JP2010117847A - Moving object, moving object control system, and control method for moving object - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a moving object, a moving object control system and a control method for the moving object which are excellent in cost performance. <P>SOLUTION: The moving object 1 is provided with: cameras 71 and 72 for picking up a pattern including location information; an image processing part 54 for acquiring location information from an image signal photographed by cameras 71 and 72; and a control calculation part 51 for estimating a self-location based on location information acquired by the image processing part 54, and for acquiring traveling face information preliminarily associated with the location based on the estimated self-location, and for controlling the operation of the moving object based on the traveling surface information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile object, a mobile object control system, and a control method for the mobile object.

  In recent years, mobile bodies have been developed that move while a passenger is on board (Patent Documents 1 to 4). In the mobile body disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, a force sensor is provided on a boarding surface on which a passenger rides, and wheels are driven according to an output from the force sensor. More specifically, the moving body disclosed in Patent Document 1 moves by applying weight in the direction that the passenger wants to travel. Patent Document 2 discloses a wheelchair-type moving body. Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a moving body that actively detects a user's operation and operates autonomously in response thereto. Furthermore, Patent Document 4 discloses an interface device for operating a bipedal walking type moving body.

JP 2006-282160 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-23613 JP-A-11-198075 JP-A-7-136957

  However, the moving bodies disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 4 lack consideration of cost. That is, these moving bodies use relatively expensive attitude angle sensors and distance measurement sensors, and have to be very expensive.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a moving body, a moving body control system, and a moving body control method that are excellent in terms of cost.

  The moving body according to the present invention includes a camera that captures a pattern including position information, an image processing unit that acquires position information from an image signal captured by the camera, a moving mechanism that moves the moving body, and the image processing. Based on the position information acquired by the unit, based on the estimated self-position, acquiring travel surface information associated with the position in advance, and based on the travel surface information, A control calculation unit that performs operation control is provided.

Here, the moving body further includes a drive unit that drives and controls an angle of a seating surface on which a passenger is placed, and the control calculation unit is configured to perform the driving unit based on inclination information of a running surface included in running surface information. It is preferable to control the seating surface to control.
In addition, it is preferable that the control calculation unit controls a gain when calculating a command value for driving the moving mechanism based on obstacle information included in the traveling surface information.

At this time, when the obstacle information indicates that there is an obstacle around the moving body, the control calculation unit preferably switches the gain to be smaller than usual.
In addition, it is preferable that the control calculation unit estimates a self-position by odometry when position information cannot be acquired by the image processing unit.
Here, it is desirable that the pattern is attached to the floor surface on which the moving body travels.

  A moving body control system according to the present invention is a moving body control system for controlling a moving body by photographing a pattern including position information attached to an environment around the moving body, and imaging the pattern And an image processing unit that acquires position information from a pattern photographed by the camera, a self-position is estimated based on the position information acquired by the image processing unit, and a position is previously determined based on the estimated self-position. Is provided with a control calculation unit that obtains the travel surface information associated with and controls the operation of the moving body based on the travel surface information.

  Here, the moving body further includes a drive unit that drives and controls an angle of a seating surface on which a passenger is placed, and the control calculation unit is configured to perform the driving unit based on inclination information of a running surface included in running surface information. It is desirable to control the seating surface to control.

  In addition, it is preferable that the control calculation unit controls a gain when calculating a command value for driving the moving mechanism based on obstacle information included in the traveling surface information.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the control calculation unit switches the gain to be smaller than usual when the obstacle information indicates that there is an obstacle around the moving body.
In addition, it is preferable that the control calculation unit estimates a self-position by odometry when position information cannot be acquired by the image processing unit.

  The mobile body control system includes a communication device and a mobile body, and the communication device transmits position information acquired by the camera, the image processing unit, and the image processing unit to the mobile body. The mobile unit includes a reception unit that receives the positional information transmitted from the transmission unit, and the control calculation unit. The control calculation unit of the mobile unit receives the positional information received from the mobile unit. Based on the above, the operation control of the moving body may be performed.

  At this time, it is preferable that the control calculation unit performs drive control of the moving mechanism based on the received position information so that the moving body moves to a position specified by the position information.

  The method for controlling a moving body according to the present invention includes a step of imaging a pattern including position information, a step of acquiring position information from the captured image signal, and a step of estimating a self-position based on the acquired position information. And a step of acquiring traveling surface information associated with the position in advance based on the estimated self-position, and a step of performing operation control of the moving body based on the traveling surface information.

  Here, the step of performing the operation control of the moving body is characterized in that the seating surface control is executed based on the inclination information of the traveling surface included in the traveling surface information.

  The step of controlling the operation of the moving body preferably controls a gain when calculating a command value for driving the moving mechanism of the moving body based on obstacle information included in the traveling surface information. .

In addition, when the obstacle information indicates that there is an obstacle around the moving body, it is desirable to switch the gain to be smaller than usual.
In addition, when the position information cannot be acquired, it is desirable to estimate the self position by odometry.
Here, it is desirable that the pattern is attached to the floor surface on which the moving body travels.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a movable body, a movable body control system, and a movable body control method that are excellent in terms of cost.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a moving body according to the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, for clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings are simplified as appropriate.

Embodiment 1 of the Invention
First, the schematic configuration of the mobile control system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a view of the moving body control system as viewed from above. Such a moving body control system includes a moving body 1 and a floor 2 having a pattern in which position information is embedded.

  The mobile body 1 is an autonomous mobile robot that moves with a passenger on the floor. The moving body 1 captures a pattern on the floor surface 2 with a mounted camera, recognizes position information embedded in the pattern, estimates its own position, and performs traveling control based on the estimated own position. Execute.

  The moving body 1 according to the first embodiment performs seating surface control based on inclination information such as steps and slopes included in the map based on the estimated self-position. For example, even when the moving body 1 detects that the traveling surface is inclined based on the inclination information of the traveling surface, the moving body 1 performs the seating surface control so that the seating surface always approaches the horizontal with respect to the flat surface.

  In addition, the moving body 1 according to the first embodiment executes gain control based on obstacle information included in a map created in advance based on the estimated self-position. For example, when it is determined that there is an obstacle in the moving direction, the moving body 1 is changed so that the gain becomes low, and is controlled so as not to collide with the obstacle.

  A sheet printed with a pattern in which position information is encoded is attached to the floor 2. A position recognition system using such a pattern is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-52403. The pattern shown in FIG. 1 appears to have several types of figures arranged at random. However, in actuality, position information is coded by using four figures and giving regularity to the arrangement positions and rotation angles of the figures (FIGS. 2 and 3). In the pattern, as shown in FIG. 3, IDs corresponding to the positions on the pattern plane are arranged.

  FIG. 4 illustrates an ID expression method. Each ID is expressed by rotation angles of four types of figures. As shown in FIG. 4, the respective figures are named Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, and Type 4. Connecting the centers (center of gravity) of figures from type 1 to type 4 forms parallelograms with internal angles of 60 degrees and 120 degrees, and types 1 to 4 are arranged in order clockwise.

  A line segment connecting the centers of Type 1 and Type 2 or a line segment connecting the centers of Type 3 and Type 4 is used as a base line, and the ID is determined by the angle formed by the dotted line of each figure. To decide. These figures are inclined at 5, 15, 25,... 175 degrees and 10 degrees with respect to the reference line, respectively, and 18 kinds of IDs can be expressed for each figure.

In this pattern, Type 1, Type 3, and Type 4 are point target figures, so only 18 types of IDs can be expressed. However, by using non-point target figures, 36 types of IDs can be expressed for one figure. It will be possible. In this pattern, type 4 is used as an error detection figure for preventing erroneous ID recognition, and the inclination of type 4 is determined by the inclination of type 1 to type 3. For this reason, ID expression is performed with three types of graphics, and a total of 18 ³ (= 5832) types of IDs can be expressed. If one ID is displayed on the floor with a space of 20 [cm] × 20 [cm], it can correspond to an area of 233.28 [m ² ]. As shown in FIG. 4, the ID is expressed by arranging the angles of each figure (type 1 inclination (α), type 2 inclination (β), type 3 inclination (γ), type 4). The slope is expressed as (δ).

A pattern is expressed by arranging the IDs thus coded. When expressing a pattern, the present method can easily increase the number of IDs that can be expressed by increasing the types of figures. The is intended to rotate by 10 degrees each figure, it is possible to increase the number of exponentially ID as that 18 ^double 18-fold by adding one figure, by adding two to, room The number of IDs can be adjusted according to the size. Various patterns can be created according to the application by changing the size and density of the ID and the arrangement position of each figure.

  A configuration of the moving body 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a front view schematically illustrating the configuration of the moving body 1, and FIG. 6 is a side view schematically illustrating the configuration of the moving body 1. 5 and 6 show an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. The Y axis indicates the left-right direction of the moving body 1, the X axis indicates the front-rear direction of the moving body 1, and the Z axis indicates the vertical direction. Therefore, the X axis corresponds to the roll axis, the Y axis becomes the pitch axis, and the Z axis becomes the yaw axis. 5 and 6, the + X direction is assumed to be the front direction of the moving body 1.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the moving body 1 includes a riding section 3 and a chassis 13. The chassis 13 is a main body of the moving body 1 and supports the riding section 3. The chassis 13 includes wheels 6, a camera 7, a footrest 10, a housing 11, a control calculation unit 51, a battery 52, a sensor processing unit 53, and an image processing unit 54. The wheel 6 includes a front wheel 601 and a rear wheel 602. Here, a three-wheeled moving body 1 composed of one front wheel 601 and two rear wheels 602 will be described.

  The boarding unit 3 includes a boarding seat 8 and a force sensor 9. And the upper surface of the boarding seat 8 becomes the seat surface 8a. That is, the moving body 1 moves on the seat surface 8a in a state where the passenger is on the seat surface 8a. The seating surface 8a may be a flat surface or may have a shape that matches the shape of the collar. Further, a backrest may be provided on the boarding seat 8. That is, the boarding seat 8 may have a wheelchair shape. In order to improve riding comfort, the passenger seat 8 may be cushioned. When the moving body 1 is on a horizontal plane, the seating surface 8a is horizontal. The force sensor 9 detects the weight shift of the passenger. That is, the force sensor 9 detects the force applied to the seat surface 8 a of the passenger seat 8. The force sensor 9 outputs a measurement signal corresponding to the force applied to the seating surface 8a. The force sensor 9 is disposed below the passenger seat 8. That is, the force sensor 9 is disposed between the chassis 13 and the passenger seat 8.

As the force sensor 9, for example, a 6-axis force sensor can be used. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the translational forces (SFx, SFy, SFz) in the triaxial direction and the moments (SMx, SMy, SMz) around each axis are measured. These translational forces and moments are values with the center of the force sensor 9 as the origin. If the measurement signals output to the sensor processing unit 53 of the moving body 1 are moments (Mx, My, Mz) and the control coordinate origins of these moments are (a, b, c) shown in FIG. 6, Mx, My, Mz can be expressed as follows.
Mx = SMx + c · SFy−b · SFz
My = SMy + a · SFz−c · SFx
Mz = SMz + b.SFx-a.SFy

  In addition, FIG. 7 is a figure for demonstrating each axis | shaft. Any force sensor 9 that can measure moments (Mx, My, Mz) may be used. A triaxial force sensor capable of measuring moments (SMx, SMy, SMz) around each axis may be arranged at the control coordinate origin to directly measure Mx, My, Mz. Three uniaxial force sensors may be provided. Furthermore, an analog joystick using a strain gauge or a potentiometer may be used. That is, it is only necessary to be able to measure moments around three axes directly or indirectly. The force sensor 9 outputs three moments (Mx, My, Mz) as measurement signals.

  The housing 11 has a box shape, and the front lower side protrudes. And the footrest 10 is arrange | positioned on this protruding part. The footrest 10 is provided on the front side of the passenger seat 8. Therefore, in the state where the passenger has boarded the boarding seat 8, both feet of the passenger are placed on the footrest 10.

  The housing 11 includes a drive motor 603, a control calculation unit 51, a battery 52, a sensor processing unit 53, and an image processing unit 54. The battery 52 supplies power to each electrical device such as the drive motor 603, the control calculation unit 51, the sensor processing unit 53, the image processing unit 54, the camera 7, and the force sensor 9.

  Wheels 6 are rotatably attached to the housing 11. Here, three wheels 6 on the disk are provided. A part of the wheel 6 protrudes below the lower surface of the housing 11. Therefore, the wheel 6 is in contact with the floor surface. The two rear wheels 602 are provided at the rear part of the housing 11. The rear wheel 602 is a drive wheel and is rotated by a drive motor 603. That is, when the drive motor 603 is driven, the rear wheel 602 rotates around the axle. The rear wheels 602 are provided on both the left and right sides. The rear wheel 602 has a built-in encoder for reading its rotational speed. The two rear wheels 602 are arranged on the same axis. The axle of the left rear wheel 602 and the axle of the right rear wheel 602 are arranged on the same straight line.

  Further, the wheel 6 includes a front wheel 601. One front wheel 601 is provided at the center of the front portion of the housing 11. Accordingly, the front wheel 601 is disposed between the two rear wheels 602 in the Y direction. A passenger seat 8 is provided between the axle of the front wheel 601 and the axle of the rear wheel 602 in the X direction. The front wheel 601 is a driven wheel (auxiliary wheel), and rotates according to the movement of the moving body 1. That is, the front wheel 601 rotates according to the moving direction and speed by the rotation of the rear wheel 602. Thus, by providing the front wheel 601 that is an auxiliary wheel in front of the rear wheel 602, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from falling. The front wheel 601 is provided below the footrest 10.

  The control calculation unit 51 is an arithmetic processing unit having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a communication interface, and the like. The control calculation unit 51 includes a removable HDD, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, and the like, stores various programs, control parameters, maps, and the like, and stores these programs, data, and maps as necessary. Supplied). Of course, the control calculation unit 51 is not physically limited to one configuration. The control calculation unit 51 performs processing for controlling the operation of the drive motor 603 in accordance with the output from the force sensor 9. Further, the control calculation unit 51 estimates its own position from the position information obtained by the camera 7 and obtained by the image processing unit 54. Further, based on the estimated self-position, the control calculation unit 51 acquires travel surface information indicating the state of the travel surface such as the presumed self-position, the inclination near the estimated self-position, and an obstacle. And the control calculation part 51 performs driving | running | working control and seat surface control based on the said driving | running | working surface information.

  The map used when performing such control is configured by associating the position on the floor surface 2 with the pattern and the traveling surface information and storing them in a predetermined memory on the control calculation unit 51. . For example, the map is stored in the memory as table information in which coordinate information indicating a position and traveling surface information are associated with each other.

  The sensor processing unit 53 performs arithmetic processing on the measurement data corresponding to the measurement signal from the force sensor 9. Thereby, the input moment value input to the control calculation unit 51 is calculated. The sensor processing unit 53 may be built in the force sensor 9 or may be built in the control calculation unit 51.

  The image processing unit 54 receives an image signal from the camera 7, performs image processing, acquires position information, and outputs this to the control calculation unit 51.

  The camera 7 photographs a pattern provided on the floor 2. The camera 7 is composed of a plurality of cameras 71 to 74. Each of the cameras 71 to 74 is connected to the image processing unit 54 by wiring (not shown). As the camera 7, for example, a relatively inexpensive USB (Universal Serial Bus) camera is used. The cameras 71 and 72 are installed in the lower part of the left and right side surfaces of the housing 11. The cameras 73 and 74 are installed in the lower part of the front and rear side surfaces of the housing 11. The cameras 71 to 74 photograph the lower part and the vicinity thereof in order to photograph the pattern provided on the floor surface 2.

  The camera 7 in this example is composed of four cameras, but is not limited to four, and may be one. Further, the image data obtained from the camera 7 is used for acquiring position information of the moving body 1, but may be used for detecting an obstacle around the moving body 1. In particular, the camera 73 capable of photographing the front of the moving body 1 can detect a front obstacle, and the camera 74 capable of photographing the rear of the moving body 1 can detect a rear obstacle.

  Here, the process which acquires position information based on the pattern of the floor surface 2 is demonstrated. The moving body 1 acquires a pattern image signal by the camera 7. Then, the image processing unit 54 performs image processing on the image signal of the captured pattern to identify position information (ID). The control calculation unit 51 identifies the three-dimensional position of the moving body 1 based on the position information. Thus, the camera 7, the image processing unit 54, and the control calculation unit 51 function as a decoding unit.

  Specific processing of the image processing unit 4 will be described with reference to examples of FIGS. First, the image processing unit 4 sets a threshold value for the total value of RGB, and performs binarization processing on all pixels of the captured image. Then, a labeling process is performed on each binarized area. Labeled figures are classified into type 1 to type 4 figures based on the number of vertices and the side length information. At this time, those that do not belong to any are not typed and are not used in subsequent steps. Each typed graphic is then grouped as one of the graphic groups indicating the ID, and the ID is calculated from the reference line of the grouped graphic group and the angle of one side of each graphic. Since each ID is assigned a two-dimensional coordinate value corresponding to one-to-one, the two-dimensional coordinate on the pattern plane of the camera can be obtained from the obtained ID.

  After the ID calculation is completed, how far the camera 7 is from the pattern is calculated from the size of the figure shown on the camera 7 using a calculation formula obtained by measurement in advance. For example, the distance of the camera 7 is calculated from the pattern using the number of pixels of the type 1 figure. Finally, the three-dimensional position is identified based on the two-dimensional coordinate value on the pattern plane obtained from the ID and the distance value from the pattern.

  When grouping graphic groups indicating IDs, type 1 to type 4 are selected and grouped together as a group. The procedure is as follows. First, type 1 is found from the captured video. Then, type 2 within the distance from the type 1 to the adjacent figure is found. Similarly, a search is made such that type 3 is within a certain distance from type 2 and type 4 is within a certain distance from type 3. After type 4 is found, look for type 1 that is within a certain distance from type 4 and check if it is the same as the first type 1. If Type 1 searched from Type 4 and the first Type 1 are the same, after checking whether Type 1 to Type 4 are arranged in a clockwise direction, they are recognized as a group. If it is not recognized as a group, another candidate is selected and confirmed in type 4. If there is no other type 4 candidate, or if another type 4 that is different from the first is not recognized as a group, another type 3 candidate is selected. I will go. If there are a large number of graphic groups indicating IDs, this algorithm is applied to all graphic elements, and the average value obtained from all IDs is set as the three-dimensional position of the camera.

  Next, a control system for moving the moving body 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system for moving the moving body 1. First, the force applied to the seating surface 8a is detected by the force sensor 9. The sensor processing unit 53 processes the measurement signal from the force sensor 9. That is, arithmetic processing is performed on measurement data corresponding to the measurement signal output from the force sensor 9. Thereby, the input moment value input to the control calculation unit 51 is calculated.

  In this manner, the moments (Mx, My, Mz) measured by the force sensor 9 are converted into input moment values (Mx ′, My ′, Mz ′) around each axis. The input moment value becomes an input value that is input to operate each rear wheel 602. Thus, the sensor processing unit 53 calculates an input value for each axis. The magnitude of the input moment value is determined according to the magnitude of the moment. The sign of the input moment value is determined by the sign of the measured moment. That is, when the moment is positive, the input moment value is also positive, and when the moment is negative, the input moment value is also negative. For example, when the moment Mx is positive, the input moment value Mx ′ is also positive. Therefore, this input moment value becomes an input value corresponding to the operation intended by the passenger.

  The control calculation unit 51 obtains the input torque τi based on the input moment values (Mx ′, My ′, Mz ′). For example, the input torque τi = (Mx ′, My ′, Mz ′). And control calculation is performed based on this torque (tau) i. Thereby, a command value for driving the drive motor 603 is calculated. Normally, the command value increases as the torque τi increases. This command value is output to the drive motor 603. In the present embodiment, since the left and right rear wheels 602 are drive wheels, two drive motors 603 are illustrated. Then, one drive motor 603 rotates the right rear wheel 602, and the other drive motor 603 rotates the left rear wheel 602. The drive motor 603 rotates the rear wheel 602 based on the command value. That is, the drive motor 603 gives a command torque for rotating the rear wheel 602 that is a drive wheel. Of course, the drive motor 603 may give a rotational torque to the rear wheel 602 via a reduction gear or the like. For example, when a command torque is input as a command value from the control calculation unit 51, the drive motor 603 rotates with the command torque. Thereby, the rear wheel 602 rotates and the moving body 1 moves in a desired direction at a desired speed. Of course, the command value is not limited to the torque of the drive motor 603 but may be a rotation speed or a rotation speed.

  Furthermore, each of the drive motors 603 includes an encoder 603a. The encoder 603a detects the rotational speed of the drive motor 603 and the like. Then, the detected rotation speed is input to the control calculation unit 51. The control calculation unit 51 performs feedback control based on the current rotation speed and the target rotation speed. For example, the command value is calculated by multiplying the difference between the target rotation speed and the current rotation speed by an appropriate gain. Of course, the command values output to the left and right drive motors 603 may be different values. That is, when going straight forward or backward, the left and right rear wheels 602 are controlled to have the same rotational speed, and when turning left and right, the left and right rear wheels 602 have different rotational speeds in the same direction. Control to be. Further, when turning on the spot, the left and right rear wheels 602 are controlled to rotate in opposite directions.

  For example, when the occupant assumes a forward leaning posture, a force around the pitch axis is applied to the passenger seat 8. Then, the force sensor 9 detects a moment of + My (see FIG. 7). Based on this + My moment, the sensor processing unit 53 calculates an input moment value My ′ for translating the moving body 1. Similarly, the sensor processing unit 53 calculates an input moment value Mx ′ based on Mx, and calculates an input moment value Mz ′ based on Mz. Thereby, the torque τi is obtained.

  The control calculation unit 51 calculates a command value based on the input moment value and the encoder reading. As a result, the left and right rear wheels 602 rotate at a desired rotational speed. Similarly, when turning rightward, the passenger moves weight to the right. Thereby, a force around the roll axis is applied to the passenger seat, and the force sensor 9 detects a moment of + Mx. Based on this + Mx moment, the sensor processing unit 53 calculates an input moment value Mx ′ for turning the moving body 1 in the right direction. That is, the steering angle corresponding to the direction in which the moving body 1 moves is obtained. Then, the control calculation unit 51 calculates a command value according to the input moment value. Depending on this command value, the left and right rear wheels 602 rotate at different rotational speeds. That is, the left rear wheel 602 rotates at a higher rotational speed than the right rear wheel 602.

  Based on My ′, a component for translational movement in the front-rear direction is obtained. That is, the driving torque for driving the left and right rear wheels 602 in the same direction at the same rotational speed is determined. Therefore, the larger My ′, that is, My, the faster the moving speed of the moving body 1. Based on Mx ′, a component with respect to the moving direction, that is, the steering angle is obtained. That is, the rotational torque difference between the left and right rear wheels 602 is determined. Therefore, the difference in rotational speed between the left and right rear wheels 602 increases as Mx ′, that is, Mx increases.

  Based on Mz ′, a component for in-situ turning is determined. That is, a component for turning on the spot by rotating the left and right rear wheels 602 in the opposite direction is obtained. Accordingly, the larger Mz ′, that is, Mz, the greater the rotational speed in the opposite direction of the left and right rear wheels 602. For example, when Mz ′ is positive, a driving torque for turning in the counterclockwise direction as viewed from above is calculated. That is, the right rear wheel 602 rotates forward and the left rear wheel 602 rotates rearward at the same rotational speed.

  Then, the three components calculated based on the respective input moment values Mx ′, My ′, and Mz ′ are combined to calculate a command value for driving the two rear wheels 602. Thereby, the command values for the left and right rear wheels 602 are respectively calculated. Driving torque, rotation speed, etc. are calculated as command values. That is, the command value for the left and right rear wheels 602 is calculated by combining the values calculated for each component corresponding to the input moment values Mx ′, My ′, and Mz ′. Thus, the moving body 1 moves by the input moment values Mx ′, My ′, Mz ′ calculated based on the measured moments Mx, My, Mz. That is, the moving direction and moving speed of the moving body 1 are determined by the moments Mx, My, Mz due to the weight movement of the passenger.

  Thus, the input for moving the mobile body 1 is performed by the operation of the passenger. That is, a moment around each axis is detected by a change in the posture of the passenger. Based on the measured values of these moments, the moving body 1 moves. Thereby, the passenger can operate the moving body 1 simply. That is, operations such as a joystick and a handle are not necessary, and an operation can be performed only by weight shift. For example, if you want to move forward diagonally to the right, put your weight on the right front. Also, if you want to move diagonally to the left, put your weight on the left rear. As a result, the position of the center of gravity of the occupant changes, and input corresponding to the amount of change is performed. That is, an intuitive operation can be performed by detecting a moment corresponding to the movement of the center of gravity of the passenger.

  In addition, each processing unit such as the sensor processing unit 53 and the image processing unit 54 is configured by a CPU, a RAM, and the like, like the control calculation unit 51. Then, arithmetic processing is performed according to a predetermined program. Of course, each processing unit and the control calculation unit 51 may have the physically same configuration. In other words, processing and calculation may be performed in one arithmetic processing circuit.

  The moving body 1 is provided with a drive unit 5 for driving the boarding seat 8. The control with respect to this drive part 5 is demonstrated. The drive unit 5 includes a yaw axis mechanism 501, a pitch axis mechanism 502, and a roll axis mechanism 503. The yaw axis mechanism 501, the pitch axis mechanism 502, and the roll axis mechanism 503 are rotary joints, and the posture of the passenger seat 8 changes as these operate. The yaw axis mechanism 501 rotates the passenger seat 8 around the yaw axis. The pitch axis mechanism 502 rotates the passenger seat 8 around the pitch axis. The roll shaft mechanism 503 rotates the boarding seat 8 around the roll axis. Thereby, the angle of the seat surface 8a with respect to the chassis 13 changes. That is, the seating surface 8 a is inclined with respect to the chassis 13. Therefore, the yaw axis mechanism 501, the pitch axis mechanism 502, and the roll axis mechanism 503 each have a motor for driving a joint and a speed reducer as driving sections for driving the passenger seat 8 by the driving section 5. Encoders 501a, 502a, and 503a for detecting the rotation angle of the joint motor are provided.

  As described above, the control calculation unit 51 performs control calculation according to the torque from the sensor processing unit 53. Further, the control calculation unit 51 acquires travel surface information from the map based on the position information acquired by the image processing unit 54 based on the image signal of the camera 7. Then, the control calculation unit 51 performs seating surface control based on the torque and running surface information from the sensor processing unit 53. Specifically, the control calculation unit 51 generates a command value for driving the joints of the yaw axis mechanism 501, the pitch axis mechanism 502, and the roll axis mechanism 503. That is, the control calculation unit 51 calculates the target joint angle of each axis mechanism based on the torque and the running surface information. For example, based on information on the slope of a step or slope on the running surface, even if there is a slope of a step or slope, the target joint angle of each axis mechanism so that the seating surface is basically level with the flat surface Is calculated. And the control calculation part 51 calculates the command value according to the target joint angle, and outputs it to each motor. Thereby, each joint of the yaw axis mechanism 501, the pitch axis mechanism 502, and the roll axis mechanism 503 becomes a target joint angle. That is, each axis mechanism is driven so as to follow the target joint angle. Therefore, the posture of the moving body 1 changes and the seating surface 8a of the passenger seat 8 can be set to a desired angle.

  Thus, the inclination angle of the seating surface 8a changes according to the input to the force sensor 9. Thereby, a passenger can grasp | ascertain an input value intuitively. Therefore, operability can be improved. Further, in the first embodiment, the inclination angle of the seating surface 8a changes according to the traveling surface information. This makes it possible to perform seating surface control according to the state of the traveling surface.

  Next, the structure for changing the attitude | position of the mobile body 1 is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a mechanism for changing the posture, and shows an internal configuration of the chassis 13. As shown in FIG. 9, the chassis 13 is provided with a frame portion 2 for controlling the posture. The frame unit 2 is disposed in the housing 11. In the frame portion 2, the first parallel link mechanism 201 and the second parallel link mechanism 202 are coupled in a T-shape in plan view so as not to restrict mutual rotation at the intersection.

  The first parallel link mechanism 201 is arranged in the front-rear direction. The first parallel link mechanism 201 includes four horizontal links 201a and front and rear vertical links 201b. The horizontal links 201a are all equal in length. Although not shown in the figure, both ends of the horizontal link 201a are formed with fitting holes for fitting the connecting shaft with the vertical link 201b. The two horizontal links 201a are arranged up and down, and the two horizontal links 201a are arranged on the left and right sides of the vertical link 201b so as to sandwich the vertical link 201b.

  Although not shown from the left and right side portions of the vertical link 201b, the connecting shaft with the horizontal link 201a protrudes in the left-right direction in an arrangement in which the vertical links 201b face each other with an equal interval in the vertical direction. The connecting shaft is fitted as a rotating shaft between the horizontal link 201a and the vertical link 201b in a fitting hole of the horizontal link 201a via a bearing or the like.

  The vertical link 201b on the front side of the present embodiment is formed in an L shape. The horizontal link 201a is rotatably connected to the upper and lower ends of the vertical piece of the vertical link 201b via a connecting shaft. A free caster is provided as the wheel 6 at the tip of the horizontal piece of the vertical link 201b. When the moving direction of the moving body 1 changes, the direction of the caster rotates according to the change. The rear vertical link 201b includes a protruding portion that protrudes downward from the lower horizontal link 201a. Although not shown in the drawings, the connecting shaft with the second parallel link mechanism 202 protrudes in the front-rear direction from both the front and rear side portions of the protrusion. Further, although not shown from the portion between the upper and lower horizontal links 201a on both the front and rear side portions of the rear vertical link 201b, the connecting shaft with the second parallel link mechanism 202 is arranged in the front-rear direction in a mutually opposed arrangement. Protruding.

  The second parallel link mechanism 202 is disposed in the left-right direction. The second parallel link mechanism 202 includes four horizontal links 202a and left and right vertical links 202b. The horizontal links 202a are all equal in length. Although not shown in the drawings, both ends of the horizontal link 202a are formed with fitting holes for fitting the connecting shaft with the vertical link 202b. Further, although not shown, a fitting hole for fitting a connecting shaft with the first parallel link mechanism 201 is formed at a substantially central position in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal link 202a. The two horizontal links 202a are arranged vertically, and the two horizontal links 202a are taken as a set, and the vertical link 202b and the vertical link 201b on the rear side of the first parallel link mechanism 201 are sandwiched therebetween. The longitudinal link 202b and the longitudinal link 201b on the rear side of the first parallel link mechanism 201 are disposed on both front and rear sides. The connecting shaft protruding from the longitudinal link 201b on the rear side of the first parallel link mechanism 201 is a rotational axis between the first parallel link mechanism 201 and the second parallel link mechanism 202, and is located at a substantially central position of the lateral link 202a. The fitting hole is fitted through a bearing or the like.

  Although not shown from the front and rear side portions of the vertical link 202b, the connecting shaft with the horizontal link 202a protrudes in the front-rear direction in an arrangement in which the vertical links 202b face each other at equal intervals in the vertical direction. The connecting shaft is fitted as a rotating shaft between the horizontal link 202a and the vertical link 202b in a fitting hole at an end of the horizontal link 202a via a bearing or the like.

  As a result, the first parallel link mechanism 201 can be rotated in the front-rear direction without being constrained by the second parallel link mechanism 202. On the other hand, the second parallel link mechanism 202 is configured to be rotatable in the left-right direction without being constrained by the first parallel link mechanism 201.

  The boarding unit 3 is interlocked with the rotation of the frame unit 2. Specifically, the riding section 3 is connected to the upper and lower horizontal links 201 a of the first parallel link mechanism 201 via the support shaft 301. Although not shown from the left and right sides of the upper and lower portions of the support shaft 301, a connecting shaft with the upper and lower horizontal links 201 a of the first parallel link mechanism 201 protrudes in the left-right direction. Although not shown, a fitting hole for fitting the connecting shaft protruding from the support shaft 301 is formed at a substantially central position in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal link 201a of the first parallel link mechanism 201. The support shaft 301 is inserted between the horizontal links 201a arranged on the left and right of the vertical link 201b so as to sandwich the vertical link 201b. The connecting shaft protruding from the support shaft 301 is fitted into the fitting hole of the first parallel link mechanism 201 via a bearing or the like. As a result, when the first parallel link mechanism 201 rotates in the front-rear direction, the support shaft 301 and the vertical link 201b are interlocked while maintaining a parallel state.

  When the driving unit 5 is driven, the frame unit 2 operates. Thereby, the attitude | position of the mobile body 1 changes. The angle of the riding section 3 changes as the chassis 13 tilts. The drive unit 5 is provided with a yaw axis mechanism 501 that rotates around the yaw axis, a pitch axis mechanism 502 that rotates around the pitch axis, and a roll axis mechanism 503 that rotates around the roll axis. The yaw axis mechanism 501 is provided closest to the riding section 3 among the three mechanisms. The yaw axis mechanism 501 is a turning joint that turns the riding part 3 around the yaw axis, and the pitch axis mechanism 502 and the roll axis mechanism 503 are rotary joints that rotate the riding part 3 around the axis.

  Next, a method for controlling the moving body 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a method for controlling the moving body 1. FIG. 10 shows one cycle in the control of the moving body 1. According to this flowchart, movement control of the moving body 1 and posture control (seat surface control) are performed. That is, FIG. 10 shows a control method for driving the rear wheels 602 and driving the drive unit 5.

  First, the joint angles of the yaw axis mechanism 501, the pitch axis mechanism 502, and the roll axis mechanism 503 are detected (step S101). That is, the angle of each joint is detected by encoders 501a, 502a, and 503a provided in each shaft mechanism. The moving body 1 has a posture corresponding to the joint angle. Next, the value of moment is detected by the force sensor 9 (step S102). That is, moments (Mx, My, Mz) are measured. Then, offset correction of the force sensor 9 is performed (step S103). That is, when the position where the passenger is sitting is shifted, an offset is given to the position. An offset is given to the control target origin so as to correct the displacement of the boarding position with respect to the input moment. Thereby, moments (Mx ′, My ′, Mz ′) in which the positional deviation is corrected can be calculated. Note that the order of step S101 and step S102 may be reversed, and step S101 and step S102 may be performed in parallel.

  The equilibrium position and orientation φID of the seating surface is input (step S104). As described above, when the moving body 1 is moving on a flat floor, the position where the seat surface 8a is horizontal is the equilibrium position posture. In the first embodiment, in particular, the equilibrium position / posture is determined based on inclination information such as a step or a slope included in the traveling surface information. The joint angles of the yaw axis mechanism 501, the pitch axis mechanism 502, and the roll axis mechanism 503 at this time correspond to the equilibrium position / posture. Therefore, in this embodiment, the equilibrium position / posture is constant. That is, an equilibrium position / posture is selected so that the joint angle of each axis is constant regardless of the movement state.

  Next, compliance compensation is performed (step S105). The target joint angles of the yaw axis mechanism 501, the pitch axis mechanism 502, and the roll axis mechanism 503 are determined by the compliance control here. Compliance control is control that behaves in a pseudo manner with spring characteristics and damping characteristics. The spring characteristics and damping characteristics are shown by the operations of the yaw axis mechanism 501, the pitch axis mechanism 502, and the roll axis mechanism 503. By introducing this compliance control, the seat surface 8a can be tilted according to the force of the passenger. Here, compliance control is performed using the joint angle of the yaw axis mechanism 501, the pitch axis mechanism 502, the roll axis mechanism 503, the moment of the force sensor 9, and the equilibrium position and orientation of the seating surface 8a. Thereby, target joint angles of the yaw axis mechanism 501, the pitch axis mechanism 502, and the roll axis mechanism 503 are calculated. Details of this step will be described later.

  Then, the seating surface 8a is controlled (step S106). That is, the motor provided on each axis is driven so that the yaw axis mechanism 501, the pitch axis mechanism 502, and the roll axis mechanism 503 have the target joint angles. As a result, the inclination of the seating surface 8a is changed to the current target position / posture. Here, the inclination of the seating surface 8a changes according to the output of the force sensor 9. That is, the passenger receives a force from the seating surface 8a according to the force on the seating surface 8a. Therefore, the passenger 19 can intuitively grasp the input to the force sensor 9. Thereby, operativity improves and it can move as the passenger's 19 intent.

  Next, the operation mode switching determination is performed (step S107). That is, it is determined whether there is an obstacle based on the traveling surface information, and further, it is determined whether or not the operation mode of the moving body 1 is switched according to the determination result. First, the image processing unit 54 acquires position information from an image signal photographed by the camera 7. Furthermore, the control calculation unit 51 estimates the self position based on the position information. Then, the control calculation unit 51 determines whether there is an obstacle in the vicinity of the estimated self-position based on the map. Thereafter, when the control calculation unit 51 determines that there is an obstacle, the control calculation unit 51 switches to an obstacle mode that is an operation mode when there is an obstacle. When it is determined that there is no obstacle, the normal mode when there is no obstacle is set. In the case of the obstacle mode, the gain when the control calculation unit 51 calculates a command value for driving the drive motor 603 in step S111 described later is changed. Here, the gain is made smaller than that in the moving body mode. Then, the drive motor 603 is driven by applying the changed gain. In the normal mode, the drive motor 603 is driven without changing the gain.

  Next, the wheel rotation angle, speed, and torque are detected (step S108). That is, the operating state of the left and right rear wheels 602 is detected based on the output of the encoder 603a. Then, the forward / reverse speed of the moving body 1 is calculated from the target joint angle around the pitch axis (step S109). At this time, the forward / reverse speed is calculated based on the current target position / posture φi obtained in step S105. That is, the control calculation unit 51 calculates the forward / reverse speed based on the target joint angle of the pitch axis mechanism 502. Therefore, the target forward / reverse speed is determined by the moment of the force sensor 9, the equilibrium position / posture of the seat surface, and the joint angles.

  Further, the turning speed of the moving body 1 is calculated from the joint angles of the roll axis and the yaw axis (step S110). The control calculation unit 51 calculates the turning speed based on the current target position and orientation φi obtained in step S105. That is, the control calculation unit 51 calculates the forward / reverse speed based on the target joint angles of the yaw axis mechanism 501 and the roll axis mechanism 503. Therefore, the target forward / reverse speed is determined by the moment of the force sensor 9, the equilibrium position of the seat surface, and each joint angle.

  Then, the forward / reverse speed and the turning speed are combined to calculate the rotational torque of the left and right rear wheels 602 (step S111). That is, the rotational torque for rotating the rear wheel 602 is calculated. The torque of the left and right rear wheels 602 becomes a command value and is output to the drive motor 603. Here, feedback control is performed using the rotation angle of the rear wheel 602 detected in step S108 and the target speed. The control calculation unit 51 outputs a command value for driving the drive motor 603. Thereby, the moving body 1 moves at a speed close to the forward / backward speed calculated in step S109 and the turning speed calculated in step S110. Therefore, the moving body 1 moves as intended by the passenger in response to the input from the force sensor 9.

  In step S111, the control calculation unit 51 calculates a command value according to the weight shift of the passenger. Here, when the mode is switched to the obstacle mode in step S107, the gain for calculating the command value is changed. That is, the gain is changed to a smaller value than in the mobile mode. Thereby, the command value to the drive motor 603 can be suppressed with respect to the weight movement of the passenger, and the position of the moving body 1 can be moved slowly. As a result, the passenger can have time to perform the obstacle avoidance operation. Further, when the gain is changed to 0, the drive motor 603 is not controlled, and the position of the moving body 1 can be prevented from moving. That is, it is possible to fix the position of the moving body 1 on the spot and operate only the seating surface according to the weight shift of the passenger.

  Next, the compliance compensation in step S105 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing details of the compliance control. First, the passenger moves weight (step S201). That is, in order to move the mobile body 1, input is performed by weight movement. Thereby, the force applied to the force sensor 9 changes. Torque τi around the three axes applied to the seating surface 8a is detected by the force sensor 9 (step S201). This torque τi can be calculated from the input moment. Torque τθz (= Mz ′) around the yaw axis, torque τθy (= My ′) around the pitch axis, and torque τθx (= Mx ′) around the roll axis are calculated. As described above, τi is torque and includes components for roll, pitch, and yaw. That is, τi includes three components τθx, τθy, and τθz.

  In parallel with steps S201 and S202, an equilibrium position and orientation φID of the seating surface is input (step S203). This equilibrium position / orientation φID indicates a reference position serving as a reference for the yaw axis mechanism 501, the pitch axis mechanism 502, and the roll axis mechanism 503. That is, a joint angle that is a reference for each axis mechanism is input to the control calculation unit 51. In the present embodiment, the value of the equilibrium position and orientation φID of the seating surface is determined based on the traveling surface information acquired from the map according to the positional information acquired by photographing with the camera 7 or the like. The joint angle is stored in the memory or the like of the control calculation unit 51 with respect to the equilibrium position / posture φID. Then, by reading out the joint angle, the equilibrium position / posture φID is input. When the moving body 1 is moving on a flat floor, the position where the seating surface 8a is horizontal is the equilibrium position. Therefore, a fixed joint angle in each axis mechanism indicates the equilibrium position posture φID. The equilibrium position / posture φID is determined for each axis. The equilibrium position / posture φID is composed of three components: an equilibrium position / posture φθxd around the roll axis, an equilibrium position / posture φθyd around the pitch axis, and an equilibrium position / posture φθzd around the yaw axis. These correspond to the joint angle which is the reference of each axis mechanism.

  Next, the current target position / posture φi of the seating surface is obtained from the torque τi and the equilibrium position / posture φID (step S204). Here, the control calculation unit 51 calculates the current target position and orientation φi of the riding unit 3 based on the mathematical formula described in step S204 on the flowchart of FIG. That is, the current target position and orientation φi can be calculated by solving the equation described in step S204. The current target position / posture φi includes, for example, a target joint angle of the yaw axis mechanism 501, a target joint angle of the pitch axis mechanism 502, and a target joint angle of the roll axis mechanism 503. Therefore, the current target position / posture φi is composed of three components of φθx, φθy, and φθz. The target joint angle in each axis mechanism is calculated based on the torque τi and the equilibrium position / posture φID.

  In the equation of step S204, Mi is an inertia matrix, Di is a viscosity coefficient matrix, Ki is a stiffness matrix, and these are 3 × 3 matrices. The inertia matrix, the viscosity coefficient matrix, and the stiffness matrix can be set according to the configuration and operation of the moving body 1. Further, (dot) attached on φi and φID indicates time differentiation. When one dot is attached, one-time differentiation is indicated, and when two dots are attached, two-time differentiation is indicated. For example, if one dot is attached on φi, the target posture speed is obtained, and if two dots are attached, the target posture acceleration is obtained. Similarly, when one dot is attached on φID, the equilibrium position / posture speed is obtained, and when two dots are attached, the equilibrium position / posture acceleration is obtained. In this embodiment, since the equilibrium position / posture φID is fixed, the equilibrium position / posture speed and the equilibrium position / posture acceleration are basically zero.

  Next, the gain is changed according to the mode (step S205). In the case of the obstacle mode, the gain is changed to a smaller one. In the normal mode, the gain is not changed.

  Then, movement control is performed based on the current target position and orientation φi (step S206). Further, in parallel with the movement control, tilt control of the seating surface is performed (step S207). In the movement control, as shown in step S109 and step S110, the forward / reverse speed and the turning speed are calculated based on the current target position / posture φi. That is, the forward / reverse speed of the moving body 1 is determined according to the current target position / posture φθy. The greater the value of φθy, the greater the forward / reverse speed. Further, the turning speed of the moving body 1 is determined according to the current target position / posture φθx, φθz. The turning speed increases as the values of φθx and φθz increase. Then, the rotational torque of the left and right rear wheels 602 is calculated from the forward / reverse speed and the turning speed. Here, the target rotational speed for the left and right rear wheels 602 is calculated by combining the forward / reverse speed and the turning speed. Then, feedback control for calculating the rotational torque is performed from the difference between the current rotational speed and the target rotational speed. The control calculation unit 51 outputs this rotational torque as a command value to the drive motor 603. In this way, movement control is performed.

  The inclination control of the seating surface 8a is also performed based on the current target position / posture φi. That is, the command value for each axis mechanism is calculated using the current target position / posture φi as an input. Based on the current target position and orientation φi, the command value of each axis mechanism is calculated. And according to this command value, the yaw axis mechanism 501, the pitch axis mechanism 502, and the roll axis mechanism 503 are driven. Therefore, the inclination of the seating surface 8 a changes so as to be the target joint angle of the yaw axis mechanism 501, the target joint angle of the pitch axis mechanism 502, and the target joint angle of the roll axis mechanism 503. In this way, each axis mechanism is driven so as to follow the target joint angle. Thereby, the attitude | position of the riding part 3 changes and the inclination of the seat surface 8a changes. Therefore, the passenger receives force from the seating surface 8a. Then, the seat surface 8a becomes the current target position / posture φi.

  Thus, the movement control and the tilt control of the seating surface 8a are performed using the current target position / posture φi. That is, the command value for each motor is calculated based on the current target position and orientation φi. The control calculation unit 51 drives the rear wheels 602 and the drive unit 5 based on the drive amount of the drive unit 5 that drives the passenger seat, the equilibrium position and orientation of the seating surface 8a, and the measurement signal from the force sensor 9. A command value for calculating is calculated.

  Thus, the method of fixing the passenger seat 8 to the chassis 13 is not rigidly coupled but has a structure that is deformed and displaced to some extent with respect to the input. Therefore, it is possible to control to make a soft movement like a spring. That is, if it represents with a motor vehicle, the drive part 5 functions as a suspension. And based on the detection result in the force sensor 9, the drive part 5 is controlled.

  Thereby, operability can be improved. That is, by driving the mechanism around each axis, it is possible to intuitively understand how much operation is being performed. The difference between the actual operation amount and the intended operation amount can be recognized. Therefore, the shift of the actual operation amount with respect to the intended operation amount can be suppressed. Further, even when the occupant is receiving centrifugal force, an operation for performing the intended movement is possible. That is, it is possible to prevent the speed from being increased more than necessary or the speed from being decreased more than necessary. Thereby, the mobile body 1 with high operability can be realized.

  Here, the seating surface control and gain control based on the image signal from the camera 7 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, the moving body 1 performs floor surface detection by the camera 7 during traveling (step S301). Specifically, the moving body 1 photographs the floor surface 2 on which the pattern is drawn by the camera 7. An imaging signal obtained by shooting is input to the image processing unit 54. The image processing unit 64 performs predetermined processing on the input image signal, acquires position information, and outputs the position information to the control calculation unit 51. The control calculation unit 51 estimates the self position based on the position information. Furthermore, the control calculation unit 51 acquires travel surface information of the estimated self-position from the map.

  The control calculation unit 51 determines whether or not the traveling surface has a slope such as a step or a slope from the traveling surface information (step S302). When it is determined that there is an inclination, the control calculation unit 51 executes the above-described seating surface control (step S304). Such seating surface control can dynamically keep the seating surface horizontal according to the inclination.

  When it is determined that there is no step or inclination, the control calculation unit 51 further determines whether there is an obstacle such as a wall in the vicinity of the moving body 1 from the traveling surface information (step S303). If it is determined that there is an obstacle, the control calculation unit 51 switches to the above-described obstacle mode and performs gain adjustment (S305).

  When it is determined in step S303 that there is no obstacle or when the seat control (step S304) / gain adjustment (step S305) is executed, the control calculation unit 51 performs traveling control (step S306).

  As described above, the moving body 1 according to the first embodiment recognizes the pattern provided on the floor 2 and extracts position information, estimates the self position, and responds accordingly. By acquiring the traveling surface information from the map, traveling control and seating surface control corresponding to the state of the traveling surface, in particular, the state of the traveling surface to which the moving body 1 moves can be executed. Therefore, without using a laser sensor of about 500,000 yen or a posture angle sensor of about 800,000 yen, the floor surface can be detected by a USB camera of several thousand yen and floor pattern processing of several tens of thousands of yen, so it is extremely inexpensive. Thus, traveling control and seating surface control corresponding to the state of the traveling surface can be executed. In particular, in a moving body driven by a human, driving assistance can be performed by installing such a system.

Embodiment 2 of the Invention
In the first embodiment of the invention, it is assumed that a pattern drawn on the floor surface can be detected. However, there are cases where the floor surface cannot be detected, such as when the moving body has advanced to an area where there is no pattern on the floor surface, or when the floor surface is dirty. When the mobile object according to the second embodiment cannot detect the floor as described above, it estimates its own position using odometry. Odometry is a technique for obtaining the translation speed of the moving body and the angular speed of the moving body from the rotational speeds of the left and right wheels, and integrating these to obtain the position and orientation of the moving body.

  A moving body control method according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, camera position coordinate conversion processing is executed (step S401). This is because the camera mounting coordinates change as the roll axis, pitch axis, and yaw axis change, so that coordinate conversion is performed in order to keep the camera in the same position for control purposes. . Specifically, the control calculation unit 51 performs the coordinate conversion process. In order to avoid such coordinate conversion, the camera 7 may be driven and controlled so that the camera 7 is dynamically oriented in the vertical direction, and the camera is suspended from a shaft provided in the housing 11 so as to be rotatable. You may make it face in a perpendicular direction by lowering.

  Next, the control calculation unit 51 determines whether or not the floor surface has been detected (step S402). If it is determined that the floor surface has been detected, the control calculation unit 51 performs self-position estimation in the same manner as the moving body according to the first embodiment of the invention (S404).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the floor surface cannot be detected, the control calculation unit 51 performs self-position estimation by odometry (step S403). After self-position estimation (step S403, step S404), traveling control is executed (step S405).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when the floor surface cannot be detected, self-position estimation is performed by odometry. Therefore, when the moving body moves to an area where there is no pattern on the floor surface, or when the floor surface is dirty. Even in such a case, stable movement control can be performed.

Embodiment 3 of the Invention
In the first and second embodiments of the invention, the camera is provided on the moving body 1. However, in the moving body control system according to the third embodiment of the invention, the camera is provided to a user other than the moving body 1. .

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the moving body control system. As shown in the figure, a user 60 holds and operates a communication device 70 with a camera. FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the mobile control system.

  As illustrated in FIG. 15, the communication device 70 includes a camera 701, a battery 702, an image processing unit 703, a communication processing unit 704, and an antenna 705. The camera 701 is, for example, a USB camera that captures a pattern on the floor surface 2. The battery 702 supplies power to the camera 701, the battery 702, the image processing unit 703, the communication processing unit 704, and the like. The image processing unit 703 receives an image signal captured and acquired by the camera 701, performs predetermined processing, and acquires position information. The communication processing unit 704 performs communication processing for transmitting a communication signal including the position information acquired by the image processing unit 703 to the mobile body 1 via the antenna 705. The communication device 70 can be realized not only by a dedicated machine of this system but also by a camera-equipped mobile phone.

  The mobile body 1 further includes a communication processing unit 55 and an antenna 56 in addition to the configuration of the mobile body according to the first embodiment of the invention. The communication processing unit 55 receives a communication signal transmitted from the communication device 70 via the antenna 56 and outputs position information included in the communication signal to the control calculation unit 51. The control calculation unit 51 acquires the position information, recognizes the position of the communication device 70, and controls the moving body 1 to move to the position of the communication device 70. When the movement of the moving body 1 is controlled by a plurality of communication devices 70, or when the movement of an arbitrary moving body 1 is controlled in the presence of a plurality of moving bodies 1, transmission is performed from the communication device 70. The communication signal may include identification information for identifying the transmission source communication device 70 and identification information for identifying the control target mobile unit 1. At this time, the moving body 1 moves with respect to the communication device 70 identified based on the identification information. In addition, when the mobile unit 1 receives a communication signal including identification information for identifying itself, the mobile unit 1 performs such movement control, but receives a communication signal that does not include identification information for identifying itself. Does not execute such movement control.

  As described above, in the mobile body control system according to the third embodiment, a position away from the mobile body can be recognized by the mobile body. For example, the mobile body control system moves to such a recognition position. It is possible to control the moving body.

Other embodiments.
In the above-described embodiment, the pattern is provided on the floor surface. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the pattern may be provided on the wall surface or ceiling surface. In these cases, the wall surface or ceiling surface can be photographed. Cameras are installed in various positions and directions.

  In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that the gain is changed in the obstacle mode, but various changing methods are conceivable as a method of changing the gain. For example, an adjuster that adjusts the magnitude of the gain may be further provided in the moving body 1, and the magnitude of the gain may be changed according to the operation amount of the adjuster by the passenger 1. Thereby, the position of the mobile body 1 can be moved slowly in the obstacle mode, for example, by changing the responsiveness of the drive motor 603 with respect to the weight movement of the passenger. Moreover, you may make it switch between an obstruction mode and a normal mode according to the operation amount of a regulator. Thereby, according to a passenger's utilization condition, the control mode of a mobile body can be switched more flexibly and high operativity can be implement | achieved.

  The present invention is not limited to the wheel-type moving body 1 but can be applied to a walking-type moving body. That is, it is only necessary that a moving mechanism for moving the main body such as the chassis 13 with respect to the floor surface is provided.

It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the mobile body control system concerning Embodiment 1 of invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the pattern of the floor surface used in the mobile body control system concerning Embodiment 1 of invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the pattern of the floor surface used in the mobile body control system concerning Embodiment 1 of invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the pattern of the floor surface used in the mobile body control system concerning Embodiment 1 of invention. It is a front view which shows typically the mobile body concerning Embodiment 1 of invention. It is a side view which shows typically the mobile body concerning Embodiment 1 of invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement around each axis | shaft. It is a block diagram which shows the control system for moving the mobile body concerning Embodiment 1 of invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure for changing the attitude | position of a moving body. It is a flowchart which shows control of the moving body concerning Embodiment 1 of invention. It is a flowchart which shows the compliance control in the moving body concerning Embodiment 1 of invention. It is a flowchart which shows control of the moving body concerning Embodiment 1 of invention. It is a flowchart which shows control of the moving body concerning Embodiment 2 of invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the mobile body control system concerning Embodiment 3 of invention. It is a block diagram which shows a structure of the mobile body control system concerning Embodiment 3 of invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 mobile body, 2 frame part, 3 boarding part, 5 drive part,
501 yaw axis mechanism, 501a encoder,
502 pitch axis mechanism, 502a encoder,
503 roll shaft mechanism, 503a encoder,
603 drive motor, 603a encoder,
6 wheels, 601 front wheels, 602 rear wheels,
603 drive motor, 603a encoder,
7, 71-74 Camera 8 Passenger seat, 8a Seat surface, 9 Force sensor, 10 Footrest,
11 housing, 12 discriminating part, 13 chassis,
20 armrests, 21 backrests, 22 switches,
51 control calculation unit, 52 battery, 53 sensor processing unit, 54 image processing unit,
55 communication processing unit, 56 antenna, 70 communication device,
201 first parallel link mechanism, 201a horizontal link, 201b vertical link,
202 second parallel link mechanism, 202a horizontal link, 202b vertical link,
301 support shaft,
701 Camera, 702 Battery, 703 Image processing unit,
704 Control calculation unit, 705 Communication processing unit 705, 706 Antenna

Claims (19)

A camera that captures a pattern including position information;
An image processing unit for acquiring position information from an image signal photographed by the camera;
A moving mechanism for moving the moving body;
Based on the position information acquired by the image processing unit, the self-position is estimated, on the basis of the estimated self-position, the traveling surface information previously associated with the position is acquired, and on the basis of the traveling surface information, the A moving body provided with a control calculation unit for controlling the operation of the moving body. The mobile body further includes a drive unit that drives and controls the angle of the seat surface on which the passenger is placed,
The mobile body according to claim 1, wherein the control calculation unit controls the driving unit based on inclination information of the traveling surface included in the traveling surface information, and executes seating surface control.   The said control calculation part controls the gain at the time of calculating the command value for driving the said moving mechanism based on the obstruction information contained in driving | running | working surface information, The Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Moving body.   The mobile object according to claim 3, wherein the control calculation unit switches the gain to be smaller than normal when the obstacle information indicates that there is an obstacle around the mobile object.   The mobile object according to claim 1, wherein the control calculation unit estimates a self-position by odometry when position information cannot be acquired by the image processing unit.   The mobile body according to claim 1, wherein the pattern is attached to a floor surface on which the mobile body travels. A moving body control system for controlling a moving body by photographing a pattern including position information attached to the surrounding environment of the moving body,
A camera for imaging the pattern;
An image processing unit for acquiring position information from a pattern photographed by the camera;
Based on the position information acquired by the image processing unit, the self-position is estimated, on the basis of the estimated self-position, the traveling surface information previously associated with the position is acquired, and on the basis of the traveling surface information, the A moving body control system including a control calculation unit that performs operation control of a moving body. The mobile body further includes a drive unit that drives and controls the angle of the seat surface on which the passenger is placed,
The mobile control system according to claim 7, wherein the control calculation unit performs seating surface control by controlling the driving unit based on inclination information of the traveling surface included in the traveling surface information.   The mobile control system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the control calculation unit controls a gain when calculating a command value for driving the moving mechanism, based on obstacle information included in traveling surface information.   The mobile control system according to claim 9, wherein the control calculation unit switches the gain to be smaller than normal when the obstacle information indicates that there is an obstacle around the mobile body. .   The mobile control system according to claim 7, wherein the control calculation unit estimates a self-position by odometry when position information cannot be acquired by the image processing unit. The mobile body control system includes a communication device and a mobile body,
The communication apparatus includes the camera, the image processing unit, and a transmission unit that transmits position information acquired by the image processing unit to the moving body.
The mobile body includes a receiving unit that receives the position information transmitted from the transmitting unit, and the control calculation unit.
The mobile body control system according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the mobile body control calculation unit performs operation control of the mobile body based on the received position information.   The control calculation unit, based on the received position information, executes drive control of the moving mechanism so that the moving body moves to a position specified by the position information. The moving body control system described. Imaging a pattern including position information;
Obtaining position information from the imaged image signal;
Estimating the self-position based on the obtained position information;
Obtaining travel surface information previously associated with the position based on the estimated self-position;
A moving body control method comprising a step of performing operation control of the moving body based on the traveling surface information.   15. The method of controlling a moving body according to claim 14, wherein the step of controlling the operation of the moving body executes seating surface control based on inclination information of the traveling surface included in the traveling surface information.   The step of controlling the operation of the moving body is characterized by controlling a gain when calculating a command value for driving the moving mechanism of the moving body based on obstacle information included in the traveling surface information. The method for controlling a moving body according to claim 14 or 15.   The method according to claim 16, wherein when the obstacle information indicates that there is an obstacle around the moving body, the gain is switched to be smaller than normal.   The method for controlling a mobile object according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein when the position information cannot be acquired, the self-position is estimated by odometry.   The method for controlling a moving body according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the pattern is attached to a floor surface on which the moving body travels.

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