JP2008191800A - Follow-up vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a follow-up vehicle allowing a leading person to freely access the follow-up vehicle during stable follow-up operation wherein acceleration/deceleration or stop is not frequently repeated and to control motion of the follow-up vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: A target follow-up position for the follow-up control of follow-up vehicle 1 is designated from the leading person by use of a follow-up control designation device with a distance 101 and an angle 102 in a leading-person central coordinate system 103 wherein the origin is defined as a present position of the leading-person and wherein an X<SB>L</SB>axis is defined as a travel direction of the leading person. The angle 102 and the distance 101 are limited within a range of sensing surroundings or a distance allowing a safe stop without colliding the person from behind even when the person suddenly stops. When specifying the target follow-up position, it is also specified whether the vehicle 1 follows the person forward or backward. The forward or backward motion is specified, so that all the possible motion of the follow-up vehicle can be operated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a leader following vehicle that follows a leader.

  As described in Patent Document 1, a vehicle following a specific person (leader) travels while measuring the distance to the leader and keeps the distance constant. There was something to do.

  In addition, as described in Patent Document 2, the movement trajectory of the leader is recorded, and when traveling while following the trajectory or following, the front of the leader is not located behind the leader. Some run along with the movement.

JP 2006-134221 A JP 2006-48666 A

  However, in the prior art, a follow-up method has been adopted in which the distance between the leader and the leader-following vehicle is kept constant or the movement trajectory of the leader is traced. The direction in which the follower vehicle exists is not necessarily constant, and the position of the leader follower vehicle where the leader can access the leader follower vehicle is also not constant.

  Therefore, it is difficult to load some articles on the vehicle or operate the terminal on the leader following vehicle during the following operation.

  An object of the present invention is a leader following vehicle in which the leader can freely access the leader following vehicle and can control the movement of the leader following vehicle while performing stable follow without frequently repeating acceleration / deceleration and running stop. Is to realize.

  The leader following vehicle of the present invention sets the direction of the leader following vehicle and the distance between the leader and the leader following vehicle with the following direction as the reference direction based on the traveling direction of the leader as parameters, and follows the follow control instruction means. The parameter set by the control instruction means is stored in the storage means, and the vehicle control means controls the leader following operation of the leader following vehicle according to the parameters stored in the storage means.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to designate the follow-up position of the leader following vehicle seen from the leader.

  Furthermore, all the possible movements for the leader following vehicle can be operated by the leader through the following action to the leader.

  In addition, stable tracking without repeatedly accelerating or decelerating or stopping is realized, and thereby, it is possible for the leader to access each part of the leading vehicle following the tracking operation.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a functional configuration diagram of a leader following vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of surrounding environment and vehicle state recognition means and vehicle control means. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the leader following vehicle 1 includes a communication device 11, an external sensor 12, an internal sensor 13, an environment information recording device 14, a vehicle state estimation device 15, a control amount calculation device 16, a vehicle control device 17, A front wheel steering motor 18 and a rear wheel drive motor 19 are provided.

  The outside world sensor 12, the inside world sensor 13 and the vehicle state estimation device 15 that process the information mounted on the leader following vehicle 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, a TV camera 31 capable of panning and tilting as an external sensor 12, an absolute position detection device 32, a road shoulder observation device 33 attached in front of the leader following vehicle, and attached to four places on the front, rear, left and right of the leader following vehicle. The surrounding observation devices 34, 35, 36, and 37 are used. Further, as the inner sensor 13, an encoder 41, a vehicle attitude sensor 42, and a steering angle detection device 43 are used.

  In FIG. 1, the vehicle state estimation device 15 estimates the position, direction, speed, road shoulder position, and obstacle position of the leader following vehicle 1 from data obtained by using the external sensor 12 and the internal sensor 13. It is a device provided to do.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the position detection of the leader and the obstacle by the surrounding observation devices 34 to 37 shown in FIG. 2 is relative to the obstacles 111, 112, 113 existing in a certain range in front of the following vehicle 1. This is performed by detecting the distance (Ro) 114 and the relative orientation (θo) 115. Based on the position information of the obstacle thus obtained, the control amount calculation device 16 shown in FIG. 1 creates a track for avoiding the obstacle and performs traveling control to follow the track.

  In FIG. 2, the television camera 31 is used to improve the accuracy of the position detection of the leader and obstacles in addition to the recognition of the leader.

  The road shoulder observation device 33 is means for observing the road shoulder position ahead of the leader following vehicle 1. When the road shoulder discovered by the road shoulder observation device 33 is close to the leader following vehicle 1, the control amount calculation device 16 calculates the steering angle of the leader following vehicle 1 based on the road shoulder position information obtained by the road shoulder observation device 33. Steer in a direction that avoids the shoulder.

  The vehicle control device 17 rotates the front wheel steering motor 18 and the rear wheel drive motor 19 at a speed corresponding to the vehicle speed command value and the steering command value output from the control amount calculation device 16.

  Next, the control amount calculation device 16 will be described. The leader following vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention calculates a vehicle speed and a steering angle for following the leader, and a front wheel steering motor by a vehicle control device 17 including each motor driver according to the result. 18. Control the rear wheel drive motor 19.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the environmental information recording device 14 records route information required when the control amount calculation device 16 calculates the control amount of the leader following vehicle 1. This route information includes information on the travel-permitted road surface, etc., and the leader following vehicle 1 travels so as to avoid a road surface that is not permitted to travel as in the case of the road shoulder.

  In addition, the control amount calculation device 16 is based on the position of the road shoulder and obstacles observed by the road shoulder detection device 33 and the surrounding observation devices 34, 35, 36, and 37 and estimated by the vehicle state estimation device 15. Create an avoidance route that can pass between objects.

  As described above, the control amount calculation device 16 plays a central role in the control of the leader following vehicle 1 and creates an obstacle avoidance route in addition to performing the control amount calculation of the leader following vehicle 1. .

  FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a follow-up control instruction device 60 that is mounted on the leader follow-up vehicle 1 and designates parameters such as direction and distance. In FIG. 3, the follow-up control instruction device 60 includes a follow-up direction lever 61 and follow-up distance setting buttons 64 and 65 for setting the azimuth of the vehicle coordinate origin when the leader's traveling direction is a reference direction, and the distance to the vehicle coordinate origin. A tracking ON / OFF button 62 for instructing start and stop of the tracking operation, a tracking direction switching button 63 for switching whether the tracking of the tracking target position by the leading tracking vehicle 1 is performed forward or backward, and a leader And a communication device 66 between the vehicle and the leader following vehicle 1, and a speaker 67 and a display device 68 that inform the leader of information from the leader following vehicle 1 by voice or display.

  Next, a series of operations in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

First, following the target position leader following vehicle 1 performs the following control, the current position of the origin as shown in FIG. 5 leader, leader X _L axis is defined as the traveling direction of the leader-centered coordinate system 103 The distance (d) 101 and the angle (θ) 102 are designated by the leader using the follow-up control instruction device 60 and stored in the storage means included in the vehicle control device 17.

  Of these, the angle 102 is designated in the direction in which the follow direction lever 61 is tilted, and the distance 101 increases when the follow distance setting button 64 is pressed, and decreases when the follow distance setting button 65 is pressed. However, the angle 102 and the distance 101 are limited to a distance that can be safely stopped without colliding with the leader even when the leader suddenly stops, and a sensing range of the surrounding environment.

Here, X _L axis representing the traveling direction of the leader is not a leader orientation coincides with the direction of movement of leader determined from the movement locus of the leader. This is because when is matched with the leader of the orientation as X _L axis of leader-centered coordinate system 103, to repeat the leader follow the vehicle acceleration and deceleration by the change of leader in position, meaning to prevent this is there.

  Further, when the follow target position is designated, the follow direction switching button 63 designates whether the leader follow vehicle 1 follows the leader while moving forward or follows backward. By providing a function that can specify whether the vehicle is moving forward or backward, it is possible for the leader to operate all possible movements for the leader following vehicle. Thereby, it is also possible to put the leader following vehicle 1 into the garage while moving backward.

  FIG. 6 is an operation flowchart of the follow-up control to the follow-up target position in the first embodiment. In step 201 of FIG. 6, the position of the leader following vehicle in the global coordinate system 105 shown in FIG. 5 is acquired. Here, the global coordinate system 105 is a coordinate system having a predetermined fixed position as an origin, and is, for example, a coordinate system having the center position of the floor as an origin in a shopping center or factory. By referring to the global coordinate position, for example, it is possible to recognize its own position in a shopping center or a factory.

  The vehicle state estimation device 15 acquires the initial position in the global coordinate system 105 of the leader follower vehicle 1 from the absolute position detection device 32 when the leader follower vehicle 1 is started, and then measures the leader follower vehicle measured at regular time intervals. The movement amount of the vehicle main body 1 is calculated from the vehicle speed of 1 and the orientation obtained by the vehicle attitude sensor 42, and the current position of the leader following vehicle 1 is updated based on the calculation result. In the movement control of the vehicle main body, it is possible to follow the point 116 between the leader and the vehicle 1 as a target follow-up point.

  The current position of the leader following vehicle 1 is corrected by the absolute position detection device 32. As described above, the leader following vehicle 1 always grasps its own position.

  Next, in step 202, the relative position of the leader with respect to the leader following vehicle 1 is obtained from the image of the leader acquired by the external sensor 12. The relative position of the leader can be obtained by observing the leader with the surrounding observation devices 34 to 37. Furthermore, the relative position detection accuracy can be improved by fusing the information on the television camera 31 and the prior information on the physique of the leader, etc., with the relative position of the leader with respect to the leader following vehicle 1.

  Subsequently, in step 203, the movement trajectory of the leader in the global coordinate system 105 is updated, and conversion from the leader center coordinate system 103 to the global coordinate system 105 is performed.

  Next, in step 204, the follow target position in the global coordinate system 105 is calculated using the transformation to the global coordinate system 105 in step 203. In step 205, a control amount for the leader following vehicle 1 to follow the follow target position is calculated by the control amount calculation device 16, and in step 206, the front wheel steering motor 18 and the rear wheel drive motor 19 are calculated by the vehicle control device 17. To control.

  The control amount calculation device 16 includes a deviation amount (Δθ) 107 between the direction of the tracking target position viewed from the current position of the leading vehicle 1 and the direction of the leading vehicle 1, the leading vehicle 1 and the tracking target. The steering command value r according to the distance (D) 106 between the position and the position. And the vehicle speed command value V. And

For example, simply, r for the steering command value. = −K _θ Δθ, V for vehicle speed command value. = K _d D. Here, K _θ and K _d are positive constants. In addition, when reverse tracking is selected using the tracking direction switch button 63, the deviation amount Δθ and the distance D are detected after the vehicle coordinate system is rotated 180 degrees as shown in FIG. And r. = K θ Δθ, _V. = −K _d D.

  Steering command value γ in each control cycle. And vehicle speed command value V. Is obtained and transmitted to the vehicle control device 17 so that follow-up control is performed. However, when the road shoulder observation device 33 detects the road shoulder, the steering angle r is set so that the control amount calculation device 16 avoids the road shoulder based on the position information of the road shoulder. Correct.

  In the above, there has been described a case where there are no obstacles in the surroundings, the leader is moving relatively slowly and straightly, and the following operation to the leader by the leader following vehicle 1 is not limited by the surrounding environment.

  Next, the following conditions (1) to (4) describe conditions under which the leader following vehicle 1 stops following the leader according to the surrounding environment and the walking speed of the leader.

  (1) First, a case where the leader following vehicle 1 may collide with surrounding obstacles will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  Obstacles in front of the vehicle are detected by the surrounding observation devices 34 to 37 (step 301), and it is determined whether or not the leader following vehicle 1 may collide with the obstacle by continuing the following operation. ) If there is no possibility of collision, the process ends (returns to step 301).

  When it is determined in step 302 that there is a possibility of a collision, the leader 67 is notified by voice or display using the display device 68 (step 303), and then the control amount calculation device 16 is the vehicle control device. The vehicle speed command value transmitted to 17 is forcibly set to 0, and the leader following vehicle is temporarily stopped (step 304).

  The stopped leader following vehicle 1 detects the position of the obstacle again using the surrounding observation devices 34 to 37 (step 305). Subsequently, it is determined whether or not there is a possibility of collision with an obstacle (step 306), and when the leader changes the course in the direction of the area where there is no obstacle or when no obstacle is detected, a follow-up operation is performed. To resume. If an obstacle with a possibility of collision is detected again, whether or not an obstacle avoidance route has been found in step 307, that is, between the follow target position and the position of the leader follow vehicle 1. A route through which the vehicle 1 can pass is searched and it is determined whether or not an obstacle avoidance route has been found. If found, obstacle avoidance traveling along the route is started (step 308), and the possibility of collision is determined. After avoiding a certain obstacle, it returns to the tracking operation.

  Here, the control amount calculation device 16 obtains a route that avoids the obstacle from the position of the obstacle within the predetermined range in front of the vehicle detected by using the surrounding observation devices 34 to 37. If no obstacle avoidance route is found in step 307, the leader is notified (step 309), and the leader following vehicle 1 waits in a stopped state until a start instruction is issued from the leader (step 307). 310). At this time, after the leader moves to a position where the leader following vehicle 1 can follow, the follow-up operation can be resumed by pressing the follow-on ON-OFF button 62 (return to step 301).

  (2) Next, the case where the leader suddenly stops and may collide with the leader following vehicle 1 will be described.

  The leader following vehicle 1 is also indicated when it is determined that there is a possibility that the leader following vehicle 1 may collide with the leader, such as when the leader is suddenly stopped as a target following position. After notifying the leader by voice or the like, the vehicle 1 temporarily stops. Then, when a distance of 101 or more is opened between the leader following vehicle 1 and the leader, the following operation is resumed.

  (3) Next, a case where the leader enters the vehicle travel prohibited area will be described.

  Even when the leader deviates from the road and the approach of the leader following vehicle 1 to the prohibited travel area is detected by the vehicle state estimation device 15, the leader following vehicle 1 is temporarily informed after notifying the leader by voice or the like. Stop. Then, when the follow target position moves away from the travel prohibited area, the follow operation is resumed.

  (4) Finally, the case where the walking speed of the leader exceeds the tracking limit value will be described.

  Even when the predetermined walking limit speed is exceeded, such as when the leader's walking speed is fast or when the leader suddenly changes the course, the leader following vehicle 1 is informed to the leader by voice or the like. Will stop. Thereafter, when the moving speed of the tracking target point falls below the tracking limit speed, the tracking operation is resumed.

  In addition, when the leader follower vehicle 1 exceeds the follow-up limit speed, instead of stopping as described above, even if the leader follows the trajectory of the follow-up target position while notifying the leader by voice, the vehicle follows the limit speed limit. Good.

  Thereby, when a leader's walking speed is comparatively high, it can prevent that a leader following vehicle stops frequently.

  The follow-up operation can be canceled by pressing the follow-up ON-OFF button 62. In this case, the leader follow-up vehicle 1 stops on the spot. The tracking can be resumed by pressing the tracking ON-OFF button 52 again.

  According to the first embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to specify the follow position of the leader following vehicle 1 as viewed from the leader, and for the leader following vehicle 1 through the follow operation to the leader. All possible movements can be controlled by the leader.

  Therefore, it is possible to realize access to each part of the leader following vehicle 1 by the leader even during the following operation. For example, in a shopping center, as shown in FIG. 8, a shopper 904 is a leader, and the shopper 904 operates a terminal 902 of a leader following vehicle 903 on which the purchased item 905 is mounted to operate a product display shelf. Shopping can be enjoyed while obtaining information about the product 901 displayed in 906.

  Further, in a factory or the like, a product can be inspected using an inspection device mounted on the leader following vehicle while walking while operating a terminal equipped on the leader following vehicle. Thereby, there exists an effect that inspection work can be carried out efficiently.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 9, FIG. 10, and FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 9, the movement of the leader may be a smooth movement or may meander and make a very abrupt movement. In this case, in the follow-up method according to the first embodiment described above, the vehicle speed and direction of the leader follow-up vehicle 1 change frequently in response to sudden meandering, and a phenomenon of frequent running and stopping occurs.

  Therefore, by previously having means for always measuring human movement, the radius of curvature of the leader's movement trajectory is always detected, and the rate of change is used as one reference. When the reference change rate is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the conventional tracking method is executed as indicated by the tracking method switching point A151 in FIG. As a result, a more stable follow-up operation can be realized.

  Further, when the movement of the leader is stable while the leader following vehicle 1 is following, as shown in the following method switching point B152, the tracking target point designated by the leader is indicated. The control is switched to follow-up control (follow-up control similar to the first embodiment).

Here, the conventional follow-up method described above is a steering command value r as shown in FIG. , Vehicle speed command value V. Using the deviation angle Δθ _L of the leader viewed from the leader following vehicle 1 and the distance D _L , r. = −K _θL Δθ _L , V. By using the feedback law given as = K _dL (D _L −d _L ), the control of stably following the leader is realized. Here, K _θL and K _dL are positive constants. d _L is a designated interval between the leader and the vehicle.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the above-described operation. First, as in the first embodiment, in step 401, the position of the leader following vehicle 1 in the global coordinate system 105 is acquired, and in step 402, the leader follows from the image of the leader acquired by the external sensor 12. The relative position of the leader with respect to the vehicle 1 is obtained.

  Next, in step 403, the movement trajectory of the leader in the global coordinate system 105 is updated. In step 404, it is determined whether or not the amount of curvature change per unit time of the leader movement trajectory exceeds a threshold value. And if the amount of curvature change per unit time of the leader movement trajectory is small like the tracking method switching point A151 shown in FIG. 9, control is performed to follow the tracking target point as in the flowchart of FIG. Step 405), returning to Step 401.

In Step 404, when the curvature change amount exceeds a certain threshold value (in the case of YES in Step 404), the distance between the leader and the leader following vehicle 1 is not stopped as in the first embodiment. The tracking control method is switched to a method of controlling the steering angle and the vehicle speed so as to keep the value d _L constant (step 406). Then, steps 401A, 402A, and 403A are executed.

For example, the steering command value r simply given to the vehicle control device 17. Is the amount of deviation between the traveling direction of the leader follow the vehicle 1 and the direction of the leader as viewed from the current position of the leader following vehicle 1 as [Delta] [theta] _L, r. = −K _θL Δθ _L , vehicle speed command value V. Is the distance between the leader following vehicle and leader as D _L, V. = K _dL (D _L -d _L ). Here, K _θL and K _dL are positive constants.

  After executing step 403A, in step 407, it is determined whether or not the amount of curvature change per unit time of the leader track has fallen below a threshold value for a certain time. When the curvature change amount per unit time of the leader movement trajectory falls below the threshold for a certain time, the process returns to step 401 to return to the control to follow the target target point (following method switching point B152 in FIG. 9).

  In Step 407, when the curvature change amount per unit time of the leader movement trajectory does not fall below the threshold value, the process returns to Step 406.

  By performing the operation control as shown in FIG. 11, it is possible to realize stable follow-up without frequently repeating acceleration and deceleration or stopping.

  In addition to the example described above, the present invention can also be applied to a follow-up vehicle for rescue activities in a disaster area or a passenger car. When applied to a passenger car, by following an operator located outside the vehicle, it can be put in a garage or parked in a parking lot.

It is a functional lineblock diagram of the leader follower vehicle which is the 1st example form of the present invention. It is a figure explaining arrangement | positioning of the recognition means of a surrounding environment and a vehicle state, and the control means of a vehicle. It is a schematic block diagram of the tracking control instruction | indication apparatus mounted in a leader tracking vehicle. It is explanatory drawing of the position detection of a leader and an obstruction by a surrounding observation apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the designation | designated method of the tracking target position which a leader tracking vehicle performs tracking control. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the tracking control to the tracking target position in 1st Embodiment. 5 is a flowchart of tracking control when an obstacle is detected in the first embodiment. It is an example which applied the 1st Embodiment of this invention and is explanatory drawing of the shopping cart which tracks a shopper in a shopping center. It is explanatory drawing of the tracking control method switching point in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the follow-up control used in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the follow-up control in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Following vehicle main body, 11 ... Communication apparatus (vehicle main body), 12 ... External field sensor, 13 ... Internal field sensor, 14 ... Environmental information recording device, 15 ... Vehicle state estimation Device ... 16 Control amount calculation device, 17 ... Vehicle control device, 18 ... Front wheel steering motor, 19 ... Rear wheel drive motor, 31 ... TV camera, 32 ... Absolute position detection Device: 33 ... Road shoulder observation device, 34-37 ... Ambient observation device, 41 ... Encoder, 42 ... Vehicle attitude sensor, 43 ... Steering angle detection device, 51 ... Front wheel steering motor 52 ... Rear wheel drive motor, 60 ... Follow-up control instruction device, 61 ... Follow-up direction lever, 62 ... Follow-up ON-OFF button, 63 ... Follow-up direction switch button, 64, 65 ..Following distance setting button, 101 ... ahead of the leader Distance to the vehicle following the vehicle, 102... Direction angle θ of the leader, 103... Center coordinate system of the leader, 104... Center coordinate system of the vehicle following the leader, 105. 111-113 ... obstacle, 114 ... distance Ro from the leader following vehicle to the obstacle, 115 ... direction θo of the obstacle as seen from the leader following vehicle, 151, 152 ... of the following method Switching point

Claims (9)

In a leader following vehicle that follows the leader,
Tracking control instruction means for setting the azimuth of the leader following vehicle with the traveling direction of the leader as a reference direction, and the distance between the leader and the leader following vehicle as parameters,
Storage means for storing parameters set by the follow-up control instruction means;
Vehicle control means for controlling the leader following operation of the leader following vehicle according to the parameters stored in the storage means;
A leader following vehicle characterized by comprising:   2. The leader following vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the follow control instruction means further selects start and stop of the follow-up operation and whether the leader follow vehicle follows the leader forward or backward. And a leader following vehicle characterized by setting.   The leader follower vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the direction of the leader follower vehicle and the distance between the leader and the leader follower vehicle are such that the leader and the follower vehicle are in a state where the leader suddenly stops. A leader following vehicle characterized by being limited to a range where it can be safely stopped without colliding.   2. The leader following vehicle according to claim 1, wherein means for measuring a current position of the leader following vehicle in a global coordinate system having a predetermined fixed position as an origin, and leader center coordinates having the leader existing position as an origin. Means for measuring the relative position of the leader as viewed from the leader following vehicle at the vehicle, and the vehicle control means is a follow target position that is the position of the leader of the leader following vehicle defined by the leader central coordinate system. A leader following vehicle characterized by converting the vehicle to a global coordinate system and causing the vehicle to follow the converted target position.   5. The leader following vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle control means stores the position of the leader defined in the global coordinate system in the storage means, and the traveling direction of the leader from the stored movement trajectory of the leader. And following the leader along the movement trajectory.   6. The leader following vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the vehicle control means calculates a curvature change amount per unit time of the leader movement trajectory, and when the calculated curvature change amount exceeds a threshold, along the movement trajectory. A leader following vehicle characterized in that the tracking control for following the leader is switched to the tracking control for maintaining the distance from the leader to the leader following vehicle at a value designated by the leader.   In the leader following vehicle according to claim 1, the means for detecting the obstacle, the means for measuring the self position in the global coordinate system, the obstacle on the travel route and the leader having the information on the allowable travel area, Means for estimating the occurrence of a collision or deviation from an obstacle, and when the estimation means estimates the occurrence of a collision or deviation with an obstacle, the vehicle control means A leader following vehicle characterized by performing a collision avoidance operation.   The leader following vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising warning means for issuing a warning to the leader, wherein the vehicle control means estimates that the tracking operation to the tracking target position cannot be maintained or cannot be maintained. Leader-following vehicle characterized by warning a leader by means   8. The leader following vehicle according to claim 7, wherein, when the leader following vehicle cannot maintain the follow operation to the follow target position, the vehicle control means determines the distance from the leader to the leader following vehicle. A leader-following vehicle characterized by switching to follow-up control that only maintains a specified value.

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