JP2014092862A - Follow-up carriage system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a follow-up carriage system capable of responding also to movement of a leading person, etc. who turns around a corner of a building or a passage.SOLUTION: A movable carriage 2 including leading object detection means 23 for outputting an azimuth and distance of a leading person and an infrared sensor for detecting infrared light by an external unit 3 on the front side: has controls switched according to whether the infrared sensor is in a detection state or is in a non-detection state. In the detection state, follow-up movement control is performed so that the azimuth and distance of the leading person are predetermined values. In the non-detection state, autonomous movement control is performed when an obstacle is not in a track to a deviation point where the leading person is finally detected and the movement of the movable carriage is stopped when the obstacle is in the track to the deviation point.

Description

  The present invention relates to a carriage that moves following a leader.

  Conventionally, for example, as a carriage for conveying a workpiece such as a part in a factory, a following truck that moves following a conveyance worker has been proposed. As such a follower cart, a cart that moves while maintaining a distance from an operator as a leader has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  This follow-up carriage includes a stereo camera for photographing a light source attached to the back side of the leader. In this follow-up carriage, the azimuth and distance of the leader are specified by appropriately performing image processing on the stereo image acquired by the stereo camera. The follower carriage is controlled using the direction and distance of the leader so that it can move following the leader.

  However, the conventional following cart has the following problems. In other words, it is assumed that the leader can be photographed by the stereo camera provided in the follower truck.For example, when the leader moves around the corner of a building or aisle and can no longer be photographed from the follower truck side, it follows immediately. There is a risk that control will be impossible.

JP 2006-134221 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and is an invention for providing a follow-up cart system that can cope with the movement of a leader or the like that goes around a corner of a building or a passage.

The present invention is a follow-up cart system including a moving cart provided with driving wheels, and an external unit mounted on a lead so as to emit electromagnetic waves or sound waves toward the moving cart,
The moving carriage detects a leading object located on the front side, and detects a leading object detecting means for specifying the direction and distance of the detected leading object,
Obstacle detection means for detecting obstacles on the path,
First unit detection means for detecting electromagnetic waves or sound waves of the external unit on the front side;
Control means for controlling the drive wheels;
Storage means for storing the azimuth and distance specified by the lead detection means under a detection state in which electromagnetic waves or sound waves of the external unit are detected by the first unit detection means,
When the control unit is in a detection state by the first unit detection unit, the control unit executes follow-up movement control for moving the movable carriage so that the azimuth and distance specified by the leading object detection unit become a predetermined value. While
In the non-detection state by the first unit detection means, the moving carriage is moved if there is no obstacle on the way to the departure point which is the position corresponding to the azimuth and distance stored last by the storage means. In the follow-up carriage system, the autonomous movement control is executed, and if there is an obstacle on the route to the departure point, the control for moving the movable carriage to any target position is stopped.

  In the following cart system of the present invention, the control by the control means is switched depending on whether or not the first unit detection means detects an electromagnetic wave or the like emitted by the external unit. In the detection state, the follow-up movement control for moving the movable carriage so that the azimuth and distance of the leading object have predetermined values is executed. Under this detection state, the azimuth and distance of the lead are stored.

  When the detection state is switched to the non-detection state, the position corresponding to the azimuth and distance stored last in the detection state becomes the departure point. If there is no obstacle on the route to the departure point, the autonomous movement control is applied and the moving carriage is moved to the departure point. Thereafter, when the state returns to the detection state, the follow-up movement control is resumed, and the follow-up movement with respect to the leading object becomes possible.

  As described above, the tracking cart system of the present invention is an excellent tracking cart system that can cope with the movement of a leader or the like that goes around a corner of a building or a passage.

  For example, when the lead turns left in the passage defined by the wall, the lead located at the corner where the left turns is detected last by the lead detection means. And the position corresponding to the azimuth | direction and distance of a leading object at this time becomes the said departure point. If the movable carriage is moved to the departure point, there is no possibility that the obstacle such as a wall between the leading object is removed and the detection state in which the electromagnetic wave of the external unit can be detected again can be restored. If the following movement control is resumed after returning to this detection state, the movable carriage can be moved following the leading object.

  The external unit in the follower truck system of the present invention is preferably mounted, for example, on the waist of the leader, which is one form of the leading object, facing backward. The movable carriage can be moved to follow the leader wearing the external unit so that electromagnetic waves or the like are radiated backward. The external unit may be configured in a small size and attached to a belt or a helmet worn by a leader or incorporated into a shoe heel. The leading object may be a leading vehicle, a leading cart or the like in addition to the leading person.

  As the external unit in the present invention, a unit that emits light such as infrared light, radio waves, and sound waves can be adopted. Examples of electromagnetic waves include radio waves, infrared rays, visible rays, and ultraviolet rays. For example, in order to switch between a detection state and a non-detection state by reversing a lead with an external unit mounted on the back side, it is necessary to employ electromagnetic waves with high straightness. In the case of radio waves, etc., it is preferable to use high-frequency radio waves with high straightness and characteristics similar to light, and to improve the directivity of the receiving antenna, etc. .

  As a sensor constituting the lead detection means in the present invention, for example, an active sensor that detects the azimuth and distance of the lead using a reflection component when laser light, infrared light, radio waves, and sound waves are emitted, There are passive sensors that detect a leading object by performing image processing or the like on a captured image of a one-dimensional or two-dimensional region. In the one-dimensional or two-dimensional captured image, the component in the depth direction is lost. On the other hand, if the specifications such as the imaging range of the imaging camera are known, the distance is determined based on the imaging position of the lead in the captured image. Can also be estimated. Furthermore, if a stereo camera or the like is used, the distance of the lead can be calculated using parallax.

  The detection range of the sensor that constitutes the leading object detection means may be a predetermined angle range on the front side of the movable carriage, or an angular range that extends around the entire circumference of the movable carriage. Since the foot of the leader as a leader repeats forward and stop during walking, particularly when a part such as under the knee is detected and followed, there is a possibility that the speed of the moving carriage will not be stabilized repeatedly. When the installation height of the sensor is low, it is preferable to give an elevation angle in the detection direction so that a region above the leader's knee can be detected.

  In the follow-up movement control of the present invention, the predetermined value that is the control target value of the distance may be a constant value or a variable value. For example, when the speed of the movable carriage is high, a predetermined value related to the distance may be set large, and when the speed is low, the predetermined value may be set small.

In the follow-up carriage system according to a preferred aspect of the present invention, when the first unit detection means is in the non-detection state and there is an obstacle on the route to the departure point, the leading object is positioned on the front side. Next, azimuth follow-up control for controlling the direction of the movable carriage is executed (claim 2).
For example, let us assume a case where the lead is a leader who performs a transport operation and the external unit is mounted on the back side. During the loading work of the transported object, the leading person faces the moving carriage, the non-detection state is established, and the leading person himself becomes an obstacle on the route to the departure point. In such a case, if the azimuth follow-up control is performed so that the leader is positioned on the front side of the movable carriage, the follow-up can be started promptly when the leader starts moving.

  The azimuth tracking control requires detection of the azimuth of the leader. In addition to being able to use the azimuth by the leader detection means, the detection surface constituting the unit detection means is used as the mobile carriage. A plurality of them may be arranged on the outer periphery of the head, and the direction of the leading object on which the external unit is mounted may be specified depending on which detection surface is used for detection.

The movable carriage in the tracking carriage system according to a preferred aspect of the present invention is capable of detecting electromagnetic waves or sound waves of the external unit, and is provided with a detection area in at least a part of the circumferential range on both sides and the back side. The second unit detecting means is provided (claim 3).
For example, if a detection area is provided facing the left side surface, the left turn of the lead can be handled. If the detection area is provided facing the right side surface, it can cope with the right turn of the lead. It is also possible to provide a detection area over the entire circumference around the mobile carriage. Even when the lead detection means falls into a state where the lead cannot be detected, the possibility of returning to the detection state can be further increased.

In the tracking cart system according to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the external unit is configured to emit infrared light, and the unit detection unit includes a sensor that detects the infrared light of the external unit ( Claim 4).
If infrared light is used, a system with high operational reliability can be constructed at low cost.

The leading object detection means included in the follow-up carriage system according to a preferred aspect of the present invention includes an infrared light emitting unit and an infrared light receiving unit, and the first unit detecting means is the sensor as the sensor. A light receiving unit is used (claim 5).
By dividing the use period of the light receiving unit for detecting the leading object and the use period of the light receiving unit for realizing the function of the first unit detecting means in time, the light receiving unit is Can be shared by dividing. Furthermore, if the light receiving unit that constitutes the lead detection means capable of specifying the direction of the lead is used, the direction of the external unit may be specified. In detecting the lead, if a predetermined azimuth range is set as a detection range based on the azimuth of the external unit, the calculation load can be suppressed and the detection accuracy can be improved.

A movable carriage in a follower carriage system according to a preferred aspect of the present invention includes a pair of left and right drive wheels that can be individually controlled for rotation, and a driven wheel that can roll in an arbitrary direction. ).
In this case, with a relatively simple configuration, operations such as forward, backward, arc motion, and rotation around the midpoint of the pair of left and right drive wheels are possible. If the midpoint of the pair of left and right drive wheels is made coincident with the center position of the moving carriage, the moving carriage can be rotated around the center position.

Explanatory drawing which shows the tracking trolley | bogie system in an Example. The perspective view which shows the external unit in an Example. The perspective view which looks at the moving trolley | bogie from an upper direction in an Example. The front view of the mobile trolley | bogie in an Example. The block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the mobile trolley | bogie in an Example. The flowchart which shows the flow of the operation | movement process of a mobile trolley | bogie in an Example. Explanatory drawing which illustrates the travel pattern of a mobile trolley | bogie in an Example.

The embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the following examples.
(Example)
This example is an example relating to a follower carriage system 1 including a moving carriage 2 that moves following a leader (leader). The contents of this example will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the following cart system 1 of this example is a system including a movable cart 2 capable of following movement and an external unit 3 worn by a leader.

  The following cart system 1 of this example is a system that is introduced into, for example, an automobile assembly factory and assists an operator who performs a transfer operation. If the moving carriage 2 is used for transporting workpieces such as automobile parts, it is possible to improve the transport capability of the worker, to eliminate the difference in capability of individual workers, and to improve the transport efficiency. Since the follower truck system 1 does not require the operator to perform movement control of the movable carriage 2, it is very easy to introduce the system without special training or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the external unit 3 constituting the following cart system 1 is a unit in which an infrared light emitting circuit, a power supply battery, and the like are accommodated in a housing 30 that is as large as an outer casing of a cigarette. A light emitting window 31 for emitting infrared light is disposed in the approximate center on the front side of the external unit 3. On the back side of the external unit 3, a hook 32 is provided for hooking on a belt of an operator's pants.

  The external unit 3 is attached to, for example, a belt of trousers so as to be positioned on the operator's back side (see FIG. 1). When this worker who becomes the lead of the mobile carriage 2 walks forward, infrared light is emitted from the external unit 3 toward the rear. In this example, the infrared light from the external unit 3 has a divergence angle of about 60 degrees in the horizontal and vertical directions.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the movable carriage 2 constituting the follower carriage system 1 is a carriage that has a short columnar appearance like a stool chair. The moving carriage 2 of this example has a diameter of about 50 cm and a height of about 35 cm. The substantially cylindrical appearance of the movable carriage 2 is formed by covering a vehicle body (not shown) equipped with a drive wheel 271, a drive motor 27, a control unit 25 and the like with a bottomed cylindrical resin cover 20. .

  In the mobile carriage 2, a pair of left and right drive wheels 271 that can be individually controlled for rotation are arranged on the front side (front side), and a driven wheel 272 that can roll in any direction (see FIG. 5) is on the back side (rear side). ) (See FIG. 5). The moving carriage 2 can change the traveling direction according to the rotational difference between the drive wheels 271 on both sides that are individually driven. If the left and right drive wheels 271 are rotated in opposite directions, it is possible to perform an operation such that the left and right drive wheels 271 rotate on the spot while keeping the displacement near zero.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the movable carriage 2 has a flat mounting surface 20 </ b> S that corresponds to a cylindrical upper surface except for a portion of the display panel 21 formed by obliquely cutting the outer peripheral corner portion on the front side. The mounting surface 20S is provided with four screw holes 201. By using the screw holes 201, a transport basket or a transport base (not shown) according to the application can be attached.

  The inclined display panel 21 is provided with a display lamp 211 for notifying the operation status of the mobile carriage 2, a stop switch 212, and the like. As the display lamp 211, a lamp that is turned on during recognition of the tracking target, a lamp that is turned on when an obstacle is detected, and the like are arranged. The stop switch 212 is an operation switch for stopping all operations of the mobile carriage 2 according to the pushing operation.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a sensor arrangement area 22 is formed on the front body portion on which the display panel 21 is provided so as to scrape a part of the convex curved outer peripheral surface. In this sensor arrangement area 22, a light receiving panel 240 and an area sensor 23 of an infrared sensor (first unit detection means) 24F are arranged vertically (see FIG. 4).

  The infrared sensor 24 </ b> F including the upper light receiving panel 240 is a detection sensor that detects infrared light of the external unit 3. When the infrared sensor 24F is in a detection state in which infrared light is received, it outputs a detection signal indicating that fact. In the mobile carriage 2 of this example, infrared sensors (second unit detection means) 24L, R, and B are also arranged on the left side surface, the right side surface, and the back surface (see FIG. 5). An infrared light detection area is formed over the circumference. The light receiving range of each infrared sensor 24 is a range in the horizontal direction of ± 60 degrees with respect to the front direction.

  The lower area sensor 23 is a sensor in which an infrared light emitting unit 231 and a light receiving unit 232 are arranged in two upper and lower stages. This area sensor 23 constitutes a lead detection means in combination with a lead detection unit 251 (FIG. 5) described later. Furthermore, an obstacle detection means is configured by a combination with an obstacle detection unit 254 described later.

  Although not shown, the light emitting unit 231 includes a light emitting circuit that emits infrared light and a rotating mirror that changes the direction of the infrared light. The light emitting circuit emits infrared light with a light emission pattern that repeats blinking in a short cycle. The slit-shaped infrared light in which the spread in the horizontal direction is suppressed is reflected by the rotating mirror, the course direction is changed, and projected outside. The mirror surface angle of the rotating mirror differs depending on the rotational position. The traveling direction of the infrared light makes a round within a horizontal detection range of ± 90 degrees centered on the front direction while the rotating mirror makes one rotation.

  Although not shown, the light receiving unit 232 has a light receiving circuit that receives infrared light, a rotating mirror that reflects incident infrared light toward the light receiving circuit, and a distance to a detection target that reflects infrared light. A distance measuring circuit for measuring. The rotating mirror of the light receiving unit 232 is a rotating mirror that rotates in synchronization with the rotating mirror of the light emitting unit 231. The distance measuring circuit detects the phase difference between the infrared light receiving pattern by the light receiving circuit and the infrared light emitting pattern by the light emitting unit 231 and measures the distance to the detection target based on the phase difference. The area sensor 23 outputs a measurement distance for each predetermined angular increment for a horizontal detection range of ± 90 degrees with the front direction of the mobile carriage 2 as the center.

  The electrical configuration of the movable carriage 2 is as shown in FIG. In the figure, illustrations of the battery, the stop switch 212 arranged on the display panel 21 and the like are omitted. The movable carriage 2 is electrically configured with a control unit 25 as a center. The control unit (control means) 25 includes the four infrared sensors 24, the area sensor 23, and the display panel 21 (FIG. 3). In addition to the stop switch 212 and the like, a drive motor 27 that rotates the drive wheels 271 is connected.

The control unit 25 has functions as a leading object detection unit 251, a movement pattern recognition unit 252, a motor control unit 253, and an obstacle detection unit 254.
The leader detection unit 251 detects the leader from the distance distribution for each angle output by the area sensor 23, and specifies and outputs the direction and distance of the leader. The leading object detection unit 251 includes a work memory area (storage means) for storing the azimuth and distance thus obtained as needed.

  The movement pattern recognition unit 252 recognizes the movement pattern of the leader based on the azimuth or the like output by the leader detection unit 251. Movement patterns include forward movement and turn movement, as well as intermediate curve movement. In this example, the movement pattern when the direction by the leading object detection unit 251 is within an angle range of ± 10 degrees centered on the front direction is determined as forward movement, and when it is ± 30 degrees or more, it is determined as turn movement. Further, it is determined that the curve moves when the angle range is other than that.

  The obstacle detection unit 254 is means for determining the presence or absence of an obstacle on the course. The obstacle detection unit 254 uses the distance distribution for each angle output by the area sensor 23 to determine whether there is an obstacle on the route to the movement target position. In this example, the area sensor 23 is used as a sensor constituting the obstacle detection means. However, instead of this, a dedicated sensor for detecting an obstacle may be provided.

  The motor control unit 253 controls the drive motor 27 that rotates each drive wheel 271. The motor control unit 253 controls each drive motor 27 according to the azimuth and distance output by the lead detection unit 251. When the movement pattern is forward movement, a control dead zone (about ± 2 to 3 degrees) that is not reflected in the control target value even if the direction of the leading object fluctuates is set. By setting such a dead zone, it is possible to suppress the wobbling of the mobile carriage 2 even when the left and right feet during walking are detected alternately and the direction of the leader fluctuates.

  In the case of curve movement or turn movement, the control gain for the direction is increased and the control is strengthened while taking into consideration the characteristics of the mobile carriage 2 that the posture tends to become unstable due to steering by independent control of the left and right drive wheels 271. doing. The curve movement and the turn movement have different control gains with respect to the direction, and the turn movement has a higher control gain.

The operation of the tracking cart system 1 of this example having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
In response to the start of traveling of the mobile carriage 2, leading object detection for detecting a leading person as a leading object is executed (S101). In this lead detection, the lead is detected and its position (azimuth and distance) is specified based on the distance distribution for each angle within the detection range (−90 degrees to 90 degrees) output by the area sensor 23. The The direction and distance of the detected leader are memorized at any time.

  Subsequently, a determination is made as to whether the infrared light of the external unit 3 is detected by the infrared sensor 24F disposed in front of the movable carriage 2 or not (S102). . In the detection state (S102: YES), the movement pattern of the leader is determined and recognized (S103), and vehicle travel control and motor control based on the azimuth and distance of the leader are executed (S104, S105). .

  On the other hand, in the non-detection state in which infrared light is not detected by the front infrared sensor 24F (S102: NO), to the departure point that is the lost position corresponding to the direction and distance of the last stored leader It is determined whether there is an obstacle on the route (S113). When there is no obstacle and it is possible to move to the departure point (S113: YES), autonomous movement control for moving the moving carriage 2 to the departure point is executed (S114).

  On the other hand, when there is an obstacle on the way to the departure point (S113: NO), control to stop on the spot is executed (S124). Thereafter, when the infrared light of the external unit 3 is detected by any of the infrared sensors 24R, L, and B (S115: YES), the direction in which the front side of the movable carriage 2 is directed to the direction in which the external unit 3 is located. Follow-up control is executed (S116).

  FIG. 7 shows a movement example (A) from step S113: YES to step S116 and a movement example (B) from step S113: NO to step S116. FIG. 3A shows an example when the leader turns left at the corner of the passage 12 delimited by the wall 11. When the leader turns left and cannot detect the infrared light of the external unit 3 (the second stage in the figure), the movable carriage 2 autonomously moves to the departure point (the position of the leader in the first stage in the figure) ( (3rd stage of the same figure). Then, infrared light can be detected (side detection) by the infrared sensor 24L on the left side surface of the mobile carriage 2, and is rotated 90 degrees to the left (the fourth stage in the figure).

  FIG. 5B is an example when the leader turns around and turns right to face the mobile carriage 2. When the infrared light of the external unit 3 facing the leader can no longer be detected (the second stage in the same figure), at the departure point (the position of the leader in the first stage in the same figure) It exists and the leader is judged as an obstacle. When there is an obstacle, the mobile carriage 2 does not perform autonomous movement up to the departure point, but stops on the spot (second stage in the figure). As shown in the third row of FIG. 3, when the leader goes around to the rear side of the mobile carriage 2, the rear infrared sensor 24B detects the infrared light of the external unit 3 (rear detection, the third row of FIG. 3). As a result, the movable carriage 2 rotates so as to reverse 180 degrees (the fourth stage in the figure).

  As described above, in the tracking cart system 1 of this example, the control applied to the mobile cart 2 is determined depending on whether or not the infrared light of the external unit 3 worn by the leader is detected on the mobile cart 2 side. Can be switched. In the detection state, the moving carriage 2 is controlled to move along the movement pattern so as to follow the leader (following movement control).

  On the other hand, in the non-detection state, the control is switched depending on the presence or absence of obstacles on the route to the departure point corresponding to the azimuth and distance of the mobile carriage 2 last stored in the detection state. When there is no obstacle on the route to the departure point, autonomous movement to the departure point is executed (autonomous movement control). On the other hand, when there is an obstacle on the way to the departure point, the movement of the mobile carriage 2 is stopped, and the infrared light detection of the external unit 3 is awaited. When infrared light is detected by any one of the infrared sensors 24, the direction of the movable carriage 2 rotates so that the front side coincides with the direction in which the infrared sensor 24 is arranged (azimuth tracking control).

  The follower truck system 1 of this example can cope with a follower scene in which the leader goes around the corner and the infrared light of the external unit 3 cannot be detected once from the mobile carriage 2 side. As long as there are no obstacles on the route, the moving carriage 2 autonomously moves to the departure point where the infrared light from the external unit 3 was last detected. If the infrared light of the external unit 3 worn by the leader can be detected again by autonomous movement to the departure point, the tracking movement control is restored and the follower movement to the leader becomes possible.

  On the other hand, when there is an obstacle on the route to the departure point, the movement of the moving carriage 2 is stopped, and the outside is detected by the infrared sensors 24 arranged on the front, back, and both side faces of the moving carriage 2, respectively. The unit 3 waits for detection of infrared light. Such control is very effective in a situation where, for example, the leader moves to the storage location of the luggage with the empty carriage 2 and then loads the luggage onto the carriage 2. If the follow-up movement control is still applied when loading a load, the movable carriage 2 moves backward according to a leader approaching to load the load. In order to prevent such backward movement, it is necessary to temporarily stop the follow-up operation by operating a stop switch or the like. On the other hand, in the follow-up cart system 1 of this example, when the transport operator who is a leader for loading a load faces the mobile cart 2, the follow-up movement control is stopped and switched to the azimuth follow-up control. There is no possibility that the movable carriage 2 moves backward in accordance with the movement of the leader who performs the transfer operation.

  As described above, the tracking cart system 1 of the present example is a highly versatile system that can cope with the movement of a leader or the like that goes around a corner of a building or a passage.

  In the azimuth tracking control of this example, the direction in which the leader is located is determined and moved depending on which of the infrared sensors 24 arranged at the four positions of the front, both sides, and the back detects infrared light. The azimuth | direction which the front side faces is changed by rotating the trolley | bogie 2. FIG. Instead of this, it is also possible to adopt azimuth follow-up control that rotates the movable carriage 2 so that the azimuth of the leader output by the leader detection means including the area sensor 23 is located on the front side.

  The drive wheels 271 may be arranged so that the midpoint of the pair of left and right drive wheels 271 coincides with the center position of the movable carriage 2 having a substantially cylindrical shape. In this case, the rotation without changing the position can be realized by rotating the left and right drive wheels 271 in the reverse direction. When the weight balance becomes unstable due to such an arrangement of the drive wheels 271, driven wheels may be arranged before and after the drive wheels 271. Furthermore, if an omni wheel is employed, a rotational operation that does not cause displacement can be easily realized regardless of the arrangement of the drive wheels.

  In addition to the purpose of transporting workpieces in the factory, the tracking cart system 1 of this example is a collection cart such as a courier, a cart for milk, newspapers, health drinks, etc., and a cart for hospital meals, etc. Etc. are applicable. In addition, the sales staff's sales data table while explaining the inside of the store, the mechanic tools and manuals table working in the pit of the car repair shop, oxygen cylinders for patients who need oxygen inhalation, etc. It can be applied to various fields such as a transport cart.

  The mobile carriage 2 may be provided with an autonomous navigation function. If the autonomous navigation function is provided, it is possible to absorb a disturbance acting on the movable carriage 2, for example, an external force that changes the direction of the vehicle body, a sliding or undulation of the floor surface, and the like to realize a stable movement. As the autonomous navigation function, for example, means using a gyro, an angular velocity sensor, an acceleration sensor, a velocity sensor, or the like can be considered.

  As described above, specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail as in the embodiments. However, these specific examples merely disclose an example of the technology included in the scope of claims. Needless to say, the scope of the claims should not be construed as limited by the configuration, numerical values, or the like of the specific examples. The scope of the claims includes techniques obtained by variously modifying or changing the specific examples using known techniques, knowledge of those skilled in the art, and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Following cart system 2 Moving cart 21 Display panel 23 Area sensor (leading object detection means, obstacle detection means)
24F infrared sensor (first unit detection means)
24R, L, B Infrared sensor (second unit detection means)
25 Control unit (control means)
251 Lead detection unit (lead detection means, storage means)
252 Movement pattern recognition unit 253 Motor control unit 254 Obstacle detection unit (obstacle detection means)
27 drive motor 271 drive wheel 272 driven wheel 20 cover 3 external unit

Claims (6)

A follow-up cart system including a moving cart provided with driving wheels, and an external unit mounted on a lead so as to emit electromagnetic waves or sound waves toward the moving cart,
The moving carriage detects a leading object located on the front side, and detects a leading object detecting means for specifying the direction and distance of the detected leading object,
Obstacle detection means for detecting obstacles on the path,
First unit detection means for detecting electromagnetic waves or sound waves of the external unit on the front side;
Control means for controlling the drive wheels;
Storage means for storing the azimuth and distance specified by the lead detection means under a detection state in which electromagnetic waves or sound waves of the external unit are detected by the first unit detection means,
When the control unit is in a detection state by the first unit detection unit, the control unit executes follow-up movement control for moving the movable carriage so that the azimuth and distance specified by the leading object detection unit become a predetermined value. While
In the non-detection state by the first unit detection means, the moving carriage is moved if there is no obstacle on the way to the departure point which is the position corresponding to the azimuth and distance stored last by the storage means. A follow-up carriage system that executes autonomous movement control, and stops control for moving the movable carriage to any target position if there is an obstacle on the route to the departure point.   2. The direction of the mobile carriage according to claim 1, wherein when the first unit detection means is in a non-detection state and there is an obstacle on the route to the departure point, the leading carriage is positioned on the front side. Follow-up cart system that performs azimuth follow-up control.   In Claim 1 or 2, the said mobile trolley can detect the electromagnetic waves or sound waves of the said external unit, Comprising: The detection area was provided in at least one part of the circumferential direction range of both sides | surfaces and a back side. Follow-up cart system equipped with unit detection means.   4. The follow-up according to claim 1, wherein the external unit is configured to emit infrared light, and the unit detection unit includes a sensor that detects infrared light of the external unit. Dolly system.   5. The tracking carriage according to claim 4, wherein the lead detection means includes an infrared light emitting unit and an infrared light receiving unit, and the first unit detecting means uses the light receiving unit as a sensor. system.   6. The follow-up bogie system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the movable carriage includes a pair of left and right drive wheels that can be individually controlled to rotate, and a driven wheel that can roll in an arbitrary direction. .

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