JP2009174898A - Moving body and environmental information generation method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To generate accurately peripheral environmental information, without being influenced by vibration or the like generated during movement, concerning a moving body for generating the environmental information, while it is moving. <P>SOLUTION: This moving body is equipped with the moving body, a sensor for acquiring a measured value, showing the relative position of an object existing in the periphery, as a view from the moving body, and an acceleration detection part for detecting the acceleration acting on the moving body. When forming the environmental information, showing the shape or the position of an object existing in a moving domain, based on the measured value acquired by the sensor, the difference of each magnitude between the target acceleration of the moving body, when the sensor performs measurement and the acceleration detected by the acceleration detection part is calculated; the reliability of the measured value acquired by the sensor is determined, based on the calculated difference; and the measured value is corrected based on the determined reliability, and the environmental information is generated, based on the corrected measured value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a moving body that moves in a moving region such as a plane, and an environment information creation method that can be used for movement control of the moving body.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, mobile bodies have been developed that move autonomously by means of wheels, legged walking, etc., without requiring human operation in a moving area such as a building interior or an open space.

  Such a moving body autonomously creates and stores a map of the surrounding environment on the moving area, autonomously creates a movement route on the created map, and moves along the created movement route. Is what you do. Such a moving body includes a camera, a sensor, and the like for creating map information, and is continuously acquired using environmental information around the moving body using these cameras and sensors. In this way, by continuously updating the environment information, even if there are obstacles on the travel route created on the map information or when a human crosses the travel route, these obstacles and The travel route can be modified to avoid humans. (For example, Patent Document 1)

  As an example of a moving body that creates map information while acquiring surrounding environmental information, a moving body that acquires environmental information using an ultrasonic sensor as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, is known. ing. Such a moving body registers environmental information such as the position of an obstacle obtained by an ultrasonic sensor on map information, and uses odometry by encoder integration and landmarks (feature recognition points) provided on a moving area. By performing self-position recognition based on this, a movement route between the self-position and the target point is searched.

  However, in such a moving body, since the accuracy of the map of the moving region obtained by the ultrasonic sensor is not sufficient, it is difficult to create highly accurate map information close to the actual environment. Therefore, for example, as described in Patent Document 2, the distance to the target is calculated by irradiating the laser beam and measuring the time until the laser beam is reflected by the target, so-called time of flight A technique using a high-precision sensor such as a laser range finder (LRF) using the principle is known. Such a laser range finder is a sensor that measures the distance by reflection of laser light. By measuring the distance between an object existing around the moving body and the moving body, the surroundings of the moving body can be measured. It is possible to recognize the shape of an existing object and the relative positional relationship with respect to the moving body.

JP 2005-211142 A JP 2005-221012 A

  However, such a moving body often generates relatively large vibration during movement, and the sensor attached to the moving body main body also vibrates at that time, so the shape of the surrounding object and the moving body In some cases, the relative positional relationship with the main body cannot be accurately recognized. In particular, if a large error is included in the plane detection of the moving area, accurate environmental information cannot be obtained in a legged moving type or wheel moving type moving body, and an appropriate moving operation cannot be performed. A possibility arises.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and a movable body capable of accurately creating surrounding environmental information without being affected by vibrations or the like generated during movement, and control of the movable body, etc. The purpose is to provide a method for creating environmental information that can be used in the future.

  A moving body according to the present invention includes a moving body, a sensor that acquires a measurement value indicating a relative position of an object existing around the moving body, and acceleration detection that detects acceleration acting on the moving body. A moving body that creates environmental information indicating the shape and position of an object existing in a moving area based on the measurement value acquired by the sensor, and the moving body when the sensor performs measurement The difference between the target acceleration of the main body and the magnitude of the acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit is calculated, and the reliability of the measurement value obtained by the sensor is determined based on the calculated difference, and the determined The measurement value is corrected based on the reliability, and the environment information is created based on the corrected measurement value.

  According to the mobile body as described above, when a strong impact or the like is applied to the mobile body and vibrations or the like occur, the environmental information is created in consideration of the reliability of the measurement value obtained by the sensor. Environmental information can be created mainly from the measured values when no vibration or the like occurs. Accordingly, the influence of vibration generated during movement on the environmental information acquired during movement is reduced.

  Further, in such a moving body, when the difference between the target acceleration of the moving body when the sensor performs measurement and the acceleration detected by the acceleration detecting unit exceeds a predetermined threshold, the sensor The environmental information may be created without using the obtained measurement value. In this case, it is possible to create environment information existing around the mobile body without being affected by vibrations caused by a certain size (acceleration) or more.

  Moreover, it is preferable that such environmental information includes map information that three-dimensionally represents the shape and position of an object present on the area where the mobile body moves. That is, as information representing the relative positions of the objects present around the mobile body viewed from the mobile body, the shape and position of the objects are three-dimensionally represented, so that obstacle recognition and self-location Recognition and the like can be easily performed.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the sensor is a distance measuring unit that measures how far away an object existing in the vicinity is from the moving body. That is, as described above, high accuracy such as a laser range finder (LRF) that calculates the distance to an object by measuring the time until the laser beam is irradiated and reflected by the object. If this sensor is used, more accurate environmental information can be created. By using such a laser range finder, by measuring the distance between the object existing around the moving body and the moving body, the object existing on the moving area of the moving body as described above It is possible to easily create map information that three-dimensionally represents the shape and position of each. The distance measurement unit may be not only a sensor such as a laser range finder, but also an ultrasonic sensor that irradiates ultrasonic waves and acquires environmental information based on reflection of the irradiated ultrasonic waves. Such an ultrasonic sensor is preferably used as a sensor for obtaining map information of a moving area of a moving body because it can sense a relatively wide area at the same time and obtain a certain degree of accuracy.

  In addition, such a moving body may be a boarding-type moving body that moves when the operator is boarded, but it automatically creates a movement route based on the created environment information and creates the created movement. It may be an autonomously moving type mobile body that autonomously moves based on a route. In the case of such an autonomous moving type moving body, since the accuracy of the environmental information to be created is improved, it is possible to reliably create a moving route that appropriately avoids obstacles such as steps.

  In addition, although it does not specifically limit as an area | region to which a mobile body main body moves, When this movement area | region is planes, such as a floor surface, this invention can be used suitably. In this case, the shape of the plane as the movement area is acquired as environment information. If it does in this way, when a movable body main body will move, it will become possible to perform the movement which considered the surface shape of the field to move.

  In addition, as an example of the moving body that moves on the plane as described above, gait data is acquired from the created environment information, and a moving operation is performed according to the acquired gait data, for example, biped walking type movement The body is raised. In the case of such a moving body, it is possible to appropriately select the position to move the leg by accurately recognizing the unevenness present on the plane as the moving area, so that a stable walking motion is performed. Is possible.

  Further, even when the mobile body is a wheel drive type mobile body that moves by driving a wheel that is in contact with the plane, so as to avoid irregularities or obstacles existing on the plane as a moving area. Therefore, it is possible to perform a stable movement operation.

  Moreover, it is preferable that such a moving body has a function of recognizing its own position in the moving area. For example, the camera further includes a camera that visually recognizes the surrounding environment in the moving area, and has a function of calculating a self-position by visually recognizing a landmark provided at a specific place in the moving area. It is more preferable if it is provided. In this case, it is possible to recognize the surrounding information more accurately by adding the created surrounding environment information to the recognition of the self-position within the moving region by the landmark. For example, when obstacles (walls, furniture, etc.) are installed in advance in the moving area, when these obstacles are recognized in the moving area, the self is determined from the relative positional relationship with these obstacles. The position can be determined accurately. Further, when an object other than these obstacles is recognized, it is possible to determine that the object is a newly installed obstacle or a temporarily existing moving target such as a human.

  Note that the means for recognizing the self position of the mobile body is not limited to this, and by receiving position information transmitted from equipment such as GPS provided outside the mobile body, the mobile body's self position can be obtained. The position may be acquired, or the self position may be calculated from the direction and distance moved in the moving area. As a means for recognizing such a self-position, for example, when the moving body is moved by rotational driving of the wheel, it is based on the rotational speed and rotational direction of the wheel obtained when moving, the direction of the wheel, etc. The so-called encoder integration based odometry method for calculating the position of the moved point is used.

  The present invention also provides a method for creating environmental information that can be used for control of a moving body. This environmental information creating method is a measurement value that indicates a relative position of an object existing in the vicinity as viewed from a moving body. And creating environmental information around the moving object based on the acquired measurement value, detecting acceleration at the time of measuring the relative position, and detecting the magnitude of the detected acceleration and the target acceleration. Calculate the difference, determine the reliability of the measured relative position based on the calculated magnitude of the difference, modify the measured value acquired based on the determined reliability, and based on the corrected measurement value It is characterized by creating environmental information.

  According to the environmental information creation method as described above, when a strong impact or the like is applied to the moving body and vibration occurs, the environmental information is created in consideration of the reliability of the measurement value obtained by the sensor. Thus, it is possible to create environment information mainly using measurement values when no vibration is generated. Therefore, the influence that the vibration generated during the movement of the moving body has on the environmental information acquired during the movement is reduced.

  In addition, as a moving body using such an environment information creation method, it is not necessarily limited to the thing which moves autonomously, The thing which a person boarded and controls the direction and speed to move by operation may be used. In other words, by using such an environment information creation method, environment information around the moving body can be created accurately, so that appropriate movement can be performed by an operation by an operator or an autonomous operation.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a mobile body that can accurately create surrounding environmental information without being affected by vibrations and the like generated during movement, and environmental information creation that can be used for control of the mobile body, etc. A method can be provided.

Embodiment 1 of the Invention
Hereinafter, a moving body according to a first embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as a moving body) will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which a driver who controls a legged walking type moving body gets on the moving body and uses it as a moving means of the driver himself.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view schematically showing a state in which the mobile body 10 is viewed from the side (rightward when facing the direction in which the mobile body moves). A state in which the pilot 75 is boarding the mobile body 10. Represents. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the moving body 10 shown in FIG. 1 is viewed from the rear. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, for convenience of explanation, the direction in which the moving body 10 travels (front-rear direction) is the x-axis, and the direction in which the moving body 10 travels is perpendicular to the horizontal direction (left-right direction). The direction (vertical direction) extending in the vertical direction of the moving body is defined as the z-axis, and a description will be given using a coordinate system including these three axes.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the moving body 10 is fixed to the riding section 100 as a moving body on which the pilot 75 rides, the waist section 64 coupled to the riding section 100, and the waist section 64 so as to be rotatable. The leg 12 is a biped walking robot, and the movement of the robot is controlled by the operation of the operator 75. This will be described in detail below.

  The leg 12 for bipedal walking is composed of a right leg 14 and a left leg 15. Specifically, the right leg 14 includes a right hip joint 16, an upper right thigh 18, a right knee joint 20, a right lower thigh 22, a right ankle joint 24, and a right foot tip 26. Similarly, the left leg 15 includes a left hip joint 13 and a left upper thigh 17. A left knee joint 25, a left lower leg 19, a left ankle joint 21, and a left foot tip 23. Since the right leg 14 and the left leg 15 have substantially the same configuration, only the right leg 14 will be described, and the description of the left leg 15 will be omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the right leg 14 includes a right hip joint 16, a crotch yoke 28, a crotch cross shaft 30, a crotch x-axis rotation drive mechanism 32, a crotch y-axis rotation drive mechanism 33, and a crotch z-axis rotation drive mechanism. 34 etc. are provided. The crotch yoke 28 is formed in a substantially U shape that opens downward. As shown in FIG. 3, the crotch cross shaft 30 is formed in a cross shape, and the crotch yoke 28 and the upper right thigh 18 are connected via the crotch cross shaft 30. Further, the crotch cross shaft 30 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the crotch yoke 28 and the upper right thigh 18, and as a result, the upper right thigh 18 has an angle about the x axis and the y axis with respect to the crotch yoke 28. Is configured to be variable.

  The crotch x-axis rotation drive mechanism 32 includes a crotch x-axis motor 40, a crotch x-axis motor side pulley 38, a hip joint side x-axis pulley 43, and a belt 39. The crotch x-axis motor 40 is fixed to the yoke 28. The crotch x-axis motor side pulley 38 is attached to the drive shaft 40 a of the crotch x-axis motor 40. The hip joint side x-axis pulley 43 is fixed to the crotch cross shaft 30. The belt 39 is wound around the crotch x-axis motor side pulley 38 and the hip joint side x-axis pulley 43. When the crotch x-axis motor 40 rotates and the crotch x-axis motor side pulley 38 rotates, the hip joint side x-axis pulley 43 also rotates via the belt 39. When the hip joint side x-axis pulley 43 rotates, the angle around the x axis of the hip cross shaft 30 fixed thereto changes. For this reason, the joint angle around the x-axis of the right hip joint 16 changes. By rotating the crotch x-axis motor 40 forward or backward, the upper right thigh 18 is lifted to the right or lifted to the left.

  The crotch y-axis rotation drive mechanism 33 includes a crotch y-axis motor 46, a crotch y-axis motor side pulley 49, a hip joint side y-axis pulley 50, and a belt 52. The crotch y-axis motor 46 is fixed to the upper right thigh 18, and the crotch y-axis motor side pulley 49 is attached to the drive shaft of the crotch y-axis motor 46. The hip joint side y-axis pulley 50 is fixed to the hip cross shaft 30, and the belt 52 is wound around the hip y axis motor side pulley 49 and the hip joint side y axis pulley 50. With such a configuration, when the crotch y-axis motor 46 rotates, the crotch y-axis motor side pulley 49 rotates, and when the crotch y-axis motor side pulley 49 rotates, the hip joint-side y-axis pulley 50 rotates via the belt 52. To do. Further, as the hip joint side y-axis pulley 50 rotates, the angle of the hip cross shaft 30 around the y axis, that is, the joint angle of the right hip joint 16 around the y axis can be changed. Thus, by rotating the crotch y-axis motor 46 forward or backward, the right upper thigh 18 can be lifted forward or backward about the right hip joint 16.

  Further, as shown in detail in FIG. 3, the crotch z-axis rotation drive mechanism 34 includes a crotch z-axis motor 54, a crotch z-axis motor side pulley 56, a hip joint side z-axis pulley 58, a belt 60, and the like. The crotch z-axis motor 54 is fixed to the waist portion 64 via a bracket 62. Although not described in detail, the waist portion 64 is coupled to the seat portion 100. The crotch z-axis motor side pulley 56 is attached to the drive shaft of the crotch z-axis motor 54. The hip joint side z-axis pulley 58 is connected to the crotch yoke 28 by a shaft 66. For this reason, the crotch yoke 28 rotates around the z axis together with the hip joint side z axis pulley 58. The shaft 66 is rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown) provided in the waist portion 64. The belt 60 is wound around the crotch z-axis motor side pulley 56 and the hip joint side z-axis pulley 58. When the crotch z-axis motor 54 rotates, the crotch z-axis motor side pulley 56 rotates. When the hip z-axis motor side pulley 56 rotates, the hip joint side z-axis pulley 58 rotates via the belt 52. The hip yoke 28 rotates with the rotation of the hip joint side z-axis pulley 58, and the joint angle of the right hip joint 16 about the z axis changes. When the crotch z-axis motor 54 rotates forward or backward, the joint angle around the z-axis of the right hip joint 16 changes in one direction or changes in the other direction. If the joint angle around the z-axis of the right hip joint 16 changes in one direction or changes in the other direction, the right leg 14 becomes an inner thigh or an outer thigh.

  The right knee joint 20 includes a shaft 70 and a knee joint drive mechanism 72. The shaft 70 connects the upper right thigh 18 and the right lower thigh 22 so as to be rotatable about the y axis. The knee joint drive mechanism 72 includes a knee motor 74, a knee motor side pulley 78, a knee joint side pulley 76, and a belt 79. The knee motor 74 is fixed to the upper right thigh 18. The knee motor side pulley 78 is attached to the drive shaft of the knee motor 74. The knee joint side pulley 76 is fixed to the right lower leg 22. The belt 79 is wound around the knee motor side pulley 78 and the knee joint side pulley 76. When the knee motor 74 rotates, the knee motor side pulley 78 rotates. When the knee motor side pulley 78 rotates, the knee joint side pulley 76 rotates via the belt 79. When the knee joint side pulley 76 rotates, the joint angle around the y axis of the right knee joint 20 changes. Thus, by rotating the knee motor 74 forward or backward, the right lower leg 22 can be lifted forward or backward about the right knee joint 20.

  When the right lower leg 22 is lifted forward around the right knee joint 20, the upper right thigh 18 and the right lower leg 22 are opened toward the front side (the front side of the extension line of the upper right thigh 18 and the right lower leg 22 In the state of rotating around the right knee joint 20), the so-called "bird leg state". In the present embodiment, the moving body 10 is illustrated as one that can take such a “bird's foot state”, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the upper right thigh, like a human being, is not limited thereto. 18 and a state where the right lower leg 22 is open toward the rear side (a state where the right lower leg 22 is rotated around the right knee joint 20 on the rear side with respect to the extension line of the upper right thigh 18). .

  The right ankle joint 24 includes an ankle yoke 80, an ankle cross shaft 82, an ankle x-axis rotation drive mechanism 83, and an ankle y-axis rotation drive mechanism 84. The ankle yoke 80 is formed in a substantially U-shape that opens upward. The ankle cross shaft 82 is formed in a cross shape like the crotch cross shaft 30. The ankle yoke 80 and the right lower leg 22 are connected via an ankle cross shaft 82. The right foot tip 26 is fixed to the ankle yoke 80. Since the right lower leg 22 and the right foot 26 are thus connected via the right ankle joint 24, the angle of the right foot 26 around the x-axis and the y-axis with respect to the right lower leg 22 is variable.

  The ankle x-axis rotation drive mechanism 83 includes an ankle x-axis motor 88, an ankle x-axis motor side pulley 85, an ankle joint side x-axis pulley 87, and a belt 86. The ankle x-axis motor 88 is fixed to the right lower leg 22. The ankle x-axis motor side pulley 85 is attached to the drive shaft of the ankle x-axis motor 88. The ankle joint side x-axis pulley 87 is fixed to the ankle cross shaft 82, and the belt 86 is wound around the ankle x-axis motor side pulley 85 and the ankle joint side x-axis pulley 87. With such a configuration, when the ankle x-axis motor 88 rotates, the ankle x-axis motor side pulley 85 rotates, and when the ankle x-axis motor side pulley 86 rotates, the ankle joint side x-axis pulley 87 passes through the belt 86. Rotate. As the ankle joint side x-axis pulley 87 rotates, the angle of the ankle yoke 80 and the ankle yoke 80 around the x-axis changes. That is, by rotating the ankle x-axis motor 88 forward or backward, the direction of the toe of the right foot tip 26 can be controlled up and down.

  The ankle y-axis rotation drive mechanism 84 includes an ankle y-axis motor 89, an ankle y-axis motor side pulley 90, an ankle joint side y-axis pulley 91, and a belt 92. The ankle y-axis motor 89 is fixed to the right lower leg 22. The ankle y-axis motor side pulley 90 is attached to the drive shaft of the ankle y-axis motor 89. The ankle joint side y-axis pulley 91 is fixed to the ankle cross shaft 82, and the belt 92 is wound around the ankle y-axis motor side pulley 90 and the ankle joint side y-axis pulley 91. Therefore, when the ankle y-axis motor 89 rotates, the ankle y-axis motor side pulley 90 rotates, and when the ankle y-axis motor side pulley 90 rotates, the ankle joint side y-axis pulley 91 rotates via the belt 92. When the ankle joint side y-axis pulley 91 rotates, the angle around the y-axis of the right ankle yoke 80 together with the ankle cross shaft 82 changes. By rotating the ankle y-axis motor 89 forward or backward, the direction of the toe of the right foot tip 26 can be controlled to the left or right.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the left leg 15 includes a left hip joint 13, a left upper thigh 17, a left knee joint 25, a left lower leg 19, a left ankle joint 21, and a left foot tip 23. Since the configuration of the leg 15 is substantially the same as the configuration of the right leg 14 described above, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the riding section 100 placed on the leg 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. The boarding unit 100 includes a seat 106 on which the pilot 75 is seated, an operating unit 108 (right operating unit 108a and left operating unit 108b) operated by the pilot, and a laser range that captures an area near the leg 12. The sensor 150, the display part 160 which displays the area | region of the said leg part vicinity obtained by the laser range sensor 150, and the imaging part 170 are provided. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the riding section 100 includes a first frame 102 and a second frame 104, and the first frame 102 has a shape along the lower surface of the seating surface of the seat 106 and the rear surface of the backrest. The second frame 104 is coupled to the first frame 102 and is disposed on the left and right sides of the seat 106 and the lower front portion. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the first frame 102 is coupled to the waist 64 via a bracket 112 below the seat 106. The seat 106 is coupled to the bracket 112 via a coupling member 114.

  Further, box-shaped storage portions 120 a and 120 b are provided on the back of the seat 106 and fixed to the first frame 102, and the control portion 130 that controls the operation of the robot 10 is provided in the storage portion 120 a. However, a battery or the like (not shown) is accommodated in the accommodating portion 120b.

  The laser range sensor 150 is fixed in the vicinity of the bottom surface of the seat 106 so as to be rotatable in the traveling direction and the left-right direction of the moving body 10, and is used for acquiring environmental information of the external environment located in front of the moving body 10. . Although not shown, the laser range sensor 150 includes a laser light source that emits laser light and a light receiving unit that receives the reflected laser light, and an actuator is provided for two axes in the x-axis and y-axis directions. It is comprised so that rotation is possible. Then, by moving the laser range sensor 150 while rotating, by measuring the distance between the object existing in the front region near the toes of the leg portion 12 and the position where the laser range sensor is attached, the object moves. The relative positional relationship with the body 1 can be acquired. The measured value obtained by the laser range sensor 150 is transmitted to the control unit 130 described above, and the control unit 130 includes environmental information including map information that three-dimensionally represents the shape and position of the object whose distance has been measured. Used to create Details of the procedure for creating the map information will be described later.

  The display unit 160 is a display that is fixedly or movably attached at a position near the seat 106 and visible to the operator 75, and is a map that three-dimensionally represents an object measured by the laser range sensor 150. Display information. In addition, the operation unit 108 is a steering means including an operation element such as a general joystick, and is configured so that the angle of the operation element can be tilted steplessly in any direction including front and rear, left and right. . The operation unit 108 includes a right operation unit 108a and a left operation unit 108b. The driving amount of the leg unit 12 is determined according to the inclination angle of the operation element of each operation unit inclined by the operation of the operator 75. The driving pattern is changed to control the movement of the moving body 10.

  The imaging unit 170 is attached to the bottom surface of the seat 106 and images the vicinity of the feet 12 (the right toe 26 and the left toe 23) of the leg 12 on the plane. The video imaged by the imaging unit 170 is displayed on the display unit 160 together with the map information.

  In addition, it is preferable that the position imaged by the imaging unit 170 is set in an area that is a blind spot from the operator 75 (a blind spot area). This blind spot area varies depending on the attitude of the pilot 75, the height of the line of sight, and the like, but generally corresponds to the vicinity of the area located in the vicinity of the leg portion 12 on the plane and vertically below the seat 106.

  In addition, a control unit 130 for driving the leg 12 based on the result of the operator 75 operating the operation unit 108 inside the accommodating unit 120 a provided near the backrest of the seat constituting the riding unit 100. In addition, an acceleration sensor 140 as an acceleration detection unit is incorporated. As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 130 drives the leg 12 and reads a gait data for storing gait data for moving the moving body 10, and reads the gait data stored in the storage area 131. An arithmetic processing unit 132 and a motor driving unit 132 that drives a motor included in the leg unit 12 are provided. Each of these components operates by being supplied with electric power from a battery (not shown) provided inside the accommodating portion 120b.

  The gait data stored in the storage area 131 is associated with the amount of movement of the leg 12 specified by the signal sent from the operation unit 108, and the foot of the leg 12 (the right toe 26 and the left toe 23). The position and the position of the moving body main body (the riding section 100 in the present embodiment) are indicated over time in a coordinate system (for example, an xyz coordinate system) that defines a space in which the moving body moves.

  The arithmetic processing unit 132 reads out gait data that changes based on a signal from the operation unit 108, and joints of the legs 12 necessary to realize the posture of the moving body 10 specified by the read out gait data. The angle is calculated, and a signal based on the calculated joint angle is transmitted to the motor driving unit 133. Based on the signal transmitted from the arithmetic processing unit 132, the motor driving unit 133 is configured to output each motor (the crotch x-axis motor 40, the crotch y-axis motor 46, the crotch z-axis motor 54, the knee motor 74, the ankle x-axis motor 88, The drive amount of an ankle y-axis motor 89 etc. is specified, and the motor drive signal for driving a motor with these drive amounts is transmitted to each motor. Thereby, the driving amount of the leg portion 12 is changed, and the movement of the moving body 10 is controlled.

  Further, the arithmetic processing unit 132 instructs to drive the motor based on the read gait data, and based on the measured value measured by the laser range sensor 150, the front region near the toe of the moving body 10. Map information representing the shape and position of an object existing three-dimensionally is created. Further, the arithmetic processing unit 132 receives a signal from the acceleration sensor 140 and obtains the magnitude of the acceleration acting on the moving body 10 when measured by the laser range sensor 150. More specifically, the instantaneous acceleration value measured by the laser range sensor 150 is calculated in consideration of the measurement cycle of the laser range sensor 150 and the acquisition delay time of the acceleration value detected by the acceleration sensor 140. Then, information regarding the magnitude of acceleration is given to each measurement value, and this is used as a reference for determining the reliability of the measurement value. That is, the acceleration at the time of measurement is compared with a predetermined threshold, and the measured value when the acceleration exceeding the threshold is detected is determined to have low reliability.

  In addition, the arithmetic processing unit 132 receives a signal from the acceleration sensor 140 and adjusts the driving amount of the motor. That is, the magnitude of the external force acting on the moving body 10 is determined based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 140, and the joint angle of the leg 12 is adjusted according to the posture of the moving body 10 when receiving the external force. . By performing such control autonomously regardless of the operation of the pilot 75, the moving body 10 can maintain a stable state.

  Next, the calculation processing unit 132 uses the measurement value representing the shape and position of the object in the front area of the moving body 10 on the plane (floor surface) as the movement area, which is measured by the laser range sensor 150. A procedure for creating dimensional map information will be described. In the process of creating this map information, a process of detecting a portion estimated as a plane from the measurement value obtained by the laser range sensor 150 is performed. The procedure for performing this plane detection will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 and the diagrams shown in FIGS.

  First, measurement is performed by the laser range sensor 150, and measurement values representing the shape and position of an object or the like existing in the front area of the moving body 10 are acquired (STEP 101). At this time, when each measured value is stored in the storage area 131 of the arithmetic processing unit 132, information regarding the magnitude of acceleration at the time of measurement is added and stored. FIG. 6 shows measured values representing the shape and position of an object or the like in the area in front of the moving body 10 on the plane as the moving area, measured by the laser range sensor 150. These measured values are three-dimensional. Expressed as coordinates on the coordinates.

  Next, for these measured values, data whose difference between the acceleration at the time of measurement and the target acceleration exceeds a predetermined threshold is removed as data with low reliability (STEP 102). Thereby, plane detection can be performed without using data measured when an external force or an impact is applied to the moving body 10.

  Then, a plurality of combinations of a pair of coordinates consisting of two points are randomly extracted from the coordinates indicating the measurement values after the data with low reliability is removed, and a vector indicating the shape specified by these two points is obtained. Each is generated (STEP 103). Then, a vector group orthogonal to a reference vector (for example, the vertical direction) specified as a normal line is selected from the generated vectors, and a plane specified by these vector groups is calculated (STEP 104). Specifically, from the selected vectors, planes having the same normal are cut out, and the planes representing these planes are calculated by calculating the distances of the cut out planes from the reference plane (floor surface). Find the expression.

  Then, the coordinates (labeling) of the coordinates represented by the measured values are performed on the plane specified by the obtained plane formula (STEP 105). By this labeling, coordinate groups as measurement values are associated with the vicinity of a plane represented by a specific plane expression. Thus, the state of the coordinate group linked | related on the specific plane is shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. FIGS. 7 and 8 are enlarged views of a portion estimated to be a step existing on the floor surface from the measurement value group shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 7 shows relative values viewed from the laser range sensor 150. FIG. 8 shows a state where a coordinate point group indicating a step is viewed from the horizontal on a floor surface.

  Finally, a plane is calculated by performing least square fitting for each of these associated coordinate point groups (STEP 106). Then, the environment information including the calculated plane is displayed on the display unit 160 as map information (STEP 107). The pilot 75 determines the moving direction of the moving body 10 while referring to the environmental information, and the arithmetic processing unit 132 applies the sole of the foot based on the floor surface information obtained from the environmental information. Correct gait data for grounding as appropriate.

  In the present embodiment, a pair of combinations are randomly extracted from the coordinates represented by the measured data, and plane detection is performed. Therefore, the reliability of the coordinates indicated by the measured data greatly affects the accuracy of the plane detection. give. Therefore, as described above, the accuracy of the environmental information including the plane detection created by removing low-reliability data from the measurement value group indicating the shape and position of the object existing in front of the moving body is improved. It is possible to improve and to move stably while referring to this environmental information. In particular, in a moving body that moves by a walking motion as in this embodiment, the location on the floor where the soles are grounded can be accurately determined, and therefore, stable walking can be performed reliably.

  In this embodiment, the area measured by the laser range sensor is described as an example limited to the front of the moving body, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the moving range (floor surface) of the moving body, such as the rear or side of the moving body, may be widely measured in the range of movement around the moving body.

  Note that the moving body in the present invention is not limited to the moving body determined by the operator's operation as in the above-described embodiment, and may be autonomously moving. Hereinafter, an example in which the present invention is applied to an autonomous mobile body that moves autonomously will be described.

Embodiment 2 of the Invention
FIG. 9 schematically shows an embodiment in which a vehicle-type moving body 200 moves in a limited moving region P (region surrounded by a broken line) on a substantially horizontal floor. In FIG. 9, it is assumed that no object is particularly placed in the movement area P, and the moving body 200 can arbitrarily move in the movement area P. In addition, about each structure of the moving body in this embodiment, about the structure similar to the above-mentioned embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description shall be abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the moving body 200 is an opposed two-wheeled moving body including a box-shaped moving body main body 200 a, a pair of opposed wheels 211 and 211, and a caster 212. , 211 and the caster 212 horizontally support the moving body 200a. Furthermore, inside the mobile body 200a, there are driving units (motors) 213 and 213 for driving the wheels 211 and 211, a counter 214 for detecting the rotational speed of the wheels, and a control signal for driving the wheels. And a processing unit 215 for transmitting the control signal to the drive units 213 and 213, and a battery 216 for supplying power to these components. A storage area 215a such as a memory provided as a storage unit provided inside the arithmetic processing unit 215 has a program for controlling the moving speed, moving direction, moving distance, and the like of the moving body 200 based on the control signal. Basic map information such as the shape and size of the moving area P, and the size and arrangement of objects placed in advance in the moving area P (on the floor surface) is stored.

  Furthermore, a laser range finder 217 is provided on the front surface of the moving body 200 as a sensor that irradiates laser light in the moving direction (forward) and measures the time until the laser light is reflected by the object. . Since the laser range finder 217 is the same as that used in the above-described embodiment, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 10 shows an example in which two laser range finders 217 are provided on the front surface of the moving body 200a. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and single or three or more lasers are provided. You may perform the measurement using a range finder.

  Moreover, the mobile body 200 can acquire its own position from the moving direction and distance. That is, information such as the distance and direction of movement of the moving body 200 is obtained by accumulating the rotation speeds of the wheels 211 and 211 detected by the counter 214 in the arithmetic processing unit 215, and the moving region is obtained from these information. The self-position (odometry position) of the moving body 200 is calculated.

  Then, the position information obtained from these self-position acquisition units is appropriately corrected based on the environmental information obtained by the laser range funder 217 described above. Although detailed description of the technique for correcting the position information is omitted, the position information of the object existing in the moving area obtained by the laser range finder and the basic map information stored in advance in the storage area 215a are used. Matching is performed, and as a result of matching, the self-position of the moving body recognized in the moving region is corrected.

  In addition, an acceleration sensor 218 is built in the moving body main body 200a, and the magnitude of the acceleration generated when the moving body main body 200a moves or the magnitude of the acceleration caused by the impact applied to the moving body main body 200a is measured. To detect. That is, it is possible to detect the magnitude of the acceleration that occurs when the mobile body 200a gets over a step or the like or comes into contact with an obstacle. The acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 218 is transmitted to the arithmetic processing unit 215. The arithmetic processing unit 215 considers the period measured by the laser range finder 217 and the time difference delay for acquiring the acceleration of the acceleration sensor 218. Then, the instantaneous acceleration measured by the laser range finder 217 is detected.

  The mobile body 200 configured in this way independently controls the drive amount of the pair of wheels 211 and 211, thereby moving straight, curving (turning), moving backward, and rotating in place (the middle point of both wheels). It is possible to perform moving operations such as turning around the center. The moving body 200 autonomously creates a movement route to the designated target point in the movement region P, and moves to follow the movement route, thereby reaching the target point. Such a target point is determined according to an instruction from a human or a command from a server (not shown) provided outside.

  Furthermore, the moving body 200 moves while calculating the target acceleration at the time of movement by controlling the driving amount of the wheel. That is, by moving the driving amount of the wheel while calculating the target speed and target acceleration at the time of acceleration and deceleration, the vehicle moves at an appropriate speed and acceleration along the route to the target point.

  Next, a grid map created based on the shape of the moving area P stored in the storage area 215a and an object (an obstacle such as a wall) included in the moving area P will be described.

  In the basic map information stored in the storage area 215a provided in the arithmetic processing unit 215, the shape of the entire moving area P on the floor portion 1 is used as an outer frame, and the inside thereof is at a substantially constant interval m (for example, 10 cm). A grid map obtained by virtually depicting grid lines connecting the arranged grid points is included. This grid map depicts a grid line connecting lattice points arranged at a substantially constant interval m inside the outer frame simulating the shape of the moving region P, and the grid unit surrounded by the grid line is represented. The location corresponding to the self position of the moving body 200 and the movement end point, which is the target point, are specified, and the position of an object placed in advance in the movement area is registered. Note that the interval m can be appropriately changed according to conditions such as the curvature with which the moving body 200 can move and the accuracy of recognizing the absolute position.

  In addition, the arithmetic processing unit 15 can use the self-position specified on the grid map as a movement start point and create a movement route from the movement start point to the movement end point that is the target point. Furthermore, the moving body 200 moves along the created movement route while obtaining its own position in real time as described above (for example, acquiring its own position information on the map information every 10 [msec]). More specifically, the moving body 10 recognizes the movement start point, determines a movement path from the movement start point to the target movement end point at a predetermined interval on a grid map, and sets the intermediate points between these points. Create a movement path on the grid map by connecting points. Further, as will be described later, when the arithmetic processing unit 215 detects an obstacle existing on the map information, the arithmetic processing unit 215 corrects the movement route so as to avoid the obstacle, and specifies the corrected movement route as a new movement route. The details of the method of specifying this movement route will be omitted, but a new movement route from the current position to the target point point will be created in consideration of the position of the obstacle added on the map information, etc. This method is preferably used.

  The moving body 200 configured as described above creates environment information on the front surface of the moving body 10 using the laser range finder 217 described above while moving within the moving area P. Since the method for creating this environmental information is the same as the procedure described in the above-described embodiment, the description thereof is omitted here.

  A procedure in which the mobile body 200 configured as described above creates a route for performing autonomous movement will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, the moving body 200 recognizes its own position, which is a movement start point, on the grid map and stores it on the storage area 215a (STEP 201). Then, a target point is determined according to information from the outside (STEP 202), and a movement route from the current self position to the target point is created (STEP 203).

  Next, in order to create the surrounding environment information, the laser range finder 217 performs measurement for recognizing the shape and position of an object existing in the surroundings (STEP 204), and based on the measured value, exists in the measured region. The map information shown three-dimensionally is created by performing plane detection of the shape of the object to be performed (STEP 205). The detailed procedure for creating the map information is the same as that described in the previous embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted. However, the difference between the acceleration obtained by the acceleration sensor 218 and the target acceleration is different. By not adopting the measurement value obtained when it is larger than the predetermined threshold value, accurate map information can be obtained.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the movement route needs to be corrected based on the created surrounding environment information, for example, information on a newly generated obstacle such as an obstacle or a person (STEP 206). If it is necessary to modify the movement route, a new movement route is created based on the created environment information (STEP 207), and movement is performed along the newly created movement route (STEP 208). If it is determined in STEP 206 that the travel route is not required to be corrected, the process proceeds to STEP 208 and the travel operation is continued along the original travel route.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the self-position after the movement is the target point (STEP 209). If it is not the target point, the process returns to STEP 204, the environment information is updated again, and the movement operation is continued. If it is determined that the current position is the target point, a process for terminating the predetermined movement operation is performed (STEP 210), and the movement is stopped (STEP 211). In this manner, by repeatedly performing the operation of recognizing the surrounding environment at a predetermined minute cycle, it is possible to move while reliably avoiding surrounding obstacles and moving objects.

  In the above-described embodiment, by matching the environmental information acquired by the laser range finder and the basic map information stored in advance, and correcting the self-position obtained by the odometry method using the rotational speed of the wheel, More preferred.

  In the case of such an embodiment, instead of self-position recognition by the odometry method, the moving body is provided with imaging means such as a digital camera, and the landmarks provided in the moving area are imaged and visually recognized. Thus, the self-position may be obtained. That is, by comparing the position of the landmark imaged by the imaging unit with the position of the landmark included in the basic map information stored in advance, the relative self-position can be obtained accurately.

  Furthermore, the means for obtaining the self position is not limited to these, and an external means for obtaining the absolute position of the moving body may be provided. For example, the mobile unit can be recognized from the outside, and the recognition result can be transmitted to the mobile unit to relatively determine the self position. As means for recognizing such a self-position, it is possible to use known means such as GPS, means for visually capturing a moving body from the outside, and the like.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, only an example in which environment information is created using a measurement value measured by a laser range sensor is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, an ultrasonic sensor or the like It is also possible to use those that create environmental information using measured values. That is, the present invention can be applied to any sensor that uses a sensor whose measurement value is affected by acceleration acting on the moving body.

  The above-described embodiments of the moving body, the map information creating method in the moving body, and the moving path specifying method in the moving body according to the present invention described above are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto. . For example, in the above-described embodiment, the map information stored in the moving body has been described by taking a grid map as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, an object on the map is represented by a feature point (node). It is also possible to use a topology map represented by When such a map is used, it is preferable to create a movement route by a link connecting each feature point (node).

It is a figure which represents roughly a mode that the mobile body which concerns on 1st Embodiment was seen from the side. It is the schematic which shows a mode that the mobile body shown in FIG. 1 was seen from back. It is a figure which expands and shows the connection part of the upper leg part in the mobile body shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the relationship between the control part contained in the moving body shown in FIG. 1, and the other component to be controlled. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure at the time of performing the plane detection which the mobile body shown in FIG. 1 is a part of environmental information. It is an example which shows the measured value showing the shape and position of an object etc. in a certain area | region on a plane measured by the laser range sensor of the moving body shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the map information which looked at the object etc. on a measurement area | region perspectively from the position of the laser range sensor produced by the measured value shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the map information which looked at the coordinate point group which created with the measured value shown in FIG. 6 and which shows a level | step difference from the horizontal direction with respect to a floor surface. It is a figure which represents roughly a mode that the mobile body which concerns on 2nd Embodiment was seen from upper direction. It is the schematic which shows roughly the internal structure of the moving body which concerns on 2nd Embodiment shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure in which the mobile body shown in FIG. 9 produces the path | route for performing autonomous movement.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,200 ... Moving body 12 ... Leg part 100 ... Boarding part (moving body main body)
130: Control unit 140, 218 ... Acceleration detection unit (acceleration sensor)
150, 217 ... Sensor (Laser range sensor)
200a ... moving body 211 ... wheel P ... moving area

Claims (9)

A movable body main body, a sensor that acquires a measurement value indicating a relative position of an object existing around the mobile body, and an acceleration detection unit that detects an acceleration acting on the movable body main body. Based on the acquired measurement value, it is a moving object that creates environmental information indicating the shape and position of an object existing in the moving region,
The difference between the target acceleration of the movable body when the sensor performs measurement and the magnitude of the acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit is calculated, and the measurement value obtained by the sensor based on the calculated difference is calculated. A moving object characterized by determining reliability, correcting the measurement value based on the determined reliability, and creating environment information based on the corrected measurement value.   If the difference between the target acceleration of the moving body when the sensor performs measurement and the acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit exceeds a predetermined threshold, the measured value obtained by the sensor is not used. The moving body according to claim 1, wherein information is created.   The moving body according to claim 1, wherein the environment information includes map information that three-dimensionally represents the shape and position of an object existing on a moving region.   The moving body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sensor is a distance measuring unit that measures how far away an object existing in the vicinity is from the moving body main body. .   The moving body according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a moving path is created based on the created environment information, and a moving operation is autonomously performed based on the created moving path.   6. The mobile body according to claim 1, wherein the mobile body is a walking body or the like that acquires gait data from the created environment information and performs a moving operation according to the acquired gait data. The moving body described in 1.   The mobile body according to claim 1, wherein the mobile body is a wheel-driven mobile body that moves by driving a wheel that contacts the plane.   It further comprises a camera that visually recognizes the surrounding environment in the moving area, and the self-position is calculated by visually recognizing a landmark provided at a specific place in the moving area by the camera. The moving body according to any one of claims 1 to 7. An environment information creation method for obtaining a measurement value indicating a relative position of an object existing around the mobile object, and creating environment information around the mobile object based on the acquired measurement value,
The acceleration at the time of measuring the relative position is detected, the difference between the detected acceleration magnitude and the target acceleration is calculated, and the reliability of the measured relative position is determined based on the calculated difference magnitude. A method for creating environmental information, comprising correcting a measured value acquired based on the determined reliability and creating environmental information based on the corrected measured value.

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