JP2019137521A - Vehicular system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicular system suited for management, control or the like of a vehicle moving in a traveling area such as a work area of an airport or a harbor.SOLUTION: A work vehicle system 1 for a vehicle moving in a work area 1A is configured including a magnetic marker 10 that is arranged in the work area 1A, an RFID tag 15 that externally outputs a tag ID by radio communication, a work vehicle 5 that comprises a detection unit to detect a magnetic marker 10 and a tag reader unit to acquire a tag ID externally outputted by the RFID tag 15, and a location specifier that specifies a vehicle location in the work area 1A by specifying the magnetic marker 10 the work vehicle 5 detected using the tag ID.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle system intended for a work vehicle that moves within a work area set in an airport, a port, or the like.

  Conventionally, work vehicles that move within a work area with high flexibility have been used in airports and harbors. For example, at an airport, a work vehicle called a GSE (Ground Support Equipment) vehicle is operated for the purpose of transporting passengers, transporting luggage, and supplying fuel to passenger aircraft. Moreover, in a container yard such as a harbor, a work vehicle for moving the container is operated (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Since many operations are required for the operation of these work vehicles, a technology for reducing the cost required for the operation of the work vehicles is strongly demanded.

JP 2001-322720 A

  For example, if it is a conveyance vehicle which travels along the magnetic tape laid on the floor in the factory, the vehicle position can be identified relatively easily, and management and control of the work vehicle can be realized at a relatively low cost. On the other hand, in the case of a work vehicle that is operated in a container yard or airport at a port and moves within the work area with a high degree of freedom, it is difficult to specify the position of the vehicle, thereby reducing the cost required for management and control of the work vehicle. For this reason, there is a problem that it is not easy to establish technology for this purpose. For example, there is a technology that uses GPS (Global Positioning System) to determine the position of a vehicle, but in the operation of a work vehicle in a container yard of a port or an airport, a corridor beside a metal container that reflects radio waves or an airport There are many traveling environments that hinder the good reception of GPS radio waves, such as indoor passages in facilities.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and intends to provide a vehicle system suitable for management and control of a vehicle moving in a traveling area such as an airport or a port working area. It is.

The present invention is a system for a vehicle that moves in a traveling area,
A plurality of magnetic markers arranged in the traveling area;
A plurality of wireless tags for outputting unique tag information to the outside by wireless communication;
A vehicle including a detection unit for detecting the magnetic marker, and a tag reader unit for acquiring tag information output from the wireless tag externally;
A position specifying unit that specifies the vehicle position in the travel area by specifying the magnetic marker detected by the vehicle using the tag information acquired by the vehicle,
It exists in the system for vehicles by which the said radio | wireless tag is arrange | positioned at the same position so that it may respond | correspond one to one with respect to the magnetic marker of at least one part of these magnetic markers.

  In the vehicle system of the present invention, the wireless tag that outputs the unique tag information to the outside by wireless communication is provided at the same position so as to correspond to at least a part of the magnetic markers. In this magnetic marker system, the position of the vehicle in the travel area is specified by specifying the magnetic marker detected by the vehicle using the tag information.

  In particular, in this vehicle system, since the wireless tag is disposed at the same position as at least a part of the magnetic marker, the wireless tag can be reached at the same time as reaching the magnetic marker regardless of the approach direction of the vehicle with respect to the magnetic marker. Therefore, when the vehicle detects the magnetic marker, it can communicate with the wireless tag at the same timing with the detection time as a reference, and tag information can be acquired with high reliability.

  As described above, the vehicle system according to the present invention is a system that can specify the position of the vehicle in the traveling area with high reliability, and is suitable for management and control of the vehicle moving in the traveling area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a vehicle system for a GSE vehicle according to a first embodiment. The perspective view of the magnetic marker to which the RFID tag in Example 1 was attached. 1 is a front view of an RFID tag in Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a server device in Embodiment 1. FIG. Explanatory drawing of a working vehicle and a magnetic marker in Example 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration of a work vehicle in Embodiment 1. FIG. The graph which illustrates the change of the magnetic measurement value at the time of passing the magnetic marker in Example 1. FIG. The graph which illustrates distribution of the magnetic measurement value of the vehicle width direction at the time of passing the magnetic marker in Example 1. FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the flow of operation | movement of the work vehicle system in Example 1. FIG.

The embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the following examples.
Example 1
This example is an example related to the work vehicle system 1 which is a vehicle system for managing the work vehicle 5 moving in the work area 1A set in an airport or the like. The contents will be described with reference to FIGS.

  A work vehicle system 1 in FIG. 1 is a system for managing a work vehicle 5 that performs various work related to an airplane 190 at an airport or the like. As the work vehicle 5, a work vehicle (fuel vehicle) for refueling the airplane 190, a work vehicle (talp vehicle) for boarding passengers, and a work vehicle (belt loader, catering car) for carrying luggage and food and drinks. ) And a working vehicle (towing tractor) for towing an airplane, there is a dedicated GSE vehicle for each type of work.

  In the work vehicle system 1, as shown in FIG. 1, a work area 1 </ b> A that is a travel area of the work vehicle 5 is set across the parking space of the airplane 190 and the work space in the airport building 100. In the work area 1A, magnetic markers 10 are arranged in a lattice pattern at intervals of 2 m in length and width. In the work vehicle system 1, for example, under the management of the server device 18 installed in the airport building 100, the work vehicle 5 moves in the work area 1 </ b> A so as to travel along the magnetic marker 10 and performs work.

  In the work vehicle system 1 (FIG. 1), the server device 18 and the work vehicle 5 are communicably connected via wireless communication. The server device 18 manages the vehicle position of each work vehicle 5, calculates the route 1R of each work vehicle 5, and remotely controls the work vehicle 5 so that it can travel along the route 1R. Each time the work vehicle 5 detects the magnetic marker 10, the work vehicle 5 transmits the tag information acquired from the RFID tag (wireless tag) 15 to the server device 18 and automatically travels according to the control information received from the server device 18.

Hereinafter, after (1) the magnetic marker 10 installed in the work area 1A is outlined, the configurations of (2) the server device 18 and (3) the work vehicle 5 will be described.
(1) Magnetic marker The magnetic marker 10 (FIG. 2) has a columnar shape with a diameter of 20 mm and a height of 28 mm, and is laid in a state of being accommodated in a hole provided in the road surface 100S on which the work vehicle 5 moves. is there. The magnet constituting the magnetic marker 10 is a ferrite plastic magnet in which magnetic powder of iron oxide, which is a magnetic material, is dispersed in a polymer material, which is a base material, and has a characteristic of maximum energy product (BHmax) = 6.4 kJ / m ^3. It has. This magnetic marker 10 has a magnetic flux of 8 μT (micro Tesla) at an upper limit of 250 mm in the range of 100 to 250 mm assumed as a mounting height of the detection unit 2 (described later with reference to FIG. 5) on the work vehicle 5 side. Acts magnetic density.

  In the magnetic marker 10 of this example, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tags 15 that output tag information wirelessly are laminated on the surface on the road surface 100S side. The RFID tag 15 operates by wireless external power feeding, and outputs a tag ID as an example of tag information to the outside.

  The RFID tag 15 is an electronic component in which an IC chip 157 is mounted on the surface of a tag sheet 150 cut out from, for example, a PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) film. On the surface of the tag sheet 150, print patterns of the loop coil 151 and the antenna 153 are provided. The loop coil 151 is a power receiving coil that generates an exciting current by electromagnetic induction from the outside. The antenna 153 is a transmission antenna for wirelessly transmitting position data and the like.

(2) Server Device As shown in FIG. 4, the server device 18 includes an electronic board 180 on which electronic components such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 181, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 182, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 183 are mounted. It is a computer device that is mainly configured. A storage device 185 such as a hard disk drive, a wireless communication unit 189, and the like are connected to the electronic board 180 via an I / O (Input / Output) 184. The server device 18 processes the software program read from the storage device 185 by the CPU 181 to realize the following functions as each unit.

(2.1) Position specifying unit: specifies a vehicle position where the work vehicle 5 is located. The method of specifying the vehicle position differs between when the work vehicle 5 detects the magnetic marker 10 and between when the work marker 5 detects the magnetic marker 10 and until a new magnetic marker 10 is detected. When detecting the magnetic marker 10, the position specifying unit specifies the vehicle position using the tag information (tag) received by each work vehicle 5 from the RFID tag 15. Until the new magnetic marker 10 is detected, the position specifying unit specifies the vehicle position using the relative position of the destination estimated by the position estimation unit described next.
(2.2) Position estimation unit: Estimates the relative position of the movement destination of the work vehicle 5 with reference to the laying position of the magnetic marker 10 through which the work vehicle 5 has passed.
(2.3) Route calculation unit: calculates a route (reference numeral 1R in FIG. 1) of the work vehicle 5 in accordance with preset work content. The work content including the waypoint and the destination is input by the work operator using an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a display.
(2.4) Remote control unit: Remotely controls the work vehicle 5 to move along the calculated route 1R. The remote control unit, which is an example of a control unit, calculates control values such as a target steering angle and a target vehicle speed through arithmetic processing using various vehicle information such as the vehicle position and acceleration measurement value of each work vehicle 5 as input values. And return as control information. The target speed is a control value that includes zero speed, that is, stop control.

  In the server device 18, a marker database (marker DB) 185 </ b> M that stores the laying position of each magnetic marker 10 arranged in the work area 1 </ b> A is formed using the storage area of the storage device 185. A tag ID (tag information) that is identification information of the attached RFID tag 15 is associated (associated) with the laying position of the magnetic marker 10 recorded in the marker DB 185M.

(3) Work vehicle As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the work vehicle 5 includes a detection unit 2 that detects the magnetic marker 10 and the RFID tag 15 in addition to a dedicated work device (not shown) according to the work purpose. A tag reader unit 34 for acquiring a tag ID, a control unit 32, and the like are provided as common equipment. Furthermore, the work vehicle 5 includes a vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 61 that controls a steering steering unit (not shown), an engine throttle, a brake actuator, and the like. The vehicle ECU 61, which is an example of a control unit, can execute control for automatically traveling the work vehicle 5 along the route 1 </ b> R (see FIG. 1) based on control information (control value) acquired from the server device 18. The detection unit 2 and the tag reader unit 34 are illustrated separately for easy understanding, but a unit in which these are integrated may be employed.

(3.1) Detection Unit As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the detection unit 2 is a unit in which a sensor array 21 that is a magnetic detection unit and an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) 22 are integrated. This detection unit 2 is a rod-like unit that is long in the vehicle width direction, and is attached to the inside of the front bumper of the work vehicle 5 so as to face the road surface 100S, for example. In the case of the work vehicle 5 of FIG. 5, the mounting height of the detection unit 2 with reference to the road surface 100S is 200 mm.

  The sensor array 21 of the detection unit 2 includes 15 magnetic sensors Cn (n is an integer of 1 to 15) arranged in a straight line along the vehicle width direction, and a detection processing circuit 212 incorporating a CPU (not shown). It is equipped with. In the sensor array 21, 15 magnetic sensors Cn are arranged at equal intervals of 10 cm.

  The magnetic sensor Cn is a sensor that detects magnetism using a known MI effect (Magnet Impedance Effect) in which the impedance of a magnetic sensitive body such as an amorphous wire changes sensitively according to an external magnetic field. In the magnetic sensor Cn, a magnetic sensitive body (not shown) such as an amorphous wire is disposed along two orthogonal axes so that magnetism acting in the two orthogonal axes can be detected. In this example, the magnetic sensor Cn is incorporated in the sensor array 21 so that magnetic components in the traveling direction and the vehicle width direction can be detected.

  The magnetic sensor Cn is a highly sensitive sensor having a magnetic flux density measurement range of ± 0.6 mT and a magnetic flux resolution within the measurement range of 0.02 μT. Here, as described above, the magnetic marker 10 can act with magnetism having a magnetic flux density of 8 μT or more in the range of 100 to 250 mm assumed as the mounting height of the magnetic sensor Cn. If the magnetic marker 10 acts on magnetism having a magnetic flux density of 8 μT or more, it can be detected with high reliability using the magnetic sensor Cn having a magnetic flux resolution of 0.02 μT.

  The detection processing circuit 212 (FIG. 6) of the sensor array 21 is an arithmetic circuit that executes a marker detection process for detecting the magnetic marker 10. The detection processing circuit 212 is configured by using a memory element such as a ROM or a RAM in addition to a CPU that executes various operations.

  The detection processing circuit 212 executes the marker detection process by acquiring sensor signals output from the magnetic sensors Cn at a cycle of 3 kHz. Then, the detection result of the marker detection process is input to the control unit 32. As will be described in detail later, in this marker detection process, in addition to the detection of the magnetic marker 10, the amount of lateral deviation of the work vehicle 5 with respect to the magnetic marker 10 is measured.

  The IMU 22 incorporated in the detection unit 2 is an inertial navigation unit that acquires measurement values necessary for estimating the relative position of the work vehicle 5 by inertial navigation. The IMU 22 includes a two-axis magnetic sensor 221 that is an electronic compass that measures azimuth, a two-axis acceleration sensor 222 that measures acceleration, and a two-axis gyro sensor 223 that measures angular velocity.

(3.2) Tag Reader Unit The tag reader unit 34 in FIG. 6 is a communication unit that wirelessly communicates with the RFID tag 15 that is stacked on the surface of the magnetic marker 10 (FIG. 2). The tag reader unit 34 wirelessly transmits power necessary for the operation of the RFID tag 15 to operate the RFID tag 15 and acquires a tag ID that is identification information of the RFID tag 15.

(3.3) Control Unit The control unit 32 (FIG. 6) controls the detection unit 2 and the tag reader unit 34, and transmits and receives various information and data to and from the server device 18 (see FIG. 1). It is. The control unit 32 transmits vehicle information such as a tag ID acquired from the RFID tag 15 and a measured value by the IMU 22 to the server device 18, and acquires control information for automatic traveling from the server device 18. The control unit 32 inputs the acquired control information (control value) to the vehicle ECU 61.

  The vehicle information transmitted by the control unit 32 to the server device 18 is different between vehicle information transmitted every predetermined time during traveling and vehicle information transmitted when the magnetic marker 10 is detected. The vehicle information transmitted at any time while the work vehicle 5 is traveling includes the orientation measured by the biaxial magnetic sensor 221, the acceleration measured by the biaxial acceleration sensor 222, the measured value of the angular velocity measured by the biaxial gyro sensor 223, and the like. Is included. The vehicle information transmitted when the work vehicle 5 detects the magnetic marker 10 includes, in addition to these measured values, the fact that the magnetic marker 10 has been detected, the amount of lateral deviation with respect to the magnetic marker 10, and the tag ID acquired from the RFID tag 15. (Tag information).

Next, (1) marker detection processing and (2) overall operation of the work vehicle system 1 will be described.
(1) Marker detection process The marker detection process is a process executed by the sensor array 21 of the detection unit 2. The sensor array 21 performs a marker detection process with a period of 3 kHz using the magnetic sensor Cn.

  As described above, the magnetic sensor Cn is configured to measure the magnetic components in the traveling direction and the vehicle width direction of the work vehicle 5. For example, when the magnetic sensor Cn moves in the traveling direction and passes immediately above the magnetic marker 10, the magnetic measurement value in the traveling direction is reversed between positive and negative before and after the magnetic marker 10 as shown in FIG. It changes so as to cross zero at a position just above 10. Accordingly, when the work vehicle 5 is traveling, when the zero cross Zc in which the polarity of the traveling direction magnetism detected by any one of the magnetic sensors Cn is reversed occurs, the detection unit 2 is positioned immediately above the magnetic marker 10. I can judge. In this way, the detection processing circuit 212 determines that the magnetic marker 10 has been detected when the detection unit 2 is positioned directly above the magnetic marker 10 and the zero cross Zc of the magnetic measurement value in the traveling direction has occurred.

  Further, for example, assuming that a magnetic sensor having the same specifications as the magnetic sensor Cn is moved along a virtual line in the vehicle width direction that passes directly above the magnetic marker 10, the magnetic measurement value in the vehicle width direction is obtained from the magnetic marker 10. The sign is reversed on both sides of the sandwich, and changes so as to cross zero at a position directly above the magnetic marker 10. In the case of the detection unit 2 in which 15 magnetic sensors Cn are arranged in the vehicle width direction, the polarity of magnetism in the vehicle width direction detected by the magnetic sensor Cn differs depending on which side the magnetic sensor Cn is located through. Come (Figure 8).

  Based on the distribution of FIG. 8 illustrating the magnetic measurement values in the vehicle width direction of the magnetic sensors Cn of the detection unit 2, the two magnetic sensors Cn adjacent to each other with the zero cross Zc in which the polarity of the magnetism in the vehicle width direction is reversed are sandwiched. An intermediate position or a position immediately below the magnetic sensor Cn in which the detected magnetism in the vehicle width direction is zero and the signs of the outer magnetic sensors Cn are reversed is the position of the magnetic marker 10 in the vehicle width direction. . The detection processing circuit 212 measures the deviation of the position of the magnetic marker 10 in the vehicle width direction with respect to the center position of the detection unit 2 (the position of the magnetic sensor C8) as the lateral shift amount. For example, in the case of FIG. 8, the position of the zero cross Zc is a position corresponding to C9.5 in the middle of C9 and C10. As described above, since the distance between the magnetic sensors C9 and C10 is 10 cm, the lateral displacement amount of the magnetic marker 10 is (9.5-8) × 10 cm with reference to C8 located at the center of the detection unit 2 in the vehicle width direction. It becomes.

(2) Overall Operation of Work Vehicle System Next, the overall operation of the work vehicle system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, in the overall operation of the work vehicle system 1, processing on the server device 18 side including remote control for automatically driving the work vehicle 5 and processing on the work vehicle 5 side including the marker detection process P1 described above are performed. Are executed in parallel.

  When executing remote control of the work vehicle 5, the server device 18 presents a work content input screen (not shown) for setting a predetermined work content on the work vehicle 5 to the work operator. The server device 18 sets work contents such as a destination input by the work operator on the work content input screen using a keyboard, a mouse, or the like (S101). Then, a route for efficiently reaching the set destination is calculated using the vehicle position of the target work vehicle 5 as a start point (S102).

  The server device 18 manages the arrangement and laying position of the magnetic markers 10 arranged in the work area 1A. The server device 18 determines a route through the magnetic marker 10 as a route for automatically traveling the work vehicle 5 (route 1R in FIG. 1), and starts remote control for automatically traveling the work vehicle 5 ( S103).

  On the other hand, the control unit 32 of the work vehicle 5 tries to detect the magnetic marker 10 by causing the detection unit 2 to repeatedly execute the marker detection process P <b> 1 described above while automatically traveling by remote control by the server device 18. When the magnetic marker 10 is detected, the above-described lateral shift amount with respect to the magnetic marker 10 measured by the detection unit 2 is acquired.

  When the magnetic marker 10 is detected while the work vehicle 5 is traveling (S201: YES), the control unit 32 controls the tag reader unit 34 so that power can be supplied to the RFID tag 15 attached to the magnetic marker 10 (S202). . As a result, the control unit 32 operates the RFID tag 15 to acquire a tag ID that is wirelessly transmitted (S203), and directs the acquired tag ID together with the lateral shift amount measured in the marker detection process P1 toward the server device 18. Transmit (S204). When the magnetic marker 10 is not detected (S201: NO), the above steps S202 to S204 are bypassed. Furthermore, the control unit 32 controls the IMU 22 to acquire measurement values such as acceleration, direction, and angular velocity (S205), and transmits these measurement values to the server device 18 (S206).

  On the other hand, the server device 18 determines whether or not the tag ID is acquired from the work vehicle 5 at any time while remotely controlling the work vehicle 5 (S104). When the server device 18 obtains the tag ID (S104: YES), the server device 18 refers to the marker DB 185M, obtains the laying position (of the magnetic marker 10) to which the tag ID is linked, and specifies the vehicle position (S105). . Specifically, the vehicle position is specified by offsetting the laying position acquired with reference to the marker DB 185M by the amount of lateral deviation acquired together with the tag ID.

  On the other hand, if the tag ID cannot be acquired after the work vehicle 5 detects the magnetic marker 10 and until the new magnetic marker 10 is detected (S104: NO), the server device 18 obtains from the work vehicle 5. The calculation which estimates a relative position using the vehicle information to perform is performed (S115). Specifically, the server device 18 calculates a displacement amount by second-order integration of acceleration, which is a measurement value of the 2-axis acceleration sensor 222 of the IMU 22 included in the work vehicle 5, and the work vehicle measured by the 2-axis gyro sensor 223 or the like. The relative position with respect to the reference position is estimated by integrating the displacement amount along the traveling direction change of 5 and the measured azimuth. As the reference position, a vehicle position specified based on the laying position of the latest magnetic marker 10 detected by the work vehicle 5 can be applied. Further, the server device 18 identifies the vehicle position by adding the estimated relative position to the reference position (S105).

  The server device 18 sends the target work vehicle 5 to the route 1R by an arithmetic process using the vehicle position of the work vehicle 5 identified in step S105 and the vehicle information (such as the measured value of the IMU 22) acquired from the work vehicle 5 as input values. A control value for traveling along the road is calculated (S106). And the server apparatus 18 transmits the control information containing the control value calculated by step S106 with respect to the work vehicle 5 of the transmission source of vehicle information.

  The control unit 32 of the work vehicle 5 inputs the control value transmitted as control information from the server device 18 to the vehicle ECU 61, and executes automatic traveling control (S207). In this automatic travel control, the vehicle ECU 61 executes steering control, throttle control, and the like based on the control value input from the server device 18 to realize automatic travel of the work vehicle 5. The server device 18 repeatedly executes each process of steps S104 to S106 until the work vehicle 5 reaches the destination that is the end point of the route 1R (S107: NO), and the work vehicle 5 is reached according to the arrival at the destination. Remote control is terminated (S107: YES).

  The work vehicle system 1 configured as described above is a system that identifies the position of the work vehicle 5 using the tag ID of the RFID tag 15 disposed at the same position as the magnetic marker 10. In this work vehicle system 1, tag information can be transmitted by wireless communication, while it is difficult to specify the location with high accuracy on the vehicle side, and the laying position can be specified with high accuracy on the vehicle side. In combination with the magnetic marker 10, a highly accurate position specification is realized.

  In the work vehicle system 1, the RFID marker 15 is attached to the magnetic marker 10, whereby the magnetic marker 10 detected by the work vehicle 5 can be specified. In the marker DB 185M, the laying position of each magnetic marker 10 is managed in a state where tag IDs are linked. When the work vehicle 5 detects the magnetic marker 10, by referring to the marker DB 185M using the tag ID received at the same time, the magnetic marker 10 can be specified, and its laying position can be acquired. Then, based on the laying position of the magnetic marker 10 detected by the work vehicle 5, the vehicle position of the work vehicle 5 can be specified with high accuracy.

  In particular, in the configuration of this example, the RFID tag 15 is attached near the center of the top surface of the magnetic marker 10. For this reason, the temporal relative relationship between the timing at which the magnetic marker 10 is detected and the timing at which communication with the RFID tag 15 becomes possible is almost constant, regardless of the direction in which the work vehicle 5 enters the magnetic marker 10. Therefore, when the work vehicle 5 detects the magnetic marker 10, it can communicate with the RFID tag 15 attached to the magnetic marker 10 with high reliability.

  Further, when the configuration of the work vehicle system 1 is adopted, the magnetic marker 10 serves as a mark, so that it is not necessary to search for the RFID tag 15 on the work vehicle 5 side and perform communication. In this work vehicle system 1, since the range in which the radio waves of the tag reader unit 34 reach can be set narrow, interference with the RFID tag 15 attached to another adjacent magnetic marker 10 can be avoided. In the configuration of this example, since the magnetic markers 10 are arranged in a lattice pattern with a relatively narrow interval of 2 m, the effect of avoiding interference with the RFID tags 15 attached to other magnetic markers 10 is particularly effective. .

  As described above, the work vehicle system 1 is a system that can identify the position of the work vehicle 5 in the work area 1A with high reliability, and performs management, control, and the like of the work vehicle 5 that moves in the work area 1A with high reliability. it can. The work vehicle system 1 can specify the vehicle position of the work vehicle 5 without assuming reception of GPS radio waves or the like. Therefore, for example, in places where GPS radio waves become unstable, such as indoors or under airplanes, or in facilities such as airports where GPS accuracy can be intentionally suppressed, the accuracy of specifying the vehicle position is not affected. . If the vehicle position specified by the work vehicle system 1 is used, the location of the work vehicle 5 can be managed with high accuracy, and reliable remote control can be realized.

  In this example, the configuration in which the sheet-like RFID tag 15 is attached to the upper surface of the magnetic marker 10 is illustrated, but the configuration in which the magnetic marker 10 and the RFID tag 15 are integrated is not essential. The magnetic marker 10 and the RFID tag 15 may be disposed at the same position, and the RFID tag 15 may be disposed above or below the magnetic marker 10 in the vertical direction.

  Further, in this example, the configuration in which the work operator inputs the work content including the waypoint and the destination of the work vehicle 5 by using input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a display is illustrated. It is also possible for the processing device to which the airplane takeoff / arrival information is input to determine the necessary work by, for example, artificial intelligence processing, and to determine the work content of each work vehicle 5 according to the determined content.

  In this example, a configuration in which RFID tags 15 are attached to all the magnetic markers 10 is illustrated. Instead of this, the RFID tag 15 may be attached to some of the magnetic markers 10. When the magnetic marker 10 provided with the RFID tag 15 is detected, the laying position of the magnetic marker 10 can be acquired using the tag ID. After passing through the magnetic marker 10, the vehicle position of the work vehicle 5 may be speculatively specified by adding the relative position based on the measurement value by the IMU 22 using the laying position of the magnetic marker 10 as a reference position. When the magnetic marker 10 without the RFID tag 15 is newly detected, the magnetic marker 10 may be specified by referring to the marker DB 185M and searching for the laying position closest to the estimated vehicle position. If the detected magnetic marker 10 can be specified, the vehicle position can be specified with high accuracy based on the laying position of the magnetic marker 10 as in the case where the tag ID can be acquired.

  In this example, the server apparatus 18 has a remote control part (control part), and has illustrated the structure which controls the some work vehicle 5 remotely. Instead, each work vehicle 5 may include a control unit for moving the vehicle by automatic traveling. If the control unit is provided on the vehicle side, each work vehicle 5 acquires the configuration in which each work vehicle 5 autonomously travels autonomously while repeatedly specifying the vehicle position, and the vehicle position specified by the server device 18. A configuration that autonomously travels automatically based on the position can be employed.

As another vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires information from other vehicles, an inter-vehicle communication unit that performs inter-vehicle communication may be provided in each work vehicle 5. If other vehicle information including information indicating the absolute position or relative position of another vehicle can be acquired, each work vehicle 5 can move while avoiding a collision by exchanging information on each other's position. Further, for example, a distance measuring sensor such as a laser radar, a millimeter wave radar, or a sound wave radar may be employed as the other vehicle information acquisition unit. If a distance measuring sensor or the like is used, information representing a relative position with other vehicles can be acquired as other vehicle information.
Furthermore, if the inter-vehicle communication is used, it is possible to acquire other vehicle information including information such as a route on which the other vehicle is moving, and information such as speed, acceleration, and steering angle, which are movement information of the other vehicle. If these other vehicle information can be acquired, each work vehicle 5 can move more efficiently including the transfer of courses.

  The configuration in which the marker DB 185M that links the tag ID of the RFID tag 15 and manages the laying position of the magnetic marker 10 is provided on the server device 18 side is illustrated. However, each work vehicle 5 has a marker DB 185M. May be. If each work vehicle 5 includes the marker DB, each work vehicle 5 can specify the vehicle position without depending on information from the server device 18. In addition, if each work vehicle 5 includes the above-described control unit for automatic traveling, automatic traveling can be performed without depending on the control from the server device 18. As described above, even when each work vehicle 5 is configured to be able to autonomously travel automatically, the work vehicle 5 may be configured to transmit the vehicle position to the server device 18. In this case, the server position of each work vehicle 5 can be managed on the server device 18 side. If the server device 18 manages the vehicle position of each work vehicle 5, for example, setting of the movement route of each work vehicle 5 can be executed, and the work efficiency of the plurality of work vehicles 5 as a whole can be improved.

  Furthermore, the configuration for specifying the vehicle position of each work vehicle 5 in the work vehicle system 1 of this example is not only a system for automatically driving the work vehicle 5 by remote control or autonomous control, but also the work vehicle 5 driven by the operator. This is also useful for a system for managing the position with high accuracy on the server device side.

The configuration of the work vehicle system 1 of this example is effective for management and control of the position of a vehicle that moves in a two-dimensional area with a high degree of freedom, such as a work vehicle used in a container yard of a port.
Moreover, in this example, tag ID which is the specific information of the RFID tag 15 is illustrated as tag information, but information indicating the laying position of the magnetic marker 10 or the like may be included in the tag information. The laying address in the lattice arrangement of the magnetic markers may be included in the tag information. In this case, a map database that stores map information including information such as the shape of the work area 1A, the arrangement of the magnetic markers, the position of the facility, and the parking place is preferably provided on the vehicle side.

  As described above, specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail as in the embodiments. However, these specific examples merely disclose an example of the technology included in the scope of claims. Needless to say, the scope of the claims should not be construed as limited by the configuration, numerical values, or the like of the specific examples. The scope of the claims includes techniques in which the specific examples are variously modified, changed, or appropriately combined using known techniques and knowledge of those skilled in the art.

1 Work vehicle system (vehicle system)
1A Work area (travel area)
1R path 10 magnetic marker 15 RFID tag (wireless tag)
18 Server device (position specifying part, position estimating part, control part)
185M Marker database (Marker DB)
2 Detection unit 21 Sensor array (Magnetic detection part)
212 Detection processing circuit 22 IMU
221 Two-axis magnetic sensor (azimuth specifying part)
32 Control unit 34 Tag reader unit 5 Work vehicle (vehicle)
61 Vehicle ECU (control unit)

Claims (7)

A system for a vehicle moving in a driving area,
A plurality of magnetic markers arranged in the traveling area;
A plurality of wireless tags for outputting unique tag information to the outside by wireless communication;
A vehicle including a detection unit for detecting the magnetic marker, and a tag reader unit for acquiring tag information output from the wireless tag externally;
A position specifying unit that specifies the vehicle position in the travel area by specifying the magnetic marker detected by the vehicle using the tag information acquired by the vehicle,
A vehicle system in which the wireless tag is disposed at the same position so as to correspond one-to-one with respect to at least some of the plurality of magnetic markers.   2. The marker database according to claim 1, further comprising a marker database that stores the position information that represents the position of the magnetic marker by linking the tag information, and the position specifying unit specifies a vehicle position with reference to the storage information of the marker database. Vehicle system.   3. The vehicle system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the detection unit provided in the vehicle can measure a lateral shift amount of the vehicle with respect to the detected magnetic marker.   The vehicle system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a position estimating unit that estimates a relative position of a destination of the vehicle with reference to a position through which the vehicle has passed.   The system for vehicles in any one of Claims 1-4 containing the control part which moves the said vehicle by automatic driving | running | working. In claim 5, the vehicle includes the control unit, and further includes an other vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires other vehicle information including information indicating an absolute position or a relative position of the other vehicle,
The other vehicle information acquisition unit is a vehicle system that inputs the other vehicle information to the control unit.   The vehicle system according to claim 6, wherein the other vehicle information acquisition unit acquires the other vehicle information through vehicle-to-vehicle communication that is wireless communication with another vehicle.

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