JP2007213180A - Movable body system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system for an autonomous movable body for calculating a distance between the movable body and a target by a simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: This movable body system is provided with the autonomous movable body 1 and the target 13 to which the autonomous movable body approaches. The movable body 1 is provided with a first wave transmission means 2 transmitting ultrasonic waves and a first wave receipt means 3 receiving ultrasonic waves, while the target has a second wave transmission means 8 transmitting ultrasonic waves. In a first control mode, a distance to an obstacle 90 is calculated based on a period from transmission of ultrasonic waves by the first wave transmission means 2 to receipt of reflection waves by the first wave receipt means 3. In a second control mode, a distance to the target 13 is calculated based on a period from transmission of ultrasonic waves by the second wave transmission means 8 to receipt of the ultrasonic waves by the first wave receipt means 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an autonomous traveling mobile system that measures the distance to a target.

  In an automatic charging system for an autonomous mobile robot, an automatic garbage collection system for an autonomous mobile cleaning robot, etc., it is important to align the charging device, the garbage collection device and the autonomous mobile robot. In addition, in order to perform accurate position measurement in a large space where there is no target wall in the work environment, it is necessary to install a target such as a beacon or marker in the environment and measure the relative position of the target. It may become.

Conventionally, in such a case, a position measurement system combining an ultrasonic wave, an infrared signal, and a radio signal has been used. As such a position measurement system, there are the following patent documents.
JP2001-051720 (abstract) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-54926 (abstract, claim 2, FIG. 2) JP2003-15740 (abstract) JP 2002-333920 (Abstract, Claim 6)

In the said patent document 1, it is provided with the transmission / reception means installed in two positions of a vehicle, and the four reply means installed in four fixed points of a parking space, and each transmission / reception means is respectively two different reply means, There is disclosed a vehicle position detection device that performs communication to detect a distance between each of them and calculates a vehicle position based on the detected distance.
In patent document 1, in order to detect the position of two places of a vehicle, two transmission means are required on the vehicle side, a receiver dedicated to position measurement is necessary, and a target (reply means) is fixedly installed. Therefore, there is a problem that many targets that cover the moving range are required.

In Patent Document 2, a plurality of ultrasonic transmission devices that transmit ultrasonic waves only when a specific identification synchronization signal is received, an identification synchronization signal transmission device on the mobile robot side, and a set of ultrasonic reception devices An autonomous mobile robot guidance device that measures the time from the identification synchronization signal transmission to reception of ultrasonic waves from a plurality of ultrasonic transmission devices and measures the position and traveling direction on the mobile robot side. It is disclosed.
In Patent Document 2, there is a problem that a different identification synchronization signal must be transmitted for each ultrasonic wave transmission device, and an ultrasonic wave reception device dedicated to position measurement is required.

In the above-mentioned Patent Document 3, the working moving body, an alignment reference plate (guide) having a moving function, and a guide line for moving the alignment reference plate are provided. There is disclosed a movement control device for a working moving body that measures a distance to a reference plate for alignment with a distance meter and performs traveling control so that the distance becomes constant.
In patent document 3, it is for measuring only the position in the width direction in the zigzag traveling, and the position in the vertical direction cannot be measured. Installation of a guide line for moving the alignment reference plate is a major issue. There are problems such as.

In Patent Document 4, there is provided a movement control device for a working moving body including a working moving body and an alignment reference plate (guide) having a function of moving in a direction perpendicular to the target traveling direction of the working moving body. It is disclosed.
Patent Document 4 is for measuring only the position in the horizontal direction in zigzag traveling, and cannot measure the position in the vertical direction. When the autonomous mobile robot is positioned directly beside the alignment reference plate (guide) There is a problem that position measurement can only be performed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and one of its purposes is to provide a system for an autonomous traveling mobile body that can calculate the distance between the mobile body and a target with a simple configuration. .

  One aspect of the present invention calculates a distance based on a self-propelled autonomous mobile body, a target to which the autonomous mobile body travels, and a time from when an ultrasonic wave is transmitted until it is received. The autonomous mobile body includes a first wave transmitting means for transmitting an ultrasonic wave and a first wave receiving means for receiving the ultrasonic wave. The target has second transmission means for transmitting ultrasonic waves, and control means for controlling the first and second transmission means and the first reception means is provided. In the first control mode for measuring the distance between the autonomous mobile body and the obstacle, and in the second control mode for measuring the distance between the autonomous mobile body and the target The control means controls the first and second wave sending means and the first wave receiving means so as to perform switching between In the first control mode, the first transmitting means is controlled to transmit ultrasonic waves, and the first receiving means transmits the ultrasonic waves after the first transmitting means transmits the ultrasonic waves. Based on the time until the reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave is received by the means, the calculating means calculates the distance from the first wave sending means to the obstacle, and in the second control mode, The second wave transmitting means is controlled to transmit ultrasonic waves, and the second wave transmitting means transmits the ultrasonic waves until the first wave receiving means receives the ultrasonic waves. The computing means calculates a distance from the second wave transmitting means to the first wave receiving means based on the time.

  Another aspect of the present invention provides a distance based on a self-propelled autonomous mobile body, a target to which the autonomous mobile body travels, and a time from when an ultrasonic wave is transmitted until it is received. The autonomous mobile body includes a first wave transmitting unit for transmitting an ultrasonic wave and a first wave receiving unit for receiving the ultrasonic wave. And the target includes second receiving means for receiving ultrasonic waves, and control means for controlling the first transmitting means and the first and second receiving means is provided. Driving in the first control mode for measuring the distance between the autonomous mobile body and the obstacle, and second control for measuring the distance between the autonomous mobile body and the target The control means switches the first wave transmitting means and the first and second wave receiving means so as to switch between operation in the mode. In the first control mode, the first wave receiving means is controlled to receive an ultrasonic wave, and the first wave sending means transmits the ultrasonic wave before the first wave receiving means. Based on the time until the wave receiving means receives the reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave, the calculation means calculates the distance from the first wave sending means to the obstacle, and in the second control mode, Is controlled so that the second receiving means receives ultrasonic waves, and after the first transmitting means transmits ultrasonic waves, the second receiving means receives the ultrasonic waves. The calculation means calculates a distance from the first transmission means to the second reception means based on a time until the wave is generated.

  According to these aspects, there are two types of control modes: a first control mode in which an ultrasonic wave transmission / reception unit is mounted on an autonomous traveling moving body, and an obstacle detection and a second control mode in which a target position detection is performed. By providing this, it becomes possible to use both the ultrasonic distance sensor for detecting the obstacle and the ultrasonic sensor for measuring the position of the target. In other words, it is not necessary to install an ultrasonic receiver dedicated to position measurement with a target on an autonomous mobile body, or it is not necessary to provide an ultrasonic transmitter dedicated to position measurement on a target, thus simplifying the apparatus. Can be achieved.

  In the present invention, the control means is not necessarily provided integrally, and the control means may be configured by the first control device on the moving body side and the second control device on the target side. In this case, the first control device controls movement and posture change of the moving body side transmitting / receiving means and the moving body, and the second control device moves and changes posture of the target side wave transmitting and receiving means and target object. It may be one that controls.

  Still another aspect of the present invention provides a self-propelled autonomous mobile object, a target to which the autonomous mobile object travels, and a distance based on a time from when an ultrasonic wave is transmitted until it is received. The autonomous mobile body includes a first wave transmitting means for transmitting an ultrasonic wave, and a first wave receiving means for receiving the ultrasonic wave. The target has second receiving means for receiving ultrasonic waves, and control means for controlling the first transmitting means and the first and second receiving means is provided. And the first and second wave receiving means are controlled to receive ultrasonic waves, and the first wave receiving means transmits the ultrasonic waves, and then the first wave receiving means The calculation means calculates the distance from the first transmission means to the obstacle based on the time until the reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave is received. Based on the time from when the first wave transmitting means transmits ultrasonic waves until the second wave receiving means receives the ultrasonic waves, the calculating means is connected to the first wave transmitting means from the first wave transmitting means. A distance to the second wave receiving means is calculated.

  In this way, the two receiving means perform the receiving operation in parallel, that is, the target receives the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the moving body, and the moving body receives the reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave. It is possible to measure the distance between the moving body and the obstacle and the distance between the moving body and the target object with only one wave transmission from the moving body side.

  Still another aspect of the present invention provides a self-propelled autonomous mobile object, a target to which the autonomous mobile object travels, and a distance based on a time from when an ultrasonic wave is transmitted until it is received. A pair of wave transmitting means for transmitting ultrasonic waves is provided on one of the autonomous mobile body or the target and spaced apart from each other. A pair of wave receiving means for receiving sound waves are provided apart from each other, and a control means for controlling each wave sending means and each wave receiving means and the movement and posture of the autonomous mobile body is provided. Each of the transmitting means transmits ultrasonic waves, and each of the receiving means is controlled to receive the ultrasonic waves, and after each of the transmitting means transmits ultrasonic waves, Based on the time until each receiving means receives the ultrasonic wave, the computing means Calculating at least three distances from one transmission means to each of the second reception means, transmitting ultrasonic waves from one of the pair of second transmission means, and from the other Each of the transmission means is controlled so that the ultrasonic wave transmission is performed at a predetermined time interval.

  According to this aspect, since the transmission of ultrasonic waves from the two transmission means is performed at a predetermined interval, a plurality of distances are measured when measuring a plurality of distances between each transmission means and each reception means. By controlling the distances to be measured in a predetermined order, it is not necessary to transmit different identification synchronization signals for each target, and the system can be simplified.

  In this invention, the transmission means and receiving means which transmit / receive the signal for recognizing the timing of the ultrasonic wave transmission between the said autonomous mobile body and a target may be provided.

  In this way, the timing of ultrasonic transmission can be recognized on the side of calculating the time from when the ultrasonic wave is transmitted until it is received.

  In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the autonomous mobile body further includes a first transmission unit that transmits a signal having directivity, and the target includes a second reception unit that receives the signal. Further, the first transmission means and the second reception means are controlled by the control means, and the first transmission means performs an operation of repeatedly transmitting the signal while changing the posture of the autonomous mobile body. In this operation, the control unit is controlled to stop the posture change of the autonomous mobile unit on condition that the second receiving unit receives the signal, so that the attitude of the autonomous mobile unit to the target is changed. adjust.

  In another preferred aspect of the present invention, there is provided comparison means for comparing a plurality of distances between the respective transmission means and the respective reception means calculated by the calculation means, and the calculation is performed. The comparison means calculates two distances from one of the transmission means to each of the reception means, or two distances from one of the reception means to each of the transmission means. The comparison is performed such that the posture of the autonomous mobile body is changed according to the comparison result of the comparison means.

  In still another preferred aspect of the present invention, there is provided determination means for determining whether or not the distance is normally calculated based on the time from when the ultrasonic wave is transmitted until it is received. The determination means determines whether or not the calculation of the distance between each transmission means and each reception means by the means is normally performed, and according to the determination result of the determination means, the autonomous traveling mobile body Control is performed so that movement and / or posture change is performed.

  According to such a preferable aspect, as a preliminary stage of accurate position measurement, it is possible to provide a step of roughly detecting the direction of the target object and changing or moving the posture of the moving body. Even if the direction is different or the direction is greatly deviated, accurate alignment can be performed. These preferred embodiments may be used in combination.

  In particular, by providing the first transmitting means and the second receiving means, rough direction correction can be performed regardless of the position and direction of the target and the moving body before accurate position measurement is performed. Can be performed.

  In the present invention, the target is movable, the movement of the target is controlled by the control means, and the target may be controlled to move in a predetermined case.

  By configuring the target (an ultrasonic transmitter or receiver) to be movable, quick alignment is possible, improving work efficiency such as automatic charging and automatic garbage collection, and target during work. The number of installed units can be greatly reduced.

  In addition, by enabling accurate straight traveling toward the target and further allowing the target to move, it is not necessary to install a target for each traveling lane of zigzag traveling, and it has a simple configuration and a large area. Enables accurate zigzag running. The target may be another autonomous mobile body.

<First embodiment>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the system according to the present embodiment includes an autonomous traveling mobile body (hereinafter referred to as “moving body”) 1 having a mobile function of traveling on the floor surface and a charging station to which the mobile body 1 is directed. 13 (an example of a target), and the mobile body 1 is automatically charged.

Mobile body:
The moving body 1 includes four first wave transmitting units 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d that transmit ultrasonic waves, and four first wave receiving units 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d that receive ultrasonic waves. First transmitting means 4, Four first receiving means 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, a pair of traveling wheels 6a, 6b connected to a drive motor (FIG. 2), and ultrasonic transmission / reception And a first control device 7 for controlling transmission / reception of signals and driving of a drive motor.

  The first wave transmitting means 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are provided apart from each other in the horizontal direction, and the side wave sending means 2a, 2b provided on both sides and separated from each other in the width direction are generally forward. Ultrasonic waves are transmitted toward the front, and the front transmission means 2c and 2d provided on the front side transmit the ultrasonic waves generally laterally (2c toward the right side and 2d toward the left side). To do.

  The first wave receiving means 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d are provided apart from each other in the horizontal direction, and the side wave receiving means 3a, 3b provided on both sides and separated from each other in the width direction are substantially from the front. The front receiving means 3c and 3d provided on the front side receive the ultrasonic waves from substantially the side (3c from the right side and 3d from the left side).

  Each of the first wave transmitting means 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d and each of the first wave receiving means 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d are configured to be arranged above and below one housing as shown in FIG. 2B. Yes. Therefore, 2a and 3a, 2b and 3b, 2c and 3c, 2d and 3d are at substantially the same position in the horizontal direction. A transmission / reception type ultrasonic sensor may be used.

The 1st transmission means 4 transmits the optical signal which has directivity, and transmits various data. The first receiving means 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d receive optical signals from all directions and receive various data.
The moving body 1 is provided with first time measuring means (timer) 7t (FIG. 2A), and the first time measuring means 7t has a time measuring function.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, each of the means 2a to 2d, 3a to 3d, 4, 5, and 7t is connected to the first control device 7. The first control device 7 includes a microcomputer 71 including a CPU 72, a ROM, and a RAM storage unit 73, and controls ultrasonic wave transmission / reception, signal transmission / reception, movement of the moving body 1, posture change, and the like. The CPU 72 compares a plurality of distances calculated by the calculation means for calculating the distance based on the time from when the ultrasonic wave measured by the time measuring means 7t is transmitted to when it is received, or by the calculation means. It has functions such as a comparison unit and a determination unit that determines whether the distance is normally calculated. The storage unit 73 stores a mutual positional relationship between the wave transmitting / receiving means 2a to 2d and 3a to 3d in the moving body 1 and a predetermined program. The storage unit 73 can store the measured time and distance.

  A pair of drive motors 61 and 62 for driving the traveling wheels are connected to the first control device 7. The control device 7 can control the drive motors 61 and 62 to move the moving body 1 forward or backward, or change its posture.

When the vehicle travels straight, the moving body 1 can move forward or backward by rotating the two drive motors 61 and 62 in the same direction. When performing the rotating operation, the two drive motors 61 and 62 rotate in opposite directions, respectively, so that the moving body 1 can rotate (posture change) around a predetermined rotation center. The traveling assembly 1 can also perform curve traveling by controlling the rotation ratio of the two drive motors 61 and 62.
Note that a gyro sensor (not shown) for measuring the rotation angle of the moving body 1 and a moving distance measuring means (not shown) for measuring the moving distance of the moving body 1 are provided on the moving body. 1 control device 7.

station:
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the station 13 has a substantially U-shaped main body portion 13a, and the mobile body 1 is accommodated in an accommodating space inside the main body portion 13a (FIG. 8C). The mobile body 1 is connected to an external power source via

  The station 13 includes a pair of second transmission means 8a and 8b for transmitting ultrasonic waves, a pair of second reception means 9a and 9b for receiving ultrasonic waves, a second transmission means 10, A second receiving unit 11 and a second control device 12 for controlling transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves, transmission / reception of signals, and the like are provided.

  Each of the second transmitting means 8a and 8b and each of the pair of receiving means 9a and 9b are provided at the tip portions on both sides of the main body 13a, and the second transmitting means 10 and the second receiving means. 11 and the inner back of the main body 13a. The 2nd transmission means 10 is provided in the upper end of the said main-body part 13a, and transmits a directional optical signal.

The second transmission means 8a and 8b, the second reception means 9a and 9b, the second transmission means 10 and the second reception means 11 are the same as the transmission and reception means and transmission / reception means of the mobile body 1. Can be used.
Further, the station 13 is provided with second time measuring means (timer) 12t (FIG. 2A), and the second time measuring means 12t has a time measuring function.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the means 8 a, 8 b, 9 a, 9 b, 10, 11, 12 t are connected to the second control device 12. The second control device 12 includes a CPU 82, a microcomputer 81 including a ROM and a RAM storage unit 83, and controls transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves and transmission / reception of signals. The storage unit 83 stores the mutual positional relationship between the transmission / reception means 8a, 8b, 9a, and 9b in the station 13, a predetermined program, and the like.

  The first control device 7 and the second control device 12 constitute control means for controlling transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves, transmission / reception of signals, movement of the mobile body 1 and posture change.

Operation:
Next, the operation of this system will be described. This system operates in the first control mode for measuring the distance between the moving body 1 and the obstacle 90 (FIG. 2A) and the second for measuring the distance between the moving body 1 and the target 13. Control is performed by the first and second control devices 7 and 13 so that the operation in the control mode is switched.

First control mode (obstacle detection mode);
In the first control mode, the distance between the moving body 1 and the obstacle 90 is measured as shown in FIG. The distance measurement in this mode is a well-known method that is generally used as an obstacle sensor. This mode is performed, for example, when the moving body 1 moves while detecting the obstacle 90.

  In this mode, the first transmission means 2a and 2b are controlled to transmit ultrasonic waves, and after the first transmission means 2a and 2b transmit ultrasonic waves, the ultrasonic waves are faulty. The first time measuring means 7t measures the time until the first wave receiving means 3a and 3b receive the reflected wave reflected by the object 90, and based on the time (for example, multiplying the time by the speed of sound). The CPU (calculation means) 72 calculates the distance from the first wave sending means 2a, 2b to the obstacle 90 (by performing a predetermined correction process). The ultrasonic wave transmission from each of the first wave transmission means 2a and 2b may be performed with a predetermined time interval. In this mode, the second transmission means 8a and 8b may be controlled so as not to transmit ultrasonic waves. As a method for calculating the distance based on the time from when an ultrasonic wave is transmitted to when it is received, for example, methods disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 8-54926 and 2000-56006 can be used.

Second control mode (target detection mode);
In the second control mode, a plurality of distances between the moving body 1 and the station 13 are measured. This mode is performed when the relative position of the station 13 with respect to the moving body 1 is calculated.
In the second control mode, the second transmitting means 8a and 8b are controlled to transmit ultrasonic waves, and after the second transmitting means 8a and 8b transmit ultrasonic waves, the second transmitting means 8a and 8b transmit ultrasonic waves. Based on the time until the first wave receiving means 3a-3d receives the ultrasonic wave, the CPU (calculation means) 72 receives the first wave receiving means 3a-3d from the second wave sending means 8a, 8b. The distance to is calculated. The ultrasonic wave transmission from each of the second wave transmission means 8a and 8b may be performed with a predetermined time interval. In this mode, the first wave transmission means 2a and 2b may be controlled not to transmit ultrasonic waves.

Automatic maintenance:
In this system, automatic maintenance is performed in which the mobile body 1 is accommodated in the station 13 and charged. Hereinafter, the process of performing automatic maintenance by operating in the first and second control modes will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 4, automatic maintenance is performed by transmitting and receiving a call signal and performing rough alignment, then measuring the target position (position of the station 13) and moving to the target position. (Charging) is performed.

Rough alignment;
For example, when a predetermined operation such as cleaning is completed, an automatic maintenance flow is started. At this time, rough alignment of the moving body 1 with respect to the station 13 is performed by transmission / reception of a predetermined call signal or transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves.

  5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating an example of “rough direction alignment” in the flowchart of FIG. 4. In this example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the first transmission unit 4 of the moving body 1 repeatedly transmits a call signal having directivity of a predetermined angle while the moving body rotates and changes its posture (orientation). . Then, the second receiving means 11 of the station 13 receives the call signal only when the moving body 1 is substantially directed toward the station 13 as shown in FIG. 5B. When the second receiving unit 11 receives the call signal, the second transmitting unit 10 transmits a predetermined reply signal as shown in FIG. 5C. Since the first receiving means 5a to 5d of the mobile body 1 are adapted to receive signals from all directions, they receive a reply signal from the station 13. As a result, the first control device 7 of the moving body 1 recognizes that the moving body 1 is almost facing the station 13 and stops rotating. In this way, the posture of the moving body 1 with respect to the station 13 is adjusted.

  6 and 7 are diagrams showing another example of “rough direction alignment” in the flowchart of FIG. 4. In this example, the station 13 is configured to transmit a predetermined call signal from the second transmitting means 10, and the first receiving means 5a to 5d of the mobile body 1 are configured to receive signals from all directions. The call signal is received, and thereafter the posture of the moving body 1 is adjusted by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves. The operation of this example may be performed after the operation of the example of FIG. 5 is performed.

  In this example, after transmitting the call signal, ultrasonic pulses are transmitted from each of the second transmission means 8a and 8b in a predetermined order with a predetermined time interval. Therefore, the first control device 7 of the moving body 1 recognizes the timing of the ultrasonic wave transmission from each of the second wave transmission means 8a and 8b with a predetermined interval based on the reception time of the call signal.

  The moving body 1 is equipped with first wave receiving means 5a to 5d facing in different directions, and the first wave receiving means 5a to 5d receive ultrasonic pulses at a predetermined time interval and in a predetermined order. The time until the wave is measured by the first time measuring means 7t, and the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the second wave transmitting means 8a and 8b are received by the first wave receiving means 5a to 5d, respectively. The CPU (calculation means) 72 calculates the distances of all combinations of one of 8a and 8b and one of 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d based on the time of The CPU (determination means) 72 determines whether or not it has been calculated. When the ultrasonic wave is not normally received, it is determined that the distance has not been normally calculated.

  Then, the posture (direction) and position of the moving body 1 are changed according to the type of combination of the distance value calculated normally and the distance value not calculated normally. In this way, the position and posture of the moving body 1 with respect to the station 13 are adjusted. Specific examples of this example are as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D and FIGS.

Move to the target position;
Next, measurement of the target position (position of the station 13) and movement processing to the target position will be described. In this process, for example, when the moving body 1 is at the position shown in FIG. 8A, the distances L1 to L4 are calculated and the target position is measured. According to this measurement result, the mobile body 1 moves to face the station 13 as shown in FIG. 8B (the mobile body 1 is in front of the accommodation space of the station 13 and faces in a predetermined positional relationship and posture). 13 is accommodated. 8, 16, 17, and 18, an example in which only 2 a and 2 b of the first transmitting means 2 a to 2 d and 3 a and 3 b of the first receiving means 3 a to 3 d are used. The illustration of 2c, 2d, 3c, 3d is omitted.

The target position moving process is performed according to the flow shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. The distance measurement between the moving body 1 and the station 13 in this flow is performed in the second control mode. Hereinafter, the flow of the movement process will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, each step F1-F12 of FIG. 9 shows the flow of control of the 1st control apparatus 7, and each step H1-H10 of FIG. 11 shows the flow of control of the 2nd control apparatus 12. FIG.
This flow is started when the moving body 1 is stopped and switched to the second control mode (ready for measurement). The moving body 1 is stopped when the first receiving means 5a to 5d receive the call signal from the station 13 while the moving body 1 is moving and detecting a decrease in the battery voltage. It is better to

  While the moving body 1 is stopped, a measurement start signal is transmitted from the second transmission unit 10 of the station 13 (H1), and the first reception units 5a to 5d receive the measurement start signal (F1). The measurement start signal may be the same as the call signal. Information on the timing of ultrasonic transmission from the second transmission means 8a, 8b from the measurement start signal (time from the measurement start signal to ultrasonic transmission) may be stored in advance in the moving body, It may be included in the measurement start signal, so that the timing of each ultrasonic transmission and the timing of reception can be recognized on the moving body 1 side. Since the measurement start signal is an optical signal and the speed is sufficiently high, the signal propagation time can be regarded as zero regardless of the distance.

  Then, after recognizing the end of transmission of the measurement start signal, the second control device 12 starts the second time measuring means 12t (H2), and after a predetermined time interval (50 msec in this example), The second wave transmitting means 8a and 8b are controlled so as to transmit the ultrasonic wave twice sequentially.

  That is, after the start of the second time measuring means 12t, the first ultrasonic pulse is transmitted from the second wave sending means 8b (H3), and it waits until the second time measuring means 12t has elapsed 50 msec (H4). The second ultrasonic transmission unit 8b transmits the second ultrasonic pulse (H5), waits until the second time measuring unit 12t has passed 100 msec (H6), and the second transmission unit 8a performs the first time. (H7), wait until the second time measuring means 12t has passed 150 msec (H8), and send the second ultrasonic pulse from the second wave sending means 8a (H9). Control is performed so that the second time measuring means 12t waits until 200 msec elapses and returns to step H1 again.

  On the other hand, after recognizing the end of reception of the measurement start signal, the first control device 7 starts the first time measuring means 7t (F2) and transmits the ultrasonic waves from the second wave sending means 8a and 8b. In synchronization with the wave timing, the time from the ultrasonic wave transmission from each of the second wave transmission means 8a, 8b to the ultrasonic wave reception of each of the first wave reception means 3a, 3b is measured, and the CPU (calculation) (Means) 72 calculates distances L1 to L4 (FIG. 8A) between the second wave sending means 8a and 8b and the first wave receiving means 3a and 3b.

  That is, after the start of the first time measuring means 7t, L1 is calculated from the value of the first time measuring means 7t when the first wave receiving means 3a receives the ultrasonic pulse from the second wave sending means 8b. Calculate (F3), wait until the first time measuring means 7t elapses for 50 msec (F4), and the first wave receiving means 3b receives the ultrasonic pulse from the second wave sending means 8b. L2 is calculated from the value of the first time measuring means 7t (F5), waits until the first time measuring means 7t passes 100 msec (F6), and the first wave receiving means 3a is the second wave sending means 8a. L3 is calculated from the value of the first time measuring means 7t when receiving the ultrasonic pulse from (F7), and waits until the first time measuring means 7t passes 150 msec (F8). When the means 3b receives the ultrasonic pulse from the second transmitting means 8a, L4 is calculated from the value of the time measuring means 7t of 1 (F9), a predetermined movement process is performed (F10), and it is determined whether or not a goal flg described later is 1 (F11). Then, it moves into the station 13 (F12), and if it is N, it returns to Step F1 again.

  In this embodiment, the ultrasonic wave transmission from each of the second wave transmission means 8a and 8b is performed twice, but may be performed once. In this case, the distances L1 to L4 (FIG. 8A) are calculated by receiving the waves by the first receiving means 3a and 3b for each transmission.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing details of the predetermined movement process (F10) in the flowchart of FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the movement process is performed by a position calculation process for calculating the positions of the second transmitting means 8a and 8b based on the calculated values of the distances L1, L2, L3 and L4. Whether or not the calculation result is an error is determined by the CPU (determination means) 72 (G2). If it is not an error, a straight line connecting 8a and 8b based on the positions of 8a and 8b, and 3a and 3b The direction (posture) calculation process for calculating the angle θ formed by the straight line connecting the two is performed (G3), and the target position calculation process for calculating the movement target position of the moving body 1 is performed based on the positions 8a and 8b. After (G4), the moving body 1 moves to the movement target position (G5), and based on the calculated θ, the moving body 1 is rotated (posture change) to face the station 13 (G6), and the movement It is determined whether the measured distance is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value (G7). In this case, goal flg = 1 is stored in the storage unit 73 (G8), and when larger than a predetermined value, goal flg = 0 is stored in the storage unit 73 (G11). If it is determined in step G2 that the calculation result is an error, a predetermined position & direction correction process is performed (G10), and goal flg = 0 is stored in the storage unit 73 (G11).

  14 and 15 are flowcharts showing details of the “position calculation processing” routine (G1) included in the flowchart of FIG. The CPU (determination means, comparison) determines whether or not the CPU (calculation means) 72 has normally calculated the distance between the transmission / reception means by performing processing according to steps M1 to M25 in FIGS. (Means) 72, and different processing is performed according to the determination result and comparison result of the CPU 72 (G2 in FIG. 10). 14 and 15, the xy coordinate values shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 are 6a, 6b with the midpoint of the line segment connecting the traveling wheels 6a, 6b of the moving body 1 as the origin, as shown in FIG. Are the positions when the straight line connecting X is the x axis and the straight line orthogonal to the x axis is the y axis, and points A, B, C, and D indicate the positions of 3a, 3b, 8b, and 8a, respectively, and D1 Indicates the distance between 3a and 3b stored in advance, and D2 indicates the distance between 8a and 8b stored in advance.

  That is, the CPU (determination unit, comparison unit) 72 determines whether or not the distance has been normally calculated as follows, for example.

(1) When all of L1, L2, L3, and L4 can be measured, it is determined that the distance has been calculated normally.
in this case,
(1-1) Calculate the position of point C from the length of the three sides of triangle ABC,
(1-2) Calculate the position of the point D from the length of the three sides of the triangle ABD,
(1-3) Calculate the position of point C as the intersection of a circle with radius L1 centered on point A and a circle with radius D2 centered on the position of point D calculated in (1-2);
(1-4) The position of point D is calculated as the intersection of a circle with radius L4 centered on point B and a circle with radius D2 centered on the position of point C calculated in (1-1).
(1-5) The position of point C is the average value of the position of point C calculated in (1-1) and the position of point C calculated in (1-3).
(1-6) By setting the average value of the position of the point D calculated in (1-2) and the position of the point D calculated in (1-4) as the position of the point D,
The positions of points C and D are determined.

(2) If L1, L3, and L4 can be measured and L2 cannot be measured, it is determined that the distance has been calculated normally.
in this case,
(2-1) Calculate the position of the point D from the length of the three sides of the triangle ABD,
(2-2) By calculating the position of point C as the intersection of a circle with radius L1 centered on point A and a circle with radius D2 centered on the position of point D calculated in (2-1) ,
The positions of points C and D are determined.

(3) If L1, L2, and L4 can be measured and L3 cannot be measured, it is determined that the distance has been calculated normally.
in this case,
(3-1) Calculate the position of the point C from the length of the three sides of the triangle ABC,
(3-2) By calculating the position of point D as the intersection of a circle with radius L4 centered on point B and a circle with radius D2 centered on the position of point C calculated in (3-1) ,
The positions of points C and D are determined.

(4) On the other hand, in the following cases, it is determined that the distance has not been calculated correctly (error).
(4-1) When L1 cannot be measured
(4-2) When L4 cannot be measured
(4-3) When both L2 and L3 cannot be measured
(4-4) L1 + L2 is smaller than D1
(4-5) When L3 + L4 is smaller than D1
(4-6) When the absolute value of the difference between L1 and L2 is greater than D1
(4-7) When the absolute value of the difference between L3 and L4 is greater than D1

  17A to 17C are plan views for explaining the “position & direction correction process” (G10) included in the movement process flowchart of FIG. Whether or not the distances L1 to L4 can be measured is determined in the position calculation process shown in FIG. 14, but is not received within a predetermined time after transmission, or received after transmission. The case where the time until it is less than or equal to the predetermined value is regarded as a measurement failure, and when the sum of L1 and L2 is shorter than the distance D1 between the ultrasonic sensors of the moving body 1, or the sum of L3 and L4 is A measurement result that cannot be normally obtained such as when the distance between the ultrasonic sensors on the station 13 side is shorter than the distance (D2) is regarded as a measurement failure, and a predetermined movement or posture change process is performed. Specific examples thereof are as shown in FIGS. Since the ultrasonic wave receiving means has directivity, a rough relative positional relationship between the station 13 and the moving body 1 is estimated by utilizing the property of causing a measurement error when the incident angle of the ultrasonic wave is large. Move.

<Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the following embodiments, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description and illustration thereof are omitted.

In the present embodiment, the CPU 82 of the second control device 12 has functions of a calculation unit, a determination unit, and a comparison unit.
In the first control mode, the first wave receiving means 3a and 3b are controlled to receive the ultrasonic wave, and the first wave sending means 2a and 2b transmit the ultrasonic wave and then the first wave is received. Based on the time until the wave receiving means 3a, 3b receive the reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave, the CPU (calculation means) 72 determines the distance from the first wave sending means 2a, 2b to the obstacle. calculate.

  In the second control mode, the second wave receiving means 9a and 9b are controlled to receive ultrasonic waves, and the first wave sending means 2a and 2b transmit ultrasonic waves. Based on the time until the second wave receiving means 9a, 9b receive the ultrasonic wave, the CPU (calculation means) 82 receives the second wave receiving means 9a from the first wave sending means 2a, 2b. , 9b is calculated.

  In this embodiment, it is not necessary to provide mode switching. As shown in FIG. 27, the first wave receiving means 3a, 3b and the second wave receiving means 9a, 9b are replaced by the first wave sending means 2a, It may be controlled to receive the same ultrasonic wave transmitted from 2b. In this way, it is possible to measure two distances with one ultrasonic transmission.

  In the first embodiment, the mobile body 1 is configured to receive the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the station 13 in the “rough direction alignment” and “movement processing to the target position”. In the example, conversely, the station 13 is configured to receive the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the moving body 1, and the station calculates the time from the ultrasonic wave transmission to the wave reception and measures the distance. This is performed by the CPU 82 on the 13th side.

  In the present embodiment, the measurement result performed on the station 13 side is transmitted from the station 13 to the mobile unit 1, or a movement command based on the measurement result is transmitted from the station 13 to the mobile unit 1. good.

  In this embodiment, instead of the flow shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 11, the movement process is performed according to the flow shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 12 and 13 when the ultrasonic pulse transmitted from the moving body 1 is received on the station 13 side. Is done. In addition, each step J1-J13 of FIG. 12 shows the flow of control of the 1st control apparatus 7, and each step K1-K11 of FIG. 13 shows the flow of control of the 2nd control apparatus 12. FIG.

<Third embodiment>
In this embodiment, the target 13 is configured to be movable, and the movement of the target 13 is controlled by the control means, and is controlled so that the target moves in a predetermined case.
Hereinafter, a case where two mobile bodies having the same configuration (FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A) as the mobile body 1 of the first embodiment are used (mobile bodies 101, 102) will be described as an example. In this case, both the moving bodies 101 and 102 can perform the same operation as in the first or second embodiment with the other party as a station (target) 13.

Alignment of two mobile objects:
18A to 18D, two mobile bodies 101 and 102 each measure the position with the counterpart side regarded as a station, calculate the positions of the rotation centers O1 and O2 of the counterpart mobile body, and face in that direction. By rotating in this way, the flow of two moving bodies facing each other and moving to a predetermined relative position is shown. In the figure, A and B respectively indicate the wave transmitting / receiving means 2a, 3a and 2b, 3b on the first moving body 101 side, and C and D respectively indicate on the second moving body 102 side. Wave transmitting / receiving means 2a, 3a and 2b, 3b are shown.

  As shown in FIG. 18A, the control device 7 (FIG. 2A) of the first moving body 101 uses the first moving body after the transmission / reception means C and D of the second moving body 102 transmit ultrasonic waves. By measuring the time until the transmission / reception means A and B receive the ultrasonic waves, the plurality of transmission / reception means C and D of the second moving body 102 and the plurality of transmission / reception of the first moving body 101 are performed. A plurality of distance values L1 to L4 between the wave means A and B are calculated. Then, based on the plurality of distance values L1 to L4 and the information on the positional relationship between the turning center O2 of the second moving body 102 and the wave transmitting / receiving means C and D stored in advance, the first moving body 101 is used. The direction (angle θ1) of the turning center O2 of the second moving body 102 as seen from FIG. 18B is calculated (FIG. 18B). For example, the angle θ1 is calculated by the method shown in FIG. 10 of the first embodiment.

  Similarly, the control device 7 (FIG. 2A) of the second moving body 102 transmits / receives waves of the second moving body after the transmission / reception means A and B of the first moving body 101 transmit ultrasonic waves. By measuring the time until the means C and D receive the ultrasonic waves, the plurality of wave transmitting / receiving means A and B of the first moving body 101 and the plurality of wave transmitting / receiving means C of the second moving body 102 are measured. , D, a plurality of distance values L1 to L4 are calculated. Then, based on the plurality of distance values L1 to L4 and the information on the positional relationship between the turning center O1 of the first moving body 101 and the wave transmitting / receiving means A and B stored in advance, the second moving body 102 is used. The direction (angle θ2) of the turning center O1 of the first moving body 101 as seen from FIG. 18 is calculated (FIG. 18B).

  Then, the moving bodies 101 and 102 are rotated (the posture is changed) based on the angles θ1 and θ2. That is, as shown in FIG. 18C, the first moving body 101 rotates counterclockwise by the calculated angle θ1, and the second moving body 102 rotates counterclockwise by the calculated angle θ2. Thus, the mobile bodies 101 and 102 are opposed to each other. After this facing, as shown in FIG. 18D, the first moving body 101 moves toward the second moving body 102 while maintaining the facing posture with the second moving body 102 as a target. Advance.

Example of zigzag running with multiple moving objects:
FIG. 19 shows that the first moving body 1 travels in a zigzag manner using the second and third moving bodies 102 and 103. The third moving body 103 has the same configuration as the second moving body. In this case, the first moving body 1 travels straight toward the second or third moving body 102, 103 as the target, and the moving bodies 102, 103 as the target further move to the first moving body. Since it moves in the width direction 96 substantially orthogonal to the straight traveling direction 95 of 101, the zigzag traveling work in a large area can be performed accurately.

  Control in which the first moving body 101 moves straight toward the second and third moving bodies 102 and 103 is performed by repeatedly performing a predetermined posture adjustment while the first moving body 101 moves straight. That is, distances L1 and L2 between two different points A and B on the first moving body 101 and one point on the second moving body are measured, and the distance values L1 and L2 are equal. In this way, the vehicle travels straight toward the second moving body 102 by moving straight while correcting the direction. For example, the distances L1 and L2 between the transmission / reception means A and B of the first mobile body 101 and the transmission / reception means of the second or third mobile body 102 and 103 are measured. If L1> L2, the curve curves to the right (Change the posture clockwise), and if L1 <L2, curve to the left (change the posture counterclockwise).

  Then, the distance between the first moving body 101 and the second or third moving bodies 102 and 103 is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, or the first moving body 101 has advanced a predetermined distance. After detecting, the straight traveling toward the moving bodies 102 and 103 is finished, and the vehicle moves in the lateral direction 96.

  Since the first moving body 101 performs zigzag traveling, the traveling distance is long, and if there is no target, a deviation occurs in the traveling direction due to the accumulated error of the gyro sensor (direction sensor) during traveling. The traveling direction of the moving body 1 is controlled so that the distances between the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving means A and B and the wave transmitting / receiving means of the target (moving bodies 102 and 103) are equal to each other. It is possible to go straight ahead.

  On the other hand, the second moving body 102 is stopped while the first moving body 1 travels in the forward direction, and after the first moving body 101 finishes going straight toward the second moving body 102, While one moving body 1 is moving sideways and traveling backward, it moves in the horizontal direction 96 by a predetermined distance and moves to the next forward position.

  The third moving body 103 is stopped while the first moving body 1 is traveling in the backward direction, and after the first moving body 101 finishes going straight toward the third moving body 103, the first moving body 103 While the moving body 1 is moving laterally and traveling forward, it moves in the lateral direction 96 by a predetermined distance and moves to the next return path position.

  The moving distance of the moving bodies 2 and 3 is smaller than that of the moving body 1, and the accumulated error of the working gyro sensor is also small. Therefore, it is possible to travel sufficiently accurately only by the straight traveling control by the gyro sensor. In addition, as shown in FIG. 19, guides 91 and 92 are provided for the straight movement of the second moving body 102 and the third moving body 103 that are targets of the first moving body 101, and the first movement The second and third moving bodies 102 and 103 may go straight toward the guides 91 and 92 with L5 = L6 in the same manner as the body 101. In that case, an expensive gyro sensor may be used. It can be omitted.

  20 and 21 show another example of control when the vehicle travels straight toward the target. In this example, L1 and L2 are not measured at the same time, but are measured sequentially with a predetermined time interval. That is, the travel distance D1 when the distance L1 is measured is different from the travel distance D2 when the distance L2 is measured.

  When an ultrasonic sensor is used as an obstacle sensor, it is generally configured to perform transmission and reception sequentially one by one, so when obstacle detection and target detection are performed with the same sensor Therefore, as in this embodiment, if the receiving means are configured to receive one by one sequentially, the circuit configuration is simplified.

  In this example, since the moving body has advanced by (D2−D1) between the measurement of L1 and the measurement of L2, when the comparison between L1 and L2 is performed, this advanced distance should be taken into consideration. Thus, an accurate comparison can be performed.

  This control is performed, for example, according to steps S1 to S8 in the flowchart of FIG. That is, while the first moving body 101 is traveling straight, the distance to the obstacle on the left side, right side, left front, and right front is measured in the obstacle detection mode, the obstacle handling process is performed (S1, S2), and target detection is performed. In the mode, the distance L1 between the right lateral ultrasonic sensor D of the target (second moving body 102) and the left front ultrasonic sensor B of the first moving body 101 is measured (S3), and the travel distance D1 at the time of L1 measurement (S4), and after a predetermined time, the distance L2 between the right lateral ultrasonic sensor D of the target (second moving body 102) and the right front ultrasonic sensor A of the first moving body 101 is set in the target detection mode. Measure (S5), store the travel distance D2 at the time of L2 measurement (S6), and if L1> L2 + (D2-D1), control is performed to curve to the right, and L1 <L2 + (D2-D1) Is controlled to curve to the left (S7), and then the distance L2 is It is determined whether the value below (S8), to stop the advancement of the mobile body 101 if less than the predetermined value, if greater than a predetermined value, returns to step S1.

  The flow of L1 measurement in FIG. 21 is performed according to the flowchart of FIG. 22, and the flow of L2 measurement is performed according to the flowchart of FIG. The control flow on the target (moving body 102) side in this case is as shown in FIG.

FIG. 25 and FIG. 26 are a plan view and a flowchart for explaining a process of correcting the direction (posture) so that the direction of the moving body is directed toward the target before going straight toward the target.
As shown in FIG. 25, the first moving body 101 measures L1 and L2 while turning on the spot, and stops the turn on the spot when the values of L1 and L2 become substantially equal. The traveling direction at the start of straight traveling can be corrected to the direction toward the target. The detailed control is as shown in FIG.

As described above, the preferred embodiments have been described with reference to the drawings. However, those skilled in the art will readily understand various changes and modifications within the obvious scope by looking at the present specification.
For example, the target is not limited to the charging station, but may be a dust collection device of a cleaning robot, or a guide that simply determines the direction of the moving body.
In the above embodiment, the wave transmitting means and the wave receiving means are provided on both the moving body and the target. However, a structure may be adopted in which the wave transmitting means is provided on one side and the wave receiving means is provided on the other side. The same applies to the transmission means and the reception means.
Accordingly, such changes and modifications are to be construed as within the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.

  In addition to a self-propelled work robot that performs self-propelled operations such as cleaning and wax application, the present invention includes an intelligent electric wheelchair that has an omnidirectional movement function and moves autonomously to a predetermined seat position with a person on board. Can be used.

A and B are a plan view and a side view, respectively, showing a system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. A is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of the system, and B is a perspective view showing a transmitting means for traveling ultrasonic pulses and a receiving means for receiving ultrasonic pulses. It is a side view which shows the principle which this autonomous mobile robot detects an obstruction. It is a flowchart which shows the flow at the time of the autonomous mobile robot of a present Example performing automatic maintenance work between the stations which perform maintenance, such as charge. A to C are plan views showing examples of “rough direction alignment” in the flowchart of FIG. 4. AE is a top view which shows another example of "rough direction alignment", respectively. AD is a top view which shows another example of "rough direction alignment", respectively. FIGS. 8A to 8C are plan views illustrating movement processing in which the autonomous mobile robot moves to a predetermined position (target position) with respect to the station. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the measurement and movement of the target position in a 1st control apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of a movement process. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the measurement of the target position in a 2nd control apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the measurement and movement of the target position in the 1st control apparatus in 2nd Example. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the measurement of the target position in the said 2nd control apparatus. 11 is a flowchart showing details of a “position calculation process” routine included in the flowchart of FIG. 10. 11 is a flowchart showing details of a “position calculation process” routine included in the flowchart of FIG. 10. It is a top view which shows a position calculation process. FIGS. 11A to 11C are plan views showing “position & direction correction processing” included in the flowchart of FIG. 10. AD is a top view which shows the flow in which the two mobile bodies of 3rd Example move to a predetermined | prescribed relative position, respectively. It is a top view which shows performing the zigzag driving | running | working work in a wide area using the 2 or more mobile bodies. It is a top view which shows another example in the case of going straight ahead toward a target object. It is a flowchart which shows another example in the case of going straight ahead toward a target object. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of L1 measurement. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of L2 measurement. It is a flowchart which shows the flow by the side of a target object. It is a top view which shows the process of correct | amending the direction of a moving body so that it may go to a target, before going straight ahead toward a target. It is a flowchart which shows the process of correcting the direction of a moving body so that it may go to a target, before going straight ahead toward a target. It is a top view which shows the distance measurement of the mobile body in a 2nd Example, an obstruction, and a target object.

Explanation of symbols

1: Mobile body
2a, 2b, 2c, 2d: The first transmission means 2a, 2b are forward direction 2c is right lateral direction 2d is left lateral direction
3a, 3b, 3c, 3d: The first receiving means 3a, 3b is forward direction 3c is right lateral direction 3d is left lateral direction
4: First transmission method
5a, 5b, 5c, 5d: First receiving means
7: First control device
8a, 8b: Second transmission means
9a, 9b: Second wave receiving means
10: Second transmission method
11: Second receiving means
12: Second control device
13: Station

Claims (9)

A mobile body provided with a self-propelled autonomous mobile body, a target to which the autonomous mobile body travels, and a calculation means for calculating a distance based on a time from when an ultrasonic wave is transmitted until it is received A system,
The autonomous mobile body has first wave transmitting means for transmitting ultrasonic waves, and first wave receiving means for receiving ultrasonic waves,
The target has second transmission means for transmitting ultrasonic waves,
Control means for controlling the first and second wave transmitting means and the first wave receiving means is provided;
Driving in the first control mode for measuring the distance between the autonomous mobile body and the obstacle, and in the second control mode for measuring the distance between the autonomous mobile body and the target The control means controls the first and second wave sending means and the first wave receiving means so as to switch between operation;
In the first control mode, the first transmitting means is controlled to transmit ultrasonic waves, and the first receiving means transmits the ultrasonic waves after the first transmitting means transmits the ultrasonic waves. Based on the time until the means receives the reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave, the calculation means calculates the distance from the first wave sending means to the obstacle,
In the second control mode, the second wave sending means is controlled to send an ultrasonic wave, and the second wave sending means sends an ultrasonic wave before the first wave receiving wave. Based on the time until the means receives the ultrasonic wave, the calculating means calculates the distance from the second transmitting means to the first receiving means,
A mobile system characterized by that. A mobile body provided with a self-propelled autonomous mobile body, a target to which the autonomous mobile body travels, and a calculation means for calculating a distance based on a time from when an ultrasonic wave is transmitted until it is received A system,
The autonomous mobile body has first wave transmitting means for transmitting ultrasonic waves, and first wave receiving means for receiving ultrasonic waves,
The target has second receiving means for receiving ultrasonic waves,
Control means for controlling the first wave transmitting means and the first and second wave receiving means is provided,
Driving in the first control mode for measuring the distance between the autonomous mobile body and the obstacle, and in the second control mode for measuring the distance between the autonomous mobile body and the target The control means controls the first wave sending means and the first and second wave receiving means so as to switch between operation;
In the first control mode, the first wave receiving means is controlled to receive an ultrasonic wave, and the first wave sending means transmits an ultrasonic wave before the first wave receiving wave. Based on the time until the means receives the reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave, the calculation means calculates the distance from the first wave sending means to the obstacle,
In the second control mode, the second wave receiving means is controlled to receive an ultrasonic wave, and the second wave receiving means transmits the ultrasonic wave after the first wave sending means transmits the ultrasonic wave. Based on the time until the means receives the ultrasonic wave, the computing means calculates the distance from the first transmitting means to the second receiving means,
A mobile system characterized by that. A mobile body provided with a self-propelled autonomous mobile body, a target to which the autonomous mobile body travels, and a calculation means for calculating a distance based on a time from when an ultrasonic wave is transmitted until it is received A system,
The autonomous mobile body has first wave transmitting means for transmitting ultrasonic waves, and first wave receiving means for receiving ultrasonic waves,
The target has second receiving means for receiving ultrasonic waves,
Control means for controlling the first wave transmitting means and the first and second wave receiving means is provided,
The first and second wave receiving means are controlled to receive ultrasonic waves, and the first wave receiving means transmits ultrasonic waves, and then the first wave receiving means receives the ultrasonic waves. Based on the time until the reflected wave is received, the calculation means calculates the distance from the first transmission means to the obstacle, and the first transmission means sends an ultrasonic wave. The calculation means calculates the distance from the first transmission means to the second reception means based on the time from when the second reception means receives the ultrasonic wave to the second reception means,
A mobile system characterized by that. A mobile body provided with a self-propelled autonomous mobile body, a target to which the autonomous mobile body travels, and a calculation means for calculating a distance based on a time from when an ultrasonic wave is transmitted until it is received A system,
A pair of wave transmitting means for transmitting ultrasonic waves is provided apart from each other on one of the autonomous mobile body or the target, and a pair of wave receiving means for receiving ultrasonic waves are provided separately from each other on the other side. And
Control means for controlling the movement and posture of each of the transmitting means and each receiving means and the autonomous mobile body is provided,
Each of the transmitting means transmits ultrasonic waves and is controlled so that each of the receiving means receives the ultrasonic waves, and each of the transmitting means transmits the ultrasonic waves and then receives each of the receiving waves. Based on the time until the wave means receives the ultrasonic wave, the calculation means calculates at least three distances from the first wave sending means to the second wave receiving means,
Each of the transmission means so that transmission of ultrasonic waves from one of the pair of second transmission means and transmission of ultrasonic waves from the other are performed at a predetermined time interval. A mobile system that is controlled.   5. The transmission means and the reception means for transmitting and receiving a signal for recognizing the timing of ultrasonic wave transmission between the autonomous mobile body and the target according to any one of claims 1 to 4. , Mobile system. In any one of Claim 1 to 5, the said autonomous mobile body further has the 1st transmission means which transmits the signal which has directivity,
The target further includes second receiving means for receiving the signal,
The first transmission means and the second reception means are controlled by the control means,
The autonomous traveling mobile body is operated on condition that the first transmission means repeatedly transmits the signal while changing the attitude of the autonomous traveling mobile body, and the second receiving means receives the signal in the operation. The moving body system which adjusts the attitude | position with respect to the said target object of the said autonomous traveling mobile body by controlling to stop attitude | position change. In any one of Claims 1-6, the comparison means which compares several distance between each said transmission means calculated by the said calculation means and each said receiving means is provided,
Of the calculated distances, two distances from one of the transmitting means to each receiving means, or two distances from one of the receiving means to each transmitting means, A mobile system controlled by a comparison means and controlled so that the posture of the autonomous mobile body is changed according to a comparison result of the comparison means. In any one of Claims 1-7, the determination means which determines whether the distance was normally calculated based on the time after an ultrasonic wave was transmitted until it was received is provided,
The determination means determines whether or not the calculation of the distance between each transmission means and each reception means by the calculation means has been normally performed, and the autonomous traveling movement is performed according to the determination result of the determination means A mobile system that is controlled such that body movement and / or posture changes are performed. The object according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the target is movable,
The movement of the target is controlled by the control means,
A mobile system that is controlled so that the target moves in a predetermined case.

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