JP2005322155A - Position detection device and transportation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To remarkably reduce a construction expense by detecting a position of a vehicle with a very simple device configuration. <P>SOLUTION: This position detection device is mounted on an unmanned traveling vehicle 20 traveling by automatic steering and detects the position of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20 based on marks 10 installed at predetermined intervals on a vehicle traveling path 30 of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20. Each mark 10 includes information according to a position in a traveling road surface width direction (y). The device is provided with: a sensor A for outputting a detection signal according to the passing position of the mark 10; a sensor B disposed in a location different from that of the sensor A with respect to the width direction y' of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20 for outputting a detection signal of the passing position of the mark 10; and a calculation part for calculating the position of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20 on the traveling road surface based on the detection signals from the sensor A and the sensor B. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a position detection device that detects the position of an unmanned traveling vehicle that travels on a predetermined traveling road surface by automatic steering.

As a position detection device for a vehicle traveling on a predetermined traveling road surface, for example, there is one disclosed in JP-A-11-237243.
This Patent Document 1 discloses a train position detection device that can detect a reference point on a route by using the same light as the road surface reflected light used for travel distance measurement and accurately detect the travel distance of the vehicle. Has been.
JP 11-237243 A

However, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, a method is adopted in which a rail is arranged on the traveling track so that the vehicle can travel without departing from the traveling track, and the vehicle travels on the rail. Therefore, there was a problem that the construction of the transportation system took cost and time.
Therefore, a new traffic system has been proposed that travels while automatically steering on a traveling track without arranging rails or the like.

An example of a transportation system that does not require rails is shown in FIG. 10 is a top view of the transportation system, and FIG. 11 is a side view of the transportation system shown in FIG.
In the traffic system as shown in FIG. 10, the absolute position of the vehicle on the traveling road surface is detected by detecting not only the traveling distance but also the position in the traveling track width direction so that the vehicle does not travel off the traveling track. It is necessary to travel while confirming the position sequentially.
In the conventional transportation system shown in FIG. 10, the transponder 50 is used to measure the travel distance of the vehicle, and the magnetic tape 51 is used to detect the position in the traveling road surface width direction, thereby accurately detecting the position of the vehicle. Is going.
Specifically, a transponder 50 having a unique ID is laid on the road surface at regular intervals, and a transponder receiver 61 that receives the ID of the transponder 50 and the ID of the transponder 50 and their installation positions Is mounted (not shown). Then, the position information corresponding to the ID of the transponder 50 received by the transponder receiver 61 is acquired from the table, thereby specifying the position of the vehicle on the traveling track.
In detecting the position in the traveling road surface width direction, the magnetic tape 51 laid on the traveling road surface is detected by the magnetic sensor 62 mounted on the vehicle 60, and the vehicle position in the traveling road surface width direction is obtained according to the detection result. ing.

  However, in the above-described conventional traffic system, the position detection (travel distance) in the traveling track direction and the position detection in the traveling road surface width direction are performed using different types of sensors, and therefore, processing related to position detection is performed. However, there is a problem that the apparatus configuration is complicated. Further, in the construction of the vehicle traveling path, both the transponder 50 and the magnetic tape 51 have to be laid, which causes a problem that the construction cost is high.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a position detection device and a traffic system that can significantly reduce construction costs by detecting the position of a vehicle with a very simple device configuration. The purpose is to do.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following means.
The present invention is a position detection device that detects the position of the vehicle based on a mark that is mounted on a vehicle that travels by automatic steering and that is laid at a predetermined interval on the traveling road surface of the vehicle. First mark detection means for holding information according to a position in the width direction of the road surface and outputting a detection signal according to the passing position of the mark, and the first mark with respect to the width direction of the vehicle The second mark detection means that is arranged at a position different from the detection means and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the passing position of the mark, and detection signals from the first mark detection means and the second mark detection means Based on this, there is provided a position detecting device comprising a calculation means for calculating at least one of the position of the vehicle on the road surface, the speed in the traveling direction and the speed in the width direction of the vehicle.

According to the present invention, the first mark detection means and the second mark detection means read the position information in the traveling road surface width direction at the position where these detection means have passed from the mark, and the read position information. Therefore, at least one of the position of the vehicle in the traveling road surface width direction, the traveling speed, and the speed in the width direction of the vehicle is determined based on the detection signal and the arrangement relationship between the two mark detection means. One can be computed.
Since the marks are laid at a predetermined interval, the position of the vehicle in the traveling direction can be obtained based on the laying interval and the number of marks detected by the mark detection means.
The position calculation means has a predetermined calculation rule for deriving the vehicle position information in the traveling road surface width direction from the detection signal, and by performing calculation processing according to this calculation rule, the position calculation means Calculate location information.
Further, the calculation means can obtain the traveling speed of the vehicle and the speed in the width direction from the detection signal and the arrangement relationship between the two mark detection means, for example.
The mark has, for example, a shape in which a predetermined physical quantity (length, height, etc.) changes according to the position in the traveling road surface width direction. More specifically, the mark preferably has a trapezoidal or triangular outer shape formed by a straight line with one side having a predetermined inclination with respect to the traveling road surface width direction.

  Further, in the position detection apparatus described above, the calculation means is a vehicle that passes over the mark based on a phase difference between detection signals from the first mark detection means and the second mark detection means. It is preferable to determine the traveling direction.

According to the present invention, since the calculation means determines the traveling direction of the vehicle when passing over the mark, the detection error caused by the difference in the traveling direction can be eliminated. As a result, position detection can be performed with higher accuracy.
For example, the calculation means has a calculation rule for calculating the position in the traveling road surface width direction from the detection signal in accordance with the traveling direction, and uses different calculation rules depending on the traveling direction of the vehicle.

In the position detection device described above, it is preferable that one or more mark detection units are provided in addition to the first and second detection units.
The added mark detection means is, for example, a mark that passes through the first detection means, is arranged on a straight line parallel to the traveling direction of the vehicle, and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the passing position of the mark It is preferable that it is a detection means.

According to the present invention, since one or more mark detection units are further provided, the measurement accuracy can be improved.
Further, at least one of the mark detection means is arranged on a straight line that passes through the first detection means and is parallel to the traveling direction of the vehicle. Based on the arrangement positions of the first and second mark detection means and the phase difference between the detection signals, the traveling speed of the vehicle can be easily obtained.
Furthermore, since the position of the vehicle in the traveling road surface width direction is calculated using the obtained traveling speed, the position can be detected with higher accuracy.

The present invention provides a vehicle including the position detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The present invention is a vehicle travel path in which marks for detecting the position on the travel road surface of the vehicle are laid at predetermined intervals, and the mark holds position information in the travel road surface width direction. A vehicle travel path is provided.
The present invention provides a traffic system comprising the vehicle according to claim 4 and the vehicle travel path according to claim 5.
The present invention relates to a position detection method for detecting the position of a vehicle based on marks laid at predetermined intervals on a traveling road surface of a vehicle traveling by automatic steering, wherein the mark is located at a position in the traveling road surface width direction. Information corresponding to the position through which the vehicle has passed is detected from the mark, and based on the detection result, the position of the vehicle on the road surface, the speed in the traveling direction, and the vehicle A position detection method for calculating at least one of the speeds in the width direction is provided.

  According to the present invention, since the position of the vehicle on the traveling road surface is realized by the two mark detection means, an effect that the construction cost can be greatly reduced is obtained.

  Hereinafter, a traffic system to which a position detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described in the order of [first embodiment] and [second embodiment] with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a top view of the traffic system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the traffic system shown in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the traffic system according to the present embodiment includes a vehicle traveling path 30 in which marks 10 are laid at predetermined position intervals, and an unmanned traveling vehicle (vehicle) traveling on the vehicle traveling path 30. 20.
The mark 10 has information corresponding to the position in the traveling road surface width direction y. For example, the mark 10 has a shape such that a predetermined physical quantity changes according to the position in the traveling road surface width direction y. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a mark having a trapezoidal outer shape formed by a straight line having a predetermined inclination θ with respect to the traveling road surface width direction y is employed.
The unmanned traveling vehicle 20 is equipped with a position detection device that detects the position of the vehicle 20 based on the mark 10.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the position detection device includes a sensor A (first mark detection means) that outputs a detection signal corresponding to the passing position of the mark 10, and the vehicle width direction of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20. Based on sensor B (second mark detection means) which is arranged at a position different from sensor A with respect to y ′ and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the passing position of mark 10, and detection signals from sensor A and sensor B And a calculation unit (calculation means) 40 for calculating the position of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20 on the traveling road surface.

The calculation unit 40 has a predetermined calculation rule for calculating the position of the vehicle on the road surface based on the detection signals from the sensors A and B, and performs a predetermined calculation according to the calculation rule. Thus, the position and traveling speed of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20 are detected. Details of this calculation rule and the like will be described later.
In the present embodiment, the arrangement relationship between the sensor A and the sensor B is arranged on a straight line parallel to the width direction y ′ of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20.
Further, the material of the mark 10 is not particularly limited, but it can be constituted by, for example, a conductor, a reflector, a magnetic mark, or the like. Further, according to the material of the mark 10, for example, an eddy current sensor, an optical sensor, a magnetic sensor, or the like can be adopted as the sensor A and the sensor B.

Next, the operation of the traffic system configured as described above will be described with reference to the drawings.
Sensors A and B mounted on the unmanned traveling vehicle 20 detect the presence or absence of the mark 10 and output a detection signal corresponding to the detection result. For example, the sensor A and the sensor B output “1” during the period in which the mark 10 is detected, and output “0” when the mark A does not pass over the mark 10. FIG. 5 shows an example of detection signals output from the sensors A and B.
If the calculation part 40 acquires the detection signal from the sensor A and the sensor B, it will determine the traveling direction of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20 based on those phases.
In the present embodiment, as described above, since the sensor A and the sensor B are arranged on a straight line parallel to the width direction y ′ of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20 (see FIG. 1), the unmanned traveling vehicle 20 travels. When traveling parallel to the track x, the phases of the detection signals from the sensors A and B coincide (t1 = t2 in FIG. 5). On the other hand, if the two phases do not match (in the case of t1 ≠ t2 in FIG. 5), if the travel distance is constant, the larger the phase difference is, the more the vehicle travels obliquely with respect to the travel track. It will be.
When the calculation unit 40 determines the travel direction described above, the calculation unit 40 selects a predetermined calculation rule according to the determination result, and performs a calculation according to the selected calculation rule, whereby the vehicle speed and the travel speed in the track direction x are calculated. Get v _x .

上記（１）式において、ａはセンサＡとセンサＢとの間の距離、θはマーク１０の一辺と走行路面幅方向ｙとのなす角であり（図３参照）、ｂはマーク１０の中心線の長さである（図３参照）。また、ｔ１〜ｔ４については、図５に示したｔ１〜ｔ４にそれぞれ対応するものである。 Specifically, (in FIG. 5, in the case of t1 = t2) when the phase matches the calculates the running speed v _x in the track direction x by represented by formula (1) calculation rules below, the operation result The position y ₁ in the traveling road surface width direction y of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20 is calculated from the traveling speed v _x obtained as described above and the calculation rule of the expression (3).
On the other hand, (in FIG. 5, t1 ≠ case of t2) when the phase does not match the calculates the running speed v _x in the track direction by shown below (2) of the calculation rules, the traveling speed v The position y ₁ in the traveling road surface width direction y of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20 is calculated from _x and the calculation rule of the expression (3).

In the above formula (1), a is the distance between the sensor A and the sensor B, θ is the angle formed by one side of the mark 10 and the traveling road surface width direction y (see FIG. 3), and b is the center of the mark 10. The length of the line (see FIG. 3). Further, t1 to t4 correspond to t1 to t4 shown in FIG.

In addition, when the calculation process of the position in the traveling road surface width direction y is completed, the calculation unit 40 subsequently performs the calculation process of the position in the track direction x. Specifically, the calculation unit 40 includes a counter that counts the rising edge of the detection signal from the sensor A, and obtains a position in the trajectory direction x by multiplying the number of counters by the laying interval of the mark 10.
In this way, when the position y _{1 of} the unmanned traveling vehicle 20 in the traveling road surface width direction y, the position in the track direction x, and the traveling speed v _x in the track direction _x are calculated, such information is used for steering control of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20. It supplies with respect to the control part (illustration omitted) to perform. Thereby, steering control according to the positional information acquired from the calculating part 40 will be performed by the control part.

上記６式において、

と置くと、以下のように走行路面幅方向ｙにおける位置ｙ_１を演算するための算出則（３）を得ることができる。 Next, the process of deriving the calculation rule shown in the above equations (1) to (3) will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 6, when the traveling direction x ′ of the vehicle is tilted by φ with respect to the track direction x, the following six formulas (4) to (9) are obtained from the geometric relationship. To establish.

In the above six formulas,

Then, the calculation rule (3) for calculating the position y ₁ in the traveling road surface width direction y can be obtained as follows.

As described above, according to the traffic system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the sensor A and the sensor B mark information on the position in the traveling road surface width direction y at the position where these sensors pass. 10 and a detection signal corresponding to the read position information is output. Therefore, the position of the vehicle in the traveling road surface width direction can be detected from the detection signal and the arrangement relationship between the two mark detection means. it can.
Further, since the mark 10 is laid on the traveling road surface at a predetermined interval, the vehicle in the traveling direction x ′ is based on the laying interval and the number of the marks 10 detected by the sensor A or the sensor B. It is also possible to obtain the position and travel distance.
Thus, since the position detection of the vehicle on the traveling road surface is realized by the sensor A and the sensor B, an effect that the construction cost can be significantly reduced is obtained.
Further, the calculation unit 40 determines the traveling direction of the vehicle when passing over the mark based on the phase difference (t1-t2 in FIG. 5) of the detection signals from the sensor A and the sensor B, and the difference in the traveling direction. Therefore, the position error can be detected with higher accuracy.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the traffic system according to the present embodiment, the accuracy of position detection by the position detection device is further improved by further adding the sensor C to the position detection device according to the first embodiment described above.
FIG. 7 is a top view of the transportation system according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a side view of the transportation system shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the sensor C passes through the sensor A and is arranged on a straight line parallel to the traveling direction x ′ of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20, and information on the position in the traveling road surface width direction y A corresponding detection signal is output. Specifically, like the above-described sensor A and sensor B, “1” is output during the period in which the mark 10 is detected, and “0” is output when the mark 10 is not passed. To do.
As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the detection signal output from the sensor C becomes a detection signal having a certain delay amount with respect to the detection signal of the sensor A.

By providing such a sensor C, the calculation unit 40 performs a calculation according to the calculation rule shown in the following equation (10), so that the traveling speed v in the track direction x of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20 can be very easily performed. You can get _x . Then, by using this traveling speed v _x when calculating the position y ₁ in the traveling road surface width direction y described above, it is possible to perform position detection with higher accuracy.

なお、上記（１０）式において、ｄはセンサＡとセンサｃとの間の距離である（図７参照）。また、ｔ１及びｔ５は、図９に示されるｔ１及びｔ５に対応している。

In the above equation (10), d is the distance between the sensor A and the sensor c (see FIG. 7). Further, t1 and t5 correspond to t1 and t5 shown in FIG.

Further, by providing the sensor C, for example, the angle φ formed by the track direction x and the traveling direction x ′ can be easily obtained by using the calculation rule shown in the following equation (11). the use of the (12) calculating rule indicated in formula, it is possible also to calculate the running velocity v _y against road surface width direction y.

なお、上記（１１）、(１２）式において、ａはセンサＡとセンサＢとの間の距離である（図７参照）。また、ｔ１及びｔ２は、図９に示されるｔ１及びｔ２に対応している。

In the above equations (11) and (12), a is the distance between the sensor A and the sensor B (see FIG. 7). Further, t1 and t2 correspond to t1 and t2 shown in FIG.

As described above, according to the traffic system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the sensor C disposed on a straight line that passes through the sensor A and is parallel to the traveling direction x ′ of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20 is further provided. Therefore, the traveling speed v _x of the unmanned traveling vehicle 20 can be easily obtained based on the arrangement interval d of the sensors A and C and the phase difference (t5−t1) of the detection signals of the sensors A and C. it can.
Furthermore, by using the traveling speed v _x obtained directly using the detection signal of the sensor C, since the calculation of the position y ₁ of the vehicle in the road surface width direction y, to perform position detection with higher accuracy Is possible.

  In addition, the calculating part 40 in the traffic system which concerns on 1st Embodiment and 2nd Embodiment is provided with computer systems, such as main memory devices, such as a central processing unit, ROM, and RAM, for example. A series of processing steps relating to position detection and traveling speed detection described above are stored in the ROM or computer-readable storage medium in the form of a program, and the central processing unit stores the program in a main memory such as a ROM or RAM. The processing described above is realized by reading the information into the apparatus and executing information processing / calculation processing. Here, the computer-readable recording medium means a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, or the like.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail with reference to drawings, the specific structure is not restricted to this embodiment, The design change etc. of the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention are included.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the outer shape of the mark 10 is a trapezoid. However, the shape is not limited to this shape, and the mark only needs to have position information corresponding to the traveling road surface width direction y.
For example, a triangular shape may be used instead of the trapezoid. In addition to holding the above information depending on the length of the mark, such as a trapezoid or a triangle, it is possible to change the height of the mark according to the traveling road surface width direction. Further, the color may be changed or the magnetic properties may be changed.

1 is a top view of a traffic system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of the traffic system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the external shape of the mark shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the position detection apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the detection signal output from the sensor A and the sensor B. FIG. It is the figure which showed each physical quantity used in order to demonstrate the derivation process of the calculation rule which a calculating part uses. It is a top view of the traffic system concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of the traffic system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the detection signal output from the sensor A, the sensor B, and the sensor C. It is a top view of the conventional traffic system. It is a side view of the traffic system shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10 mark 20 unmanned traveling vehicle 30 vehicle traveling path 40 arithmetic unit A, B, C sensor

Claims (7)

A position detection device that is mounted on a vehicle that travels by automatic steering and that detects the position of the vehicle based on marks laid at predetermined intervals on a traveling road surface of the vehicle,
The mark has information according to the position in the traveling road surface width direction,
First mark detection means for outputting a detection signal corresponding to the passing position of the mark;
Second mark detection means arranged at a position different from the first mark detection means with respect to the width direction of the vehicle and outputting a detection signal corresponding to the passing position of the mark;
Based on detection signals from the first mark detection means and the second mark detection means, at least one of the position of the vehicle on the road surface, the speed in the running direction, and the speed in the width direction of the vehicle. A position detecting device comprising a calculating means for calculating one.   2. The calculation unit according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit determines a traveling direction of the vehicle when passing over the mark based on a phase difference between detection signals from the first mark detection unit and the second mark detection unit. The position detection device described.   The position detection device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one mark detection unit in addition to the first and second detection units.   A vehicle comprising the position detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A vehicle traveling path in which marks for performing position detection on the traveling road surface of the vehicle are laid at predetermined intervals,
The vehicle travel path characterized in that the mark has information on a position in the travel road surface width direction. A vehicle according to claim 4;
A traffic system comprising: the vehicle travel path according to claim 5. A position detection method for detecting the position of a vehicle based on marks laid at predetermined intervals on a traveling road surface of the vehicle traveling by automatic steering,
The mark has information according to the position in the traveling road surface width direction,
Detecting information from the mark according to the position where the vehicle has passed,
A position detection method for calculating at least one of the position of the vehicle on the road surface, the speed in the travel direction, and the speed in the width direction of the vehicle based on the detection result.

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