JP2014011518A - Remote operation system for radio operation type vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote operation system for a radio operation type vehicle which enables an operator to easily and safely perform remote operations of the vehicle.SOLUTION: A remote operation system 1 which remotely operates a radio operation type vehicle 30 via a base station 2, comprises a radio operation type vehicle 30, a sensor device 70, a vehicle control device 50, an on-vehicle radio device 40, ground radio devices 21 to 25, and an operation device 10. The sensor device 70 comprises at least obstacle sensors 74a to 74e which detect information about an obstacle around the radio operation type vehicle 30 as vehicle surrounding information of the radio operation type vehicle 30, and also a crash prediction device 90 having a crash prediction unit 92 which predicts whether the radio operation type vehicle 30 crashes into an obstacle on the basis of the obstacle information detected by the obstacle sensors 74a to 74e.

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a remotely operated system for a wirelessly operated vehicle that remotely operates a wirelessly operated vehicle located away from a base station from the base station.

  Conventionally, when working with a work vehicle in an environment harmful to the human body, for example, a place filled with toxic gas or a place with a high radiation dose, a wirelessly operated vehicle remotely operated by a wireless signal is used. A remote operation system is used in which a wirelessly operated vehicle is remotely operated from a base station located away from the wirelessly operated vehicle.

  As an example of a conventional remote control system for a wirelessly operated vehicle, Patent Document 1 discloses that a construction machine vehicle is remotely controlled by radio waves transmitted from a ground station, and vehicle information that changes every moment from the construction machine vehicle is transmitted by radio waves. A vehicle information transmission method for returning the vehicle information and receiving the vehicle information at a ground station is disclosed.

  As another example of a conventional remote control system for a wirelessly operated vehicle, Patent Document 2 discloses that information is transmitted by wireless communication between a control station and an unmanned work apparatus that works at a work place away from the control station. An information communication system including a plurality of relay radio devices is disclosed in a remote communication system of an unmanned work apparatus that enables two-way transmission.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-229168 Japanese Patent No. 4587891

  By the way, in the above-described conventional remote operation system for a wirelessly operated vehicle, an operator who remotely operates the wirelessly operated vehicle detects information around the vehicle with the naked eye or a camera mounted on the vehicle. In Patent Document 1, the operator detects information around the vehicle with the naked eye. In Patent Document 2, the operator detects information around the vehicle by an imaging camera mounted on the vehicle.

  However, there is a problem that it is not possible to remotely control a wirelessly operated vehicle that is in a position that cannot be seen by the operator with the naked eye. In addition, when detecting information around the vehicle with a camera, it is difficult to accurately grasp the distance and relative position between the vehicle and the obstacle, and there is a problem that remote operation requires skill.

  At least one embodiment of the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and is a remote operation system for a wirelessly operated vehicle that allows an operator to remotely and safely operate a vehicle. The purpose is to provide.

At least one embodiment of the present invention achieves the above objectives by:
In a remotely operated system for a wirelessly operated vehicle that remotely operates a wirelessly operated vehicle located away from the base station from the base station,
A wirelessly operated vehicle;
A vehicle control device that is mounted on the wirelessly operated vehicle and controls the operation of the wirelessly operated vehicle based on an operation signal related to the operation of the wirelessly operated vehicle;
A sensor device that is mounted on the wirelessly operated vehicle and detects information on each part of the wirelessly operated vehicle and information around the vehicle of the wirelessly operated vehicle;
Mounted on the wirelessly operated vehicle, transmits the operation signal to the vehicle control device, and transmits a vehicle information signal related to information on each part of the vehicle and a surrounding information signal related to information around the vehicle transmitted from the sensor device. An in-vehicle wireless device that transmits wirelessly;
Located away from the wirelessly operated vehicle, the operation signal is wirelessly transmitted to the in-vehicle wireless device, and the vehicle information signal and the surrounding information signal transmitted wirelessly from the in-vehicle wireless device are received and wired. A terrestrial radio device transmitting with
The operation signal input by an operator, which is arranged at the base station, is transmitted to the ground wireless device by wire, and the vehicle information signal and the surrounding information signal transmitted by wire from the ground wireless device are received. An operation device that displays information on each part of the vehicle and information around the vehicle on a display device,
The sensor device includes at least an obstacle sensor that detects information on an obstacle around the vehicle of the wirelessly operated vehicle as information around the vehicle of the wirelessly operated vehicle.
A collision prediction device having a collision prediction unit that predicts whether or not the wirelessly operated vehicle collides with an obstacle based on obstacle information detected by the obstacle sensor is provided.

  The remote operation system for a wirelessly operated vehicle configured as described above includes an obstacle sensor that detects information on an obstacle around the vehicle of the wirelessly operated vehicle, and is based on the obstacle information detected by the obstacle sensor. And a collision prediction device having a collision prediction unit for predicting whether or not the wirelessly operated vehicle collides with an obstacle. Thus, by appropriately using the prediction result by the collision prediction unit, the operator can easily and safely remotely operate the vehicle.

In the remote control system for a wirelessly operated vehicle in one embodiment of the present invention,
When the collision predicting unit predicts a collision between the wirelessly operated vehicle and an obstacle, it is configured to notify the operator of this.

  If configured in this way, the prediction result by the collision prediction unit that the wirelessly operated vehicle and the obstacle will collide is notified to the operator, and the operator accidentally causes the wirelessly operated vehicle to collide with the obstacle. The risk of endangering can be reduced.

In the remote control system for a wirelessly operated vehicle in one embodiment of the present invention,
The collision prediction device includes:
An obstacle information database in which information about obstacles to avoid collisions is stored in advance;
When the collision prediction unit predicts a collision between the wirelessly operated vehicle and an obstacle, the obstacle for which the collision is predicted corresponds to an obstacle that should avoid a collision stored in the obstacle information database. A collision avoidance unit that generates an operation signal for stopping the travel of the wirelessly operated vehicle, regardless of the operation signal input by the operator, if applicable.

  If the collision prediction apparatus of the above embodiment is configured in this way, an operation signal for stopping the traveling of the wirelessly operated vehicle is generated regardless of the operation signal input by the operator, and therefore, collision should be avoided. Collisions with obstacles can be avoided reliably. In addition, since the collision avoidance unit determines whether or not the obstacle should avoid the collision, the wirelessly operated vehicle can be configured not to stop when there is no problem even if the collision occurs. The operation efficiency of the operation-type vehicle is not stopped so that the working efficiency is not lowered.

In the wirelessly operated vehicle remote control system of the above embodiment,
The sensor device includes at least a speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle and a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle of the vehicle as information on each part of the wirelessly operated vehicle.

  As described above, if the sensor device includes the speed sensor and the steering angle sensor, the operator can grasp the speed of the vehicle and the steering angle of the vehicle in real time, thereby improving the operability of the operator.

In the remote control system for a wirelessly operated vehicle in one embodiment of the present invention,
The wirelessly operated vehicle is a forklift provided with a lifting device that supports a load and lifts and tilts.
The sensor device includes at least a stroke sensor that detects a height position and a tilt of a fork of the lifting device as information on each part of the wirelessly operated vehicle.

  Thus, if the sensor device is provided with a stroke sensor, the operator can grasp the height position and inclination of the lifting device in real time, so that the operability of the operator is improved.

In the remote control system for a wirelessly operated vehicle in one embodiment of the present invention,
At least one obstacle sensor is arranged above the fork of the lifting device, and the obstacle sensor is configured to detect the distance from the load in front of the vehicle.

  If comprised in this way, since an operator can grasp | ascertain the separation distance with a load in real time, an operator's operativity improves.

In the remote control system for a wirelessly operated vehicle in one embodiment of the present invention,
At least one obstacle sensor is disposed above the fork of the lifting device, and the obstacle sensor detects that the load is in a position where it is stably supported by the fork. It is configured.

  If comprised in this way, since an operator can grasp | ascertain in real time whether the load is in the position stably supported by a fork, an operator's operativity improves.

In the remote control system for a wirelessly operated vehicle in one embodiment of the present invention,
A plurality of the terrestrial radio devices are installed at intervals.

  With such a configuration, even when the wirelessly operated vehicle moves over a wide range or there are buildings or the like that are obstacles to wireless communication in the vicinity, stable wireless information transmission is possible.

  According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, an obstacle sensor that detects information about an obstacle around a wirelessly operated vehicle is provided, and the operating device is based on the obstacle information detected by the obstacle sensor. In addition, since a collision prediction device having at least a collision prediction unit that predicts whether or not the wirelessly operated vehicle collides with an obstacle is provided, the operator can easily use the prediction result by the collision prediction unit. In addition, it is possible to provide a remote control system for a wirelessly operated vehicle that can remotely control the vehicle safely.

It is the schematic which showed the outline | summary of the remote control system of the radio | wireless operation type vehicle in embodiment of this invention. It is a system diagram showing a schematic configuration of an operating device in an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a system diagram showing a schematic configuration of a radio relay base in which a plurality of terrestrial radio apparatuses are arranged in an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a system diagram showing a schematic configuration of various devices mounted on a wirelessly operated vehicle in an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic which showed the external appearance structure of the radio | wireless operation type vehicle in embodiment of this invention, (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view. It is the block diagram which showed schematic structure of the collision prediction apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is the flowchart which showed the effect | action of the collision prediction apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect | action of the obstacle sensor in embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. The dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in the following embodiments are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only unless otherwise specified.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of a wirelessly operated vehicle remote control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the wirelessly operated vehicle remote control system 1 according to the present embodiment remotely operates a wirelessly operated vehicle 30 located away from the base station 2 from the base station 2 by the operator using the operation device 10. System. The operating device 10 is connected to the terrestrial radio devices 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 of the radio relay base 20 via a cable 20A. In addition, each of the terrestrial radio devices 21, 22, and 23 and the in-vehicle radio device 40 mounted on the radio-operable vehicle 30 are configured to be able to perform radio communication in both directions.

  And the operation signal regarding operation of the radio | wireless operation type vehicle 30 which the operator input into the operating device 10 is transmitted to the ground radio | wireless apparatus 23, for example via the cable 20a. The transmitted operation signal is wirelessly transmitted from the ground wireless device 23 to the in-vehicle wireless device 40 of the wirelessly operated vehicle 30. The in-vehicle wireless device 40 transmits the received operation signal to the vehicle control device 50. The vehicle control device 50 controls various operations in the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 based on the received operation signal.

  In addition, when the operator inputs an operation signal to the portable operation transmission device 80, various operations of the wireless operation vehicle 30 can be directly controlled without using the ground wireless devices 21, 22, and 23. ing.

  The remote control system 1 for a wirelessly operated vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention is used when working with a work vehicle in an environment harmful to the human body, such as an area filled with toxic gas or an area with a high radiation dose. Used. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, at least a part of the radio-operated vehicle 30 and the radio relay base 20 is located in an area harmful to the human body, but the base station 2 is separated from the area harmful to the human body. Installed.

  FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing a schematic configuration of the operating device according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the operating device 10 includes a hub 12 connected to the LAN cable 20a, a base side control unit 14 connected to the hub 12, an operating pedal 15a connected to the base side control unit 14, and an operating handle 15b. , A control box 16, display monitors 17a and 17b, a speaker 18, and the like.

  The base side control unit 14 includes a microcomputer including a central processing unit (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), and an I / O interface. The CPU is configured to execute various controls according to a control program stored in the ROM and an input signal.

  The operation pedal 15a includes two pedals, one of which is an accelerator pedal and the other is a brake pedal. When the operator operates the operation pedal 15a, an operation signal corresponding to the operation is transmitted from the base-side control unit 14. Generated. Similarly, when the operator operates the operation handle 15b, the base-side control unit 14 generates an operation signal corresponding to the rotation direction and the rotation angle.

  In the control box 16, various levers, switches, buttons and the like are arranged. Specifically, a terrestrial radio device 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, which will be described later, a reset button for restarting the in-vehicle side control unit 54, a switch for starting and stopping the radio-operated vehicle 30, a lifting device described later, A lever for elevating operation and tilting operation is arranged.

  Specifically, when a reset button for restarting the terrestrial radio devices 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 is pressed, a signal for restarting the terrestrial radio devices 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 in the base side control unit 14 ( A second restart signal) is generated. When a reset button for restarting the in-vehicle side control unit 54 is pressed, a signal (first restart signal) for restarting the in-vehicle side control unit 54 is generated in the base side control unit 14.

  As described above, when the operator operates various levers, switches, buttons, and the like, various signals corresponding to the operations are generated in the base-side control unit 14.

  The display monitors 17a and 17b display an image around the vehicle taken by a camera 72 (described later) mounted on the wirelessly operated vehicle 30, information detected by various sensors 74 (described later), and the like. In the present embodiment, of the two display monitors 17a and 17b, the former is a display monitor that displays an image captured by the camera 72, and the latter is a display monitor that displays vehicle information detected by various sensors 74. .

  The speaker 18 amplifies the sound collected by a microphone 76 (described later) mounted on the wireless operation vehicle 30.

  FIG. 3 is a system diagram showing a schematic configuration of a radio relay base in which a plurality of terrestrial radio apparatuses are arranged in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of terrestrial radio apparatuses 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 are arranged at intervals in the radio relay base 20 of the present embodiment. Each terrestrial radio apparatus 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 is a terrestrial antenna 21a, 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a capable of transmitting / receiving radio waves as radio signals, and a wireless LAN base unit for controlling radio transmission / reception at the terrestrial antenna. 21b, 22b, 23b, 24b, 25b.

  Of the plurality of wireless LAN master devices 21b, 22b, 23b, 24b, and 25b described above, each of the wireless LAN master devices 22b, 23b, 24b, and 25b is connected to the power supply hub 26a via the PoE cable 20b. . The power supply hub 26a is connected to the power supply control unit 27 via the PoE cable 20b. The power supply control unit 27 is connected to the power supply 29 via the electric cable 20c, and is connected to the hub 12 of the operation device 10 described above via the LAN cable 20a.

  Here, the LAN cable 20a is a cable that transmits only electric signals, the electric cable 20c is a cable that transmits only electricity, and the PoE cable 20b is a cable that can simultaneously transmit / transmit electric signals and electricity. It has become.

  The electricity supplied from the power supply 29 to the power supply control unit 27 is supplied to the power supply hub 26a via the PoE cable 20b. The power supply hub 26a supplies the supplied electricity to the wireless LAN base units 22b, 23b, 24b, and 25d.

  Further, the power control unit 27 sends signals such as the operation signal and the first restart signal transmitted from the operation device 10 to the wireless LAN masters of the terrestrial wireless devices 22, 23, 24, and 25 via the power feeding hub 26 a. Transmit to machine 22b, 23b, 24b, 25b. The wireless LAN master devices 22b, 23b, 24b, and 25b transmit the received operation signals and signals such as the first restart signal to the in-vehicle wireless device 40 of the wireless operation vehicle 30 described later.

  Further, the power supply control unit 27 transmits the vehicle information signal related to the information on each part of the vehicle and the ambient information signal related to the information around the vehicle, which are transmitted from the wireless LAN master devices 22b, 23b, 24b, and 25b, via the power supply hub 26a. Receive. Then, the received vehicle information signal and surrounding information signal are transmitted to the controller device 10.

  When the second restart signal related to the restart of the terrestrial radio apparatus is input to the operating device 10, the power supply control unit 27 receives the second restart signal and supplies power from the power supply hub 26a to the terrestrial radio apparatus. Is temporarily transmitted to the power supply hub 26a. This power supply stoppage may be performed on any one of the terrestrial radio apparatuses 22, 23, 24, and 25, or may be performed on a plurality of apparatuses at the same time. The terrestrial wireless device whose power supply has been stopped is restarted when the power supply is resumed. As a result, minor abnormalities, such as freeze, that have occurred in the wireless LAN base unit may be recovered.

  In the present embodiment, unlike the above-described terrestrial radio apparatuses 22, 23, 24, and 25, the terrestrial radio apparatus 21 located away from the power supply hub 26a includes the LAN cable 20a, the power receiving hub 26b, and the PoE cable 20b. The power supply hub 26a is connected to the power supply unit 26, while the electric cable 20c, the power supply unit 28, and the PoE cable 20b are connected to the power supply control unit 27.

  Various signals are transmitted and received bi-directionally between the wireless LAN base unit 21b of the terrestrial wireless device 21 and the power supply control unit 27 via the power supply hub 26a and the power reception hub 26b. On the other hand, electricity is supplied from the power supply control unit 27 to the wireless LAN base unit 21 b of the ground wireless device 21 via the power supply unit 28. Further, when the power supply control unit 27 receives the second restart signal, the power supply from the power supply control 27 to the wireless LAN base unit 21b of the terrestrial wireless device 21 is temporarily stopped and the wireless LAN base unit 21b is restarted. It has become.

  FIG. 4 is a system diagram showing a schematic configuration of various devices mounted on the wirelessly operated vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the external configuration of the wirelessly operated vehicle in the embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a side view. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 is configured, for example, as a forklift provided with an elevating device 32 that supports a load and moves up and down and tilts.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the wireless operation type vehicle 30 includes a vehicle control device 50 and an in-vehicle wireless device 40, and a sensor device 70 including a camera 72, various sensors 74, a microphone 76, and the like. And an actuator 78 for operating various devices relating to the operation of the wirelessly operated vehicle, such as traveling of the vehicle and raising and lowering and tilting of the lifting device.

  The in-vehicle wireless device 40 includes an in-vehicle antenna 40a and a wireless LAN slave device 40b that controls wireless transmission / reception in the in-vehicle antenna. The in-vehicle antenna 40a is configured to be able to transmit and receive radio waves as radio signals.

  The vehicle control device 50 includes an in-vehicle side hub 52 and an in-vehicle side control unit 54. The in-vehicle side hub 52 is connected to the above-described wireless LAN slave device 40b, and thereby various signals can be transmitted and received bidirectionally between the in-vehicle wireless device 40 and the vehicle control device 50. The in-vehicle side control unit 54 is a microcomputer comprising a central processing unit (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), an I / O interface and the like, like the base side control unit 14 described above. It is configured.

  The in-vehicle side control unit 54 is connected to an actuator 78 that mechanically controls the operation of each part in the wireless operation type vehicle 30. Examples of the actuator 78 include a lifting cylinder (not shown) that lifts and lowers the forks 32a and 32b of the lifting device 32, and a tilt cylinder (not shown) that tilts the forks 32a and 32b connected thereto by tilting the mast 32c. And the like). As a result, the operation of the actuator 78 is controlled based on the operation signal transmitted from the in-vehicle wireless device 40, and the operations such as traveling of the vehicle and raising / lowering and tilting of the lifting / lowering device are controlled.

  Further, a microphone 76 is connected to the in-vehicle side control unit 54. Examples of the microphone 76 in the present embodiment include an indoor microphone 76a disposed in the cabin chamber 34 and an outdoor microphone 76b disposed in front of the mast 32c and above the forks 32a and 32b. As a result, the sound around the vehicle is picked up by the microphone 76 and transmitted to the operation device 10 as a signal related to information around the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as “ambient information signal”). Can be delivered to the wirelessly operated vehicle 30.

  Various sensors 74 are connected to the vehicle-mounted control unit 54. Various sensors 74 in the present embodiment include, for example, a speed sensor (not shown) that detects the speed of the vehicle, a steering angle sensor (not shown) that detects the steering angle of the vehicle, and the forks 32a and 32b of the lifting device 32. A stroke sensor (not shown) for detecting the height position and inclination may be used. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, obstacle sensors 74a, 74b, 74c, 74d, and 74e for detecting information on obstacles around the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 are provided for front and rear, right and left of the vehicle and forks of the lifting device 32. Each one is arranged above. Thereby, a signal (hereinafter referred to as “vehicle information signal”) relating to information on each part of the vehicle detected by the various sensors 74 and transmitted to the in-vehicle side control unit 54 can be transmitted to the controller device 10.

  Of the obstacle sensors described above, the obstacle sensor 74e disposed above the forks 32a and 32b of the lifting device 32 has a sensor range 74s1 of the front floor surface of the forks 32a and 32b, as shown in FIG. Arranged to cover. On the other hand, the obstacle sensor 74a arranged in front of the vehicle is arranged so that the sensor range 74s2 covers the far side of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. Thereby, the load 98 on the front floor of the vehicle is reliably detected by the obstacle sensor 74e.

  The obstacle sensor 74e is configured to detect the separation distance between the load 98 and the wirelessly operated vehicle 30. The obstacle sensor 74e is, for example, an ultrasonic sensor configured to be able to transmit ultrasonic waves. The obstacle sensor 74e measures the time when the transmitted ultrasonic waves are reflected by the load 98 and return to the load 98. The separation distance is detected. The detected separation distance is transmitted to the controller device 10 as the ambient information signal described above. Thus, the operator can operate the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 while confirming the distance from the load 98 on the display monitor 17b.

  The obstacle sensor 74e is configured to detect whether the load 98 on the forks 32a and 32b is in a position where it is stably supported by the forks 32a and 32b. As an example of this detection method, as shown in FIG. 8C, when the load 98 having a predetermined shape positioned on the fork is out of the sensor range 74s1 of the obstacle sensor 74e, the load 98 is moved to the fork. It can be configured to detect that it is located at the root part of 32a, 32b and is in a position where it is stably supported by the forks 32a, 32b. The detection result is also transmitted to the controller device 10 as a surrounding information signal, similarly to the above-described separation distance. As a result, the operator can operate the lifting device 32 of the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 while checking on the display monitor 17b whether the load 98 is in a position where it is stably supported by the forks 32a, 32b. ing.

  A camera 72 is connected to the vehicle-mounted control unit 54. As the camera 72 in the present embodiment, for example, a front camera 72a that is disposed in front of the cabin 34 and photographs the front of the vehicle, a rear camera 72b that is disposed on the rear surface of the cabin 34 and photographs the rear of the vehicle, and a floor disposed on the lower surface of the vehicle. Examples include a floor camera 72c for photographing a surface, and a cargo handling camera 72d for photographing a load placed on the forks 32a and 32b in front of the mast 32c and above the forks 32a and 32b. Thereby, the image of the surroundings of the vehicle photographed by the camera 72 can be transmitted to the controller device 10 as a surrounding information signal. Further, the shooting direction and magnification of the camera 72 can be changed by an operator's operation on the operation device 10. Note that the camera 72 is also directly connected to the in-vehicle side hub 52, so that even if an abnormality occurs in the in-vehicle side control unit 54, an image captured by the camera 72 is transmitted to the operation device 10. It has become.

  Electric power necessary to operate the wireless LAN slave unit 40b, the in-vehicle side hub 52, the in-vehicle side control unit 54, the sensor device 70, and the like is supplied from the battery 60. In FIG. 4, only the circuit for supplying power from the battery 60 to the in-vehicle side control unit 54 is displayed. It is assumed that power is directly supplied from the battery 60 without passing through the control unit 54.

  The battery 60 is charged with electric power generated by an alternator 62 that is also mounted on the wirelessly operated vehicle 30. The wirelessly operated vehicle 30 of the present embodiment is, for example, an engine-driven forklift, and the alternator 62 is driven by the rotation of the crankshaft of the engine.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a switch 56 is disposed between the battery 60 and the vehicle-mounted control unit 54, and power is supplied to the vehicle-mounted control unit 54 by turning this switch 56 ON / OFF. Can be controlled. The switch 56 is connected to the wireless LAN slave unit 40b, and is configured to be turned on / off based on a signal from the wireless LAN slave unit 40b.

  Accordingly, when the in-vehicle wireless device 40 receives the first restart signal transmitted from the above-described ground wireless device, the switch 56 is temporarily turned OFF, and the power supply to the in-vehicle side control unit 54 of the vehicle control device 50 is temporarily stopped. Thus, the vehicle-mounted control unit 54 of the vehicle control device 50 is restarted.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the collision prediction apparatus in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the collision prediction device 90 of this embodiment includes a collision prediction unit 92, an obstacle information database 94, and a collision avoidance unit 96.

  The collision prediction unit 92 predicts whether or not the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 will collide with an obstacle based on the obstacle information detected by the obstacle sensors 74a, 74b, 74c, 74d, and 74e. It is configured to be able to. Various prediction methods can be adopted as a method for predicting a collision with an obstacle. For example, when an obstacle is detected within a predetermined range in a traveling direction of a vehicle traveling at a predetermined speed or more, wireless communication is performed. It can be configured to determine that the maneuverable vehicle 30 collides with an obstacle.

  In the obstacle information database 94, information related to obstacles that the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 should avoid a collision is input and stored in advance by an operator or the like. As an obstacle to avoid a collision, it can be appropriately set for each work site according to its purpose. For example, a container that contains a radioactive substance or other harmful substance, gasoline, Examples include dangerous goods such as tanks, and various devices such as lighting equipment and communication equipment.

  The collision avoidance unit 96 is configured such that when the above-described collision prediction unit 92 predicts a collision between the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 and an obstacle, the obstacle in which the collision is predicted is stored in the obstacle information database 94. It is determined whether or not an obstacle that should be avoided is detected, and if so, an operation signal for stopping the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 is generated regardless of an operation signal input by the operator. ing.

  The collision prediction device 90 configured as described above is provided in one or both of the base-side control unit 14 in the operation device 10 described above and the vehicle-mounted control unit 54 of the vehicle control device 50 described above.

  If the collision prediction device 90 is provided in the base side control unit 14 of the operation device 10, the collision prediction device 90 can be shared when operating the plurality of wirelessly operated vehicles 30 by the operation device 10. Further, if the collision prediction device 90 is provided in the vehicle-mounted control unit 54 of the vehicle control device 50, even if there is an abnormality in communication between the operation device 10 and the wirelessly operated vehicle 30, Since the traveling of the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 can be stopped by the collision avoidance unit 96, the safety of the remote operation system of the present embodiment can be further improved.

  In the present embodiment, when the collision prediction unit 92 predicts a collision between the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 and the obstacle, the operator is notified of this. As an example, when the collision prediction unit 92 predicts a collision with an obstacle, a warning sound is emitted from the speaker 18 described above. As another example, when the collision prediction unit 92 predicts a collision with an obstacle, a warning is displayed on the display monitors 17a and 17b described above.

  Next, the operation of the above-described collision prediction device 90 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the collision prediction apparatus in the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 7, first, obstacle information around the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 is detected by the obstacle sensors 74a, 74b, 74c, 74d, and 74e (S1). The detected obstacle information is transmitted as a surrounding information signal to the base side control unit 14 and / or the in-vehicle side control unit 54 provided with the collision prediction device 90.

  Then, in the collision prediction unit 92 of the collision prediction device 90, based on the obstacle information, it is predicted whether or not the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 will collide with the obstacle (S2). If a collision with an obstacle is predicted, this is notified to the operator by the method described above (S3).

Further, in the above-described collision avoidance unit 96, it is determined whether or not the obstacle predicted to be a collision corresponds to the obstacle to be avoided from the collision stored in the obstacle information database 94 (S4). And when it corresponds to the obstruction which should avoid a collision, the operation signal which stops the radio | wireless operation type vehicle 30 is produced | generated irrespective of the operation signal input by the operator, and, thereby, driving | running | working of the radio operation type vehicle 30 Is to be stopped.

  As described above, the remote operation system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above has the obstacle sensors 74a, 74b, 74c that detect information on the obstacles around the wirelessly operated vehicle 30. 74d, 74e, and a collision prediction unit that predicts whether the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 will collide with an obstacle based on the obstacle information detected by the obstacle sensors 74a, 74b, 74c, 74d, 74e A collision prediction device 90 having at least 92 is provided. Accordingly, by appropriately using the prediction result by the collision prediction unit 92, the operator can easily and safely remotely operate the vehicle.

  In addition, as described above, the remote operation system 1 for a wirelessly operated vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention is used when the collision prediction unit 92 predicts a collision between the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 and an obstacle. The operator can reduce the risk that the operator mistakenly causes the radio-operated vehicle 30 to collide with an obstacle.

  Further, the wirelessly operated vehicle remote control system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the collision avoidance unit 96 as described above. The collision avoidance unit 96 generates an operation signal for stopping the traveling of the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 regardless of the operation signal input by the operator, so that a collision with an obstacle that should avoid the collision is reliably avoided. It has come to be. In addition, since the collision avoidance unit 96 determines whether or not the obstacle should avoid the collision, the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 is configured not to stop in the case of an obstacle that does not cause a problem even if the collision occurs. It is also possible to prevent the operation of the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 from frequently stopping and reducing the work efficiency.

  Further, in the wirelessly operated vehicle remote control system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the sensor device 70 includes the speed sensor and the steering angle sensor. For this reason, since the operator can grasp the speed of the vehicle and the steering angle of the vehicle in real time, the operability of the operator is excellent.

  In addition, as described above, the wirelessly operated vehicle remote control system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the stroke sensor that the sensor device 70 detects the height positions and inclinations of the forks 32a and 32b of the lifting device 32. Then, since the operator can grasp the height position and inclination of the lifting device 32 in real time, the operator's operability is excellent.

  In addition, as described above, the wirelessly operated vehicle remote control system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of terrestrial wireless devices 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 that are spaced apart from each other. Even when the wirelessly operated vehicle 30 moves over a wide range or there is a building or the like that becomes an obstacle to wireless communication in the vicinity, it is possible to stably transmit information by wireless.

  As mentioned above, although the preferable form of this invention was demonstrated, this invention is not limited to said form, A various change in the range which does not deviate from the objective of this invention is possible.

  The remote control system for wirelessly operated vehicles of the present invention is preferably used when working with a work vehicle in an environment harmful to human bodies, such as an area filled with toxic gas or an area with a high radiation dose. Can do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Remote operation system 2 Base station 10 Operation apparatus 12 Hub 14 Base side control unit 15a Operation pedal 15b Operation handle 16 Control box 17a, b Display monitor (display apparatus)
18 Speaker 20 Wireless relay base 20a LAN cable 20b PoE cable 20c Electrical cables 21-25 Ground wireless devices 21a-25a Ground antennas 21b-25b Wireless LAN base unit 26a Power supply hub 26b Power reception hub 27 Power supply control unit 28 Power supply unit 29 Power supply 30 Radio-operated vehicle 40 Car-mounted radio device 40a Car-mounted antenna 40b Wireless LAN slave device 50 Vehicle control device 52 Vehicle-mounted hub 54 Vehicle-mounted control unit 56 Switch 60 Battery 62 Alternator 70 Sensor device 72 Camera 74 Various sensors 76 Microphone 78 Actuator 80 Portable operation transmission device 90 Collision prediction device 92 Collision prediction unit 94 Obstacle information database 96 Collision avoidance unit 98 Loaded item

Claims (8)

In a remotely operated system for a wirelessly operated vehicle that remotely operates a wirelessly operated vehicle located away from the base station from the base station,
A wirelessly operated vehicle;
A vehicle control device that is mounted on the wirelessly operated vehicle and controls the operation of the wirelessly operated vehicle based on an operation signal related to the operation of the wirelessly operated vehicle;
A sensor device that is mounted on the wirelessly operated vehicle and detects information on each part of the wirelessly operated vehicle and information around the vehicle of the wirelessly operated vehicle;
Mounted on the wirelessly operated vehicle, transmits the operation signal to the vehicle control device, and transmits a vehicle information signal related to information on each part of the vehicle and a surrounding information signal related to information around the vehicle transmitted from the sensor device. An in-vehicle wireless device that transmits wirelessly;
Located away from the wirelessly operated vehicle, the operation signal is wirelessly transmitted to the in-vehicle wireless device, and the vehicle information signal and the surrounding information signal transmitted wirelessly from the in-vehicle wireless device are received and wired. A terrestrial radio device transmitting with
The operation signal input by an operator, which is arranged at the base station, is transmitted to the ground wireless device by wire, and the vehicle information signal and the surrounding information signal transmitted by wire from the ground wireless device are received. An operation device that displays information on each part of the vehicle and information around the vehicle on a display device,
The sensor device includes at least an obstacle sensor that detects information on an obstacle around the vehicle of the wirelessly operated vehicle as information around the vehicle of the wirelessly operated vehicle.
A wireless operation comprising a collision prediction device having a collision prediction unit for predicting whether or not the wirelessly operated vehicle collides with an obstacle based on obstacle information detected by the obstacle sensor -Type vehicle remote control system.   2. The wirelessly operated vehicle according to claim 1, wherein when the collision predicting unit predicts a collision between the wirelessly operated vehicle and an obstacle, an operator is notified of the collision. 3. Remote control system. The collision prediction device includes:
An obstacle information database in which information about obstacles to avoid collisions is stored in advance;
When the collision prediction unit predicts a collision between the wirelessly operated vehicle and an obstacle, the obstacle for which the collision is predicted corresponds to an obstacle that should avoid a collision stored in the obstacle information database. And a collision avoidance unit that generates an operation signal for stopping the travel of the wirelessly operated vehicle regardless of an operation signal input by an operator, if applicable. The remote control system for a wirelessly operated vehicle according to claim 1 or 2.   The sensor device includes at least a speed sensor that detects a speed of the vehicle and a steering angle sensor that detects a steering angle of the vehicle as information on each part of the wirelessly operated vehicle. 4. The remote control system for wirelessly operated vehicles according to any one of items 1 to 3. The wirelessly operated vehicle is a forklift provided with a lifting device that supports a load and lifts and tilts.
5. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor device includes at least a stroke sensor that detects a height position and a tilt of a fork of the lifting device as information on each part of the wirelessly operated vehicle. The wirelessly operated vehicle remote control system described.   At least one obstacle sensor is disposed above the fork of the lifting device, and the obstacle sensor is configured to detect a distance from a load in front of the vehicle. The remote control system for a wirelessly operated vehicle according to claim 5.   At least one obstacle sensor is arranged above the fork of the lifting device, and the obstacle sensor detects that the load is in a position where it is stably supported by the fork. The wireless operation type vehicle remote control system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the system is configured as described above.   The remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a plurality of the ground radio apparatuses are installed at intervals.

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