DE102022106408A1 - Cleaning and/or maintenance system for a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a cleaning system and/or maintenance system for autonomous vehicle interior cleaning or autonomous vehicle maintenance, with at least one robot arm (5), which can be controlled by an electronic robot control device (15) in order to carry out process steps with the help of which treatment is carried out regardless of the vehicle type.

Description

The invention relates to a cleaning and/or maintenance system for autonomous treatment of a vehicle parked therein according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method for carrying out autonomous vehicle treatment in such a system according to claim 6.

The cleaning of a vehicle's interior as well as other maintenance processes (such as topping up oil, topping up washer fluid) have so far been carried out manually.

In contrast, in a generic cleaning and/or maintenance system, the vehicle interior cleaning or vehicle maintenance is carried out autonomously. The vehicle is treated with at least one robot arm, which can be controlled by an electronic robot control unit.

In the prior art, a rigid CAD program can be stored in the robot control unit to control the robot arm. Based on the CAD program, the robot arm carries out autonomous vehicle interior cleaning or autonomous vehicle maintenance. Based on the rigid CAD program, the robot control unit calculates trajectories that the robot arm follows during the treatment process.

Due to different vehicle models, different parking positions of the vehicle in the system and different positions of the vehicle seats, the vehicle to be treated can be viewed as an unknown workpiece in a complex, unknown process environment. A rigid 3D CAD model used in the prior art is therefore not sufficient to completely automate the cleaning and/or maintenance process, since the flexibility in controlling the robot arm is limited. In addition, a high level of work and expert knowledge is required when creating, changing and adapting the robot program.

As an alternative to using a rigid 3D CAD model, it is also generally known to manually teach the robot control program in a teach-in process, or to create the robot control program offline in advance in a simulation process based on a CAD model and adapt it on site. However, such approaches are not economical when cleaning and/or maintaining different vehicle models.

From the DE 10 2018 212 456 A1 a cleaning system for cleaning an interior of a motor vehicle and a method for operating such a cleaning system are known. From the DE 101 10 373 C2 a method and a device for cleaning the interior of automobiles is known.

The object of the invention is to provide a cleaning and/or maintenance system in which, compared to the prior art, simple and operationally reliable vehicle interior cleaning and/or vehicle maintenance of different vehicle models is possible.

The task is solved by the features of claim 1 or 6. Preferred developments of the invention are disclosed in the subclaims.

The invention is based on a cleaning and/or maintenance system for autonomous vehicle interior cleaning or for autonomous vehicle maintenance. In such a system, at least one robot arm can be controlled by an electronic robot control device. According to the characterizing part of claim 1, treatment independent of the vehicle model can be carried out with the help of the electronic robot control device with the process steps described below: Accordingly, a scanning process step is first carried out, in which a non-contact 3D detection of the external geometry of a vehicle parked in the system and /or a non-contact 3D capture of a vehicle interior is carried out. The scanning process step is carried out using a measurement and/or sensor technology known to those skilled in the art, which enables a non-contact 3D scanning process. After completing the scanning process step, a treatment process step is carried out in which the vehicle interior is cleaned and/or vehicle maintenance is carried out. For this purpose, based on the captured 3D scan, the vehicle interior is cleaned autonomously by the robot arm and the vehicle is maintained autonomously by the robot arm.

• Fahrzeug wird im Arbeitsraum abgestellt (autonom, mechanisch oder manuell); automatische Positionserkennung des Fahrzeugs; Positionierung des Robotersystems; Scannen der gesamten Innenkontur; automatische Umwandlung der Pixel-Oberfläche in Koordinatenpunkte; simultane Erzeugung der Roboterbahnen on the fly; Abfahren der Bahnen mit einem Prozesswerkzeug (wie zum Beispiel Reinigungs-Prozesswerkzeug).

According to the invention, the maintenance and/or cleaning of the vehicle is carried out autonomously using robots. Process tasks are, for example, as follows: Vacuum the vehicle interior, clean the vehicle interior, clean the rims, clean the windows, change the vehicle tires, check the tire pressure and adjust if necessary, inspect the chassis, replace interior elements, refill the oil, refill the washer fluid. For this purpose, the process flow listed below can be carried out:

• Vehicle is parked in the work area (autonomous, mechanical or manual); automatic vehicle position detection; positioning of the robot system; Scanning the entire inner contour; automatic conversion of the pixel surface into coordinate points; simultaneous generation of robot trajectories on the fly; Traversing the paths with a process tool (such as a cleaning process tool).

In addition to the maintenance and cleaning of vehicles, the autonomous 3D-guided robot control according to the invention can also be used in other handling or value-adding processes such as nesting components, adhesive folding or grinding.

In the cleaning and maintenance process according to the invention, the robot, the tool and the process task are known. On the other hand, the geometry, size and rotation of the environment and the workpiece are not or only partially known due to their variance. The autonomous 3D-guided robot controller according to the invention is able to capture an unknown space, identify the dimensions of objects and automatically generate a robot program “on the fly”. The robot trajectories can be traveled with a variable, predefined distance to the object. An active collision monitoring algorithm automatically corrects the trajectories and ensures a collision-free and optimized process. The invention therefore generates an autonomous 3D-guided robot control based on the detection of an unknown 3D geometry.

The advantages of the invention are listed below in bullet points: reproducible quality; model flexible system; situation awareness; short scanning time; High precision; High variety of variants up to a quantity of 1 can be represented; intelligent robot; no robot programming; automatic adaptation to the environment; independence from the robot manufacturer; Can be used in a wide variety of applications, such as handling or value-adding processes.

The following aspects are important in the technical implementation of the invention. This means that a simultaneous 360° 3D capture of the contour can be carried out during data capture. In addition, a 3D shape analysis can be carried out by filtering out noise and segmenting individual areas. Furthermore, component identification (e.g. seat, steering wheel, etc.) is carried out. The geometric information continues to be detected with regard to size, position, location and relationship to other objects. In addition, a trajectory is generated with a calculation of the arm joint angles with an inverse kinematics algorithm, a minimization of the arm movement with a dynamic programming algorithm, a check for possible collision between the robot and the environment, an automatic correction adjustment of the movement in the event of a collision. Detection.

In addition, the invention can work with collision detection. The robot model converted into a voxel model can be continuously compared with the voxel model of the captured point cloud of the environment. Collisions are corrected by adjusting the distance and the angle of inclination, which is controlled via an algorithm.

In addition, the invention can work with foreign body and contamination detection. The current image is compared with the trained neural network during the scanning process.

Further aspects of the invention are highlighted in detail below: In a technical implementation, the scanning process step is carried out using a scanning attachment held at the distal end of the robot arm.

In contrast, the treatment process step is carried out using a tool attachment held at the distal end of the robot arm. In order to keep the process effort for cleaning and/or maintenance low, it is preferred if the system has a tool changing station. At the tool changing station, the robot arm can automatically carry out a tool change, in which the scanning attachment can be exchanged with a tool attachment. Likewise, different tool attachments can be kept in the tool changing station, which can be selected fully automatically by the robot arm if necessary.

A core feature of the invention is that there is no rigid CAD program stored in the robot control device, on the basis of which the robot control device follows the movement paths of the robot arm. Rather, according to the invention, an autonomous 3D-guided robot control is carried out “on the fly” in the robot control device based on the detection of the 3D geometry in the scanning process step. For this purpose, the robot control device can basically be constructed as follows: The robot control device can have a 3D model unit in which a 3D geometry of the vehicle outer contour and/or the vehicle interior determined in the scanning process step is stored temporarily, i.e. on the fly. In addition, the robot control device can have an identification unit by means of which the components of the vehicle interior or the vehicle exterior contour are identified from the scanned 3D model. By way of example, the components of the vehicle interior can be a steering wheel or a vehicle seat. Components of the vehicle outer contour can be, for example, the vehicle wheels. In addition, the robot control device can have an evaluation unit which, based on the recorded 3D interior geometry or the 3D external geometry as well as on the basis of the identified components, temporarily calculates a program based on which the robot arm follows corresponding robot paths in order to carry out the cleaning and/or carry out maintenance process.

For example, a specific vehicle interior cleaning can be implemented as follows: In the scanning process step, the process environment in the vehicle interior can be determined by creating a corresponding 3D model using the scanning attachment on the robot arm. The components to be cleaned are identified from the 3D model of the vehicle interior. After completing the scanning process step, a first tool change takes place, in which the scanning attachment of the robot arm is replaced with a first cleaning tool attachment (for example a dry ice nozzle). Dry ice cleaning is then carried out, during which the robot arm follows the robot paths calculated in the robot control unit. After dry ice cleaning has been completed, a second tool change is carried out in which the robot arm replaces the dry ice nozzle with a suction nozzle. The suction process then starts, in which the robot arm moves again to the interior component to be treated in order to vacuum it up.

• 1 bis 6 jeweils in Skizzen den Aufbau sowie die Funktionsweise der erfindungsgemäßen Reinigungs- und/oder Instandhaltungsanlage.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to the attached figures. Show it:

• 1 until 6 Each sketch shows the structure and functionality of the cleaning and/or maintenance system according to the invention.

In the 1 A cleaning system for cleaning the vehicle interior of a vehicle parked therein is roughly schematically indicated to the extent that it is necessary for an understanding of the invention. The vehicle is parked in the cleaning system with the side doors 1 and the tailgate 3 open in order to provide access to the vehicle interior for robot arms 5 of the cleaning system. According to the 1 The cleaning system has a total of five multi-joint robot arms 5, each of which is assigned to a side door opening 7 and a rear loading space opening 9. The robot arms 5 are over one in the 5 or 6 indicated carriage system 11 adjustable in three levels above the vehicle, for example on guide rails 13. Each of the robot arms 5 is in the 1 in signal connection with a robot control unit 15. In addition, the cleaning system has a tool changing station 17 for each robot arm 5 ( 2 , 5 or 6 ), in which different robot arm attachments 19, 21, 23 are kept. From these, the respective robot arm 5 selects a suitable attachment for carrying out process steps.

A process for cleaning the vehicle interior is described below using the figures as an example, which is carried out in accordance with the method described in the 3 indicated process route takes place. Accordingly, a scanning process step is first carried out in which each of the robot arms 5 is equipped with a scanning attachment 19. In the scanning process step, the vehicle position is recorded. In addition, the geometry of the vehicle's outer contour and the vehicle interior are recorded using a non-contact 3D scanning process. The 3D scan data determined by the scanning attachments 19 of the robot arms 5 are converted into a 3D model unit 25 ( 1 ) of the robot control unit 15 is read and temporarily stored there. The robot control device 15 also has an identification unit 27, by means of which components of the vehicle interior to be cleaned, for example a vehicle seat 29, can be identified.

Based on the determined 3D interior geometry and the identified component 29 to be cleaned, a cleaning process step is carried out in the further course of the process. For this purpose, a first tool change is carried out in which the respective robot arm 5 places the scanning attachment 19 in the tool changing station 17 and creates a dry ice nozzle 21, by means of which dry ice cleaning of the vehicle seat 29 to be cleaned is carried out. Dry ice cleaning is exemplary 5 shown, after which one of the robot arms 5 travels corresponding robot paths R at a distance from the vehicle seat 29. The robot paths R are calculated “on the fly” based on a control program in the evaluation unit 31 of the robot control device 15.

After the dry ice cleaning has been completed, a second tool change takes place, in which each robot arm 5 replaces the dry ice nozzle 21 with a suction nozzle 23. After the second tool change has taken place, the suction process begins, in which each of the robot arms 5 again travels along corresponding robot paths R, which have been calculated on the fly by the evaluation unit 31 of the robot control device 15.

Reference symbol list

1

Side doors

3

Tailgate

5

Robotic arms

7

Side door opening

9

Load compartment opening

11

Carriage system

13

Guide rails

15

Robot control unit

17

Tool changing station

19, 21, 23

Robot arm attachments

25

3D model unit

27

Identification unit

29

Vehicle seat

31

Evaluation unit

R

Robotic tracks

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 102018212456 A1 [0007]
• DE 10110373 C2 [0007]

Claims (6)

Cleaning and/or maintenance system for autonomous vehicle interior cleaning or autonomous vehicle maintenance, with at least one robot arm (5), which can be controlled by an electronic robot control device (15) to carry out a cleaning and/or maintenance process, characterized in that by means of In the cleaning and/or maintenance system, a vehicle type-independent treatment is carried out, which has the following process steps: - Scan process step for non-contact 3D capture of the external geometry of a vehicle parked in the system and for non-contact 3D capture of a vehicle interior using a non-contact 3D scanning process; and - cleaning and/or maintenance process step in which the vehicle interior can be cleaned or the vehicle is maintained on the basis of the captured 3D scan. Cleaning and/or maintenance system Claim 1 , characterized in that the scanning process step can be carried out by means of a scanning attachment (19) arranged at the distal end of the robot arm (5), and / or that the cleaning and / or maintenance process step can be carried out by means of at least one at the distal end of the robot arm (5 ) arranged tool attachment (21, 23) can be carried out. Cleaning and/or maintenance system Claim 2 , characterized in that the system has a tool changing station (17) at which the robot arm (5) automatically carries out a tool change, in which the scanning attachment (19) can be exchanged with a tool attachment (21, 23), or a first tool attachment (21 ) can be exchanged with at least one further tool attachment (23). Cleaning and/or maintenance system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the robot control device (15) has the following: - a 3D model unit (25) in which a 3D geometry of the vehicle outer contour and/or the vehicle outer contour determined in the scanning process step Vehicle interior can be stored temporarily, i.e. on the fly; - an identification unit (27), by means of which components (29) of the vehicle interior, such as a steering wheel, or components of the vehicle exterior, such as vehicle wheels, can be identified, and - an evaluation unit (31), which is based on the recorded 3D interior geometry or . a program is calculated based on the 3D external geometry, using which the robot arm (5) follows corresponding robot paths (R) during the cleaning and/or maintenance process step. Cleaning system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that when cleaning the vehicle interior after the scanning process step, a first tool change takes place, in which the scanning attachment (19) of the robot arm (5) is replaced with a dry ice nozzle attachment (21) with which the robot arm ( 5) an interior component (29) to be treated is removed, and that after the dry ice treatment, a second tool change takes place, in which the robot arm (5) exchanges the dry ice nozzle attachment (21) with a suction nozzle attachment (23), with which the robot arm (5) exchanges the treating interior component (29) departs. Method for cleaning and/or maintaining a vehicle in a cleaning and/or maintenance system according to one of the preceding claims.

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