JP2012159954A - Unmanned moving body and control method for unmanned moving body - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an unmanned moving body and a control method for the unmanned moving body such that the unmanned moving body is made to travel along a road at a curved part and an intersection in a certain environment with the road and without no previous available information associated with the road and intersection, and to take smooth right and left turnings even at the intersection only with a turning instruction.SOLUTION: When there is no special instruction, a travel path R along a road which is easy to continue to travel following a travel path that a semi-autonomous travel vehicle A traveled so far is extracted on a local map based upon distance measurement data, and the semi-autonomous travel vehicle A is made to autonomously travels along the travel path R along the road. When the route is changed to another travel path Rl at an intersection C, a change path Rc to the other travel path Rl based upon a new steering command received when the vehicle enters the intersection is set, and the semi-autonomous travel vehicle A is made to travel to the other travel path Rl through the change path Rc.

Description

  The present invention relates to an unmanned mobile body that can move autonomously, and is not limited to paved roads, particularly in an environment where there are unpaved roads and roads that are not maintained, and no information on these roads can be obtained. The present invention relates to an unmanned moving body that moves autonomously and a method for controlling the unmanned moving body.

  Conventionally, there is a traveling control method for an autonomous traveling body described in Patent Document 1 as an example of an unmanned moving body capable of autonomous movement as described above.

  In this autonomously traveling body traveling control method, an image captured by an imaging device mounted on an autonomous traveling body is divided into a plurality of regions, and for each divided region, the obtained feature amount in the divided region and a predetermined amount are divided. The tracking target area is extracted by comparing with the threshold value, a gazing point is set on the tracking target area, the steering angle of the autonomous traveling body to go to the tracking target area is calculated, and the autonomous traveling body is steering-controlled by the steering angle. It is like that.

JP 2002-132343

  However, according to the traveling control method of the autonomous traveling body described above, the tracking target region is extracted by comparing the feature amount of the image divided into a plurality of regions with a predetermined threshold value, so that the branch path is recognized. And there is a problem that the intersection cannot be turned right and left, and it has been a conventional problem to solve these problems.

  The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above-described conventional problems, and is not limited to paved roads, but in an environment where there are unpaved roads and roads that are not maintained, and prior information regarding these roads and intersections is provided. Under circumstances where it is not possible to obtain at all, it is possible to smoothly drive a curved road or intersection along the road, and it is possible to smoothly perform a right / left turn at the intersection simply by issuing a turn instruction. It is an object of the present invention to provide an unmanned moving object and a method for controlling the unmanned moving object that can realize high-speed traveling of the unmanned moving object in a road environment.

  The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is an unmanned moving body capable of autonomous traveling, a traveling mechanism for autonomously traveling, an external measurement unit that acquires information on unevenness of landform in the traveling direction, Data for determining a travelable area, a non-travelable area, and an unmeasured area based on the self-position data acquisition unit that acquires the self-position and direction, and the information on the unevenness of the terrain in the traveling direction obtained by the external measurement unit An analysis unit, local map creation means for creating a local map including a travelable area, a travel impossible area and an unmeasured area based on a determination result in the data analysis unit; and a local map created by the local map creation means Based on the self-location data acquisition means, the continuous travelable area is extracted from the self-position, and the travelable area map generation means for generating a travelable area map, and the travelable area map generation means Can run Based on the map, the road information recognition means for recognizing the information on the road direction, the position of the branch road, the number of the branch roads, the road width and the curvature, and the travel route based on the road information recognized by the road information recognition means A travel route generating means for generating, and an intersection turning route generating means for generating an intersection turning route at the stage of turning an intersection based on the road information recognized by the road information recognition means. Based on the traveling route, the intersection turning route generated by the intersection turning route generating means, and the self-position data acquired by the self-position data acquiring means, the traveling mechanism is operated to autonomously travel. The configuration of this unmanned moving body is used as a means for solving the above-described conventional problems.

  Further, in the unmanned moving body according to claim 2 of the present invention, the travelable area map generation means is self-location data acquired by the self-position data acquisition means on the local map created by the local map creation means. A plurality of arc-shaped search lines whose radius of curvature gradually decreases on both sides of the vehicle from the traveling direction to the center of the axis, and fan-shaped traveling in a range where arc-shaped search lines extending from the travelable area to the unmeasured area exist While extracting as a possible area, it is set as the structure which expands a some linear search line to the advancing direction radially from the self-position data acquired by the said self-position data acquisition means, and extracts a linear travelable area.

  Furthermore, the unmanned mobile body which concerns on Claim 3 of this invention WHEREIN: The said road information recognition means is located in each both ends of each of these several fan-shaped driving | running | working areas in the intersection where the said several fan-shaped driving | running | working area is recognized. After the arc-shaped search line passing through the center between the arc-shaped search lines is defined as the representative arc of the fan-shaped travelable area, the representative arc is translated in both directions until it touches the non-travelable area, A road having a road width defined by the distance between one road edge arc and the other road edge arc is set, and the center of the road width is determined as a road center line for each of the plurality of roads. The curvature and the direction of the road center line are set as the curvature of the road and the direction of the road.

  Furthermore, in the unmanned moving body according to claim 4 of the present invention, the road information recognition means is configured to have each obstacle reaching point of each of the linear search lines adjacent to each other among the linear search lines that have reached the inoperable region. If the distance between the obstacles exceeds the threshold, there is a gap and a failure arrival line connecting these failure arrival points is held as a branch path candidate, from the center of the road width at the self-position of the unmanned mobile object, Inscribed circles in contact with the inability to travel at two or more points are drawn sequentially at regular intervals in the direction of travel, and lines connecting the centers of the inscribed circles pass through the obstacle reaching line that is the branch candidate. A branch line that is not allowed to travel is recognized based on the boundary of the untravelable area that follows the far reaching point far from the self-position of the unmanned moving body among the obstacle reaching points. All Road Nari road width for each line, and configured to calculate the direction of the length and branch of the branch road.

  Furthermore, in the unmanned mobile body according to claim 5 of the present invention, the travel route generating means is based on each road width, curvature and road direction set for each of a plurality of travel paths by the road information recognition means. From the plurality of travel paths, a travel path that is most easily connected to the travel path that is currently traveling is extracted as a road travel path.

  Still further, in the unmanned moving body according to claim 6 of the present invention, when the intersection turning route generation means obtains a new steering command to be directed to another traveling route that branches off from the traveling route along the road at the intersection. A vertical line is dropped from the end on the local map on the road center line of the other road on the axis, and an arc having a constant radius of curvature inscribed on both the vertical line and the axis is changed on the local map. The configuration is set as

  Furthermore, in the unmanned mobile body according to claim 7 of the present invention, the local map creating means approximates the unrunnable areas scattered on the unclear roadside on the unpaved road to the unrunnable areas connected to each other and can travel. The local map is created by removing the isolated inoperable areas that are erroneously recognized as inoperable areas in the area.

  On the other hand, the invention according to claim 8 of the present invention is a method for controlling an unmanned mobile body capable of autonomous traveling, and acquires information on unevenness of terrain in the traveling direction of the unmanned mobile body, and the unmanned mobile body Self-position data is obtained, and based on the information on the unevenness of the terrain in the traveling direction, after determining the travelable area, the travel impossible area and the unmeasured area, the travelable area based on the determination result, Create a local map including a non-travelable area and an unmeasured area, and then extract a continuous travelable area from the self-position of the unmanned mobile body based on the local map to generate a travelable area map, Based on the road direction, the position of the branch road, the number of branch roads, the road width, and the curvature information recognized from the travelable area map, a travel route is generated and the intersection turns at the stage of turning the intersection. Generate a route The unmanned moving body is configured to travel based on a line route, the intersection turning route, and the self-location data of the unmanned moving body, and the configuration of the control method of the unmanned moving body is described above. It is a means for solving the conventional problems.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for an unmanned mobile body, wherein the radius of curvature gradually decreases on both sides of the local map from the self-location data of the unmanned mobile body in the traveling direction and centering on the axis. A plurality of arc-shaped search lines are expanded to extract a range where an arc-shaped search line extending from a travelable area to an unmeasured area exists as a fan-shaped travelable area, and the self-position data acquired by the self-position data acquisition unit In this configuration, a plurality of linear search lines are radially developed in the traveling direction to extract a linear travelable area.

  Furthermore, in the control method for an unmanned mobile body according to claim 10 of the present invention, at an intersection where a plurality of fan-like travelable areas are recognized, arc-shaped search lines located at both ends of each of the plurality of fan-like travelable areas. An arc-shaped search line passing through the center between the arcs is defined as a representative arc of the fan-like travelable area, and then the representative arc is moved parallel to both sides until it touches the non-runnable area. A road having an interval between the road edge arc and the other road edge arc is set as a road width, and the center of the road width is determined as a road center line for each of the plurality of roads. The curvature and the directing direction are set as the curvature and the direction of the road.

  Furthermore, in the control method for an unmanned mobile body according to claim 11 of the present invention, the distance between the obstacle reaching points of the linear search lines adjacent to each other among the linear search lines that have reached the non-running region is set. If the threshold is exceeded, there is a gap, and the failure arrival line connecting these failure arrival points is held as a branch path candidate. From the center of the road width at the self-position of the unmanned mobile body, the center of the road width is the center and the travel impossible Inscribed circles in contact with the region at two or more points are drawn in order at predetermined intervals in the direction of travel, and a branch path in which the lines connecting the centers of the inscribed circles do not pass through the obstacle reaching line that is the branch path candidate Is determined as an intersection, and the road line of the branch road is set based on the boundary of the non-running area following the far reaching point far from the self-position of the unmanned moving body among the obstacle reaching points. road Ri road width for each line, and configured to calculate the direction of the length and branch of the branch road.

  Furthermore, in the control method for an unmanned mobile body according to claim 12 of the present invention, the unmanned vehicle is selected from the plurality of travel paths based on the road width, curvature, and direction of direction set for each of the plurality of travel paths. The configuration is such that the travel path that is most likely to be linked to the travel path on which the moving body is traveling is extracted as a road and travel path.

  Furthermore, the control method for an unmanned mobile body according to claim 13 of the present invention is the time when a new steering command for directing the unmanned mobile body to another road that branches from the road or the road at the intersection is obtained. , A vertical line is dropped on the axis from the end on the local map in the center line of the travel path of the other travel path to which the unmanned mobile body is directed, and the vertical line and the unmanned mobile body on the local map An arc having a constant radius of curvature that is inscribed on both sides of the machine axis is set as the change path.

  Furthermore, in the control method for an unmanned mobile body according to claim 14 of the present invention, the untravelable areas scattered on the unclear roadside on the unpaved road are approximated to the untravelable areas connected to each other and cannot travel within the travelable area. It is configured to create a local map by removing isolated inoperable areas that are erroneously recognized as areas.

  The unmanned moving body and the method for controlling the unmanned moving body according to the present invention are used in an environment where there is a road, and any roads such as paved roads, unpaved roads, and roads where road shoulders are not sufficiently developed are used. It can also be applied under certain circumstances.

In the unmanned moving body and the unmanned moving body control method according to the present invention, for example, a horizontal line scan type uniaxial laser range finder is used as an external measurement unit that acquires information on unevenness of topography in the traveling direction of the unmanned moving body. At least one set is sufficient, but in order to compensate for the disadvantage of only obtaining cross-sectional gradient data, a stereo camera or a laser range finder that detects standing obstacles above the vehicle height (about 20 cm) is used. Is desirable.
For example, GPS, IMU (Inertial Measurement Device), or dead reckoning can be used as means for obtaining the self-position and direction that change every moment necessary for creating the travel path.

Further, in the unmanned moving body and the control method of the unmanned moving body according to the present invention, the travel path where the traveling unattended moving body can continue to travel smoothly is the travelable area in the traveling direction of the self-position of the unmanned moving body. Based on the determination that the region has a width equal to or greater than the vehicle width extending from the vehicle to the unmeasured region, a region having a width equal to or greater than the vehicle width from the travelable region to the unmeasured region is searched.
Specifically, on the local map, a plurality of arc-shaped search lines in which the radius of curvature gradually decreases from the self-position of the unmanned moving body in the direction of travel and centered on the axis, the distance from the travelable area is expanded. Recognize the range where the arc-shaped search line extending in the unmeasured area exists as a fan-like travelable area, or develop multiple linear search lines radially in the traveling direction from the self-position data acquired by the self-position data acquisition means Then, a linear travelable area is extracted.

Here, since it is not realistic that the traveling area has a fan shape, it is necessary to convert the fan-shaped traveling area into a traveling path having a width equal to or larger than the vehicle width.
In the unmanned moving body and the method for controlling the unmanned moving body according to the present invention, for example, when a plurality of fan-like travelable areas are recognized, the area is regarded as an intersection, and each of the plurality of fan-like travelable areas is provided at both ends. The arc-shaped search line passing through the center between the arc-shaped search lines is defined as the representative arc of the fan-like travelable area, and the travel path is set by moving the representative arc on both sides until the non-travelable area is touched on both sides. Like to do. In other words, the distance between the one road end arc and the other road end arc that touched the untravelable area is the road width of the travel path.

  The unmanned moving object according to the present invention is based on the viewpoint that the unmanned moving object in which the unmanned moving object is able to continue running smoothly will continue without difficulty. In the control method for the unmanned moving body, the curvature and the direction of the road center line located at the center of the road width determined for each of the plurality of roads are set as the curvature and road direction of the road, Based on the direction of the road and the direction of the road, from these roads, the road that is most likely to be linked to the road that is currently running is extracted as the road and the road, so that the unmanned moving body is directed to the road and the road. To control.

  If there is a T-junction or a Y-junction close to the T-shaped path in the traveling direction of the self-position of the unmanned mobile body at the time of the fan-shaped travelable area extraction described above, the self-position of the unmanned mobile body It is possible that a plurality of arc-shaped search lines to be developed all reach the road boundary, making it impossible to create a travelable area map.

In preparation for such a case, in the unmanned moving body and the unmanned moving body control method according to the present invention, on the local map, a plurality of linear search lines are radially developed in the traveling direction, and a linear travelable area is obtained. After extracting, an intersection search is performed.
In other words, if the distance between the obstacle arrival points of the adjacent linear search lines exceeds the threshold among the straight search lines that have reached the untravelable area, branch the obstacle arrival lines connecting these obstacle arrival points. Holds as a candidate and, if necessary, among the linear search lines that reach the unmeasured area, the unmeasured arrival that connects these unmeasured arrival points even when the distance between the linear search lines located at the two ends exceeds the threshold Hold the line as a branch candidate.

At this time, from the center of the road width at the self-position of the unmanned moving body, inscribed circles that are centered on the center of the road width and touch the two or more points in the inability to travel are sequentially fitted at regular intervals toward the traveling direction. A branch road that does not pass through a failure arrival line that is a branch road candidate is recognized as an intersection, and a line that connects the centers of the tangent circles is recognized as an intersection when there is no failure arrival line that is in contact with the inscribed circle.
Then, branch roads and lines are set based on the boundaries of the non-travelable areas that follow distant destinations that are far from unmanned moving objects among the obstacle arrival points, and the road width and the length of the branch road are set for every road line. And the direction of the branch path are calculated.

  On the other hand, when an unmanned moving body is directed to another traveling path that branches off from the traveling road instead of directing the unmanned moving body to a road or traveling road at an intersection, Acts upon obtaining a steering command (direction command). That is, a constant radius of curvature that is inscribed on both the vertical line and the axis of the unmanned mobile object on the local map is drawn from the edge of the local map on the road center line of the other road to the axis of the unmanned mobile object. The arc is set as a change path, and the unmanned moving body travels along the change path.

  Here, at the time when a plurality of unmovable areas are detected while the unmanned moving body is traveling, there are no isolated obstacles on the normal road, and even if an isolated obstacle is detected, it is Judgment that it is an obstacle that can be stepped on because it is a plant etc., and the continuous non-driving area is the boundary of the road (the unmovable area of the unclear roadside of the unpaved road may be scattered In the control method of the unmanned moving body and the unmanned moving body according to the present invention, when a plurality of unrunnable areas are scattered sparsely, the process of removing these unrunnable areas, For example, when a non-runnable area is removed based on the Hough transform or the size, on the other hand, when a plurality of non-runnable areas are scattered relatively densely, these non-runnable areas are connected to each other. Processing that approximates the region, for example Hough transform, or by the least squares curve fitting is subjected to a process that approximates the wheelchair-stranded region contiguous.

  In the unmanned moving body and the control method of the unmanned moving body according to the present invention, when there is no specific instruction from the operator, the road traveling road that is easy to continue on the traveling road that has been traveled so far is uneven in the terrain in the traveling direction. Since it is extracted on the local map based on the information, the unmanned moving body smoothly runs autonomously.

  On the other hand, when an unmanned moving body is directed to another traveling road that branches off from the traveling road along the road at the intersection, when the operator issues a new steering command (direction command) when entering the intersection, the unmanned moving body responds to this command. Accordingly, since the changed road to the other traveling path is set, the unmanned moving body smoothly proceeds to the other traveling path through the changed road in the same manner as when traveling on the road.

  In the unmanned moving body according to claim 1 of the present invention and the unmanned moving body control method according to claim 8, the above-described configuration is employed. In the situation where no prior information on these roads and intersections is available, it is possible to smoothly drive curved roads and intersections along the road when remotely maneuvering autonomous vehicles that can move autonomously. The left / right turn of the vehicle can be smoothly performed simply by giving a turn instruction. Therefore, the above-described unmanned mobile body can be driven at high speed under the road environment. .

  In the unmanned moving body according to claim 2 and the unmanned moving body control method according to claim 9 of the present invention, a plurality of arc-shaped search lines with gradually decreasing radii of curvature are developed, and the unmeasured from the travelable area. Since the range where the arc-shaped search line extending in the area exists is recognized as a fan-like traveling area, it is possible to reliably recognize the image of the road when the road is curved. In addition, a very excellent effect that a linear travelable area can also be extracted is brought about.

  Furthermore, since the unmanned moving body according to claim 3 and the control method of the unmanned moving body according to claim 10 of the present invention are configured as described above, a plurality of fan-shaped travels are possible at intersections where a plurality of fan-shaped travelable areas are recognized. A traveling road having a road width greater than the vehicle width can be set for each zone.

  Furthermore, since the unmanned moving body according to claim 4 and the control method of the unmanned moving body according to claim 11 have the above-described configuration, there is a T-junction or a Y-junction close to the T-junction. Even in such a case, it is possible to correctly recognize information such as the position of the branch road, the road width, and the direction.

  Furthermore, in the unmanned moving body according to claim 5 of the present invention and the unmanned moving body control method according to claim 12, the above-described configuration is adopted. Can be extracted.

  Furthermore, since the unmanned moving body according to claim 6 of the present invention and the unmanned moving body control method according to claim 13 are configured as described above, the present invention is directed to other traveling roads that branch off from the traveling road at the intersection. Even if it is a case where a new steering command to be replaced is obtained, it can be smoothly routed to another traveling path via the changed road.

  Furthermore, since the unmanned moving body according to claim 7 and the unmanned moving body control method according to claim 14 of the present invention have the above-described configuration, for example, when traveling on an unpaved road whose roadside is not clear. In addition, when a plurality of non-driving areas are detected on the road or on the roadside, the isolated non-driving areas on the road are ignored, and the continuous non-driving areas are regarded as road boundaries, and the road is smoothly driven on the unpaved road. Can be made.

It is a schematic structure explanatory drawing of the semi-autonomous traveling vehicle as an unmanned mobile body by one Example of this invention. It is a connection block diagram of the control apparatus of the unmanned mobile body in FIG. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the control method of the unmanned mobile body in FIG. It is processing point explanatory drawing (a), (b) corresponding to each step in the operation | movement flowchart of FIG. It is processing point explanatory drawing (a), (b) corresponding to each step in the operation | movement flowchart of FIG. It is processing point explanatory drawing (a), (b) corresponding to each step in the operation | movement flowchart of FIG. It is processing point explanatory drawing (a), (b) corresponding to each step in the operation | movement flowchart of FIG. It is processing point explanatory drawing (a), (b) corresponding to each step in the operation | movement flowchart of FIG. It is processing point explanatory drawing (a), (b) corresponding to each step in the operation | movement flowchart of FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 to 9 show an unmanned mobile body and an unmanned mobile body control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The unmanned mobile body control method controls the movement of an unmanned mobile body with a remote control device. It is used to do.

  In this embodiment, the unmanned moving body is a semi-autonomous traveling vehicle A that can travel autonomously. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle control computer 10 and the vehicle control computer 10 and the LAN 11 are used. It is controlled by an autonomous running computer 30 connected in this manner.

  A wireless LAN 13 connected to the antenna 12 and a remote control camera 14 are connected to the input side of the vehicle control computer 10 via an input / output circuit 15, a GPS 16 serving as a self-position data acquisition unit, and attitude control. A vertical gyro 17 for the vehicle and a vehicle speed pulse 18 for measuring the moving speed are connected via a serial line.

  Further, a steering actuator 22 and a brake / accelerator actuator 23 are connected to the output side of the vehicle control computer 10 via a motor driver 21, and the vehicle is driven by the motor driver 21, actuators 22, 23 and wheels 24. The mechanism 20 is configured.

  The vehicle control computer 10 has a function of transmitting various information acquired by the GPS 16 and the vertical gyro 17 to a remote control device (not shown) via the LAN 11, the wireless LAN 13, and the antenna 12. The steering actuator 22 and the brake / accelerator actuator 23 are activated and stopped via the motor driver 21 based on the operation information.

  On the other hand, on the input side of the computer 30 for autonomous driving, a laser sensor (laser range finder) 31 that constitutes an external measurement unit suitable for acquiring near-field information on unevenness of topography in the traveling direction, and wide-angle and wide-angle information acquisition Are connected to a stereo camera 32 for autonomous driving and an obstacle laser sensor 33 for detecting an obstacle standing up to a vehicle height (about 20 cm) or more. The autonomous running computer 30 is connected via the LAN 11. Thus, the distance measurement data acquired by the laser sensor 31, the stereo camera 32, or the obstacle laser sensor 33 is transmitted to the remote control device.

  A remote control device (not shown) is configured to display the image obtained by the remote control camera 14 of the semi-autonomous vehicle A, the remote control unit, the vehicle control computer 10, the autonomous computer 30 and the LAN 11. The remote control unit is configured to instruct the semi-autonomous traveling vehicle A about the traveling direction and the traveling speed while considering surrounding conditions.

  In this case, the vehicle control computer 10 mounted on the semi-autonomous vehicle A travels based on distance measurement data acquired by the laser sensor 31, the stereo camera 32, or the obstacle laser sensor 33, which is an external measurement unit. A data analysis unit 10A that performs a determination process for a possible region, a non-travelable region, and an unmeasured region, and a local map that includes a travelable region, a non-runnable region, and an unmeasured region based on the determination result of the data analysis unit 10A Based on the local map creation means 10B and the local map created by the local map creation means 10B, a continuous travelable area is extracted from the self-position acquired by the self-position data acquisition unit such as the GPS 16 and can travel. Based on the travelable area map generation means 10C for creating the area map and the travelable area map created by the travelable area map generation means 10C, the road direction and branching Road information recognition means 10D for recognizing information on the position, the number of branch roads, the road width and the curvature, and a travel route generation means 10E for creating a travel route based on the road information recognized by the road information recognition means 10D. The steering actuator 22 and the brake / accelerator actuator 23 are actuated via the motor driver 21 which is a travel mechanism in accordance with the travel path and travel speed in the created travelable area map.

  In the vehicle control computer 10, for example, when the semi-autonomous traveling vehicle A travels, if there is no specific instruction from the operator, control is performed to travel along the travel path extracted on the travelable area map. It is like that.

  Here, the vehicle control computer 10 mounted on the semi-autonomous vehicle A generates an intersection turning route generating means for creating an intersection turning route when turning an intersection based on the road information recognized by the road information recognition means 10D. 10F, and when an operator gives an instruction to turn left or right at an intersection, the vehicle travels to another traveling path through a change path created by the intersection turning path generation means 10F on the travelable area map. It is designed to control as much as possible.

  Therefore, the control procedure by the vehicle control computer 10 will be specifically described. As shown in FIG. 3, in the local map created based on the terrain data (ranging data) acquired by the external measurement unit such as the laser sensor 31 during the traveling of the semi-autonomous vehicle A in steps S1 and S2, When there are multiple NG zones, there are no isolated obstacles on the normal road. Even if an isolated obstacle is detected, it is a tall plant such as a kite and can be stepped over. From the viewpoint of being a possible obstacle, and from the viewpoint that the continuous non-runnable areas NG are road boundaries, a process of removing the plurality of non-runnable areas NG in step S3, for example, Hough transform or large Based on the above, a process for removing the non-running area is performed, and the non-running non-running areas NG1 and NG2 shown in FIG. 4 (a) are removed, leaving only the continuous non-running areas NG.

Next, the travel path on which the traveling semi-autonomous vehicle A can continue traveling smoothly is equal to or greater than the vehicle width from the travelable region G to the unmeasured region NM in the traveling direction of the self-position of the semi-autonomous vehicle A. From the viewpoint of a region having a width, in steps S4 and S5, a region having a width equal to or larger than the vehicle width from the travelable region G to the unmeasured region NM is searched by the travelable region map generating means 10C. Yes.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), on the local map created by the local map creating means 10B, it is obtained by the self-location data obtaining unit such as the GPS 16 (step S5). A plurality of arc-shaped search lines arc extending from the self-position to the unmeasured area NM by developing a plurality of arc-shaped search lines arc that gradually decrease in radius of curvature on both sides of the axis L in the traveling direction. Is recognized as a fan-shaped travelable area SG1, SG2, SG3, and a travelable area map is created (step S4).

At this time, since the arc-shaped search line arc cannot be developed from the self-position of the semi-autonomous vehicle A to the continuous non-travelable areas NG, it is not recognized as a travelable area, and a useless blank area Z is generated. become.
Therefore, following the recognition of the fan-like travelable areas SG1, SG2, and SG3 as described above, as shown in FIG. A plurality of arc searches in which the radius of curvature gradually decreases from the position A ′ shifted by a distance (for example, about half of the obstacle detection range in the obstacle laser sensor 33) in the traveling direction and centering on the axis L. By expanding the line arc and re-recognizing the range where the arc-shaped search line arc extending from the travelable area G to the unmeasured area NM exists as the fan-shaped travelable areas SG1 ′, SG2 ′, SG3 ′, the blank area Z Increase the driving range by reducing.

Here, since it is not realistic that travelable areas SG1, SG2, SG3, SG1 ', SG2', SG3 'form a fan shape, these fan-shaped travelable areas SG1, SG2, SG3, SG1', SG2 It is necessary to convert ', SG3' into a travel path having a width greater than the vehicle width.
As described above, when a plurality of fan-like travelable areas SG1, SG2, SG3, SG1 ′, SG2 ′, and SG3 ′ are recognized, as shown in FIG. After considering the area as the intersection C, a plurality of fan-like travelable areas SG1, SG2, SG3, SG1 ', SG2', SG3 '(only the fan-like travelable area SG2' is shown in FIG. 5B) in step S8. Each time, an arc-shaped search line arc passing through the center between the arc-shaped search lines arc positioned at both ends is defined as the representative arc Arc of the fan-shaped travelable area SG2 ′.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6A, in step S9, the road information recognizing means 10D moves the representative arc Arc on both sides until it touches the non-travelable area NG to set the travel path Ro. That is, the distance between one road end arc Rarc and the other road end arc Larc that has touched the non-travelable area NG is the road width d of the road Ro, and the curvature and direction of the representative arc Arc are the curvature and road of the road Ro. Direction.

  At this time, if it can be considered that the road width d, the curvature, and the road direction obtained for each of the plurality of fan-like travelable areas SG1, SG2, SG3, SG1 ′, SG2 ′, and SG3 ′ in step S10 coincide with each other, the same travel Consider it a road.

  The travel route Ro on which the traveling semi-autonomous vehicle A can continue traveling smoothly is based on the viewpoint that the semi-autonomous traveling vehicle A will be reasonably continuous with the current traveling route. In the generation means 10E, the curvature and direction of the road center line CL located at the center of the road width determined for each of the plurality of roads Ro are set as the curvature and road direction of the road Ro, and each road width is set in step S11. Based on the curvature and the road direction, a road R in the road direction P that is most easily connected to the currently running road is generated as a road R from the road Ro. The semi-autonomous traveling vehicle A is controlled so as to face the traveling path R.

  On the other hand, at the intersection C, when the semi-autonomous vehicle A is not directed toward the road R running path R, but the semi-autonomous vehicle A is directed to another road that branches off the road R running road, The operator outputs a new steering command (direction command) to the vehicle control computer 10 of the autonomous vehicle A.

  In the intersection turning route generation means 10F of the computer 10 for vehicle control, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), a local road on the route center line CL ′ of the other route R1 that branches off from the route R on the road in step S12. A vertical line VL is dropped from the end of the map onto the road center line CL overlapping the axis L of the semi-autonomous vehicle A, and the radius of curvature is inscribed on both the vertical line VL and the road center line CL on the local map. A certain arc and a straight line connecting the arc D and the contact point D to the semi-autonomous vehicle A are set as the change road Rc, and the semi-autonomous car A travels along the change road Rc. Control to do.

  Here, at the time of the fan-like travelable area extraction in step S4, when there is a T-junction or a Y-junction close to the T-junction in the traveling direction of the self-position of the semi-autonomous traveling vehicle A, A plurality of arc-shaped search lines arc developed from the self-location of the semi-autonomous traveling vehicle A all reach the road boundary, and it may not be possible to create a travelable area map.

  In preparation for such a case, the vehicle control computer 10 proceeds from step S3 to step S13, and can travel on the local map created by the local map creating means 10B as shown in FIG. 7 (a). The area map generating means 10C radially expands a plurality of linear search lines str in the traveling direction to extract a linear travelable area T, and then performs an intersection search in step S14.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), the distance i between the obstacle arrival points h and h of the linear search lines str adjacent to each other among the linear search lines str that has reached the non-runnable area NG. If the distance exceeds the threshold value, the gap between the failure arrival points h and h is held as a branch path candidate, and on the other hand, the linear search line located at the most ends of the linear search lines str reaching the unmeasured area NM Even when the interval j of str exceeds the threshold value, these unmeasured arrival points k and k are held. That is, in step S14, the road information recognition unit 10D recognizes the case where there are a plurality of failure arrival points h and h as a branch path candidate held as described above or a plurality of unmeasured arrival points k and k as an intersection. Then, the case where there are no failure reaching points h and h and unmeasured reaching points k and k to be held is recognized as a dead path.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 8 (a), the obstacle arrival point h located in the untravelable area NG near the own position of the semi-autonomous vehicle A among the obstacle arrival points h and h held is set as the near arrival point. Let hn be a far reaching point hf where the obstacle reaching point h located in the untravelable area NG far from the self position of the semi-autonomous traveling vehicle A can be closest to the near reach point hn on the untravelable area NG. . Further, the end points m and m on the non-runnable area NG adjacent to the linear search lines str located at both ends of the linear search lines str reaching the unmeasured area NM are held.

  Next, in step S15, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), a line orthogonal to a road line (a two-dot chain line at the center of the road) that has traveled so far from the self-position of the semi-autonomous vehicle A as shown in FIG. Draw a segment B, find an inscribed circle Q that has one point on the segment B as the center O and touches the non-runnable area NG at two or more points, and from the center of the inscribed circle Q toward the traveling direction at regular intervals In addition, the inscribed circle Q is sequentially fitted to the non-runnable area NG while changing the radius so that the diameter of the inscribed circle Q becomes the largest. The center O is connected to form a road line Pa (indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 8B). Then, the fitting of the inscribed circle Q is repeated until the inscribed circle Q reaches the farthest part of the travelable area.

  Next, in step S16, when the road reaching line H that connects the centers of the inscribed circles Q does not pass through the obstacle reaching line H that connects the obstacle reaching points hn and hf and the unmeasured reaching line M that connects the end points m and m. The branch path is determined to be an intersection (Yes), and the process proceeds to step S17 to search for the path of the branch path.

  Here, of the obstacle arrival points hn, hf, the boundary of the non-travelable area NG following the near arrival point hn close to the self-position of the semi-autonomous vehicle A is an external measurement unit such as the laser sensor 31 of the semi-autonomous vehicle A. In many cases, the boundary of the non-travelable area NG that follows the far reaching point hf far from the self-position of the semi-autonomous traveling vehicle A among the obstacle reaching points hn and hf is determined by the external measurement unit. Since it is possible to measure to a slightly deeper part, in step S17, as shown in FIG. 9 (a), the search point x is located at a position half of the obstacle arrival line H from the boundary of the untravelable area NG following the far arrival point hf. A plurality of search points x are set up to the unmeasured area NM along the boundary, and these search points x are connected to form a branch road Pb (FIG. 9A) by a one-dot chain line. Show).

  Then, in step S9, as shown in FIG. 9B, the road line Pa obtained in step S15 (the road line in the case where it is determined that the vehicle is not an intersection in step S16 (No)) and the road line obtained in step S17. The road information recognition means 10D calculates the road width dn, the branch path length Un, and the branch path direction θn for all road lines including the branch road line Pb (n is a road road). The number of lines, 3 in FIG. 9B).

  As described above, in the above-described embodiment, when there is no specific instruction from the operator, the road R that is easy to continue to the road that has been traveled so far is extracted on the local map based on the distance measurement data. Therefore, even in an environment where there are paved roads, unpaved roads and undeveloped roads, and no prior information on these roads and intersections can be obtained, the semi-autonomous vehicle A follows the road and the road R And autonomously running smoothly.

  In addition, in the above-described embodiment, when the semi-autonomous traveling vehicle A is directed to another traveling route Rl that is on the road at the intersection C and branches off from the traveling route R, the other steering command (direction command) from the operator Since the change route Rc to the travel route Rl is set, the semi-autonomous traveling vehicle A can be changed in the same manner as when the semi-autonomous traveling vehicle A travels on the road and travels the road R just by issuing a new steering command when entering the intersection C. The vehicle travels smoothly to the other traveling road Rl via the road Rc.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, after recognizing the fan-shaped travelable areas SG1, SG2, SG3 from the travelable area G to the unmeasured area NM, a predetermined distance (for example, in the traveling direction from the self position of the semi-autonomous traveling vehicle A) A plurality of arc-shaped search lines arc that gradually decrease in radius of curvature on both sides from the position A ′ shifted from the position A ′ shifted by only about half of the obstacle detection range in the obstacle laser sensor 33 around the axis L. By expanding, the range from the travelable area G to the unmeasured area NM is recognized as fan-shaped travelable areas SG1 ′, SG2 ′, SG3 ′, and the intersection C is re-recognized from the fan-shaped travelable areas SG1, SG2, SG3. As a result, the opportunity to review the intersection C can be reduced, and as a result, the travelable area G at the intersection C can be expanded.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, on the local map, from the self-position of the semi-autonomous vehicle A, a plurality of linear search lines str are radially developed in the traveling direction, and the linear travelable area T is extracted. Since the intersection search is performed later, for example, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 7A, even if the portion reaching the unmeasured area NM is a closed T-junction or Y-junction, Information such as the position of the branch road, the road width, and the direction can be correctly recognized.

  Therefore, in the above-described embodiment, even if the road information input in advance to the semi-autonomous vehicle A is rough, the road can be accurately recognized. In addition to being able to drive the vehicle A at high speed and smoothly, the burden on the operator who operates the semi-autonomous vehicle A can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiments, the case where the unmanned moving body is the semi-autonomous traveling vehicle A has been shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the unmanned moving body is an autonomously walking robot or an autonomously flying aircraft. It may be.

10 Vehicle Control Computer 10A Data Analysis Unit (Vehicle Control Computer)
10B Local map creation means (vehicle control computer)
10C Travelable area map generation means (vehicle control computer)
10D road information recognition means (vehicle control computer)
10E Travel route generation means (vehicle control computer)
10F Intersection turning route generation means (vehicle control computer)
16 GPS (Self-location data acquisition unit)
17 Vertical gyro (Self-position data acquisition unit)
18 Vehicle speed pulse (Self-position data acquisition unit)
21 Motor driver (traveling mechanism)
22 Steering actuator (traveling mechanism)
23 Brake / Accelerator actuator (traveling mechanism)
24 wheels (traveling mechanism)
31 Laser sensor for autonomous driving (external measurement unit)
32 Stereo camera (external measurement unit)
33 Obstacle laser sensor (external measurement unit)
A Semi-autonomous vehicle (unmanned vehicle)
Arc representative arc arc arc-shaped search line C intersection CL running path center line d road width G travelable area H obstacle reaching line hf (h) far reaching point (failure reaching point)
i Interval between obstacle reaching points L Axle of semi-autonomous traveling vehicle Arc on the other road edge NG Non-travelable area O Center P of inscribed circle Path or direction Pa Path or line connecting the center of inscribed circle Pb Branch road Nari Line Q Inscribed Circle R Nari Nana Road Rarc One Road Edge Arc Rc Change Road Rl Other Nero Road Ro Nine Roads SG1, SG2, SG3, SG1 ', SG2', SG3 'Fan-like Travelable Area str Str linear search Line T Straight running area VL Vertical

Claims (14)

An unmanned mobile body capable of autonomous driving,
A traveling mechanism for autonomously traveling;
An external measurement unit that acquires information on the unevenness of the terrain in the traveling direction;
A self-position data acquisition unit for acquiring the self-position and direction;
Based on the information on the unevenness of the terrain in the traveling direction obtained in the external measurement unit, a data analysis unit that performs a determination process of a travelable area, a travel impossible area, and an unmeasured area,
A local map creating means for creating a local map including a travelable area, a travel impossible area and an unmeasured area based on the determination result in the data analysis unit;
Based on the local map created by the local map creating means, a continuous travelable area is extracted from the self-position acquired by the self-position data acquiring means, and a travelable area map generating means for generating a travelable area map; ,
Road information recognition means for recognizing road direction, position of branch road, number of branch roads, road width and curvature based on the travel area map generated by the travel area map generation means;
A travel route generating means for generating a travel route based on the road information recognized by the road information recognition means;
Based on the road information recognized by the road information recognition means, comprising an intersection turning route generating means for generating an intersection turning route at the stage of turning an intersection,
The travel mechanism is operated based on the travel route generated by the travel route generation means, the intersection turn route generated by the intersection turn route generation means, and the self-position data acquired by the self-position data acquisition means. An unmanned moving body characterized by autonomous driving.   The travelable area map generation means has a radius of curvature on both sides of the direction of travel from the self-position data acquired by the self-position data acquisition means on the local map created by the local map creation means and centered on the axis. By expanding a plurality of arc-shaped search lines that gradually become smaller, a range in which an arc-shaped search line extending from a travelable area to an unmeasured area exists is extracted as a fan-shaped travelable area and acquired by the self-position data acquisition unit The unmanned moving body according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of linear search lines are radially developed from the self-position data in the traveling direction to extract a linear travelable area.   The road information recognition means, at an intersection where a plurality of fan-shaped travelable areas are recognized, for each of the plurality of fan-shaped travelable areas, arc-shaped search lines passing through the center between the arc-shaped search lines located at both ends. After defining the representative arc of the fan-like travelable area, the representative arc is translated to both sides until it touches the non-travelable area, and one road end arc and the other road end arc touch each of the non-travelable areas. A travel path having a road width as an interval is set, and for each of the plurality of travel paths, the center of the road width is determined as a travel path center line, and the curvature and direction of the travel path center line are set to the curvature of the travel path and The unmanned moving body according to claim 2, wherein the unmanned moving body is set as a road direction.   The road information recognizing means determines that there is a gap when the distance between the obstacle arrival points of the linear search lines adjacent to each other among the linear search lines that have reached the inoperable region is a gap. The obstacle reaching line connecting the two is held as a branching path candidate, and the inscribed circle that is centered on the center of the road width and touches the non-running area at two or more points from the center of the road width at the self-position of the unmanned moving body in the traveling direction A line connecting each center of the inscribed circle is recognized as an intersection, and a branch path that does not pass through the fault arrival line as the branch path candidate, A branch road line is set based on the boundary of the inability to travel following the far reaching point far from the self-position of the unmanned mobile body, and the road width, the length of the branch road and Branch direction Unmanned mobile body according to claim 2 or 3 calculates.   The travel route generation unit is connected to the currently traveled travel route from the plurality of travel routes based on the road width, curvature and pointing direction set for each of the plurality of travel routes by the road information recognition unit. The unmanned mobile body according to claim 3, wherein an easy traveling path is extracted as a road traveling path.   When the intersection turning route generating means obtains a new steering command to go to another traveling route that branches off the road or the traveling route at the intersection, the intersection turning route generating means is on the local map on the traveling route center line of the other traveling route. The unmanned moving body according to claim 5, wherein a perpendicular line is dropped from the end of the axis on the axis, and an arc having a constant radius of curvature inscribed on both the vertical line and the axis is set as the change path on the local map.   The local map creating means approximates non-runnable areas scattered on indefinite roadsides on an unpaved road to non-runnable areas that are connected to each other, and isolated non-runnable areas that are erroneously recognized as non-runnable areas within the drivable areas. The unmanned moving body according to claim 1, wherein a local map is created by removing the unmanned moving body. A method for controlling an unmanned mobile body capable of autonomous traveling,
While obtaining information on the unevenness of the terrain in the traveling direction of the unmanned mobile body, obtaining self-position data of the unmanned mobile body,
Based on the information on the unevenness of the terrain in the traveling direction, after determining the travelable area, the travel impossible area and the unmeasured area, the travelable area, the travel impossible area and the unmeasured area are determined based on the determination result. Create a local map containing
Next, based on this local map, a continuous travelable area is extracted from the self-position of the unmanned mobile body to generate a travelable area map,
Subsequently, based on the road direction recognized from the travelable area map, the position of the branch road, the number of branch roads, the road width, and the curvature information, a travel route is generated, and at the stage of turning the intersection, Generate a swivel path,
A method for controlling an unmanned moving body, wherein the unmanned moving body is caused to travel based on the traveling route, the intersection turning route, and the self-location data of the unmanned moving body.   On the local map, a plurality of arc-shaped search lines are developed from the self-position data of the unmanned moving body in the traveling direction and centered on the axis to gradually decrease the radius of curvature on both sides thereof. A range in which an arc-shaped search line extending in a straight line is extracted as a fan-like travelable area, and a plurality of linear search lines are radially expanded from the self-position data acquired by the self-position data acquisition means in the traveling direction, The method for controlling an unmanned mobile body according to claim 8, wherein a region where the vehicle can travel is extracted.   At intersections where a plurality of fan-like travelable areas are recognized, arc-shaped search lines passing through the center between the arc-shaped search lines located at both ends of each of the plurality of fan-like travelable areas are representative of the fan-like travelable areas. After defining as an arc, the representative arc is moved parallel to both sides until it touches the non-travelable area, and the road having the road width as the distance between one road end arc and the other road end arc touching the non-travelable area respectively. The center of the road width is determined as the road center line for each of the plurality of roads, and the curvature and direction of the road center line are set as the curvature and road direction of the road. Item 10. A method for controlling an unmanned mobile object according to Item 9.   A failure arrival line connecting these failure arrival points is defined as a gap when the interval between the failure arrival points of the linear search lines adjacent to each other among the linear search lines that have reached the inoperable region is determined to be a gap. Hold as a branching path candidate, from the center of the road width at the self-position of the unmanned mobile body, with an inscribed circle centered on the center of the road width and in contact with the non-running area at two or more points at regular intervals toward the traveling direction Recognize as a crossing a branch that does not pass through the obstacle reaching line that is the branch candidate, and draws one by one, and the unmanned moving body self of the obstacle reaching point A branch road line is set based on the boundary of the inaccessible area following the far reaching point far from the position, and the road width, the length of the branch road, and the direction of the branch road are calculated for every road line. Claim 9 Control method for an unmanned movable body as claimed in 10.   Based on the road width, curvature and road direction set for each of the plurality of travel paths, the unmanned moving body travels along the travel path that is most likely to be connected to the travel path on which the unmanned moving body is traveling. The method for controlling an unmanned mobile body according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the unmanned moving body is extracted as a road.   At the time of obtaining a new steering command for directing the unmanned moving body to another traveling path that branches off the road and the traveling road at the intersection, the traveling path of the other traveling path that is intended to direct the unmanned moving body A vertical line is dropped on an axis from an end on the local map at a center line, and an arc having a constant curvature radius inscribed on both the vertical line and the axis of the unmanned mobile object is set as a change path on the local map. 12. A method for controlling an unmanned mobile object according to 12.   On the unpaved road, the unmovable areas scattered on the roadsides that are not clear are approximated to the unmovable areas that are connected to each other, and the isolated unmovable areas that are misrecognized as unmovable areas within the unmovable areas are removed, and a local map is created. The method for controlling an unmanned mobile body according to claim 8 to be created.

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