the moving direction is defined in accordance with the location of the request source and the content of the moving direction instruction information. The vehicle according to claim 2 or claim 3.
The acquisition unit acquires movement direction instruction information indicating any one of a right direction, a left direction, a front direction, and a back direction as a moving direction of the vehicle. The vehicle according to claim 1.
A remote control device for operating a moving direction from outside the vehicle,
Receiving means for receiving, from the vehicle, information specifying the positional relationship between the vehicle recognized by the moving target vehicle and the remote control device;
Display means for displaying a vehicle image in a direction that matches the direction of the vehicle based on the remote control device based on the information specifying the received positional relationship;
A moving direction input means for inputting a moving direction of the vehicle with reference to the remote control device;
Transmitting means for transmitting movement direction instruction information corresponding to the input movement direction;
A remote control device comprising:

Images