JPH01207803A - Self-traveling working vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To correct the position of a working vehicle and to prevent the generation of an unworking area by providing plural ultrasonic sensors to the working vehicle main body and executing distance instrumentation with a circumferential wall through a detecting part, a waveform shaping circuit, a timer, an arithmetic part, etc. CONSTITUTION:In a working vehicle main body 1, the two of ultrasonic sensors 10-17 are provided on the four faces in total of the front face, the rear face and both side faces, respectively, the respective sensors emit a sound wave, and a distance to a wall is counted by the reflection. That is, the signal of the transmitting and receiving timing of the sound wave is given to a timer 26 through a detecting part 24, a waveform shaping circuit 25, an interface 22, a time for which a reflecting sound wave returns is counted with the timer 26. Then, the distance to the wall is counted and is inputted to an arithmetic part 27 and a memory part 28, a reference face is searched and calculated based on the map information of a working area and the present position of the working vehicle stored to the memory part 28 in advance, and the working vehicle decides a direction to execute distance instrumentation independently. Thus, the position of the working vehicle is corrected by the control of a control part 7, and the generation of an unworking area can be prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A) Industrial Application Field The present invention detects the positional deviation of the working vehicle from the travel route assumed within the working area by a sensor provided on the working vehicle body, and The present invention relates to a self-supporting work vehicle that travels on the travel route and automatically performs work while correcting the position based on the detection results.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years, various ideas have been developed regarding work vehicles that perform various tasks while traveling within a predetermined work area.

An example is Sensor Technology (April 1984 Issue Nos. 52-56)
The floor cleaning robot described in page) and the patent application 1986-3
There is a self-supporting work vehicle numbered 04432. These work vehicles first circle the interior along the walls to get an idea of the shape and size of the room, and then move forward and reverse repeatedly to complete the work.

These work vehicles do not correct the position and orientation with respect to the direction of travel when they start moving forward, but correct the attitude while moving forward, so the direction of forward movement that was set at the time they start moving forward is corrected. If there is a deviation in direction and position relative to the traveling route, there may be a time delay in returning to the set forward direction, resulting in an unworked area.

C) Problems to be Solved by the Invention The present invention has been invented in view of the above points, and detects the position and orientation at the start using a sensor mounted on the work vehicle, and also performs position and orientation correction. The purpose is to provide a configuration and control method that can be used.

2) Means for Solving the Problems In the present invention, the position and orientation of the working vehicle are detected based on the distance tt$++ result from the surrounding wall surface determined by a plurality of distances. Further, by comparing the information detected in this way with the traveling route information, the position and posture of the work vehicle 0) are corrected.

E) Effect The position and orientation of the work vehicle can be accurately detected and corrected before the start of work, eliminating the problem of unworked areas.

f) Embodiment FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the principle of the self-propelled working vehicle of the present invention. In this drawing, the work vehicle main body (1) has its driving wheels (2)
A pair of motors (4) and (5) that individually drive (3),
Working means (6) and control means (7) for controlling these
etc. are available. Further, as the working means 16), for example, a cleaning device is used, and is equipped with a suction port, a dust collection fan, and its motor.

(8) and (9) are casters for supporting and shearing the main body, and in particular, the caster (9) is provided so as to be freely rotatable. Furthermore, the work vehicle body (1) is equipped with two ultrasonic sensors (10) to (17) on each of its front, rear, and both side surfaces, and each drive wheel (2><3> are equipped with encoders (18) and (19) for counting the amount of rotation.

Sensors (10> to (17), encoders (18) (19)
) and the control means (7) are shown in a block diagram in FIG. 2. In this drawing, each encoder (18) (19)
) (7) The output is detected by the detection section (20). After the detection output is waveform-shaped by the waveform shaping circuit (21),
The pulses can be input to a counter (23) via an interface (22), and this counter can count the number of output pulses per unit time. The ultrasonic sensors (10) to (17) for detecting the environment of the work area emit sound waves and detect when the sound waves are reflected back.-C
Then, the signals of the transmission timing and reception timing of this sound wave are given to the timer (26) via the detection section (24), the waveform shaping circuit (25), and the interface (22).
This timer (2
6) and the distance to the wall is counted. Then, the counted value can be input to the calculation section (27), =5= memory section (28). In addition, the memory section (
28) is filled with information on the shape of the work area (map information) and traveling route information.

Next, the operation of the work vehicle itself is controlled by obstacles (30) as shown in Figure 3.
A case will be described in which a work area (29) with a wall (31) and an uneven wall (31) is worked on. The work vehicle 1) is given in advance information such as the size of the work area, the position and size of obstacles (30), whether each wall is flat or uneven, route data, etc. The system corrects deviations in posture and position before the start of operation or before each straight run after a change in direction. In the situation shown in Figure 3, there is an obstacle on the right side, and the ultrasonic sensor (
It is impossible to measure the distance to the wall at step 12), and since there is an uneven wall (31) in front of the wall (31), the distance to this wall will be inaccurate and cannot be used as a reference surface. In this way, from the current position (x, y) according to the travel route information of the work vehicle and the map information of the work area stored in the memory unit (28), the closest wall among the flat walls that can be used as a reference plane is determined. is searched and calculated by the calculation unit (27), and the work vehicle independently determines the direction in which to measure the distance. In FIG. 3, the walls that can serve as reference planes are the left side and the rear side, and the distances to the rear side of the one that is closer are measured by ultrasonic sensors (16) and (17), respectively. If the measured distances to the wall by C/S (16) and (17) at this time are respectively 12+ and R2, then the deviation in the posture of the work vehicle is θ. is Oo = tan-'(+2+-+
22/d). Here d is the ultrasonic sensor (16)
(17). and posture deviation θ. Then, the control means (7) drives the left and right wheels (2) and (3) to make the correction. After correcting the posture, the longitudinal position of the work vehicle is corrected by measuring the distance to the nearest wall (rear in Figure 3) that can serve as a reference between the front and rear. Discrepancy y between the current position and the actual position. Similarly, the control means drives the wheels and corrects them.

After correcting the posture and position as described above, the posture θ is adjusted again. is calculated and held in the memory unit <28> as a reference posture for forward travel, and straight travel is started.

Such correction of the position and attitude of the work vehicle is always performed when the work vehicle stops and changes direction, but if a furlat reference plane cannot be found, the correction of the attitude or position is omitted. The operation of such a work vehicle is shown in the flowchart of FIG.

It is also possible to determine the reference surface by using the outputs from two ultrasonic sensors (12) to (17) installed on each side of the work vehicle, without using the map information of the work area. In addition, although map information and work area information are stored in the memory section (28), they are stored in a memory card or the like and then transferred to the calculation section (28).
7> may be detachably attached to the information reading means.

Next, regarding the straight traveling operation shown in FIG. 4, the operation when traveling in a work area as shown in FIG. 5 will be explained. Before the work vehicle body 1> travels along the route indicated by the dotted line in the figure, a reference plane for travel is determined based on map information of the work area and travel route information given in advance. As shown in Figure 5, in the 3rd area, it can be seen from the map information that there is an obstacle on the right side, so the left side is used as a reference plane and the distance PII is determined using the distance sensor (ultrasonic sensor). Make corrections to keep the distance constant. Next, in area 5, since it can be seen from the map information that there are a plurality of obstacles on the left side, the vehicle uses the right side as a reference plane and measures the distance using a distance sensor (ultrasonic sensor) to perform corrective driving. Note that when both sides can serve as a reference plane, the one that is closer in distance is used as the reference plane. Next, in area C, there is an uneven wall on the right side and an obstacle on the left side, so neither surface can serve as a reference surface. In this case, the attitude of the work vehicle is calculated at any time based on the difference in output between the left and right encoders (18) (19>) that detect the rotation angle of the drive wheels (2) and (3), and the reference attitude θ just before straight movement. , this value is used to perform posture-based correction driving.

Note that the points of change in the distance measurement direction in areas a, b, and c are as follows:
Recognizes the work area by comparing the map information with the straight-line distance of the work vehicle calculated from the rotation angle detector (encoder). A flowchart of such a straight traveling operation is shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a working area to show another embodiment of the straight running operation, and the running operation will be explained together with the flowchart of FIG. 8. In this case, while the work vehicle body (1) is traveling along the path shown by the dotted line in Figure 7, the closest side of the left or right side, for example the left side, is subjected to ultrasonic waves. For example, the distance from (Ill TJ+) is determined by the output of the sensor at a constant f
Correction control is performed so that the vehicle runs while maintaining the position a (a in Fig. 7).
area). In addition, if the side wall cannot serve as a reference or there is an obstacle on one side of the left side and the output of the ultrasonic sensor varies and cannot serve as a reference value, use the encoders corresponding to the left and right wheels (3) and (2). 19) From the output difference in (18), the attitude on of the work vehicle is calculated at any time as shown below, and this value is used to perform corrected driving based on the attitude. (Area 5 in Figure 7) dθ = (ΔLk - ΔRk)/T on = θ. +pdθk k=1 Here, △Lk and △Rk are the travel distance per unit time of each wheel on the left and right, T is the trend (distance between wheels), and d (1
11 is the amount of attitude change per unit time, θ0 is the attitude before straight running, and on is the current attitude.

Next, after the output of the ultrasonic sensor changes significantly (after changing to /i a -1b shown in the figure), when the output ρb continues for a certain interval or more, the original distance to the side wall is determined. p! Rewrite a and set the new standard pb to the memory section (28
) and perform correction driving so that the ultrasonic sensor output becomes this value (area C in Fig. 7).

Note that, as mentioned above, we have shown a method for determining the movement of each of areas a, b, and c in the figure mainly based on the output of the ultrasonic sensor and changing the work standard. A method may be adopted in which the reference is changed based on the map information of the area, the driving route information, and the current position of the work vehicle.

G> Effects of the Invention As mentioned above, the self-propelled working vehicle of the present invention detects the position and posture of the working vehicle based on the distance meter U and II results with the surrounding wall surface using a plurality of distance sensors. Detection can be performed accurately. Also, by comparing the information detected in this way with the travel route information, the position and posture of the work vehicle are corrected at the start of travel, so it is possible for the work vehicle to deviate significantly from the travel route, resulting in an unworked area. The problem will go away.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the self-propelled working vehicle of the present invention when viewed from above, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the travel control mechanism of the self-propelled working vehicle of the present invention, Fig. 3, Fig. 5, FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the working area, FIGS. 4 and 6 are 7-step diagrams showing the operation of the self-propelled working vehicle of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the self-propelled working vehicle of the present invention. It is a flowchart showing an example of operation. (1)... Work vehicle body, (2) (3>... Drive wheel,
(4) (5)...Motor, (6)...Working means, (
7)...control means, (8)(9)...casters, (
10) to (17)...Ultrasonic senna, (18019>
... Encoder, (20) (24) ... Detection section, (
21) (25>... Waveform shaping circuit, (23)... Counter, (26)... Ri(ma), (27)... Arithmetic unit, (28)... Memory unit, (29 )...Work area,
(30〉...Obstacle, (31)...Wall. d [Applicant: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. Attorney, Patent Attorney - 1 - Toji Nishino (1 other person) Ajiku Shichitsumai faction

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A self-propelled work vehicle that performs predetermined work while traveling indoors, a plurality of distance sensors provided on the side of the work vehicle body, map information of the work area, and travel route information. The vehicle has an information holding means for holding information, a control means for causing the work vehicle main body to travel, and a detection means for detecting the position and orientation of the work vehicle based on the results of distance measurement with the surrounding wall surface by the plurality of distance sensors. A self-propelled work vehicle. 2) In a self-propelled work vehicle that performs various tasks while self-propelled indoors, an information holding means that holds map information of the work area and traveling route information, a control means that controls the travel of the work vehicle itself, A detection means for detecting the position and orientation of the vehicle, and a position and orientation of the work vehicle detected by the detection means are compared with traveling route information in the information holding means to correct the position and orientation of the work vehicle. A self-propelled work vehicle. 3) The self-propelled working vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the wall surface closest to the working vehicle is selected as the wall surface serving as a reference for distance measurement by the distance sensor. . 4) The self-propelled working vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a flat wall shape is selected from the map information as a reference wall for distance measurement by the distance sensor. Traveling work vehicle.