JP6855224B2 - Traveling device and information detection method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a traveling device and an information detecting method, and more particularly to a traveling device and an information detecting method including an information detecting means for detecting information around the device.

As a traveling device equipped with a conventional monitoring device, an autonomous traveling vehicle including an information detecting means for detecting information around the vehicle is known.

Autonomous vehicles (for example, self-propelled robots) are known to measure the distance to an obstacle around the vehicle by driving a plurality of mounted (information detecting means).

The detection elements are driven one by one in order, for example, to oscillate sound waves and wait for reflected waves. According to such a configuration, it is possible to determine which element to drive depending on the moving direction. However, there are cases where adjacent detection elements are selected at the moment when the detection elements to be driven are switched, and interference may easily occur. Further, when the drive timing of each detection element is switched, the sound wave emitted by the adjacent detection element may still be reflected.

Therefore, as a conventional technique, a plurality of ultrasonic detectors are arranged, an ultrasonic pulse signal is transmitted from each ultrasonic detector, and a reflected wave from an object due to the transmitted ultrasonic pulse signal is received. Disclosed is an in-vehicle obstacle sensor that detects the presence of an object by changing the sensing order so that the ultrasonic pulse signals sent from the ultrasonic detector do not interfere with each other. (See Patent Document 1).

According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent interference of ultrasonic pulse signals between ultrasonic detectors, and it is possible to realize a highly reliable in-vehicle obstacle sensor that does not cause malfunction due to interference.

In addition, as another conventional technique, in an obstacle detection device that detects an obstacle based on the reflected wave received by each ultrasonic sensor, another ultrasonic wave arranged adjacent to the detection area of each ultrasonic sensor. It is disclosed that the transmission timing of each ultrasonic sensor is determined and transmitted according to the presence or absence of overlap with the detection region of the sensor (see Patent Document 2).

According to such a configuration, it is possible to shorten the time from the entry of an obstacle into the detection region to the detection of the obstacle while preventing the interference of the transmitted wave.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-331739 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-298266

However, in the above-mentioned techniques in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, detection is performed by changing the order of sensing, or the transmission timing of each ultrasonic sensor is determined to transmit waves. There is a problem that it takes time to sense the outer circumference of a device equipped with an ultrasonic sensor or the like.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has a simple configuration, can detect an object to be detected with high efficiency by sensing according to an operating state, and senses the surroundings of the device in a short time. It is an object of the present invention to provide a traveling device capable and an information detection method.

The traveling device and the information detection method according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems are as follows.

In the present invention, in a traveling device including an information detecting means (for example, an ultrasonic sensor) for detecting information around the device and a control unit for operating the information detecting means, the information detecting means detects information around the device. A function of arranging a plurality of information detecting means at possible positions and switching and operating the plurality of information detecting means as the control unit in a preset order and an order of operating the information detecting means according to the operating state of the traveling device are changed. It is characterized by having a function to perform.

Further, in the present invention, as a function of the control unit, it is preferable to preferentially operate the information detecting means for detecting the region in the traveling direction when the traveling device is traveling straight.

Further, in the present invention, as a function of the control unit, it is preferable to preferentially operate the information detecting means for detecting the region in the lateral direction with respect to the traveling direction when the traveling device is in the turning state.

Further, in the present invention, as a function of the control unit, the information detecting means to be operated next after operating any of the information detecting means among the plurality of information detecting means is the information detecting means which has been operated first. It is preferable to use an information detection means for detecting a direction different from the detection direction.

Further, in the present invention, as a function of the control unit, when there is an information detecting means that detects an object to be detected when detecting the surroundings of each device by the plurality of information detecting means, the next operation is performed. It is preferable that the information detecting means to be used is an information detecting means adjacent to the information detecting means that has detected the object to be detected.

Further, as a function of the control unit, the present invention detects the same information when there is an information detecting means that detects an object to be detected when the plurality of information detecting means detect the surroundings of each device. It is preferable to operate the means continuously.

Further, in the present invention, as a function of the control unit, when the same information detecting means is continuously operated and the detected object is not detected, the information detecting means to be operated next is adjacent to the information detecting means. It is preferable to use the information detecting means.

Further, the present invention includes a second information detecting means capable of detecting the inside of the detection area of the information detecting means as a configuration of the traveling device, and the second information detecting means detects as a function of the control unit. It is preferable to store the information of the detected object and give priority to the information detecting means whose detection direction is the direction in which the detected object is located.

Further, as a function of the control unit, the present invention indicates the direction of the detected body when the detected body detected by the second information detecting means is out of the detection area of the second information detecting means. It is preferable to operate the information detecting means that gives priority to.

Further, as a function of the control unit, the present invention is an information detecting means whose detection direction is the direction of the undetectable region when an undetectable region is generated in the detection region of the second information detecting means. It is preferable to give priority to.

Further, in the present invention, as a function of the control unit, it is preferable to raise the priority of the information detecting means arranged on the traveling direction side according to the traveling speed.

Further, in the present invention, as a function of the control unit, it is preferable to change the switching interval of the information detecting means according to the traveling speed.

Further, as a function of the control unit, the present invention detects when the user performs an activation operation of the traveling device, the user is separated from the device by the information detecting means on the side where the user exists. It is preferable to sequentially operate the information detection means on the side where the user does not exist until the state is not reached.

Further, as a function of the control unit, the present invention detects when the user performs an activation operation of the traveling device, the user is separated from the device by the information detecting means on the side where the user exists. It is preferable to mask the information detecting means on the side where the user exists to disable the detection until the state is not achieved.

Further, as a function of the control unit, the present invention changes the priority of the information detecting means close to the second information detecting means according to the distance of the detected object detected by the second information detecting means. This is preferable.

Further, as a function of the control unit, the present invention preferably raises the priority of the information detecting means near the second information detecting means in the case of weather having poor visibility due to snowfall, rain, fog, or the like. ..

Further, according to the present invention, in an information detection method for detecting peripheral information while moving, there are a step of detecting information in a plurality of directions and a step of switching and detecting the information in the plurality of directions in a preset order. It is characterized by having a step of changing the order of directions for detecting information according to a moving state.

According to the traveling device of the present invention, in a traveling device including an information detecting means for detecting information around the device and a control unit for operating the information detecting means, the information detecting means can detect information around the device. A plurality of information detecting means are arranged at the positions, and the control unit is provided with a function of switching and operating the plurality of information detecting means and a function of switching the information detecting means to be operated according to the operating state of the traveling device. With the configuration, it is possible to provide a traveling device capable of efficiently detecting an object to be detected by sensing according to an operating state and sensing the surroundings of the device in a short time.

Further, according to the information detection method of the present invention, in the information detection method for detecting peripheral information while moving, the step of detecting information in a plurality of directions and the information in the plurality of directions are switched in a preset order. By having a step of detecting the information according to the moving state and a step of changing the order of detecting information according to the moving state, it is possible to efficiently detect the detected object by sensing according to the moving state by a simple method. It is possible to provide an information detection method capable of sensing the surroundings of the device in a short time.

It is explanatory drawing from the side view which shows the whole structure of the autonomous driving vehicle which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the installation state of the ultrasonic sensor in the autonomous driving vehicle. It is explanatory drawing which shows the detection area by the ultrasonic sensor in the autonomous driving vehicle. It is a block diagram which shows the electric structure of the autonomous driving vehicle. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the operating state of the ultrasonic sensor when the autonomous driving vehicle is in the forward state in the autonomous driving vehicle. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the operating state of the ultrasonic sensor when the autonomous driving vehicle is in a forward state. (A) and (b) are explanatory views which show the deformation example of the operating state of the ultrasonic sensor when the autonomous driving vehicle is in the forward state. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the operating state of the ultrasonic sensor when the autonomous driving vehicle is turning right. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the operating state of the ultrasonic sensor when the autonomous driving vehicle is a left-turning state. It is a block diagram which shows the electric structure of the autonomous driving vehicle which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the arrangement relation of the ultrasonic sensor and the LIDAR sensor in the autonomous driving vehicle, and an example of a detection area. It is explanatory drawing which shows the arrangement relation of the ultrasonic sensor and the LIDAR sensor in the autonomous driving vehicle, and other examples of a detection area. It is a block diagram which shows the electric structure of the autonomous driving vehicle which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electric structure of the autonomous driving vehicle which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention.

(First Embodiment)
Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the traveling device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an example of an embodiment of the present invention, and is an explanatory view from a side view showing the overall configuration of the autonomous driving vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of an ultrasonic sensor in the autonomous driving vehicle. An explanatory view showing an installation state, FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a detection region by an ultrasonic sensor in the autonomous driving vehicle.

The autonomous traveling vehicle 1 as a traveling device according to the first embodiment is an autonomous traveling vehicle for monitoring provided with information detecting means for detecting information around the vehicle, and as shown in FIG. 1, the wheel 3 is attached to the chassis 2. Is arranged, an elevating device 10 is mounted on the chassis 2, an irradiation light 20 that illuminates the front of the vehicle is provided on both the left and right sides of the front 2F of the vehicle body, and an ultrasonic sensor 30 detects information around the vehicle as an information detection means. It is characterized in that the order of the ultrasonic sensors 30 that operate according to the driving state of the autonomous traveling vehicle 1 is changed in preparation for a plurality of locations as possible.

Here, the autonomous driving vehicle is a device that autonomously travels by a machine or a program without human judgment, for example, an autonomous industrial transportation vehicle or a security vehicle that carries an object in a factory. It has been known.

The autonomous driving vehicle 1 of the first embodiment includes a rectangular chassis 2 with four wheels 3, and the two wheels 3 arranged in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the chassis are electric power sources that are a common power source. It is driven by a motor (not shown).

In the autonomous traveling vehicle 1, the left and right wheels 3 can be independently driven and controlled, and the traveling direction can be changed by the rotation difference between the left and right wheels 3. Further, by making the rotation directions of the left and right wheels 3 opposite to each other, stationary turning is possible by the so-called skid steering method of turning on the spot.

As shown in FIG. 1, the elevating device 10 includes an elevating mechanism 12 that elevates and elevates the elevating unit 11, and a driving unit 17 that drives the elevating mechanism 12.

The elevating unit 11 is provided with a monitoring device 111 equipped with a camera.

The drive unit 17 is fixed to a base 18 arranged on the upper portion of the chassis 2 of the autonomous driving vehicle 1.
The base portion 18 is configured to be arranged substantially parallel to the upper portion of the elevating mechanism 12 in a lowered state.

The elevating device 10 may be integrally configured as a unit structure including the base 18, and may be detachably attached to the chassis 2.

The elevating mechanism 12 is configured to include a boom 13 connected to the elevating portion 11.
The boom 13 is configured to be rotatable in the vertical direction so that the elevating unit 11 is moved up and down by the drive unit 17. Further, the boom 13 includes a first boom member 131 and a second boom member 132, the first boom member 131 can be rotated in the vertical direction, and the second boom member 132 can be expanded and contracted from the first boom member 131. It is configured in.
The boom 13 may be configured to be rotatable in the horizontal direction on the base 18.

Bumpers 5 and 6 are provided on the front side and the rear side of the chassis 2 in the width direction of the vehicle body.
The chassis 2 is provided with a plurality of ultrasonic sensors 30 for monitoring the front of the vehicle, the left and right sides of the vehicle, and the rear of the vehicle.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the ultrasonic sensors 30 are arranged on the left and right sides of the front surface 2F of the chassis 2 of the autonomous traveling vehicle 1 in the vehicle width direction, and the ultrasonic sensors 30F1 and 30F2 are arranged at the rear of the chassis 2. Ultrasonic sensors 30B1 and 30B2 are arranged on both left and right sides in the vehicle width direction, and ultrasonic sensors 30L and 30R are arranged at substantially central portions on both left and right sides of the chassis 2. That is, the ultrasonic sensors 30F1, 30F2, 30B1, 30B2, 30L, 30R can acquire the peripheral information of the outer circumference of the autonomous traveling vehicle 1. Reference numeral 30a indicates a detection region.

As described above, the autonomous traveling vehicle 1 is provided with a plurality of ultrasonic sensors 30 to detect obstacles, suspicious objects, suspicious persons, etc. on the traveling route.

In the first embodiment, the ultrasonic sensor 30 is used as the information detection means, but a laser sensor may be used. The laser sensor irradiates a laser from the light emitting part and detects the reflected light reflected on the surface of the object to be detected by the light receiving part, thereby measuring the distance to the detected object based on the time from light emission to light reception. Distance.

A LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) sensor 31 is provided as a second information detection means near the center of the front surface 2F of the chassis 2.
The lidar sensor (lidar sensor) 31 detects an object to be detected at a long distance by laser irradiation and analyzes the distance to the object to be detected and the object to be detected.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the autonomous traveling vehicle 1 of the first embodiment is provided with ultrasonic sensors 30F1 and 30F2 together with irradiation lights 20 on both left and right sides of the vehicle body front surface 2F of the chassis 2.

The irradiation light 20 is arranged at a position recessed inside the chassis 2 above the bumper 5.
The irradiation lamp 20 includes a headlight (headlight) 21 as a first irradiation lamp and a spotlight (beamlight) 22 as a second irradiation lamp for intimidating irradiation by a specific light emitting operation. There is.

Next, the electrical configuration of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the autonomous traveling vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the autonomous traveling vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment has an information processing unit 40 that processes peripheral information acquired by the ultrasonic sensor 30, and the autonomous traveling vehicle 1 travels based on the peripheral information. It includes a control unit 50 for controlling and a storage unit 60 for storing peripheral information acquired by the ultrasonic sensor 30.

The information processing unit 40 includes a recognition processing unit 41 and an obstacle determination unit 42.
The recognition processing unit 41 recognizes the position of peripheral information. The obstacle determination unit 42 recognizes the surrounding information and determines whether or not there is an obstacle in the vicinity of the autonomous driving vehicle 1.

The control unit 50 is characterized by including an ultrasonic sensor switching unit 51, an operating state determination unit 52, and an ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53.

The ultrasonic sensor switching unit 51 switches and operates the ultrasonic sensor 30 in a preset order. The driving state determination unit 52 determines whether the autonomous traveling vehicle 1 is in a straight-ahead traveling state, a back traveling state, or a turning state. The ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53 changes the order of the ultrasonic sensors 30 to be operated according to the driving state of the autonomous traveling vehicle 1.

The storage unit 60 stores the order in which the ultrasonic sensor 30 set in advance according to the driving state of the autonomous traveling vehicle 1 is operated. Specifically, for example, when the autonomous driving vehicle 1 is in a straight-ahead state, the ultrasonic sensors 30F1 and 30F2 for detecting the front are preferentially operated, and when the autonomous driving vehicle 1 is in a turning state, the left and right sides with respect to the traveling direction are operated. The process of preferentially operating the ultrasonic sensors 30R and 30L to be detected is stored.

Next, the switching operation of the ultrasonic sensor 30 in the autonomous traveling vehicle 1 of the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an operating state of the ultrasonic sensor when the autonomous traveling vehicle is in the forward state in the autonomous traveling vehicle of the first embodiment, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an operating state of the ultrasonic sensor when the autonomous traveling vehicle is in the forward state. 7 (a) and 7 (b) are explanatory views showing another example of the operating state of the ultrasonic sensor, FIG. 7 (a) and 7 (b) are explanatory views showing a modified example of the operating state of the ultrasonic sensor when the autonomous traveling vehicle is in the forward state, and FIG. 8 is the above. Explanatory diagram showing an example of the operating state of the ultrasonic sensor when the autonomous driving vehicle is in the right turning state, FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operating state of the ultrasonic sensor when the autonomous driving vehicle is in the left turning state. Is.

First, a case where the driving state of the autonomous traveling vehicle 1 is a forward state will be described.
In the autonomous traveling vehicle 1, when the driving state is determined to be the forward state by the driving state determination unit 52, the ultrasonic sensor switching unit 51 and the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53 of the chassis 2 as shown in FIG. Only the ultrasonic sensors 30F1 and 30F2 on the front surface 2F of the vehicle body are operated to detect the peripheral information in front of the autonomous driving vehicle 1.

At this time, the two ultrasonic sensors 30F1 and 30F2 on the front surface 2F of the vehicle body may be controlled to operate at the same time, or may be controlled to operate alternately.

Further, the ON / OFF timings of the ultrasonic sensors 30F1 and 30F2 may be staggered so as not to erroneously detect the reflected waves of the adjacent ultrasonic sensors 30F1 and 30F2.

Further, when one of the ultrasonic sensors is activated and then the other ultrasonic sensor is activated, all the ultrasonic sensors may be paused and then restarted.

Further, after activating one of the ultrasonic sensors and then activating the other ultrasonic sensor, after temporarily not reading (not using) the data of all the ultrasonic sensors 30F1 and 30F2. , The data may be read.

Further, as another example, as shown in FIG. 6, the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53 preferentially operates the ultrasonic sensors 30F1 and 30F2 on the front surface 2F of the chassis 2 to operate the ultrasonic sensors 30F1 and 30F2 on both the left and right sides in total. The sound wave sensors 30R and 30L may be operated.

As shown in FIG. 6, for example, the order of operation is as follows: (1) First, the front ultrasonic sensor 30F1 is operated by the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53, and then (2) the ultrasonic sensor on the right side having a different detection direction. Operate the sound wave sensor 30R. Next, (3) the front ultrasonic sensor 30F2 is operated, and then (4) the ultrasonic sensor 30L on the left side having a different detection direction is operated.

With this configuration, the order of monitoring by the ultrasonic sensor 30 is set to front, right side, front, left side, and so on, and while monitoring the side, priority is given to the front. it can.

As a modification, as shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b), the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53 (1) operates the front ultrasonic sensor 30F1 and operates the ultrasonic sensor 30R on the right side. , (2) Next, the front ultrasonic sensor 30F2 may be operated and the left ultrasonic sensor 30L may be operated, and this may be repeated.

With this configuration, it is possible to give priority to the front while monitoring the sides without interfering with each other.

In this way, when the autonomous driving vehicle 1 is in the forward state, the ultrasonic sensors 30F1 and 30F2 on the front surface 2F of the vehicle body are prioritized and operated to efficiently detect the peripheral information in front of the autonomous driving vehicle 1. Can be done. As a result, when an obstacle, an intruder, or other object to be detected exists in front of the object, it can be detected immediately.

Next, a case where the driving state of the autonomous traveling vehicle 1 is a turning state will be described.
First, in the autonomous traveling vehicle 1, when the driving state is determined to be the right turning state by the driving state determination unit 52, the ultrasonic sensor switching unit 51 and the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53 as shown in FIG. , The ultrasonic sensors 30F1 and 30F2 on the front surface 2F of the chassis 2 and the ultrasonic sensors 30R on the right side are operated to detect the peripheral information on the front side and the right side of the autonomous traveling vehicle 1.

As shown in FIG. 8, for example, the order of operation is as follows: (1) First, the front ultrasonic sensor 30F1 is operated by the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53, and then (2) the ultrasonic sensor on the right side having a different detection direction. Operate the sound wave sensor 30R. Next, after (3) operating the front ultrasonic sensor 30F2, (4) operating the ultrasonic sensor 30R on the right side again.

With this configuration, the order of monitoring by the ultrasonic sensor 30 is set to front, right side, front, right side, and so on, and while monitoring the front, priority is given to the right front. it can.

Next, in the autonomous traveling vehicle 1, when the driving state is determined to be the left turning state by the driving state determination unit 52, the ultrasonic sensor switching unit 51 and the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53 as shown in FIG. , The ultrasonic sensors 30F1 and 30F2 on the front surface 2F of the chassis 2 and the ultrasonic sensors 30L on the left side are operated to detect the peripheral information on the front side and the left side of the autonomous traveling vehicle 1.

As shown in FIG. 9, for example, the order of operation is as follows: (1) First, the front ultrasonic sensor 30F1 is operated by the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53, and then (2) the left side portion having different detection directions is operated. Operate the sound wave sensor 30L. Next, (3) the front ultrasonic sensor 30F2 is operated, and then (4) the left side ultrasonic sensor 30L is operated again.

With this configuration, the order of monitoring by the ultrasonic sensor 30 is set to front, left side, front, left side, and so on, and while monitoring the front, priority is given to the left front. it can.

According to the first embodiment, in the autonomous traveling vehicle 1 provided with the ultrasonic sensor 30 for detecting information around the device and the control unit 50 for operating the ultrasonic sensor 30, the ultrasonic sensor is configured as described above. As 30, ultrasonic sensors 30F1, 30F2, 30L, 30R, 30B1, 30B2 are arranged at front, left and right side, and rear positions where information around the device can be detected, and ultrasonic sensor switching is performed as a configuration of the control unit 50. By providing the unit 51, the operating state determination unit 52, and the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53, the detection is efficiently performed by sensing using the ultrasonic sensor at the position corresponding to the operating state with a simple configuration. The body can be detected and the surroundings of the device can be sensed in a short time.

The ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53 is activated next when there is an ultrasonic sensor 30 that has detected an object to be detected when detecting the surroundings of each device by a plurality of ultrasonic sensors 30. The ultrasonic sensor 30 may be an ultrasonic sensor 30 adjacent to the ultrasonic sensor 30 that has detected the object to be detected.

Further, when the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53 detects the surroundings of each device by the plurality of ultrasonic sensors 30, if there is an ultrasonic sensor 30 that detects the object to be detected, the same ultrasonic sensor 30 is used. 30 may be operated continuously.

Further, when the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53 continuously operates the same ultrasonic sensor 30 and does not detect the detected object, the ultrasonic sensor 30 to be operated next detects the detected object. The ultrasonic sensor 30 may be adjacent to the ultrasonic sensor 30.

Further, the control unit 50 determines the traveling speed by the operating state determination unit 52, and the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53 determines the traveling speed according to the traveling speed, and the priority of the ultrasonic sensor 30 arranged on the traveling direction side. May be increased to switch.

With this configuration, the faster the traveling speed of the autonomous traveling vehicle 1, the easier it is to collide with an obstacle in the traveling direction. Therefore, information is preferentially switched to the ultrasonic sensor 30 arranged on the traveling direction side. Detection can be performed.

Further, the control unit 50 may determine the traveling speed by the operating state determination unit 52 and change the switching interval of the ultrasonic sensor 30 by the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53 according to the traveling speed. Good.

With this configuration, for example, when the traveling speed of the autonomous traveling vehicle 1 is slow, the detection distance becomes long by lengthening the switching interval, and reliable detection can be performed.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the autonomous driving vehicle according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement relationship and the detection region of the ultrasonic sensor and the LIDAR sensor in the autonomous driving vehicle. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement relationship between the ultrasonic sensor and the LIDAR sensor in the autonomous driving vehicle and other examples of the detection region.

Regarding the autonomous driving vehicle in the second embodiment, those having the same configuration as the autonomous driving vehicle in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the autonomous traveling vehicle 201 according to the second embodiment can detect a region farther than the detection region of the ultrasonic sensor 30 in addition to the configuration of the autonomous traveling vehicle 1 of the first embodiment. A lidar sensor 31 is provided as a second information detecting means, and an ultrasonic sensor 30 whose detection direction is the direction in which the detected object is located is operated based on the information of the detected object detected by the lidar sensor 31. It is a feature.

The lidar sensor 31 is arranged near the central portion of the front surface of the chassis 2.

As shown in FIG. 10, the autonomous driving vehicle 201 according to the second embodiment includes an information processing unit 40 that processes peripheral information acquired by the ultrasonic sensor 30 and the lidar sensor 31, and an autonomous driving vehicle based on the peripheral information. It includes a control unit 250 that controls the traveling of No. 1 and a storage unit 60 that stores peripheral information acquired by the ultrasonic sensor 30 and the LIDAR sensor 31.

The information of the detected object detected by the LIDAR sensor 31 includes the position information based on the autonomous traveling vehicle 201 at the time of detection.

The control unit 250 is characterized by including an ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 253 in addition to the ultrasonic sensor switching unit 51 and the operating state determination unit 52.

The ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 253 has a function of operating the ultrasonic sensor 30 whose detection direction is the direction in which the object to be detected 80 is located, in addition to the function of the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53 of the first embodiment. ing.

That is, as shown in FIG. 11, when the detected body 80 is detected in front of the autonomous traveling vehicle 201 by the LIDAR sensor 31, the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 253 uses the ultrasonic sensors 30F1 and 30F2 to detect the front. It is designed to work.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53 changes the direction of the detected body 80 when the detected body 80 detected by the LIDAR sensor 31 deviates from the detection area 31a of the LIDAR sensor 31. The ultrasonic sensor 30R, which is the detection direction, is operated.

According to the second embodiment, the autonomous traveling vehicle 201 is provided with the lidar sensor 31 capable of detecting a region farther than the detection region of the ultrasonic sensor 30 in addition to the ultrasonic sensor 30. The information of the detected body 80 detected by the LIDAR sensor 31 is stored in the storage unit 60, and the control unit 250 sets the direction in which the detected body 80 is located as the detection direction based on the information of the detected body 80. By activating the sensor 30 (30F1, 30F2 or 30R or 30L), it is possible to quickly detect when approaching the object to be detected 80.

Further, when the environment used by the autonomous driving vehicle 301 is easily affected by rain, fog, and snow, it becomes difficult to separate the detected object from the noise when the noise increases due to the influence of rain, fog, and snow. In such a case, the detection result of the ultrasonic sensor 30 is prioritized.

The ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 253 determines the direction of the undetectable region when an undetectable region is generated in the detection region 31a of the LIDAR sensor 31, for example, when an deposit is attached to the LIDAR sensor 31. The ultrasonic sensor 30 (for example, the ultrasonic sensor 30F1 or the ultrasonic sensor 30F2 in FIG. 12) may be operated as the detection direction.

Further, in the detection area 31a of the LIDAR sensor 31, the control unit 250 detects whether the state of the LIDAR sensor 31 is normal when the LIDAR sensor 31 does not detect the object to be detected even if the ultrasonic sensor 30 detects the object to be detected. It is also possible to notify a terminal, a server, or the like capable of communicating with the autonomous traveling vehicle 201 to confirm whether or not the ultrasonic sensor 30 has an adhering substance attached to the ultrasonic sensor 30 or not.

Further, the control unit 250 may change the priority of the ultrasonic sensor 30 close to the LIDAR sensor 31 according to the distance of the object to be detected detected by the LIDAR sensor 31.
For example, when the distance to the object to be detected is long, the priority of the ultrasonic sensor 30 is lowered. On the other hand, when the distance to the object to be detected is short, the priority of the ultrasonic sensor 30 is increased.

With this configuration, information detection that makes the best use of the characteristics of the LIDAR sensor 31 and the ultrasonic sensor 30 can be performed.

Further, the control unit 250 may raise the priority of the ultrasonic sensor 30 near the lidar sensor 31 in the case of weather having poor visibility due to snowfall, rain, fog, or the like. Since the lidar sensor 31 affects the detection accuracy in the case of bad weather such as snowfall, rain, fog, etc., the information can be reliably detected by switching to the ultrasonic sensor 30.

Further, when there is something that is difficult to detect by the lidar sensor 31 such as a fence, the control unit 250 may give priority to the ultrasonic sensor 30 to facilitate detection. For example, when the distribution of sparse stations is detected by the LIDAR sensor 31, the ultrasonic sensor 30 in the detected direction is preferentially operated.

(Third Embodiment)
Next, the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an autonomous traveling vehicle according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

The description of the autonomous driving vehicle in the third embodiment will be omitted because the basic configuration is the same as that of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 13, the autonomous driving vehicle 301 according to the third embodiment has an ultrasonic wave when a person is detected by the ultrasonic sensor 30 in addition to the configuration of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 of the first embodiment. It is characterized in that the operation of the autonomous traveling vehicle 301 is stopped until it deviates from the detection region of the sensor 30.

As shown in FIG. 13, the autonomous traveling vehicle 301 includes an information processing unit 340 that processes peripheral information acquired by the ultrasonic sensor 30, and a control unit 350 that controls the traveling of the autonomous traveling vehicle 301 based on the peripheral information. A storage unit 60 that stores peripheral information acquired by the ultrasonic sensor 30 is provided.

The information processing unit 340 is characterized by further including a person determination unit 43 in addition to the recognition processing unit 41 and the obstacle determination unit 42.
The human determination unit 43 determines whether or not the object to be detected is a person based on the information of the object to be detected detected by the ultrasonic sensor 30.

The control unit 350 is characterized in that, in addition to the ultrasonic sensor switching unit 51, the operating state determination unit 52, and the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53, a moving motion control unit 54 is further provided.
Based on the information detected by the ultrasonic sensor 30, the movement motion control unit 54 performs the movement motion of the autonomous traveling vehicle 301 when the person determination unit 43 determines that a person exists in the detection area of the ultrasonic sensor 30. Stop.

In this way, in the third embodiment, the autonomous driving vehicle 301 is prevented from moving until the user (person) is separated from the autonomous driving vehicle 301.

When the presence of the user is confirmed (determined) in the vicinity of the device in the person determination unit 43, for example, the ultrasonic sensor 30 that detects the user is preferentially operated, and the user is detected by the ultrasonic sensor 30. From the stage when the detection is stopped, the ultrasonic sensor switching unit 51 switches to a pattern for detecting the surroundings of the device, and the ultrasonic sensor 30 is sequentially switched and operated. The autonomous traveling vehicle 301 at this time is in a locked state so as not to be driven.

Then, when the user is no longer detected all around the device, it is determined that the user is not around the device, and the drive lock is released so that the drive can be performed.

According to the third embodiment, the autonomous driving vehicle 301 includes the person determination unit 43 as the configuration of the information processing unit 340 and the movement motion control unit 54 as the configuration of the control unit 350. By providing, when a person is detected in the detection area of the ultrasonic sensor 30, the autonomous driving vehicle 301 is stopped until the person goes out of the detection area, thereby realizing a human-safe autonomous driving vehicle 301. it can.

In the third embodiment, when a person is detected by the ultrasonic sensor 30, the operation of the autonomous traveling vehicle 301 is stopped until the person goes out of the detection area of the ultrasonic sensor 30. As a result, the control unit 350 may sequentially operate the ultrasonic sensor 30 on the side where no person exists until it deviates from the detection region of the ultrasonic sensor 30 on the side where a person exists.

With this configuration, information can be efficiently detected even while the autonomous traveling vehicle 301 is stopped.

Further, the control unit 350 may mask the ultrasonic sensor 30 on the side where the person is present to invalidate the detection until the ultrasonic sensor 30 on the side where the person is present is out of the detection area. ..

With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection as an object to be detected (obstacle) when a person is not yet sufficiently separated from the autonomous traveling vehicle 301.

(Fourth Embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an autonomous vehicle according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

The description of the autonomous driving vehicle in the fourth embodiment will be omitted because the basic configuration is the same as that of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 14, the autonomous traveling vehicle 401 according to the fourth embodiment includes the environmental condition input unit 70 in addition to the configuration of the autonomous traveling vehicle 1 of the first embodiment, and the autonomous traveling vehicle 401 is arranged. It is characterized in that the detection region of the ultrasonic sensor 30 can be adjusted according to the environmental conditions.

The environmental condition input unit 70 is configured so that the environmental condition can be input from a server or a terminal device communicably connected to the autonomous driving vehicle 401. As the environmental conditions, for example, the weather is assumed to be rain, fog, snow, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 14, the autonomous traveling vehicle 401 includes an information processing unit 40 that processes peripheral information acquired by the ultrasonic sensor 30, and a control unit 450 that controls the traveling of the autonomous traveling vehicle 401 based on the peripheral information. A storage unit 60 that stores peripheral information acquired by the ultrasonic sensor 30 is provided.

The control unit 350 is characterized by further including a detection area adjusting unit 55 in addition to the ultrasonic sensor switching unit 51, the operating state determination unit 52, and the ultrasonic sensor order changing unit 53.

The detection area adjusting unit 55 adjusts the detection area of the ultrasonic sensor 30 according to the environmental conditions based on the environmental conditions acquired by the environmental condition input unit 70.
For example, when the weather is rain, fog, or snow, the LIDAR sensor 31 is affected, so the detection area adjusting unit 55 adjusts the detection area of the ultrasonic sensor 30 to a long detection area.

According to the fourth embodiment, the autonomous traveling vehicle 401 is provided with the environmental condition input unit 70, and the control unit 450 is provided with the detection area adjustment unit 55 to satisfy the environmental conditions. Since the detection area of the ultrasonic sensor 30 can be adjusted accordingly, sensing can be performed reliably.

As a modification, the autonomous traveling vehicle 401 is changed to a configuration in which the detection region of the operating ultrasonic sensor 30 can be set according to the environmental conditions in which the autonomous traveling vehicle 401 of the fourth embodiment is used. The setting of the detection area of the operating ultrasonic sensor 30 may be changed according to the condition of the traveling route (road surface).

For example, when the path is narrow, the detection area of the ultrasonic sensor 30 is set narrow to reduce the influence of reflection from the periphery. Also, for example, if there are walls on both sides of the path and it is known that no one will enter the wall side, the detection of the side surface may be masked.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the traveling device is applied to an autonomous traveling vehicle that functions as a security patrol robot has been described as an example, but it is needless to say that the traveling device can be applied to other traveling devices. For example, it may be applied to an automatic transfer device, an automatic guided vehicle, an unmanned home delivery robot, an unmanned agricultural machine, and the like.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. That is, an embodiment obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified within the scope of the claims is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. That is, an embodiment obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified without departing from the gist of the present invention is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1,201,301,401 Autonomous vehicle (traveling device)
30, 30B1, 30B2, 30F1,
30F2,30L, 30R ultrasonic sensor (information detection means)
30a, 31a Detection area 31 LIDAR sensor (second information detection means)
40,340 Information processing unit 41 Recognition processing unit 42 Obstacle judgment unit 43 Person judgment unit 50, 250, 350, 450 Control unit 51 Ultrasonic sensor switching unit 52 Operating state judgment unit 53,253 Ultrasonic sensor order change unit 54 Move Operation control unit 55 Detection area adjustment unit 60 Storage unit 70 Environmental condition input unit 80 Detected object

Claims (17)

In a traveling device including an information detecting means for detecting information around the device and a control unit for operating the information detecting means.
The information detecting means includes a front information detecting means capable of detecting information in front of the traveling device, a right side information detecting means capable of detecting information on the right side of the traveling device, and information on the left side of the traveling device. Includes left side information detection means capable of detecting
The control unit
A function of switching and operating the plurality of information detecting means in a preset order, and
It is provided with a function of changing the order of information detecting means to be operated according to the operating state of the traveling device.
In a turning state in which either the right side or the left side is turned as the turning direction, the control unit detects information on the side of the front information detecting means, the right side information detecting means, and the left side information detecting means in the turning direction. The means are operated alternately ,
A second information detecting means capable of detecting the inside of the detection area of the information detecting means is provided.
The control unit stores the information of the detected body detected by the second information detecting means, gives priority to the information detecting means whose detection direction is the direction in which the detected body is located, and gives priority to the second information detecting means. A traveling device characterized in that when the detected body detected by the information detecting means deviates from the detection area of the second information detecting means, the information detecting means that gives priority to the direction of the detected body is operated. The control unit is characterized in that, in a straight-ahead state, the front information detecting means, the right side information detecting means, and the left side information detecting means are operated in the order of front, right side, front, and left side. The traveling device according to claim 1. After the control unit activates any of the information detecting means among the plurality of information detecting means, the information detecting means to be activated next detects a direction different from the detection direction of the previously operated information detecting means. The traveling device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the traveling device is used as an information detecting means. When the control unit detects the surroundings of each device by the plurality of information detecting means, if there is an information detecting means that detects the object to be detected, the information detecting means to be activated next is the subject. The traveling device according to claim 1, wherein the detection body is an information detection means adjacent to the detected information detection means. The control unit continuously operates the same information detection means when there is an information detection means that detects an object to be detected when the plurality of information detection means detect the surroundings of each device. The traveling device according to claim 1. When the control unit continuously operates the same information detecting means and does not detect the detected object, the information detecting means to be operated next is an information detecting means adjacent to the information detecting means. The traveling device according to claim 5. The traveling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the control unit raises the priority of the information detecting means arranged on the traveling direction side according to the traveling speed. The traveling device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the control unit changes the switching interval of the information detecting means according to the traveling speed. In a traveling device including an information detecting means for detecting information around the device and a control unit for operating the information detecting means.
The information detecting means includes a front information detecting means capable of detecting information in front of the traveling device, a right side information detecting means capable of detecting information on the right side of the traveling device, and information on the left side of the traveling device. Includes left side information detection means capable of detecting
The control unit
A function of switching and operating the plurality of information detecting means in a preset order, and
It is provided with a function of changing the order of information detecting means to be operated according to the operating state of the traveling device.
In a turning state in which either the right side or the left side is turned as the turning direction, the control unit detects information on the side of the front information detecting means, the right side information detecting means, and the left side information detecting means in the turning direction. The means are operated alternately,
When the user performs the activation operation of the traveling device, the control unit does not exist until the user is not detected by the information detecting means on the side where the user exists. A traveling device characterized in that the information detecting means on the side are sequentially operated. The control unit is present until the user is not detected by the information detecting means on the side where the user is present when the user performs the activation operation of the traveling device. The traveling device according to claim 9 , wherein the information detecting means on the side is masked to invalidate the detection. Wherein, in response to the detected distance of the object to be detected of said second information detection means, according to claim 1, characterized in that to change the priority of the information detecting means closer to said second information detection means The traveling device described in. The traveling device according to claim 11 , wherein the control unit raises the priority of the information detecting means near the second information detecting means in the case of bad weather. In the information detection method that detects information around the device while the traveling device is moving,
A first information detection step for detecting information in a plurality of directions of the traveling device, including information in front of the traveling device, information on the right side of the traveling device, and information on the left side of the traveling device.
A step of switching and detecting information in a plurality of directions in a preset order, and
A step of changing the order of directions for detecting information according to the moving state of the traveling device, and
In a turning state in which one of the right side or the left side is turned as the turning direction, the step of alternately detecting the forward information and the information on the right side side and the left side information on the turning direction side, and the step of alternately performing the detection.
A second information detection step for detecting the inside of the detection regions in the plurality of directions in the first information detection step, and a second information detection step.
The information of the object to be detected detected by the second information detection step is stored, the direction in which the object to be detected is located is prioritized as the detection direction in the first information detection step, and the second information detection step An information detection method comprising: a step of giving priority to the direction of the object to be detected when the object to be detected is out of the detection region of the second information detection step. In a traveling device including an information detecting means for detecting information around the device and a control unit for operating the information detecting means.
A plurality of the information detecting means are arranged at positions where information around the device can be detected.
The control unit
A function of switching and operating the plurality of information detecting means in a preset order, and
It is provided with a function of changing the order of information detecting means to be operated according to the operating state of the traveling device.
The traveling device includes a second information detecting means capable of detecting the inside of the detection area of the information detecting means.
The control unit stores the information of the detected object detected by the second information detecting means, and stores the information of the detected object.
Priority is given to the information detection means whose detection direction is the direction in which the object to be detected is located.
When the detected body detected by the second information detecting means is out of the detection area of the second information detecting means, the control unit operates the information detecting means that gives priority to the direction of the detected body. A traveling device characterized by being made to run. In a traveling device including an information detecting means for detecting information around the device and a control unit for operating the information detecting means.
A plurality of the information detecting means are arranged at positions where information around the device can be detected.
The control unit
A function of switching and operating the plurality of information detecting means in a preset order, and
It is provided with a function of changing the order of information detecting means to be operated according to the operating state of the traveling device.
The traveling device includes a second information detecting means capable of detecting the inside of the detection area of the information detecting means.
The control unit stores the information of the detected object detected by the second information detecting means, and stores the information of the detected object.
Priority is given to the information detection means whose detection direction is the direction in which the object to be detected is located.
The control unit is characterized in that when an undetectable region occurs in the detection region of the second information detecting means, the information detecting means having the direction of the undetectable region as the detection direction is prioritized. Traveling device. In a traveling device including an information detecting means for detecting information around the device and a control unit for operating the information detecting means.
A plurality of the information detecting means are arranged at positions where information around the device can be detected.
The control unit
A function of switching and operating the plurality of information detecting means in a preset order, and
It is provided with a function of changing the order of information detecting means to be operated according to the operating state of the traveling device.
When the user performs the activation operation of the traveling device, the control unit does not exist until the user is not detected by the information detecting means on the side where the user exists. A traveling device characterized in that the information detecting means on the side are sequentially operated. In a traveling device including an information detecting means for detecting information around the device and a control unit for operating the information detecting means.
A plurality of the information detecting means are arranged at positions where information around the device can be detected.
The control unit
A function of switching and operating the plurality of information detecting means in a preset order, and
It is provided with a function of changing the order of information detecting means to be operated according to the operating state of the traveling device.
The control unit is present until the user is not detected by the information detecting means on the side where the user is present when the user performs the activation operation of the traveling device. A traveling device characterized in that the information detection means on the side is masked to invalidate the detection.

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