Remote controller, remote control system, and remote control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12449818-B2
Application number	US-202418659131-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2024
Priority date	May 26, 2023
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

A remote controller includes: an acquisition unit; a detection unit; a control value generation unit; and a transmission unit. The control value generation unit generates a retreat control value if at least either one of a first case and a second case applies. The first case includes two or more moving objects overlapping each other in the sensor information. The second case includes establishing an expectation before sensor information acquisition that the two or more moving objects overlap each other when the sensor information is acquired. The retreat control value defines the running motion of at least any of the moving objects establishing a locational relationship allowing a detection subject moving object of the moving objects as a subject of detection using the sensor information to be detected by the detection unit without causing an overlap of the detection subject moving object with a different one of the moving objects.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A remote controller that remotely controls running motion of at least one of a plurality of moving objects, comprising:
an acquisition unit that acquires sensor information acquired by a sensor installed at a place different from the plurality of moving objects, the sensor information indicating the at least one of the plurality of moving objects;
a detection unit that detects the moving object included in the sensor information;
a control value generation unit that generates a control value for defining the running motion of each of the at least one of the plurality of moving objects using the sensor information; and
a transmission unit that transmits the control value to a control subject moving object of the plurality of moving objects as a subject of control in the running motion, wherein
the control value generation unit generates a retreat control value if at least either one of a first case and a second case applies, the first case being a case where two or more of the moving objects of the plurality of moving objects overlap each other in the sensor information, the second case being a case where an expectation is established before acquisition of the sensor information that the two or more moving objects overlap each other when the sensor information is acquired, the retreat control value being generated as the control value for defining the running motion of at least any of the two or more moving objects in order to establish a locational relationship allowing a detection subject moving object of the two or more moving objects as a subject of detection using the sensor information to be detected by the detection unit without causing an overlap of the detection subject moving object with other of the plurality of moving objects.

2. The remote controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the first case is a case where a first moving object and a second moving object of the plurality of moving objects overlap each other in the sensor information,
the second case is a case where an expectation is established before acquisition of the sensor information that the first moving object and the second moving object overlap each other when the sensor information is acquired,
the remote controller further comprises an actual distance calculation unit that calculates an actual distance between the first moving object and the second moving object, and
the retreat control value is the control value for defining the running motion of at least one of the first moving object and the second moving object in order for the actual distance to become a target distance longer than the actual distance at a moment when at least either one of the first case and the second case applies.

3. The remote controller according to claim 2 , wherein
the target distance is set in response to an appearance shape of the first moving object and an appearance shape of the second moving object,
the target distance becomes longer as the appearance shape of the first moving object and the appearance shape of the second moving object become larger, and the target distance becomes shorter as the appearance shape of the first moving object and the appearance shape of the second moving object become smaller.

4. The remote controller according to claim 2 , wherein
the second moving object is the moving object running behind the first moving object in the same forward traveling direction as the first moving object, and
the retreat control value includes at least one of:
an acceleration control value for increasing an acceleration of the first moving object in the forward traveling direction;
an acceleration control value for reducing an acceleration of the second moving object in the forward traveling direction;
a direction control value for moving the second moving object backward in a direction opposite the forward traveling direction; and
a stop control value for stopping the running motion of the second moving object.

5. The remote controller according to claim 4 , wherein
the retreat control value further includes a rudder angle control value for defining a rudder angle of the control subject moving object.

6. The remote controller according to claim 2 , wherein
the retreat control value includes a rudder angle control value for defining a rudder angle of the control subject moving object in order to move either one of the first moving object and the second moving object in a width direction of a track.

7. The remote controller according to claim 6 , wherein
the retreat control value further includes an acceleration control value for defining an acceleration of the control subject moving object.

8. The remote controller according to claim 2 , wherein
the second moving object is the moving object running behind the first moving object in the same forward traveling direction as the first moving object, and
the retreat control value is the control value for causing the second moving object to pass the first moving object by moving either one of the first moving object and the second moving object in a width direction of a track, and includes an acceleration control value for defining an acceleration of the control subject moving object and a rudder angle control value for defining a rudder angle of the control subject moving object.

9. The remote controller according to claim 2 , wherein
the retreat control value includes an orbit control value for defining a running path by arranging predetermined time-based target running locations of the control subject moving object in chronological order.

10. The remote controller according to claim 1 , comprising:
a judgment unit that judges whether the second case applies in response to the type of each of the two or more moving objects expected to be included in the sensor information when the sensor information is acquired.

11. The remote controller according to claim 1 , comprising:
a judgment unit that judges whether the second case applies in response to an appearance shape of the moving object differing between the types of the moving objects, the appearance shape being an appearance shape of each of the two or more moving objects expected to be included in the sensor information when the sensor information is acquired.

12. A remote control system comprising:
a plurality of moving objects:
a sensor installed at a place different from the plurality of moving objects, the sensor acquiring sensor information indicating at least one of the plurality of moving objects; and
the remote controller according to claim 1 .

13. A remote control method of remotely controlling running motion of each of at least one of a plurality of moving objects, comprising:
an acquiring step of acquiring sensor information acquired by a sensor installed at a place different from the plurality of moving objects, the sensor information indicating the at least one of the plurality of moving objects;
a detecting step of detecting the moving object included in the sensor information;
a control value generating step of generating a control value for defining the running motion of each of the at least one of the plurality of moving objects using the sensor information; and
a transmitting step of transmitting the control value to a control subject moving object of the plurality of moving objects as a subject of control in the running motion, wherein
in the control value generating step, a retreat control value is generated if at least either one of a first case and a second case applies, the first case being a case where two or more of the moving objects of the plurality of moving objects overlap each other in the senso

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ikeda Keigo
• Yokoyama Daiki
• Saito Yasuhiro

Classifications

• G05D1/6987

  by centralised control off-board any of the vehicles · CPC title

• G05D1/249 Primary

  from positioning sensors located off-board the vehicle, e.g. from cameras · CPC title

• G08C17/02

  using a radio link · CPC title

• G05D1/693

  for avoiding collisions between vehicles · CPC title

• G05D2101/22

  using off-board distributed computer resources for performing calculations, e.g. cloud-based · CPC title