JP4453683B2 - Remote control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle remote control device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, vehicles equipped with a device for remotely operating a vehicle by remote control have been developed. Thereby, for example, even when the garage is so narrow that the driver cannot get in the garage at the parking lot or when leaving the garage, the driver can do this by remote control operation. Similarly, a vehicle equipped with a device that stores a route to a moving location in advance and performs automatic driving along the stored route has been similarly developed.

  Various inventions have been made for the purpose of improving the performance of such remotely operated and / or autonomously driven vehicles.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for stopping a vehicle when a failure occurs in a sensor that recognizes a route or detects an obstacle on the route or a device such as a GPS device in a vehicle that performs automatic driving. Thereby, for example, when the vehicle is traveling on a route with an obstacle, the collision with the obstacle can be avoided by stopping the vehicle when the sensor for detecting the obstacle is broken.
JP-A-9-160643

  However, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, a vehicle that performs automatic driving uniformly stops the vehicle when an equipment failure occurs. Therefore, when it is not desirable to stop the vehicle, it is inconvenient for the driver to stop the vehicle uniformly.

  The present invention has been invented in order to solve this problem in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a remote control device for a vehicle that performs remote operation or automatic driving without causing the driver to be inconvenient. And

In order to achieve the above object, a remote control device of the present invention is a remote control device for a vehicle having remote control means for remotely controlling start and stop of the vehicle, and monitors the vicinity of the travel position of the vehicle. a monitoring device, and the traveling path calculation means for calculating a travelable travel route of the vehicle based on a detection result of the monitoring device, the normal of the monitoring device, the travel which the vehicle is calculated by the traveling path calculation means Travel control is performed so that the route travels in the first state, and the vehicle travels in the second state corresponding to the abnormal state on the travel route calculated by the travel route calculation means when the monitoring device is abnormal. Vehicle traveling control means for performing traveling control as described above.

  In order to achieve the above object, a remote control device according to the present invention is a remote control device for a vehicle having remote control means for remotely controlling start and stop of the vehicle, and stores a travel route of the vehicle. Traveling route storage means and steering means for steering the vehicle, and when the steering means is normal, the vehicle travels in a first state along the traveling route stored by the travel route storage means. Vehicle travel control means for controlling the vehicle so that the vehicle travels in the second state corresponding to the abnormal state when the steering means is abnormal, the vehicle being stored in the travel route storage means. It can be constituted as follows.

  In order to achieve the above object, the traveling speed of the vehicle in the second state of the present invention may be configured to be lower than the traveling speed of the vehicle in the first state. it can.

  In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle is configured to travel continuously in the first state of the present invention, and the vehicle travels intermittently in the second state. Can do.

  In order to achieve the above object, the traveling speed of the vehicle in the second state of the present invention is a traveling speed that can be stopped by switching the parking brake mounted on the vehicle or the shift range to the P range. It can be configured to be.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to perform remote operation or automatic driving without causing the driver inconvenience.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  First, a first embodiment of the remote control device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Device configuration)
First, a device configuration example of the remote control device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a device configuration example of the remote control device according to the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, the remote control device 1 includes a remote controller 2 and a vehicle 3. The vehicle 3 includes an ECU (Engine Control Unit) 10, a steering control unit 20, a steering device 20a, a monitoring device 30, a braking force control unit 40, an engine 50, a shift switching device 60, a PKB (ParKing Break) 70, a hydraulic brake. 80.

  The remote controller 2 is a device for remotely operating the vehicle 3. For example, the vehicle 3 is remotely operated by instructing the vehicle 3 to start, that is, start or stop the remote operation, that is, stop the remote operation via a communication means such as a radio.

  The ECU 10 is a device that controls each part of the vehicle 3. For example, the operation of the steering force control unit 20, the monitoring device 30, the braking force control unit 40, the engine 50, the shift switching device 60, the PKB 70, and the hydraulic brake 80 is controlled. The details of the ECU 10 will be described in the configuration of the ECU described later.

  The steering control unit 20 is a device that controls the steering device 20a. For example, a control signal is received from the ECU 10, and a steering force and a steering angle necessary for steering the steering device 20a are controlled based on the received control signal. It is a booster in electric power steering.

  The steering device 20 a is a device for instructing the course direction of the vehicle 3. For example, steering.

  The monitoring device 30 is a device for monitoring the periphery of the vehicle 3. For example, a camera mounted on the rear part of the vehicle 3 or a laser device.

  The braking force control unit 40 is a device that controls the braking force of the vehicle 3. For example, the control signal is received by the ECU 10, and the braking force applied to a braking means such as a hydraulic brake 80 described later is controlled based on the received control signal.

  The engine 50 is a device that generates power necessary for the operation of the vehicle 3. The engine 50 is a gasoline engine that burns gasoline based on a fuel injection amount control process or the like performed by the ECU 10 and generates power based on combustion energy.

  The shift switching device 60 is a device that switches the power ratio between the power generated by the engine 50 and the power transmitted to the wheels of the vehicle 3 by switching the shift. Thereby, the vehicle speed and torque of the vehicle 3 are switched. For example, an automatic transmission that receives a control signal from the ECU 10 and automatically performs shift switching based on the received control signal. For example, when the shift is set to the P range, the vehicle keeps a stopped state, and thus functions equivalent to a parking brake 70 (PKB) described later.

  The PKB 70 is a braking device used when braking the vehicle 3 by a driver's operation during parking. The PKB 70 according to this embodiment is driven and controlled by the ECU 10 and is configured to brake the vehicle 3 in accordance with a control process from the ECU 10.

  The hydraulic brake 80 is a general brake device, and transmits a braking force averaged to each wheel by using liquid (brake fluid). For example, the braking force of the hydraulic brake 80 is controlled by the braking force control unit 40.

  The remote control device 1 having the above components is configured to remotely control start and stop of the vehicle 3 by a remote controller 2.

(Configuration of ECU 10)
Next, a configuration example of the ECU 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  2, the ECU 10 includes a steering control unit ECU 110, a monitoring device ECU 120, a braking force control unit ECU 130, an engine ECU 140, a shift switching unit ECU 150, a PKB ECU 160, a voltage monitoring ECU 170, an automatic or remote control ECU 180, a data storage unit 190, a travel A route calculation unit 200 is included.

  The steering control unit ECU 110 is an ECU that controls the steering control unit 20. In addition, the state of the steering control unit 20 is monitored to detect a failure.

  The monitoring device ECU 120 is an ECU that controls the monitoring device 30. In addition, the state of the monitoring device 30 is monitored and a failure is detected.

  The braking force control unit ECU 130 is an ECU that controls the braking force control unit 40. Further, the state of the braking force control unit 40 is monitored to detect a failure.

  The engine ECU 140 is an ECU that controls the engine 50.

  The shift switching control ECU 150 is an ECU that controls the shift switching device 60.

  The PKB ECU 160 is an ECU that controls the PKB 70.

  The voltage monitoring ECU 170 is an ECU that monitors the voltage applied to each device constituting the vehicle 3.

  The automatic or remote control ECU 180 is an ECU that controls the steering control unit ECU 110, the monitoring device ECU 120, the braking force control unit ECU 130, the engine ECU 140, the shift switching unit control ECU 150, the PKB ECU 160, and the voltage monitoring ECU 170. Further, a start or stop control signal is received from the remote controller 2, and the operation of the vehicle 3 is controlled by each of these ECUs based on the received control signal. Details of the control method will be described in an operation example described later.

  The data storage unit 190 is a device that stores data related to control performed by the ECU 10. For example, a storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) stores data related to the travel route of the vehicle 3 calculated by the travel route calculation unit 200 described later.

  The travel route calculation unit 200 calculates the travel route of the vehicle 3. For example, the travel route of the vehicle 3 is calculated based on the information on the surroundings of the vehicle obtained by the monitoring device 30.

  With the above configuration, the ECU 10 controls each device constituting the remote operation device 1.

(Function configuration example 1)
Next, a first example of the functional configuration of the remote control device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example 1 of functions of the remote control device of the present invention.

  In FIG. 3, the remote operation device 1 includes a remote operation unit 210, a vehicle travel control unit 220, a travel route storage unit 230, a monitoring device 240, and a braking force control unit 250.

  The remote control unit 210 remotely controls start and stop of the vehicle 3. Remote operation is performed by transmitting a start or stop signal to the vehicle travel control means 220 described later. For example, the remote controller 2 is used.

  The vehicle travel control means 220 controls the travel of the vehicle 3. A start or stop signal is received from the remote control means 210, and the traveling of the vehicle 3 is controlled based on the received signal. Further, the traveling of the vehicle 3 is controlled according to whether the monitoring device 240 described later is normal or abnormal. For example, this is a process performed by the ECU 10.

  The travel route storage unit 230 stores data relating to the travel route of the vehicle 3. For example, the data storage unit 190.

  The monitoring device 240 monitors the periphery of the vehicle 3. For example, the monitoring device 30.

  The braking force control unit 250 controls the braking force of the vehicle 3. Controlled by the vehicle travel control means 220, the braking force applied to the vehicle 3 is controlled. For example, the braking force control unit 40.

  With the above functional configuration, in the remote control device 1 of the present invention, the vehicle 3 is remotely controlled to start and stop by the remote control unit 210 and travels on the travel route stored by the travel route storage unit 230. Further, the vehicle travel control means 220 controls the travel of the vehicle 3 by giving an instruction to the braking force control means 250 depending on whether the monitoring device 240 is normal or abnormal.

(Operation example 1)
Next, a first example of an operation performed by the remote control device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart according to the first operation example. Here, the vehicle 3 is remotely operated to start and stop by the remote controller 2 and travels along a travel route to the garage that is the movement target. That is, the garage entry is remotely controlled. At this time, when an abnormality of the monitoring device 30 occurs, an operation for decelerating as a retreat travel corresponding to the abnormality will be described. It is assumed that the travel route data is stored in the data storage unit 190.

  First, the vehicle 3 is carrying out garage entry by remote control with the remote controller 2 (S101).

  In step S101, it is determined whether or not an abnormality, that is, a failure has occurred in the camera that monitors the periphery of the monitoring device 30, here mounted on the vehicle 3 (S102).

  In step S102, when the monitoring device 30 is abnormal (S102, YES), that is, when the monitoring device ECU 120 detects a failure of the monitoring device 30, the process proceeds to step S103. When the monitoring device 30 is normal (S102, NO), the process proceeds to step S104.

  Moving to step S103, the vehicle 3 is decelerated (S103). Here, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 receives the failure information of the monitoring device 30 detected by the monitoring device ECU 120 in step S102, YES, and transmits a deceleration instruction to the braking force control unit ECU 130. The braking force control unit ECU 130 performs deceleration by controlling the braking force control unit 40 in accordance with the received deceleration instruction. Here, the deceleration speed is set to a speed at which the vehicle 3 can be stopped immediately by a stop instruction from the remote controller 2.

  Moving to step S104, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 determines whether or not the target position has been reached (S104). Here, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 determines whether or not the vehicle has reached the target position based on the target position on the travel route stored in the data storage unit 190 and the own vehicle position of the vehicle 3.

  When the target position is reached (S104, YES), the process proceeds to step S105. When the target position has not been reached (S104, NO), the process returns to step S104, and the vehicle 3 travels until the target position is reached.

  In step S105, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 controls the vehicle 3 to finish running (S105).

  With the above operation, the vehicle 3 is remotely controlled to start and stop by the remote controller 2 and travels on the travel route to the garage that is the movement target. That is, the garage entry is operated remotely. At this time, when an abnormality occurs in the monitoring device 30, the vehicle is decelerated as a retreat travel corresponding to the abnormality.

  Thereby, there exists an effect hung up below. The effect is that the target position can be reached safely even when an abnormality occurs in the monitoring device 30. For example, when the operator of the remote controller 2 recognizes that there is a person or an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3 and the operator performs a stop operation, the vehicle 3 stops immediately because it is decelerating. Can do. Therefore, even if it is a remote operation of the operator (human), when the danger is recognized, the danger due to the collision can be avoided by stopping safely without performing a collision or the like. As a result, the target position can be reached safely.

  Conventionally, since the vehicle is stopped uniformly when an abnormality occurs in the monitoring device 30, for example, if the vehicle stops in a narrow place where the driver cannot get in, the driver can respond. I was inconvenienced. According to the operation shown in this operation example, there is also an effect that the driver cannot receive such inconvenience.

  In step S103, the traveling speed of the vehicle 3 may be set to a traveling speed that can be stopped by switching the PKB 70 or the shift switching device 60 to the P range of the shift range by decelerating. Thereby, in step S105, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 also activates the PKB 70 via the PKB ECU 160, or switches the shift range of the shift switching device 60 to the P range via the shift switching control ECU 150. 3 traveling can be ended.

  In the operation example 1, as a premise, the travel route data is stored in the data storage unit 190. However, the travel route data is based on information about the surroundings of the vehicle monitored by the monitoring device 30. The calculation unit 200 may calculate.

(Operation example 2)
Next, a second example of the operation performed by the remote control device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart according to the second operation example. Here, the vehicle 3 is remotely operated to start and stop by the remote controller 2 and travels on the travel route to the garage that is the movement target. That is, the garage entry is operated remotely. At this time, when an abnormality occurs in the steering control unit 20 or the steering device 20a, an operation for performing intermittent traveling as retreat traveling corresponding to the abnormality will be described.

  First, the vehicle 3 is carrying out garage entry by remote control with the remote controller 2 (S201).

  In step S201, when the steering control unit 20 or the steering device 20a, that is, the steering mounted on the vehicle 3 here, an abnormality, that is, a failure occurs (S202, YES), the process proceeds to step S203. When the steering control unit 20 or the steering device 20a is normal (S202, NO), the process proceeds to step S204.

  Moving to Step S203, the vehicle 3 stops traveling (S203). Here, the steering control unit ECU 110 detects a failure of the steering control unit 20. Next, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 receives information on the failure of the steering control unit 20 or the steering device 20a from the steering control unit ECU 110, and transmits an instruction to stop traveling to the braking force control unit ECU 130. The braking force control unit ECU 130 controls the braking force control unit 40 in accordance with the received traveling stop instruction to stop traveling.

  Next, proceeding to step S204, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 determines whether or not the target position has been reached (S204). Here, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 calculates the target position based on the travel route stored in the data storage unit 190, and whether the target position is reached based on the calculated target position and the own vehicle position of the vehicle 3. Determine whether or not.

  When the target position is reached (S204, YES), the process proceeds to step S207. When the target position has not been reached (S204, NO), the process proceeds to step S205.

  Moving to step S205, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 determines whether or not there is a start instruction by remote operation (S205). Here, it is determined whether or not a start instruction is given by the remote controller 2. When there is an instruction to start (S205, YES), the process proceeds to step S206. When there is no start instruction (S205, NO), the process proceeds to step S207.

  In step S206, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 transmits to the braking force control unit ECU 130 an instruction to drive the vehicle 3 for several tens of centimeters, here 30 centimeters, as intermittent travel. The braking force control unit ECU 130 controls the braking force control unit 40 according to the received intermittent traveling instruction to perform intermittent traveling. In addition, after intermittent running, the process returns to step S204.

In step S207, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 controls the vehicle 3 to finish traveling (S207).
With the above operation, the vehicle 3 is remotely controlled to start and stop by the remote controller 2 and travels on the travel route to the garage that is the movement target. That is, the garage entry is operated remotely. At this time, when an abnormality occurs in the steering control unit 20 or the steering device 20a, intermittent traveling is performed as retreat traveling corresponding to the abnormality.

  Thereby, there exists an effect hung up below. The effect is that the target position can be safely reached even when an abnormality occurs in the steering control unit 20 or the steering device 20a. For example, the operator of the remote controller 2 recognizes that there is a person or an obstacle in the traveling direction of the vehicle 3, and the operator can drive the vehicle 3 by intermittent running while being conscious of the person or the obstacle. . Therefore, even if it is a remote operation of the operator (human), the danger due to the collision can be avoided if the danger is recognized. As a result, the target position can be reached safely.

  The first embodiment described above corresponds to the first to fifth aspects described above.

  Further, in the first operation example, the retreat travel is performed by performing deceleration traveling when the monitoring device 30 fails, and in the second operation example, performing intermittent travel when the steering control unit 20 or the steering device 20a malfunctions. . However, the present invention is not limited to this case. For example, intermittent traveling may be performed when the monitoring device 30 fails, and deceleration traveling may be performed when the steering control unit 20 or the steering device 20a fails.

  Next, a second embodiment of the remote control device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the first embodiment, when a failure occurs in the monitoring device 30, the steering control unit 20, or the steering device 20a, an operation for performing a remote operation or an automatic operation so that the target position can be safely reached is performed. Here, in the remotely operated vehicle 3, when a power failure occurs, the failure is dealt with by stopping traveling by a mechanical operation of a mechanism of a PKB 70 described later.

  Note that the device configuration of the remote control device 1 and the configuration of the ECU 10 according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted here.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the mechanism of the PKB 70 of the remote control device 1 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart according to the second embodiment.

  In FIG. 6, the PKB 70 includes an electric PKB motor 71, a spring 72, a lock pin receiver 73, a PKB drum 74, a PKB shoe 75, a solenoid 76, and a lock pin 77.

  Usually, the traveling stop of the vehicle 3 using the PKB 70 is performed by the following method. First, when the PKB ECU 160 receives a brake activation signal, the PKB ECU 160 controls the electric PKB motor 71 to start rotating in the direction of the arrow in the figure. At this time, the wire is pulled and the PKB shoe 75 comes into contact with the PKB drum 74 to set the brake holding state. As a result, the vehicle 3 is fixed to the stopped state. Here, the spring 72, the lock pin receiver 73, the solenoid 76, and the lock pin 77 are not considered.

  The PKB 70 in the remote control device of the present invention further includes the spring 72, the lock pin receiver 73, the solenoid 76, and the lock pin 77, and performs the following operations. The operation will be described with reference to FIG.

  The operation flow of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the vehicle 3 starts entering a garage by remote control using the remote controller 2 (S301).

  Next, the ECU for PKB 160 pushes up the lock pin 77 by energizing the solenoid 76 so that the lock pin 77 and the lock pin receiver 73 are fixed (PKB temporary set) (S302).

  Here, the ECU 160 for PKB pushes up the lock pin 77 by energizing the solenoid 76 so that the lock pin 77 and the lock pin receiver 73 are fixed, that is, the locked state. Further, the PKB ECU 160 drives the electric PKB motor 71 so as to draw a wire in the direction of the arrow in the figure. At this time, in FIG. 6, the portion on the left side of the spring 72 including the spring 72 is in a state where the wire is drawn, but since the lock pin receiver 73 is fixed, the lock pin receiver including the lock pin receiver 73 is fixed. The part on the right side of 73 is characterized in that the wire is not pulled, that is, the brake is not held.

  Moving to step S303, the vehicle 3 starts (S303). Here, the automatic or remote control ECU 160 starts the vehicle 3.

  Next, the automatic or remote control ECU 160 detects whether or not a power failure has occurred in the vehicle 3 (S304). When a power failure has occurred (S304, YES), the process proceeds to step S305. When the power failure does not occur (S304, NO), the process proceeds to step S305 and the remote operation is continued (S305).

Moving to step S306, the locking mechanism of the PKB 70 is released (S306). here,
Due to a power failure, the PKB ECU 160 does not function and does not supply power to the solenoid 76. Accordingly, the lock pin 77 that has been pushed up so far is lowered when the energization is stopped, and the lock pin 77 is not fixed to the lock pin receiver 73, that is, is unlocked. As a result, the wire is automatically pulled by the force of the spring 72, and when the PKB shoe 75 comes into contact with the PKB drum 74, the brake is held.

  With the above operation, in the remote control device 1 of the second embodiment, when a power failure occurs in the vehicle 3, the failure is dealt with by stopping traveling by the mechanical operation of the mechanism of the PKB 70.

  Thereby, there exists an effect hung up below. The effect is that it is not necessary to prepare a spare power source for the brake, and it is possible to cope with a failure of the power source.

  Next, a third embodiment of the remote control device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Here, in the remotely operated vehicle 3, when a failure occurs in the braking force control unit 40 or the hydraulic brake 80 controlled by the braking force control unit 40, the vehicle 3 is stopped by using another braking means to Take action.

  Note that the device configuration of the remote control device 1 and the configuration of the ECU 10 according to the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted here.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart according to the third embodiment.

  The operation flow of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the vehicle 3 starts entering a garage by remote control using the remote controller 2 (S401).

  Next, engine ECU 140 controls the traveling speed of vehicle 3 (S402).

  Here, the engine ECU 140 controls the output of the engine 50 so as to be a speed that can be locked in the P range of the shift switching device 60, in this case, 10 km / h. This is to enable the vehicle 3 to stop running in the P range of the shift switching device 60 even if the hydraulic brake 80 is generated.

  Next, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 monitors the state of the braking force control unit ECU 130, that is, whether or not there is a failure in the braking force control unit 40 (S403). When there is a failure (S403, YES), the process proceeds to step S404. When there is no failure, the process proceeds to step S406.

  When the process proceeds to step S404, the shift switching control ECU 150 instructs the shift switching device 60 to shift to the P range (S404). At this time, the shift switching device 60 that has received the instruction shifts the shift position to the P range.

  When the process of step S404 is completed, the process proceeds to step S405, and the automatic or remote control ECU 180 stops the traveling of the vehicle 3 (S405).

  On the other hand, when the process proceeds to step S406, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 determines whether or not the target position has been reached (S406). When the target position is reached (S406, YES), the process proceeds to step S405. When the target position has not been reached (S406, NO), the process returns to step S403.

  With the above operation, in the remote operation device 1 according to the third embodiment, when a failure occurs in the braking force control unit 40 or the hydraulic brake 80 controlled by the braking force control unit 40 in the remotely operated vehicle 3, Use the brake means to deal with the failure.

  Thereby, there exists an effect hung up below. The effect is that the vehicle 3 can be stopped even when the hydraulic brake 80 fails.

  In step S402, the engine ECU 140 performs control so that the speed can be locked in the P range of the shift switching device 60. May be. At this time, in step S404, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 transmits an instruction to pull the wire of the PKB 70 to the PKB ECU 160. The PKB ECU 160 stops the vehicle 3 by pulling the wire of the PKB 70 based on the received instruction.

  In step S402, the speed of the vehicle 3 may be controlled so that the speed can be locked in the P range of the shift switching device 60 and the torque output is stopped by the PKB 70. At this time, in step S404, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 may stop the vehicle 3 by performing both the shift to the P range in the shift switching device 60 and the operation of pulling the wire of the PKB 70.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the hydraulic brake 80 has failed has been described. However, a regenerative brake or the like may be used.

  Next, a fourth embodiment of the remote control device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart according to the fourth embodiment. Here, when the vehicle 3 is remotely operated by the remote controller 2 to leave the garage and stop at the target position, the voltage applied to the steering control unit 20 decreases and the voltage required for steering cannot be secured. Respond to the failure.

  Note that the device configuration of the remote control device 1 and the configuration of the ECU 10 according to the fourth embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted here.

  The operation flow of the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the vehicle 3 starts entering a garage by remote control using the remote controller 2 (S501).

  Next, the voltage monitoring ECU 120 detects whether or not a necessary voltage cannot be secured in the steering control unit 20 (S502).

  If it is detected in step S502 that the necessary voltage is not secured (S502, YES), the process proceeds to step S503. When it is detected that the necessary voltage is secured (S502, NO), the process proceeds to step S509.

  When the process proceeds to step S503, a stop process of the vehicle 3 is performed (S503). As a specific process, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 receives information that a necessary voltage is not secured from the voltage monitoring ECU 120 and transmits an instruction to stop traveling to the braking force control unit ECU 130. The braking force control unit ECU 130 controls the braking force control unit 40 in accordance with the received stop instruction, whereby the vehicle 3 stops.

  Next, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 calculates a new route and a target position (S504).

  Here, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 calculates a new route and a target position based on the travel route stored in the data storage unit 190.

  Next, the engine 50 is idled up (S505). Here, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 instructs the engine ECU 50 to idle up, and the engine ECU 50 idles the engine 50 based on this instruction. The amount of power generated by the alternator is increased by idling up the engine 50, thereby securing a voltage necessary for steering the vehicle 3.

  Next, the steering control unit 20 causes the steering device 20a to be stationary (S506). Here, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 gives a steering control instruction to the steering control unit ECU 110, and the steering control unit ECU 110 notifies the steering control unit 20 to the steering device 20a based on this instruction, the new route calculated in step S504. The steering angle is adjusted to match.

  Next, the idle-up state of the engine 50 is returned to the normal state (S507). Here, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 instructs the engine ECU 50 to stop the idle up, and the engine ECU 50 performs the idle up stop to the engine 50 based on this instruction. By stopping the engine 50 from idling up, an increase in vehicle speed when the vehicle 3 resumes traveling is prevented.

  Next, the vehicle 3 restarts traveling (S508). Here, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 transmits a brake release instruction to the braking force control unit ECU 130. The braking force control unit ECU 130 controls the braking force control unit 40 in accordance with the received braking release instruction to release the braking. Thereby, the vehicle 3 restarts traveling.

  In subsequent step S509, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 determines whether or not the target position has been reached (S509). When it is determined that the automatic or remote control ECU 180 has reached the target position (S509, YES), the process proceeds to step S510, and when it is determined that the target position has not been reached (S509, NO), the process proceeds to step S509. .

  When the process proceeds to step S510, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 ends the operation of the vehicle 3 (S510).

  With the above operation, in the remote control device 1 according to the fourth embodiment, when the voltage applied to the steering control unit 20 decreases and the voltage necessary for steering cannot be secured, the idle operation is automatically performed and necessary for steering. The power supply system failure is dealt with by securing the voltage and enabling the vehicle 3 to move.

  Thereby, there exists an effect hung up below. The effect is that even when the voltage drops due to a power supply system failure, this can be handled automatically, so that it is not necessary for the operator to get into the vehicle 3 to deal with it.

  Here, the necessary voltage is secured by the idle-up process in step S505 in particular, but the increase in the vehicle speed due to the idle-up can be prevented by the processes in steps S507 and S508. It is also possible to prevent engine stall.

  Next, a fifth embodiment of the remote control device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is an operation flowchart according to the fifth embodiment.

  When driving a vehicle by remote control, there is a problem that if there is a step in the running direction, even if it is a step that can be overcome, it will be canceled, and even if the step is removed, the operation must be reset from the beginning is there. Here, a remote control device that performs traveling control according to the steps present on the traveling path to solve this problem will be described.

  Note that the device configuration of the remote control device 1 and the configuration of the ECU 10 according to the fifth embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted here.

  An operation example according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the vehicle 3 is remotely operated by the remote controller 2 and is in the process of leaving the garage. At this time, the operation of performing the traveling control according to whether or not there is a step around the traveling direction and the height and size of the step will be described.

  First, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 determines whether or not there is a step around the periphery (S601). Here, the camera which is the monitoring device 30 detects an obstacle. When there is a step in front (S601, YES), the process moves to step S602. When there is no step (S601, NO), the process ends.

  Moving to step S602, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 determines whether or not the vehicle can be overcome based on the height and size of the step (S602). Here, the operator notifies the vehicle 3 of information on whether or not the remote controller 2 can overcome the step. The automatic or remote control ECU 180 receives this information. When it is determined that the vehicle can be overcome (S602, YES), the process proceeds to step S603. When it is determined that the vehicle cannot be overcome (S602, NO), the process proceeds to step S604.

  Moving to step S603, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 controls the vehicle 3 to get over the step (S603). Here, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 instructs the shift switching control ECU 150 to shift to a shift having a larger torque, for example, from the D range to the 1 range. In response to the instruction, the shift switching control ECU 150 switches the shift of the shift switching device 60.

  Moving to step S604, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 determines whether or not the step has been removed (S604). Here, the camera that is the monitoring device 30 determines whether or not the step is removed. When it has been removed (S604, YES), the process ends. When not removed (NO in S604), the process proceeds to step S605, and the automatic or remote control ECU 180 stops the traveling of the vehicle 3.

  By the above operation, in the remote operation device 1 of the fifth embodiment, the vehicle 3 is remotely operated by the remote controller 2 and is in the process of leaving the garage. At this time, traveling control is performed according to whether or not there is a step around the traveling direction, and the height and size of the step.

  Thereby, there exists an effect hung up below. The effect is that the operation is stopped due to the step, and it is possible to save time and effort to operate again.

  In step S601, whether or not there is a step in the vicinity may be determined by the monitoring device 30 detecting the change in the height of a smart key that is an example of the remote controller 2 held by the operator. . Alternatively, the road surface unevenness around the vehicle 3 may be confirmed by a sensor or the like.

  In step S602, whether or not the step can be overcome is determined by, for example, determining that the camera as the monitoring device 30 tracks the operator, and that the step can be overcome when the operator makes a round around the vehicle 3. The determination may be made as follows. Alternatively, the determination may be made by tracking the operator's line of sight with the camera and determining that the step can be overcome when the operator sees the step.

  In step S604, whether or not the step is removed may be determined by, for example, notifying the vehicle by the remote controller 2 that the operator has removed the step.

  In step S603, the control performed by the automatic or remote control ECU 180 for the vehicle 3 to get over the step may switch the magnitude of the torque to be changed according to the position and / or height of the step. Further, the suspension of the vehicle may be changed according to the position and / or height of the step.

  Next, a sixth embodiment of the remote control device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In a remote operation terminal such as a remote control for remotely operating a vehicle, a terminal using a touch panel display has a problem in the prior art that route input is complicated, large, and expensive. Here, a remote control device that realizes easy route input and low cost by a simple interface for solving this problem will be described.

  Note that the device configuration of the remote control device 1 and the configuration of the ECU 10 according to the sixth embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted here. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the remote controller 2 according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the operation according to the sixth embodiment.

  In FIG. 11, the remote controller 2 has seven buttons: right front 2a, front 2b, left front 2c, right back 2d, back 2e, left back 2f, and main 2g.

  First, when the main button 2g is pressed, the vehicle 3 is activated by remote operation, and the engine 50 in the vehicle 3 is started. Here, the monitoring device 30 monitors obstacles and the like around the vehicle 3. The ECU 10 determines the direction in which the vehicle 3 can travel based on the monitoring result of the monitoring device 30, and transmits the determination result to the remote controller 2.

  When the remote controller 2 receives the determination result, the remote controller 2 turns on a button indicating the received travelable direction. The button indicating the direction in which travel is not possible goes off. While the lit button is pressed, the vehicle 3 travels in the direction of the button pressed by remote operation. When traveling to the target position or when the button is not pressed, the vehicle 3 stops traveling. Further, when the main button 2g is pushed again, the vehicle 2 stops traveling. An example of directions in which the vehicle can travel is described in the operation example.

  Next, an operation example according to the sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, an operation of remotely operating the vehicle 3 with the remote controller 2 to take out the garage and stopping at the target position will be described. Here, the target position is assumed to be a position in the traveling direction 3 m after the vehicle 3 is parallel to the road.

  Here, the direction in which the vehicle 3 can travel means that in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 3, the vehicle 3 can travel when the rear end of the vehicle 3 is 1 m ahead of the surrounding obstacle. Further, in the right front, left front, right rear, and left rear directions of the vehicle 3, the vehicle 3 is allowed to travel when it is within the range where the wheelchair can pass through while avoiding obstacles.

  First, the vehicle 3 is activated by the main button 2g of the remote controller 2 (S701).

  Next, the vehicle 3 transmits a leaving pattern to the remote controller 2 (S702).

  Here, first, in the vehicle 3, the camera that is the monitoring device 30 detects surrounding objects, road shapes, and obstacles, and the monitoring device ECU 120 transmits the detection result to the automatic or remote control ECU 180. The automatic or remote control ECU 180 that has received the detection result calculates the direction in which the vehicle 3 can travel and transmits it to the remote controller 2. Further, the control amounts of the steering control unit ECU 110, the braking force control unit ECU 130, and the engine ECU 140 for moving the vehicle 3 in the direction indicated by the remote controller 2 are instructed to each ECU, and feedback is applied.

  Next, the user starts to leave the vehicle 3 by pressing each button on the remote controller 2 (S703).

  Next, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 determines whether or not the target position has been reached (S704). When the target position is reached (S704, YES), the process proceeds to step 708. When the target position has not been reached (S704, NO), the process proceeds to step S705.

  Moving to step S705, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 determines whether or not there is a travel instruction from the remote controller 2 (S705). When there is a travel instruction (S705, YES), the process proceeds to step S706. When there is no travel instruction (S705, NO), the process proceeds to step S708.

  Moving to step S706, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 receives information on whether or not the monitoring device 30 has detected an obstacle on the traveling path via the monitoring device ECU 120 (S706). When an obstacle is detected (S706, YES), the process proceeds to step S707, and the automatic or remote control ECU 180 recalculates the direction in which the vehicle 3 can travel and changes the route (S707). When the route is changed, the process returns to step S704.

  Moving to step S708, the automatic or remote control ECU 180 ends the operation of the vehicle 3 (S708).

  With the above operation, in the remote operation device 1 according to the sixth embodiment, the vehicle 3 is remotely operated by the remote controller 2 to leave the garage and stop at the target position.

  Therefore, the following effects are exhibited. The effect is that the vehicle 3 can be remotely operated to the target position by a remote operation terminal equipped with a simple interface such as the remote controller 2, so that route input can be facilitated and low cost can be realized. is there.

  Although the present invention has been described based on each embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the requirements shown here, such as combinations with other elements listed in the above embodiments. With respect to these points, the present invention can be changed within a range that does not detract from the gist of the present invention, and can be appropriately determined according to the application form.

The figure which shows the apparatus structural example of the remote control apparatus of this invention The figure which shows the structural example of ECU of the remote control apparatus of this invention The figure which shows the function structural example of the remote control apparatus of this invention The flowchart which concerns on the operation example 1 of Example 1. FIG. The flowchart which concerns on the operation example 2 of Example 1. FIG. Mechanism of PKB 70 of remote control device 1 according to embodiment 2 Flowchart according to the second embodiment. Flowchart according to the third embodiment Flowchart according to the fourth embodiment. Flowchart according to the fifth embodiment The figure which shows the remote control 2 of the remote control device 1 which concerns on Example 6. FIG. Flowchart according to the sixth embodiment

Explanation of symbols

1 remote control device 2 remote control 3 vehicle 10 ECU
20 Steering control unit 20a Steering device 30 Monitoring device 40 Braking force control unit 50 Engine 60 Shift switching device 70 PKB
110 Steering control unit ECU
120 monitoring device ECU
130 braking force control unit ECU
140 Engine ECU
150 Shift switching control ECU
160 ECU for PKB
170 Voltage monitoring ECU
180 Automatic or remote control ECU
190 Data storage unit 200 Travel route calculation unit

Claims (5)

A vehicle remote control device having remote control means for remotely controlling start and stop of a vehicle,
A monitoring device for monitoring the periphery of the traveling position of the vehicle;
Travel route calculating means for calculating a travel route on which the vehicle can travel based on the detection result of the monitoring device;
When the monitoring device is normal, the vehicle controls the travel route calculated by the travel route calculation means so that the vehicle travels in the first state, and when the monitoring device is abnormal, the vehicle performs the travel route calculation means. Vehicle travel control means for performing travel control so that the travel route calculated by the vehicle travels in a second state corresponding to the abnormal state;
A vehicle remote control device characterized by comprising: A vehicle remote control device having remote control means for remotely controlling start and stop of a vehicle,
Travel route storage means for storing the travel route of the vehicle;
Steering means for steering the vehicle;
When the steering means is normal, the vehicle controls the travel route stored in the travel route storage means so as to travel in the first state, and when the steering means is abnormal, the vehicle controls the travel route storage means. Vehicle travel control means for performing travel control so that the travel route stored by the vehicle travels in a second state corresponding to the abnormal state;
A vehicle remote control device characterized by comprising: The traveling speed of the vehicle in the second state, the remote operation device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in comparison to the running speed of the vehicle in the first state is a low speed. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the vehicle travels in the first state is continuous travel, and the vehicle travels in the second state is intermittent travel. Remote control device. Running speed of the vehicle in the second state, one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a switchable stop by a running speed of the P range of the parking brake or the shift range is mounted on the vehicle The remote control device for a vehicle according to claim 1.

Images