JP2021049910A - Vehicle control system and vehicle control method - Google Patents

Abstract

To enhance work efficiency of an operator with respect to a work unit of a vehicle allowing automatic operation.SOLUTION: A control system of a vehicle 2 allowing automatic operation and having a work unit 21 on which an operator works comprises a determination unit and a control unit. The determination unit determines if an operator outside the vehicle 2 has performed a prescribed stop operation. When the determination unit determines the presence of the stop operation, the control unit moves the vehicle 2 to a stop position SP, in which the work unit 21 and the operator are in line, and stops the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a control system and a control method for a vehicle having a working unit in which an operator performs work and capable of automatic driving.

Conventionally, as one of the specially equipped vehicles equipped with a work unit on which an operator performs work, a garbage truck (garbage truck) equipped with a dust inlet as a work unit is known. In the dust truck, the operator performs the work of throwing dust into the dust inlet. On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, work is performed while ensuring safety by increasing the operating speed of the movable device that pushes the dust into the storage box on the condition that there is no person (operator) in the vicinity of the dust inlet. It has been proposed to improve efficiency.

JP-A-2018-193205

In recent years, it has been studied and tested to drive a vehicle having a working unit as described above unmanned by automatic driving. If such unmanned driving is realized, it is expected that the work efficiency will be improved because the operator does not have to repeatedly get on and off for driving the vehicle and working on the working part. However, from the viewpoint of improving the work efficiency of the operator with respect to the work unit, it is desirable to optimize the stop position of the vehicle according to the position of the operator.

This case was devised in view of the above-mentioned problems, and one of the purposes is to improve the work efficiency of the operator for the work part of the vehicle capable of automatic driving.

This case was made to solve at least a part of the above problems, and can be realized as the following aspects or application examples.
(1) The vehicle control system according to the present application example is a vehicle control system capable of automatically driving while having a work unit on which an operator performs work, and a predetermined stop operation by the operator can be performed outside the vehicle. A determination unit for determining whether or not the vehicle was present, and a control unit for moving the vehicle to a stop position where the working unit is aligned with the operator when the determination unit determines that the stop operation has been performed. I have.
As a result, when there is a stop operation, the vehicle stops at a stop position where the work unit is aligned with the operator, so that the operator can easily perform the work on the work unit. Therefore, the work efficiency of the operator with respect to the work unit is increased.

(2) In the vehicle control system according to the present application example, the determination unit determines whether or not a predetermined tracking operation has been performed by the operator outside the vehicle, and the control unit determines whether or not the determination unit performs the tracking operation. When it is determined that the operation has been performed, the vehicle may be made to track the operator.
If the vehicle tracks the operator in response to the tracking operation in this way, it becomes difficult for the vehicle to separate from the operator, so that the vehicle reaches the stop position earlier when there is a stop operation. Therefore, it becomes easier for the operator to start the work on the work unit earlier.

(3) The vehicle control system according to the present application example may include a detection unit that detects the current position of the operator, and the control unit may include the vehicle based on the current position detected by the detection unit. When the current position is no longer detected by the detection unit, the vehicle may be moved to a standby position where the current position and the working unit last detected by the detection unit are aligned. ..
In this way, when the current position of the operator is no longer detected, the vehicle is moved to the standby position where the last detected current position of the operator and the working unit are lined up, instead of stopping the vehicle on the spot. Then the vehicle moves closer to the operator. Therefore, the current position of the operator can be easily detected again, and the operator can easily start the work on the work unit earlier.

(4) In the vehicle control system according to the present application example, the stop position may be a position where the working unit and the operator are aligned in the left-right direction of the vehicle.
With such a configuration, the operator is located to the left or right of the working unit when the vehicle is stopped at the stop position in response to the stop operation. Therefore, the operator is less likely to be an obstacle to the forward and backward movement of the vehicle. Therefore, the automatic driving of the vehicle is facilitated.

(5) In the vehicle control system according to the present application example, the vehicle may be a dust vehicle having a dust input port as the working unit.
As described above, if the vehicle is a dust truck and the working unit is a dust inlet, it becomes easier for the operator to perform the work of injecting the dust into the dust inlet. Therefore, the work efficiency of dust collection is improved.

(6) The vehicle control method according to the present application example is a vehicle control method in which an operator has a work unit for performing work and is capable of automatic driving, and a predetermined stop operation by the operator is performed outside the vehicle. A stop determination step for determining whether or not the vehicle has been present, and a stop step for moving the vehicle to a stop position where the working unit is aligned with the operator when it is determined that the stop operation has been performed in the stop determination process. , Is equipped.

(7) The vehicle control method according to the present application example includes a tracking determination step of determining whether or not a predetermined tracking operation has been performed by the operator outside the vehicle, and a determination that the tracking operation has been performed in the tracking determination step. If so, the vehicle may be provided with a tracking step of tracking the operator.
(8) In the vehicle control method according to the present application example, the vehicle is automatically driven based on the detection step of detecting the current position of the operator and the current position detected in the detection step, and the detection step is performed. When the current position is no longer detected, a moving step of moving the vehicle to a standby position where the current position last detected in the detection step and the working unit are aligned may be provided.

(9) In the vehicle control method according to the present application example, the stop position may be a position where the working unit and the operator are aligned in the left-right direction of the vehicle.
(10) In the vehicle control method according to the present application example, the vehicle may be a dust vehicle having a dust input port as the working unit.

According to this case, the work efficiency of the operator can be improved.

It is a side view of the vehicle to which the control system of the vehicle as one embodiment is applied. It is a block diagram which illustrated the structure of the control system of FIG. It is a top view which illustrates the mobile terminal which communicates with the control system of FIG. Both (a) and (b) are schematic views for explaining the stop position of the vehicle of FIG. It is a schematic diagram explaining the standby position of the vehicle of FIG. It is a flowchart exemplifying the content of the control performed by the control system of FIG. It is a sub-flow chart (contents of tracking control) of FIG. It is a sub-flow chart (content of stop control) of FIG.

A vehicle control system and a vehicle control method as an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples, and there is no intention to exclude the application of various modifications and techniques not specified in this embodiment. Each configuration of the following embodiments can be variously modified and implemented without departing from their gist. In addition, it can be selected as needed, or can be combined as appropriate.

[1. Device configuration]
As shown in FIG. 1, the control system (vehicle control system) 1 according to the present embodiment is applied to a vehicle 2 having a work unit 21 in which an operator performs work. Here, an example is shown in which the vehicle 2 is a dust truck having a dust inlet as a working unit 21.
Hereinafter, the forward direction of the vehicle 2 is referred to as the front (Front), and the opposite direction is referred to as the rear (Rear). Further, the left and right are determined based on the state in which the vehicle 2 faces the front. The left-right direction is orthogonal to the front-back direction.

The vehicle 2 is configured to be capable of automatic driving. Specifically, in the vehicle 2, acceleration, braking, and steering can be automatically performed without the manual driving operation of the operator (driver). Therefore, the vehicle 2 can automatically run and stop even when the operator is not on board (even in an unmanned state). In addition, the vehicle 2 is equipped with a device for grasping position information such as GNSS with high definition, and is configured to enable automatic traveling together with map information.
In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the working unit 21 is mounted on the rear end of the vehicle 2. Instead of getting on the vehicle 2, the operator collects the dust (garbage bag, etc.) dumped on the road while walking on the road, and throws the collected dust into the working unit 21 of the vehicle 2.

The vehicle 2 is equipped with a sensor 4 that acquires information around the vehicle 2. Specifically, the sensor 4 is a millimeter wave radar, a camera, a laser radar, or the like. The sensors 4 of the present embodiment are mounted on the four corners of the vehicle 2. Specifically, the sensors 4 are installed at four locations, one at each corner of the front surface of the vehicle 2 and the left and right side surfaces, and the other at each corner of the rear surface and the left and right side surfaces of the vehicle 2.
As shown in FIG. 2, the information acquired by the sensor 4 is transmitted to the ECU 7 as the control system 1. The information acquired by the sensor 4 of the present embodiment is used to detect the operator's current position OP, obstacles around the vehicle 2, and the like.

In addition to the above-mentioned sensor 4 and ECU 7, the vehicle 2 is provided with a communication device 5 that wirelessly communicates with an external device of the vehicle 2 and an operating unit 6 that operates (accelerates, brakes, steers) the vehicle 2. ing.
The communication target of the communication device 5 of the present embodiment includes the mobile terminal 3 owned by the operator. The communication device 5 transmits the information received from the mobile terminal 3 to the ECU 7, and also transmits the information transmitted from the ECU 7 to the mobile terminal 3. The information received by the communication device 5 from the mobile terminal 3 includes operation information for the mobile terminal 3 by the operator (information on the presence or absence of a tracking operation and a stop operation described later).

Specifically, the operating unit 6 includes a driving device 61, a braking device 62, and a steering device 63. The drive device 61 is a drive source (engine or electric motor) or transmission mechanism of the vehicle 2, and the braking device 62 is a braking device or a regenerative braking system that applies a braking force to the vehicle 2. Further, the steering device 63 is a power steering device or the like that operates the steering wheel of the vehicle 2.
The operating unit 6 of the present embodiment is configured to be manually operable as well as the ECU 7. Therefore, the vehicle 2 can be manually driven by an operator as well as automatically driven by the ECU 7.

The ECU 7 is an electronic control device that integrally controls various devices mounted on the vehicle 2, and is configured as an LSI device or an embedded electronic device that integrates a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, etc., and is used as a communication line of an in-vehicle network. Be connected. The ECU 7 of the present embodiment controls the operating unit 6 based on the information transmitted from the sensor 4 and the communication device 5.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile terminal 3 is a small terminal device carried by an operator. Here, a smartphone is illustrated as the mobile terminal 3.
The mobile terminal 3 has a display 31 provided on the surface thereof and a touch panel 32 for detecting an input operation (touch, pinch, swipe, etc.) on the display 31. The display 31 of the present embodiment displays a tracking button 33 for causing the vehicle 2 to track the operator, and a stop button 34 for stopping (stopping) the vehicle 2 after moving the vehicle 2 to a predetermined stop position SP.

Hereinafter, the input operation (on operation) to the tracking button 33 by the operator is also referred to as "tracking operation", and the input operation (on operation) to the stop button 34 by the operator is also referred to as "stop operation". The touch panel 32 of the present embodiment detects these tracking and stopping operations. In addition, as a scene where the tracking operation is performed, there is a scene where the operator starts walking outside the vehicle 2 in order to collect dust. Further, as a scene in which the stop operation is performed, there is a scene in which the dust collected by the operator is to be thrown into the working unit 21.

The mobile terminal 3 has a built-in communication device that wirelessly communicates with an external device and an electronic control device (computer) connected to the communication device (both are not shown). In the mobile terminal 3 of the present embodiment, when a tracking operation or a stop operation is detected on the touch panel 32, a predetermined signal (a tracking signal or a stop signal described later) is transmitted from the communication device by the operation of the electronic control device. Is transmitted to the ECU 7.

[2. Control configuration]
In this embodiment, the tracking control and the stop control performed by the ECU 7 will be described in detail.
The tracking control is a control that causes the vehicle 2 to track the operator by automatically driving the vehicle 2. Therefore, during the tracking control, the vehicle 2 automatically travels so as to follow the operator walking outside the vehicle 2.

On the other hand, the stop control is a control in which the working unit 21 of the vehicle 2 moves the vehicle 2 to the stop position SP along with the operator and stops the vehicle 2 by automatically driving the vehicle 2. Therefore, when the stop control is implemented, the vehicle 2 automatically travels to the above stop position SP and then automatically stops at this stop position SP.
In both the tracking control and the stop control, in the automatic driving of the vehicle 2, the operating unit 6 is controlled based on the information acquired by the sensor 4 so that the vehicle 2 does not come into contact with an obstacle or the like.

The tracking control and the stop control of the present embodiment are carried out according to the signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 3.
Specifically, the tracking control is started when the operator performs an input operation on the tracking button 33 of the mobile terminal 3, the tracking operation is detected on the touch panel 32, and a tracking signal is transmitted from the mobile terminal 3 in response to the detection operation. Will be done. Therefore, in this case, the vehicle 2 starts tracking the operator. Then, the tracking control ends when the operator performs an input operation on the stop button 34 of the mobile terminal 3, the stop operation is detected on the touch panel 32, and a stop signal is transmitted from the mobile terminal 3 in response to the detection operation.

The stop control is started at the same time as the end of the tracking control. That is, the stop control is started when the operator performs an input operation on the stop button 34 of the mobile terminal 3 as described above, the stop operation is detected on the touch panel 32, and a stop signal is transmitted from the mobile terminal 3. .. Therefore, in this case, the vehicle 2 starts moving to the stop position SP. Then, the tracking control ends when the vehicle 2 stops at the stop position SP where the working unit 21 of the vehicle 2 is aligned with the operator.
As described above, the tracking control and the stop control of the present embodiment are carried out in response to the tracking operation and the stop operation for the mobile terminal 3.

The ECU 7 includes a determination unit 11, a detection unit 12, and a control unit 13 as elements for carrying out the above-mentioned tracking control and stop control. Here, it is assumed that all of these elements 11 to 13 are realized by software. However, these elements 11 to 13 may be realized by hardware (electronic circuit), or may be realized by using software and hardware in combination.

The determination unit 11 determines the presence or absence of the above-mentioned tracking operation and stop operation. As described above, since the tracking operation and the stop operation of the present embodiment are performed on the mobile terminal 3, the determination unit 11 determines the presence / absence of the tracking operation and the stop operation based on the information transmitted from the communication device 5. It is determined whether or not there is.
Specifically, the determination unit 11 determines that the tracking operation has been performed outside the vehicle 2 when the communication device 5 receives the tracking signal, and the tracking operation when the communication device 5 does not receive the tracking signal. Judge that there is no. Similarly, when the communication device 5 receives the stop signal, the determination unit 11 determines that the stop operation has been performed outside the vehicle 2, and when the communication device 5 does not receive the stop signal, there is no stop operation. Is determined.

The detection unit 12 detects the operator's current position OP (hereinafter, referred to as “operator position OP”). The detection unit 12 of the present embodiment first determines whether or not there is an operator around the vehicle 2 based on the information transmitted from the sensor 4, and when it is determined that there is an operator here, the operator position OP ( For example, the position relative to the vehicle 2) is detected (calculated). The detection result by the detection unit 12 is used in both tracking control and stop control.

In the present embodiment, in order to identify the operator from other pedestrians in the detection unit 12, the operator is registered prior to the execution of the tracking control and the stop control. This registration may be performed, for example, by turning on the power of the vehicle 2, and is performed when a predetermined signal is transmitted or received for the first time in the communication device 5 after the power of the vehicle 2 is turned on. May be good.
When an object is recognized in a predetermined area in front of or behind the vehicle 2, the operator is registered by registering the object as an operator. When the object is registered as an operator, a message to that effect is displayed on the mobile terminal 3, and the operator can confirm that he / she has been registered on the mobile terminal 3.

The registration of such information is preferably carried out in a state where the operator is surely within the sensing range of the sensor 4. For example, the operator is stationary facing the vehicle 2 in a predetermined area in front of the vehicle 2. It will be carried out at.
After the above registration is completed, the detection unit 12 of the present embodiment continuously monitors this operator to detect the operator position OP at any time.

The control unit 13 controls the operating unit 6 based on the determination result of the determination unit 11 and the detection result of the detection unit 12, and automatically drives the vehicle 2.
The control unit 13 starts the tracking control when the determination unit 11 determines that the tracking operation has been performed. In the tracking control, the control unit 13 controls the operating unit 6 so that the distance between the vehicle 2 and the operator is maintained at a predetermined distance. As a result, the control unit 13 causes the vehicle 2 to track the operator.

Further, the control unit 13 starts the stop control when the determination unit 11 determines that the stop operation has been performed. The control unit 13 ends the tracking control at the same time as starting the stop control in this way.
In the stop control, the control unit 13 controls the operation unit 6 so that the vehicle 2 stops after moving to the stop position SP based on the operator position OP detected by the detection unit 12. As a result, the control unit 13 stops the vehicle 2 with the working unit 21 of the vehicle 2 aligned with the operator.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the stop position SP of the present embodiment is set as a position where the working unit 21 and the operator are lined up in the left-right direction of the vehicle 2. Therefore, when the vehicle 2 is stopped at the stop position SP by the stop control, the operator is located to the left or right (right beside) of the work unit 21. Since the working unit 21 is provided at the rear end of the vehicle 2 in the present embodiment, the control unit 13 reaches the stop position SP where the rear end of the vehicle 2 is aligned with the operator in the left-right direction in the stop control. Move 2 and stop it.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the operator performs a stop operation in front of the vehicle 2, the control unit 13 advances the vehicle 2 and after the front end of the vehicle 2 exceeds the operator position OP. , The vehicle 2 is stopped at the above-mentioned stop position SP in which the rear end portion of the vehicle 2 is aligned with the operator position OP in the left-right direction. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the operator performs a stop operation behind the vehicle 2, the control unit 13 retracts the vehicle 2 and the front end portion of the vehicle 2 does not exceed the operator position OP. As it is, the vehicle 2 is stopped at the above-mentioned stop position SP in which the rear end portion of the vehicle 2 is aligned with the operator position OP in the left-right direction. As described above, the moving direction of the vehicle 2 in the stop control is appropriately changed according to the positional relationship between the vehicle 2 and the operator at the time when the operator performs the stop operation.

The control unit 13 of the present embodiment automatically drives the vehicle 2 within a predetermined area set in advance. The predetermined area is set as a roadway R1 on which the vehicle 2 can travel, for example, for collecting dust, and the sidewalk R2 is excluded. Therefore, the control unit 13 causes the vehicle 2 to travel on the roadway R1 and does not allow the vehicle 2 to enter the sidewalk R2 even if the operator is walking on the sidewalk R2 during the tracking control. Similarly, even if the operator performs a stop operation on the sidewalk R2, the control unit 13 stops the vehicle 2 at the stop position SP in the roadway R1 and does not allow the vehicle 2 to enter the sidewalk R2.

As described above, the control unit 13 of the present embodiment refers to the operator position OP detected by the detection unit 12 in both the tracking control and the stop control. However, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, when the operator is hidden behind the obstacle 9, the operator is out of the sensing range of the sensor 4, so that the detection unit 12 cannot detect the operator position OP.
When the operator position OP is no longer detected by the detection unit 12 in this way, the control unit 13 of the present embodiment together with the operator position OP (hereinafter, referred to as “final position FP”) detected last by the detection unit 12. The vehicle 2 is moved to the standby position WP where the working unit 21 is lined up. Here, an example is shown in which the standby position WP is set as a position where the final position FP and the working unit 21 are arranged in the left-right direction of the vehicle 2 as in the above-mentioned stop position SP.

Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 5, when the operator position OP is no longer detected by the detection unit 12, the vehicle 2 does not stop at that place (the position of the vehicle 2 shown by the broken line in FIG. 5). , Stops after moving to the standby position WP. After this, the vehicle 2 stands by at the standby position WP until the operator position OP is detected again. If the operator position OP is rediscovered by the detection unit 12 while moving to the standby position WP, the control unit 13 automatically automates the vehicle 2 based on the latest operator position OP detected by the detection unit 12. Let it drive.

[3. flowchart]
6 to 8 are flowcharts showing the contents of control (vehicle control method) executed by the control system 1. The flow of FIG. 6 is repeatedly executed by the ECU 7 when the power of the vehicle 2 is on. 7 and 8 are sub-flow charts of FIG. 6, showing the content of tracking control and the content of stop control, respectively.

The flag F in the flow of FIG. 6 is a variable indicating whether or not the tracking control is being executed, and is set to 1 when the tracking control is being executed, and is set to 1 when the tracking control is not being executed. Set to 0. It is assumed that the flag F is 0 at the start of the flow of FIG. Further, in the ECU 7, it is assumed that each information from the sensor 4 and the communication device 5 is acquired at any time during the execution of the flow.

As shown in FIG. 6, the ECU 7 first determines whether or not the tracking control is being executed (F = 1) (step S1), and if the tracking control is not being executed, the communication device 5 is used to determine the mobile terminal 3 Based on the information received from, it is determined whether or not there is a tracking operation (step S2, tracking determination step). If it is determined that there is no tracking operation, the flow is returned as it is, and the determination process in step S2 is repeated until there is a tracking operation.

If it is determined that the tracking operation has been performed in step S2, the flag F is set to 1 (step S3), and it is confirmed whether or not the operator has been registered (step S4). If the operator is not registered, the operator is registered (step S5), and tracking control is executed (started) (step S6). If the operator has already been registered in step S4, the tracking control is executed by skipping the operator registration process (step S5) (step S6). Then, the flow is returned.

Since the tracking control is being executed (F = 1) in the next calculation cycle, the process proceeds from step S1 to step S7, and the presence or absence of the stop operation is determined based on the information received from the mobile terminal 3 by the communication device 5. (Stop determination process). If it is determined that there is no stop operation here, the tracking control is continued (step S6), and the flow is returned. On the other hand, when it is determined that the stop operation has been performed in step S7, the flag F is set to 0 (step S8), the stop control is executed (step S9), and the flow is returned.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the tracking control, it is determined whether or not the operator is around the vehicle 2 (the operator can be recognized) based on the information acquired by the sensor 4 (step A1). When it is determined that the operator is around the vehicle 2, the operator position OP is detected by the detection unit 12 (step A2, detection step), and the operating unit 6 is controlled so that the vehicle 2 tracks the operator (step A2, detection step). Step A3, tracking step).
On the other hand, if the operator is not recognized in step A1 (operator position OP is no longer detected) during the execution of tracking control, the operating unit 6 is controlled so that the vehicle 2 moves to the standby position WP and stops. (Step A4, moving step).

As shown in FIG. 8, in the stop control, it is determined whether or not the operator is around the vehicle 2 (the operator can be recognized) based on the information acquired by the sensor 4 (step B1). When it is determined that the operator is around the vehicle 2, the operator position OP is detected by the detection unit 12 (step B2, detection step), and the operation unit 6 is operated so that the vehicle 2 moves to the stop position SP and stops. Is controlled (step B3, stop step).
On the other hand, if the operator is not recognized in step B1 (operator position OP is no longer detected) during stop control, the operating unit 6 controls the vehicle 2 to move to the standby position WP and stop. (Step B4, moving step).

[4. Action and effect]
According to the control system 1 and the control method of the vehicle 2 described above, the following actions and effects can be obtained.
(1) When a predetermined stop operation is performed by the operator outside the vehicle 2, the operator moves the vehicle 2 to the stop position SP where the work unit 21 is lined up with the operator and then stops the vehicle 2. Therefore, the operator performs work on the work unit 21. It will be easier to do. In this way, when the vehicle 2 is automatically stopped in response to the stop operation by the operator, the operator's work efficiency with respect to the work unit 21 can be improved by optimizing the position of the work unit 21 according to the operator. it can. Therefore, in addition to improving the work efficiency by the automatic operation, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the work performed by the operator on the work unit 21 (in this embodiment, the work of throwing in dust). Therefore, it contributes to shortening the working time and reducing the working cost.

(2) When a predetermined tracking operation is performed by the operator outside the vehicle 2, the vehicle 2 is made to track the operator, so that the vehicle 2 can be difficult to separate from the operator even while the work unit 21 is not being operated. .. As a result, when the above stop operation is performed, the vehicle 2 can quickly reach the stop position SP. Therefore, the operator can start the work on the work unit 21 earlier. Therefore, the work efficiency of the operator can be further improved.

(3) When the operator position OP is no longer detected, the operator position OP is moved to move the vehicle 2 to the standby position WP where the last detected operator position OP (the final position FP described above) and the work unit 21 are lined up. Can be moved closer to the operator even if the vehicle 2 cannot be detected. This makes it easier to rediscover the operator position OP and makes it easier for the operator to start work on the work unit 21 earlier. Therefore, the work efficiency of the operator can be further improved.

(4) Since the stop position SP is a position where the work unit 21 and the operator are lined up in the left-right direction of the vehicle 2, when the vehicle 2 is stopped at the stop position SP in response to the stop operation, the left side of the work unit 21 Or the operator will be located to the right. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the operator being located in front of or behind the vehicle 2. As a result, the operator is less likely to be an obstacle when the vehicle 2 moves forward and backward, so that the automatic driving of the vehicle 2 can be facilitated.
(5) Since the vehicle 2 is a dust truck having a dust inlet as a work unit 21, when an operator collects dust using the vehicle 2, it is easy to throw the collected dust into the dust inlet. Become. Therefore, the work efficiency of dust collection using the vehicle 2 can be improved.

(6) Since the above stop control is performed in response to the stop operation on the mobile terminal 3, the operator can easily perform the stop control simply by operating the possessed mobile terminal 3. Further, by transmitting a stop signal from the mobile terminal 3 to the ECU 7 in response to the stop operation by the operator, the presence or absence of the stop operation can be accurately determined by the ECU 7. Therefore, the stop control can be more appropriately performed according to the operator's request.

(7) Similarly, since the above-mentioned tracking control is started in response to the tracking operation on the mobile terminal 3, the operator can easily perform the tracking control only by operating the possessed mobile terminal 3.
(8) Since the operator is registered prior to the execution of the tracking control and the stop control, the operator can be identified from other pedestrians when the detection unit 12 detects the operator position OP. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the operator position OP can be improved. As a result, tracking control and stop control can be performed more appropriately.

[5. Modification example]
The above-mentioned stop position SP and standby position WP are both examples. The stop position SP may be a position where the working unit 21 of the vehicle 2 is lined up with the operator, and may be, for example, a position where the operator is lined up behind the working unit 21. As described above, if the vehicle 2 is stopped while the operator is located behind the work unit 21 provided at the rear end of the vehicle 2, the work on the work unit 21 becomes easier. Similarly, the standby position WP may be any position as long as the working unit 21 of the vehicle 2 is aligned with the final position FP, and is not limited to the one illustrated in the above embodiment.

The position of the working unit 21 in the vehicle 2 is not particularly limited. The working portion 21 may be provided on the side surface or the front end portion of the vehicle 2, for example. Regardless of which part of the vehicle 2 the working unit 21 is provided, the operator with respect to the working unit 21 can stop the working unit 21 by moving the vehicle 2 to a stop position aligned with the operator as described above. Work efficiency can be improved.
Further, the vehicle 2 to which the above control system 1 is applied is not limited to the dust vehicle. As the vehicle 2, for example, various vehicles such as golf carts, goods sales vehicles, and nursing care vehicles can be applied.

The above stop operation and tracking operation are also examples. As the stop operation and the tracking operation, a gesture operation (for example, a hand gesture) or a voice operation by the operator may be applied instead of (or in addition to) the one using the mobile terminal 3. In this case, if a sensor or the like for detecting the gesture or voice of the operator is provided in the vehicle 2, the determination process (stop determination step and tracking determination step) in the determination unit 1B is performed based on the detection result by this sensor. Good.

The content displayed on the display 31 of the mobile terminal 3 is also an example. The display 31 may be provided with a switching button in which the tracking button 33 and the stop button 34 are merged. By applying such a switching button, the above-mentioned tracking control and stop control can be performed in response to an on / off operation for a single switching button. Specifically, the on operation of the switching button (operation of switching from off to on) is referred to as the above "tracking operation", and the off operation of the switching button (operation of switching from on to off) is referred to as the above "stop operation". Tracking control and stop control may be performed.

In addition to the tracking button 33 and the stop button 34, the display 31 may display various information such as the current position of the vehicle 2 and the operator position OP detected by the detection unit 1B. Further, when the operator position OP is no longer detected, the display 31 may indicate that fact.
The control system 1 may stop the vehicle 2 on the spot (without moving to the standby position WP) when the operator position OP is no longer detected. With such a configuration, energy consumption due to the running of the vehicle 2 can be suppressed.

Further, the control system 1 may at least perform stop control, and the above-mentioned tracking control (tracking step) may be omitted. Even if the tracking control is omitted, according to the control system 1 and the control method of the vehicle 2, the vehicle 2 is moved to the stop position SP and stopped in response to the stop operation by the operator, as described above. The work efficiency of the operator can be improved.
The control system 1 may be provided as a function other than the above-mentioned ECU 7. Further, the position where the control system 1 is provided is not particularly limited, and a part or all of the control system 1 may be provided outside the vehicle 2 (on the mobile terminal 3 or the cloud).

1 Control system (vehicle control system)
2 Vehicle 3 Mobile terminal 4 Sensor 5 Communication device 6 Activating unit 7 ECU
9 Obstacle 11 Judgment unit 12 Detection unit 13 Control unit 21 Working unit 31 Display 32 Touch panel 33 Tracking button 34 Stop button 61 Driver 62 Braking device 63 Steering device FP Final position OP Operator position R1 Roadway R2 Sidewalk SP Stop position WP Standby position

Claims (10)

It is a vehicle control system that has a work unit where the operator works and is capable of automatic driving.
A determination unit that determines whether or not a predetermined stop operation has been performed by the operator outside the vehicle.
A vehicle, characterized in that, when the determination unit determines that the stop operation has been performed, the work unit includes a control unit that moves the vehicle to a stop position aligned with the operator and stops the vehicle. Control system. The determination unit determines whether or not a predetermined tracking operation has been performed by the operator outside the vehicle.
The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the vehicle to track the operator when the determination unit determines that the tracking operation has been performed. A detector for detecting the current position of the operator is provided.
The control unit automatically drives the vehicle based on the current position detected by the detection unit, and when the current position is no longer detected by the detection unit, the detection unit last detects the current position. The vehicle control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle is moved to a standby position where the current position and the working unit are lined up. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stop position is a position where the working unit and the operator are arranged in the left-right direction of the vehicle. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the vehicle is a dust vehicle having a dust input port as a working unit. It is a vehicle control method that has a work unit where the operator performs work and is capable of automatic driving.
A stop determination step for determining whether or not a predetermined stop operation has been performed by the operator outside the vehicle, and a stop determination step.
The vehicle is characterized by comprising a stop step of moving the vehicle to a stop position aligned with the operator and stopping the vehicle when it is determined in the stop determination step that the stop operation has been performed. Control method. A tracking determination step of determining whether or not a predetermined tracking operation has been performed by the operator outside the vehicle, and
The vehicle control method according to claim 6, further comprising a tracking step of causing the vehicle to track the operator when it is determined in the tracking determination step that the tracking operation has been performed. A detection process for detecting the current position of the operator and
The vehicle is automatically driven based on the current position detected in the detection step, and when the current position is no longer detected in the detection step, the current position and the work finally detected in the detection step. The vehicle control method according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising a moving step of moving the vehicle to a standby position where the units are lined up. The vehicle control method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the stop position is a position where the working unit and the operator are aligned in the left-right direction of the vehicle. The vehicle control method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the vehicle is a dust vehicle having a dust input port as a working unit.

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