JP2014106638A - Moving device and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To estimate whether a moving device can safely travel on an object on a travel surface or not.SOLUTION: A device movement speed calculation unit 1081 calculates a first vector showing the amount and direction of movement of a moving device. An obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082 calculates a second vector showing the amount and direction of movement relative to the moving device, of a travel surface or an object on the travel surface. An obstacle absolute speed calculation unit 1083 calculates a third vector showing the amount and direction of absolute movement of the travel surface or the object on the travel surface on the basis of the first vector and the second vector, and movement of the moving device is controlled in accordance with the third vector.

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile device and a control method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Mobile devices such as cleaning robots, so-called cleaning robots, are used in various environments such as homes and building floors and offices. In these environments, there are many elements that hinder the mobile device from traveling automatically. In particular, many mobile devices are equipped with a height detection sensor that uses infrared rays, etc., to prevent the mobile device from falling or falling, which can lead to damage. It is often controlled so that there is no.

  The technique described in Patent Document 1 is a control method for a robot cleaner system, which sets the height of a threshold, stores the set value in the memory of the robot cleaner, and the robot cleaner cleans the surface to be cleaned. In this method, the height of the threshold detected during traveling is compared with the stored value of the robot cleaner, and the robot cleaner is moved in the direction corresponding to the comparison result.

JP 2008-146617 A

  However, in an environment where the mobile device is used, even if there is no problem with the height, there is a danger that the vehicle travels on it. For example, when a string-like object such as a power cord or a speaker cable is caught in a wheel, the moving device becomes entangled with the wheel and becomes incapable of moving, or is connected to the tip. There is a risk of falling or falling objects. In addition, when there is a paper-like object on the running surface, the moving device may hurt the paper-like object if it travels on it. Further, the moving device may entangle the paper-like object with the wheel. When the moving device has a suction mechanism, the suction unit sucks a string-like object or a paper-like object, thereby further increasing the possibility of failure, falling, or falling. As described above, in the method using only the height detection sensor, there is a problem in that it is impossible to avoid danger in autonomous driving.

  This invention is made | formed in view of said point, and makes it a subject to provide the moving apparatus and control method which can estimate whether it can drive | work safely on the object in a driving | running | working surface.

  (1) The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and one aspect of the present invention is a moving device that moves on a traveling surface, and represents a moving amount and a moving direction of the moving device. A self-device movement speed calculation unit that calculates a first vector, and an obstacle relative speed calculation that calculates a second vector representing a relative movement amount and a movement direction of the traveling surface or an object on the traveling surface with respect to the moving device. Obstruction absolute for calculating a third vector representing an absolute movement amount and direction of movement of the object on the traveling surface or the traveling surface based on the first unit, the first vector, and the second vector A speed calculator, and controls movement of the moving device according to the third vector.

  According to the present invention, it can be estimated whether or not it is possible to safely travel on an object on the traveling surface.

It is the left view which shows an example which looked at the main body of the movement apparatus concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention from the left direction. It is the upper section showing an example which looked at the main part of the movement device concerning this embodiment from the upper direction. It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the moving apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process of the control part which concerns on this embodiment. It is the left view which shows an example which looked at the main body of the moving apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention from the left side direction. It is the upper section showing an example which looked at the main part of the movement device concerning this embodiment from the upper direction. It is a figure which shows an example of the distance calculation method from the camera image | video installed in the moving apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the moving apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the moving apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In the present embodiment, the moving device 1 uses the vector representing the moving amount and moving direction of the moving device 1 and the vector representing the relative moving amount and moving direction of the object in the image relative to the moving device 1 in the video. A case will be described in which risk determination is performed by estimating a vector representing the absolute amount of movement and the direction of movement of an object to avoid an object on the running surface.

1 and 2 are external views showing an example of a moving device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a left side view illustrating an example of the main body of the moving device 1 according to the present embodiment as viewed from the left side direction. FIG. 2 is a top view illustrating an example of the main body of the moving device 1 according to the present embodiment as viewed from above. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 also illustrate portions that are not actually visible from the outside for the sake of easy understanding.

  The moving device 1 is positioned on the traveling surface 20 with the left side as the front in the drawing. The moving device 1 includes left and right driving wheels 100a and 100b arranged on the left and right near the center in the front-rear direction, a front wheel 101 arranged in front of the driving wheels 100a and 100b, and a slave wheel 102 arranged behind the driving wheels 100a and 100b. It has. In the moving device 1, the angular displacement sensors 103a and 103b for detecting the angular displacement amounts of the moving wheels 100a and 100b are arranged in the vicinity of each of the moving wheels 100a and 100b, for example, the angular displacement sensors 103a and 103b are angular displacements of the moving wheels 100a and 100b. It is in a range where the amount can be measured.

The moving device 1 includes an obstacle sensor 104 in front of the front wheel 101, and includes a height detection sensor 105, a camera 106, and an impact sensor 107 behind the front wheel 101 and ahead of the secondary wheel 102. The moving device 1 includes a drive unit 109 near the center in the left-right direction of the driving wheels 100 a and 100 b, and includes a control unit 108 behind the drive unit 109 and ahead of the slave wheel 102.
In addition, the position of each sensor and camera in this embodiment is an example, and this invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the mobile device 1 according to the present embodiment.
The moving device 1 includes angular displacement sensors 103a and 103b, an obstacle sensor 104, a height detection sensor 105, a camera 106a, an impact sensor 107, a control unit 108, and a drive unit 109. . The moving device 1 has other generally known moving device functions, but illustration and description thereof are omitted.

  The angular displacement sensors 103a and 103b measure the rotation angles of the driving wheels 100a and 100b when the moving device 1 moves from one position to another position. As a method for measuring the rotation angle, a rotary encoder or a linear encoder may be used, a non-contact type using a medium such as a magnetic field, light, or sound wave may be used, or a contact such as a dial gauge or a differential transformer may be used. An expression may be used. The angular displacement sensors 103a and 103b, for example, output information a indicating the rotation angle measured using a rotary encoder to the control unit 108.

  The obstacle sensor 104 transmits, for example, an ultrasonic wave, a radio wave, an infrared ray, or the like by a transmitter, and receives a reflected wave thereof by a receiver. The presence / absence of an object, if there is an object, the distance to the object is measured. The obstacle sensor 104 outputs information b indicating the measured state of the object to the control unit 108.

  For example, the height detection sensor 105 transmits ultrasonic waves, radio waves, infrared rays, and the like to an object (running surface) by a transmitter, and receives the reflected waves by a receiver, for example, at a specific height. Measure the presence or absence of objects. The height detection sensor 105 outputs information c indicating the measured state of the object to the control unit 108.

  The camera 106 a is installed on the bottom surface of the moving device 1 and photographs the state of the lower portion of the moving device 1. The camera 106 a outputs the captured video d to the control unit 108.

The impact sensor 107 detects an impact using ultrasonic waves or acceleration. The impact sensor 107 outputs information e indicating the intensity of impact, presence / absence of impact, and the like to the control unit 108.
The control unit 108 controls the traveling state of the mobile device 1 based on the information a, b, c, e, the video d input from each sensor, the information on the environmental map learned in advance, etc. The apparatus 1 is stopped, and the moving apparatus 1 outputs an interrupt signal for avoiding the object to the driving unit 109. The drive unit 109 drives the driving wheels 100a and 100b to cause the moving device 1 to travel. Further, when the obstacle sensor 104 detects an object, the impact sensor 107 detects an impact greater than a threshold value, or the height detection sensor 105 detects a height greater than the threshold value, the drive unit 109 moves. Control is performed such that the travel of the device 1 is stopped or the moving device 1 avoids a position where no object or height is detected.
Detailed operation of the control unit 108 will be described later.

The control unit 108 includes an own apparatus moving speed calculation unit 1081, an obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082, an obstacle absolute speed calculation unit 1083, a risk determination unit 1084, and an interrupt signal generation unit 1085. The
The own apparatus moving speed calculation unit 1081 receives information a indicating the angular velocities of the left and right moving wheels 100a and 100b of the moving apparatus 1 input from the angular displacement sensors 103a and 103b, and the size of the left and right moving wheels known in advance, for example, a radius. Is used to calculate a vector representing the current amount of movement and the direction of movement of the mobile device 1. Here, the angular displacement sensors 103a and 103b use, for example, a rotary encoder.

  The obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082 calculates a vector representing the relative movement amount and direction of movement of an object on the running surface in the video based on the video d input from the camera 106a. Since the camera 106a is installed facing down the moving device 1, the moving amount and moving direction in the image are proportional to the moving amount and moving direction on the traveling surface. The amount of movement and the direction of movement are converted into the amount of movement and the direction of movement on the traveling surface.

The distance from the camera 106a to the object in the optical axis direction and the size in the image are the X axis parallel to the horizontal direction of the camera image, the Y axis parallel to the vertical direction of the camera image, and the Z axis so as to coincide with the optical axis. Considering a three-dimensional coordinate system taking the above, there is an inversely proportional relationship. The coordinates normalized by the size in the Z-axis direction are the coordinates (u, v) in the video and the coordinates (X, Y, Z) in the real space as X / Z = δu (u−cx) / f, Y / Z = δv (v−cv) / f. Here, δu is the pixel pitch in the horizontal direction of the camera 106a, δv is the pixel pitch in the vertical direction of the camera, f is the focal length, and cu and cv are the coordinates of the image center that is the intersection of the optical axis and the image plane.
In the present embodiment, since the camera 106a is installed facing the lower side of the moving device 1 and an object on the traveling surface is photographed, a fixed value is obtained when Z = Z0. Z0 is the distance from the camera 106a to the traveling surface. The pixel pitches δu and δv, the focal length f, and the image centers cu and cv are constants determined by the camera, called camera parameters, and can be obtained in advance. Therefore, the coordinates (X, Y) in the real space can be calculated from the coordinates in the video.

  The obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082 analyzes the video d acquired by the camera 106a in the time direction. The obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082 calculates a vector representing the amount of movement and the direction of movement of the object in the video relative to the moving device 1 by the analysis. For example, the obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082 performs block matching between a plurality of images captured at different timings by a predetermined time, thereby moving the relative movement amount and movement of the object in the image with respect to the moving device 1. A vector representing the direction is calculated. In block matching, a search is made as to which block of the second video corresponds to the video of a block of the first video. In block matching, a vector representing a movement amount and a movement direction is calculated from a block corresponding to the searched video. The obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082 applies block matching to each object in the video, and calculates a vector representing the amount of movement and the direction of movement of the object in the video per unit time.

  The obstacle absolute speed calculation unit 1083 is a vector representing the movement amount and direction of movement of the own device calculated by the own device movement speed calculation unit 1081, and a travel surface or a travel for the own device calculated by the obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082. The relative movement amount of the object on the surface and the vector representing the movement direction are added to calculate a vector representing the absolute movement amount and the movement direction of the object on the traveling surface or the traveling surface. Here, the absolute amount of movement and the direction of movement are the amount of movement and the direction of movement relative to the traveling surface or the traveling surface.

  Note that an object may have a height, so if the distance (height) from the object to the camera is closer than the distance from the running surface to the camera, the calculation result will be the amount of movement greater than the actual amount. Become. However, here, it is assumed that all the objects shown in the image are present on the traveling surface.

  The degree-of-risk determination unit 1084 compares the magnitude of the vector representing the absolute movement amount and direction of movement of the object calculated by the obstacle absolute speed calculation unit 1083 with a threshold value, and the magnitude of the vector is larger than the threshold value. If it is determined that there is a danger, information indicating the danger is output to the interrupt signal generation unit 1085.

  Here, the state determined to be dangerous includes a case where the moving device 1 is moving due to interference caused by traveling, a case where the object itself is moving, and the like. As a result, it is possible to determine the danger that the traveling surface or the object on the traveling surface falls, falls, breaks, or the object is caught in the moving device 1.

  When the information indicating the danger is input from the risk determination unit 1084, the interrupt signal generation unit 1085 outputs an interrupt signal that causes the driving unit 109 to stop traveling or avoid an object. The driving state in the running is changed.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the control unit 108 according to the present embodiment.
First, the own device moving speed calculating unit 1081 of the control unit 108 is a vector representing the moving amount and the moving direction of the own device based on the information a indicating the rotation angle input from each displacement sensor provided in the moving device 1. Is calculated (step S101).

  The obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082 of the control unit 108 analyzes the video d acquired by the camera 106a in the time direction. The obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082 calculates a vector representing the amount of movement and the direction of movement of the object in the video relative to the moving device 1 by the analysis. (Step S102).

  The obstacle absolute velocity calculation unit 1083 of the control unit 108 calculates the own device calculated in step S101 from the vector indicating the relative movement amount and the movement direction of the object in the image calculated in step S102. Using the vector representing the amount of movement and the direction of movement, a vector representing the absolute amount of movement and direction of the object in the video, and the size of the vector, after subtracting the influence of the movement of the device itself, is calculated ( Step S103).

  The risk determination unit 1084 of the control unit 108 compares the magnitude of the vector that represents the absolute movement amount and movement direction of the object calculated in step S103 with a threshold value, thereby moving the object below the moving device 1. Estimate if there is. Specifically, when the magnitude of the vector representing the absolute movement amount and the movement direction is larger than the threshold value, that is, when the object on the traveling surface or the traveling surface is moving, the risk determination unit 1084 It is determined as dangerous (step S104).

When the risk determination unit 1084 determines that there is a risk, the risk level determination unit 1084 outputs information indicating the risk to the interrupt signal generation unit 1085.
The interrupt signal generation unit 1085 of the control unit 108 determines an interrupt signal that causes the drive unit 109 to stop traveling or avoid the object based on the information indicating the danger that is determined and output in step S104. To output and change the driving state of the travel of the mobile device 1 (step S105).

Each step will be described in more detail.
In step S101, the own device moving speed calculation unit 1081 of the control unit 108 first knows in advance information a indicating the angular velocities of the left and right moving wheels 100a and 100b of the moving device 1 input from the angular displacement sensors 103a and 103b. A vector representing the current amount of movement and the direction of movement of the moving device 1 is calculated using the sizes of the left and right wheels, for example, the radius. In step S102, the obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082 of the control unit 108 analyzes the temporal change of the image d from the camera 106a, thereby detecting the current movement amount and movement of the object in the captured image of the traveling surface. A vector representing the direction is calculated.

  As specific means for obtaining the direction and amount of movement from the image d captured by the camera 106 by the obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082, for example, block matching between a plurality of images captured at different timings for a predetermined time. I do.

  In the present embodiment, since the camera 106a is installed downward, the moving amount in the video can be regarded as being proportional to the moving amount on the traveling surface. Further, the proportionality coefficient can be calculated using the focal length, the angle of view, and the resolution, which are camera parameters of the camera 106a. Therefore, the control unit 108 can determine the direction and amount of movement of each object in the video.

  In step S103, the obstacle absolute speed calculation unit 1083 of the control unit 108 calculates in step S101 from the vector representing the relative movement amount and direction of movement of the object in the image with respect to the own apparatus calculated in step S102. The vector representing the absolute amount of movement and the direction of movement of the object and the size of the vector are calculated using the vector representing the amount of movement and the direction of movement of the device itself. When the object and the own device are moving in the same direction, the relative speed of the object with respect to the moving device 1 is determined to be smaller by the speed of the own device. When the object and the own apparatus are moving in the opposite directions, the relative speed of the object with respect to the moving apparatus 1 is determined to be larger by the speed of the own apparatus. Thereby, by adding the respective vectors, it is possible to calculate a vector representing the absolute movement amount and the movement direction of the object.

  In step S104, the risk determination unit 1084 of the control unit 108 moves downward in the moving device 1 by comparing the calculated magnitude of the absolute movement amount and direction of the vector with the threshold value. If the magnitude of the vector indicating the absolute movement amount and movement direction of the object is larger than the threshold, it is determined that the object is dangerous, and information indicating the danger is output to the interrupt signal generation unit 1085. To do.

The result calculated by block matching or the like may be averaged for each object by performing object recognition on the video signal. Thereby, even if an error is included in the result of block matching, the influence of the error can be reduced.
Further, when there is an object that is not stationary on the traveling surface, the risk determination unit 1084 of the control unit 108 determines that it is dangerous. For example, the traveling of the mobile device 1 is stopped and the vehicle travels backward after a certain distance. The camera image may be used to avoid an object that has been interfered and moved by the movement of the mobile device 1 and an object with similar characteristics from appearing in the camera image. Good.

Moreover, the order of step S101 and step S102 in FIG. 4 may be switched, and step S101 and step S102 may be performed simultaneously.
The camera 106a is desirably installed in a form embedded in the main body of the moving device 1 so that the lens and the camera main body do not protrude from the bottom surface of the moving device. By doing in this way, it can prevent that the camera 106a contacts with an object etc. during driving | running | working and is damaged. Further, a light that can illuminate the shooting range of the camera 106a may be provided in the vicinity of the camera 106a, for example, at a position where the shooting range of the camera 106a can be irradiated. Since the camera 106a is disposed on the bottom surface of the moving device 1, it is difficult for the moving device 1 to block external illumination and sunlight, but it is difficult to secure a sufficient amount of light, but using a light ensures the amount of light. As a result, it is possible to obtain a video with less noise.

In addition, when a part of the moving device 1 is reflected in the video of the camera 106a, the moving device 1 assumes that the portion with the reflection is moved when handled in the same manner as other portions without the reflection. I will handle it. Therefore, before the moving device 1 starts traveling, a device whose movement direction and moving amount always coincide with the moving device 1 may be regarded as a part of the moving device 1 and excluded.
Further, the moving device 1 may use two or more cameras and perform so-called stereo matching to obtain the three-dimensional coordinates of the object. Since the mobile device 1 can estimate the depth to the object by performing stereo matching using a plurality of camera images photographed at a time difference that can be regarded as simultaneous, the mobile device 1 can actually estimate the depth to the object without actually assuming that the object exists on the traveling surface. Therefore, the amount of movement and the direction of movement of the object on the traveling surface can be obtained more accurately.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the moving device 1 in the present embodiment is configured to include left and right moving wheels 100 a and 100 b, a front wheel 101, and a follower wheel 102 that are arranged on the left and right near the center in the front-rear direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a four-wheel configuration in which two left and right wheels such as a four-wheeled vehicle are arranged in front and rear may be used, or a three-wheel configuration in which two left and right wheels are arranged rearward and a front wheel is arranged in the front center may be used. Alternatively, a three-wheel configuration may be employed in which the left and right two wheels are arranged forward and the slave wheel is arranged in the rear center.

  Further, the own device moving speed calculation unit 1081 uses the angular displacement sensors 103a and 103b to acquire the vectors representing the moving amount and the moving direction of the moving device 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, other means such as a positioning system using GPS or wireless communication technology may be used. The obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082 uses the camera 106a to acquire a vector representing the amount of movement and the direction of movement of the object on the traveling surface, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the obstacle sensor Alternatively, the estimation may be performed from the output signal of the distance sensor.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the mobile device 1 can estimate whether or not it can safely travel on an object on the traveling surface. For this reason, an object on the traveling surface that may be generated when the mobile device 1 travels is moved in an unintended manner by the user of the mobile device 1 or a string-like object such as a cable is involved. It is possible to reduce the possibility of causing trouble by trying to forcibly run on a feared object.

(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In the first embodiment, a vector representing the relative movement amount and the direction of movement is calculated using the camera 106a installed on the bottom surface of the mobile device 1, and the calculated vector representing the movement amount and the direction of movement of the own device. The case where the vector representing the absolute amount of movement and the direction of movement of the object in the video is calculated based on the relative movement amount of the object in the video with respect to the device and the vector representing the direction of movement has been described. .
In the present embodiment, a case where the camera 106b is installed obliquely with respect to the traveling surface 20 in front of the moving device 1a will be described.

5 and 6 are external views showing an example of the moving device 1a according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a left side view illustrating an example of the main body of the moving device 1a according to the present embodiment as viewed from the left side direction. FIG. 6 is a top view illustrating an example of the main body of the moving device 1a according to the present embodiment as viewed from above. 5 and 6 also illustrate portions that are not actually visible from the outside for the sake of easy understanding.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the moving device 1 a is positioned on the traveling surface 20 with the left side as the front in the drawing. The moving device 1a includes left and right moving wheels 100a and 100b arranged on the left and right near the center in the front-rear direction, a front wheel 101 arranged in front of the moving wheels 100a and 100b, and a slave wheel 102 arranged behind the moving wheels 100a and 100b. It has. In the moving device 1a, the angular displacement sensors 103a and 103b that detect the angular displacement amounts of the moving wheels 100a and 100b are in the vicinity of the moving wheels 100a and 100b, for example, the angular displacement sensors 103a and 103b are angular displacements of the moving wheels 100a and 100b. It is in a range where the amount can be measured.

In the moving device 1a, an obstacle sensor 104a and a camera 106b are disposed in front of the front wheel 101 in a diagonally downward direction, and a height detection sensor 105 and an impact sensor 107 are provided behind the front wheel 101 and ahead of the secondary wheel 102. The moving device 1a includes a drive unit 109 near the center in the left-right direction of the driving wheels 100a and 100b, and includes a control unit 108 behind the drive unit 109 and ahead of the slave wheel 102.
In addition, the position of each sensor and camera in this embodiment is an example, and this invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the mobile device 1a according to the present embodiment.
The moving device 1a includes a driving wheel 100a and 100b, a leading wheel 101, a slave wheel 102, angular displacement sensors 103a and 103b, an obstacle sensor 104, a height detection sensor 105, a camera 106b, an impact sensor 107, A control unit 108a, a drive unit 109, and a memory 110a are included. Although the moving device 1a has other generally known moving device functions, illustration and description thereof are omitted. Further, description of the driving wheels 100a and 100b, the leading wheel 101, and the slave wheel 102 is omitted.

  When the mobile device 1 in the first embodiment and the mobile device 1a in the present embodiment are compared, the camera 106a is deleted and the memory 110a is added. Further, the installation position of the camera 106b is different from that of the camera 106a. Since the other configuration is the same, the description thereof is omitted.

  Even when the moving device 1a is installed with the camera 106b obliquely with respect to the traveling surface 20 in front of the moving device 1a, the processing content in the camera 106b is basically the same. Although the floor plane is parallel, the optical axis of the camera 106b has an angle from a direction perpendicular to the traveling surface 20, so that the camera 106a to the traveling surface fixed in the first embodiment is fixed. The distance varies depending on the y coordinate of the image. In other words, if an object with the same apparent amount of movement in the image is above and below the image, the actual amount of movement is larger for the object above the image, that is, at a distance, and downward. Objects closer to a certain distance are smaller. Therefore, for example, the video plane A in FIG. 7 can be projected onto a plane B parallel to the traveling surface while the image center is fixed. By doing so, as in the first embodiment, the amount of movement on the projected image plane and the amount of movement on the traveling surface are in a proportional relationship. The angle α formed between the optical axis of the camera 106b and the traveling surface and the distance δ from the camera 106b to the object at the center of the image necessary for the projection of the surface B are fixed values determined by the installation position of the camera 106b. Therefore, it may be stored in the memory 110a in advance.

  By thus installing the camera 106b obliquely with respect to the traveling surface 20 in front of the moving device 1a, the moving object is estimated even from a state in front without approaching until the object enters the bottom surface of the moving device 1. For example, by taking an avoidance action with respect to an object moving in the traveling direction of the moving device 1a, the risk of the object causing the moving device 1a to collide with the object or to fall or fall is reduced. it can. Note that it is desirable to use a camera with a wide angle of view, because the shootable range in the floor direction is narrowed by the amount the camera 106b is tilted forward, and objects on the running surface may not be captured. In addition, the control unit 108a causes the memory 110a to store information on an object that is once determined to be dangerous, such as a power cord or a newspaper. When the control unit 108a recognizes the information of the object determined to be dangerous stored in the memory 110a, the control unit 108a stops the moving apparatus 1a or avoids the object when the object appears in the video of the camera 106b. By outputting an interrupt signal to be output to the drive unit 109, an object determined to be dangerous is avoided. Then, the moving device 1a can avoid the object at an earlier stage than an object that has been determined to be dangerous when attempting to travel on the object once. Therefore, safer driving is possible. The object information may be set in advance by the user by referring to a database provided from the Internet or the like and stored in the memory 110a in addition to the information stored in the memory 110a when the mobile device 1a travels. .

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the moving device 1a can estimate whether or not it can safely travel on an object on the traveling surface. Further, there is a possibility that an object on the running surface, which may be generated when the mobile device 1a travels, may be moved in an unintended manner by the user of the mobile device or may be caught in the mobile device 1a such as a cable. It is possible to reduce the possibility of causing trouble by forcibly running on the object.

(Third embodiment)
Hereinafter, the third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In the first embodiment, an image acquired using the camera 106a is analyzed over time, and a vector representing the amount of movement and the direction of movement of an object in the image relative to the moving device 1 is calculated by the analysis. The amount of movement of the mobile device 1 is canceled based on the calculated vector indicating the movement amount and direction of the own device and the vector indicating the relative movement amount and direction of the object in the video with respect to the own device. A case has been described in which a vector representing the absolute movement amount and movement direction of an object in a video is calculated.
In this embodiment, the case where the moving apparatus 1 is a cleaning robot will be described.

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the mobile device 1b according to the present embodiment.
The moving device 1b includes a driving wheel 100a and 100b, a leading wheel 101, a slave wheel 102, angular displacement sensors 103a and 103b, an obstacle sensor 104, a height detection sensor 105, a camera 106b, an impact sensor 107, The control part 108a, the drive part 109, and the suction part 120b are comprised. Although the moving device 1b has other generally known moving device functions, illustration and description thereof are omitted.

When the moving device 1 in the first embodiment and the moving device 1b in the present embodiment are compared, a suction unit 120b is added. Since the other configuration is the same, the description thereof is omitted.
In the present embodiment, the moving device 1b is, for example, a cleaning robot. In the moving device 1b, as one of the objects that may not be detected only by the obstacle sensor 104 or the height detection sensor 105, there is a risk of collision or falling or falling, a large object that cannot be sucked by the moving device 1b, For example, an object or a paper-like object may be sucked by the suction unit 120b. The suction unit 120b may not suck other objects by continuously trying to suck an object of a size that cannot be sucked, and as a result, the movement of the moving device 1b may be hindered. Further, when the suction unit 120b sucks a string-like object or a paper-like object, the suction unit 120b may be entangled with the roller of the suction unit 120b.

  Therefore, the moving device 1b in the present embodiment detects an object that exceeds the size that can be sucked by the moving device 1b within a predetermined range from the moving device 1b. In addition, the moving device 1b according to the present embodiment sucks a part of the string-like object extending to the periphery of the moving device 1b with the suction unit 120b with respect to the string-like object within a predetermined range from the moving device 1b. By doing so, it is detected that the other parts are attracted toward the moving device 1b. The control unit 108 compares the size of an object within a predetermined range from the moving device 1b with a predetermined threshold value. In addition, when an object within a predetermined range from the moving device 1b is moving toward the moving device 1b, the control unit 108 compares the moving amount with a predetermined threshold value.

  Based on the determination result, the control unit 108 uses the suction unit 120b to suck objects that exceed the size that can be sucked by the moving device 1b and objects that are drawn into the surroundings of the moving device 1b due to sucking. If it is detected that the object is falling, the object can be prevented from falling or falling by stopping the suction of the suction part 120b. For this reason, it is desirable that the camera 106b used in the present embodiment can capture a wide area around the moving device 1b. For example, as the camera 106b, a camera using a fisheye lens is installed in front of the moving device 1b. The fisheye lens has a very strong distortion, so that distortion correction is performed when it is used for machine vision. However, the camera 106b makes the center of the fisheye lens substantially coincide with the suction port of the suction unit 120b, so that the object to be sucked comes toward the center of the image being shot.

  The distortion of the fish-eye lens is circularly symmetric from the center of the lens, and the periphery is compressed compared to the center of the lens. For this reason, when the control unit 108 calculates the movement amount from the image captured by the camera 106b without performing distortion correction, the movement amount in the image decreases as the distance from the center of the lens decreases, and the movement is smaller than the actual movement amount. It is calculated to be a quantity. However, in the state where the object is sucked by the suction unit 120b, a part reflected in the peripheral part of the fisheye lens, that is, a part of the object having a certain distance from the moving device 1b moves. When a part of an object having a certain distance from the moving device 1b is moving, the part close to the center of the lens, that is, a part of the object close to the moving device 1b is also moved. The amount of movement of the object can be calculated only for the image obtained from the vicinity of the lens center, and the calculation of the amount of movement of the object in the periphery of the lens can be omitted.

  The control unit 108 may change the threshold of the amount of movement of the object in accordance with the distance in the lens from the lens center in consideration of the change in the amount of movement due to distortion of the fisheye lens. In addition, since the influence of compression due to distortion is small in the vicinity of the center of the lens, distortion correction may not be performed if a certain amount of error is allowed. Further, the amount of movement of the object due to suction is sufficiently faster than the amount of movement of the moving device 1b, and the influence on the amount of moving of the object and the direction of the movement in the image captured by the camera 106b caused by the movement of the moving device 1b is ignored. Since this is often possible, step S101 and step S103 in FIG. 4 may be omitted, and the result of step S102 may be used as the result of step S103.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the moving device 1b can estimate whether or not it can safely travel on an object on the traveling surface. In addition, an object on the traveling surface that may be generated when the mobile device 1b travels may be moved in an unintended manner by the user of the mobile device, or an object that may be caught up, such as a cable. The possibility of causing troubles when trying to drive forcibly can be reduced.

  Furthermore, when the moving device 1b (cleaning robot) tries to suck a large or long object that cannot be sucked, it is detected that a part of the object is attracted to the moving device 1b, and the suction of the suction unit 120b is stopped. By doing so, it is possible to prevent troubles caused by excessive suction, for example, the failure of the moving device 1b, the fall / fall of the object, the breakage of the object, and the like.

  In addition, you may make it implement | achieve part or all of the moving apparatus in embodiment mentioned above with a computer. In that case, the program for realizing the control function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read by a computer system and executed. Here, the “computer system” is a computer system built in the mobile device, and includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices.

  The “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a storage device such as a flexible medium, a magneto-optical disk, a portable medium such as a ROM and a CD-ROM, and a hard disk incorporated in a computer system. Furthermore, the “computer-readable recording medium” is a medium that dynamically holds a program for a short time, such as a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, In such a case, a volatile memory inside a computer system serving as a server or a client may be included and a program that holds a program for a certain period of time.

  The program may be a program for realizing a part of the functions described above, and may be a program capable of realizing the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system.

  Moreover, you may implement | achieve part or all of the moving apparatus in embodiment mentioned above as integrated circuits, such as LSI (Large Scale Integration). Each functional block of the mobile device may be individually made into a processor, or a part or all of them may be integrated into a processor. Further, the method of circuit integration is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. Further, in the case where an integrated circuit technology that replaces LSI appears due to progress in semiconductor technology, an integrated circuit based on the technology may be used.

  As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to the above, and various design changes and the like can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is possible to

  A moving device that moves on a running surface, the device moving speed calculation unit 1081 that calculates a first vector representing a moving amount and a moving direction of the moving device (1, 1a, 1b), and the running surface or the running Based on an obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082 that calculates a second vector representing a movement amount and a direction of movement of an object on a surface relative to the moving device, the first vector, and the second vector, An obstacle absolute speed calculation unit 1083 for calculating a third vector representing an absolute movement amount and a movement direction of the object on the traveling surface or the traveling surface, and according to the third vector, A moving device that controls movement of the moving device.

  The obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082 estimates the second vector using at least two images captured at different times by a single camera 106a installed downward or obliquely downward. Mobile equipment.

  The obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082 estimates the second vector based on images simultaneously captured by at least two cameras 106b installed downward or obliquely downward.

  The obstacle absolute speed calculation unit 1083 further includes a risk degree determination unit 1084, and the obstacle absolute speed calculation unit 1083 includes a second vector calculated by the obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1082 and a first vector calculated by the own apparatus movement speed calculation unit 1081. To calculate the third vector and the magnitude of the third vector, and the risk determination unit 1084 calculates the magnitude of the third vector calculated by the obstacle absolute speed calculation unit 1083 and the threshold value. A moving device characterized by estimating the presence or absence of danger with respect to an object existing below the moving device (1, 1a, 1b) by comparison.

  A control method for controlling the movement of the moving device (1, 1a, 1b) on the traveling surface 20, and calculating the first vector representing the moving amount and moving direction of the moving device (1, 1a, 1b). An apparatus moving speed calculating step; an obstacle relative speed calculating step for calculating a second vector representing a relative moving amount and moving direction of the traveling surface or an object on the traveling surface with respect to the moving device; and the first vector. And an obstacle absolute speed calculating step for calculating a third vector representing an absolute moving amount and a moving direction of the object on the traveling surface or the traveling surface based on the second vector. The control method is characterized in that the movement of the moving devices (1, 1a, 1b) is controlled according to the third vector.

  The obstacle relative speed calculating step estimates the second vector using at least two images taken at different times by one camera installed downward or obliquely downward. .

The obstacle relative velocity calculating step is characterized in that the second vector is estimated based on images simultaneously captured by at least two cameras installed downward or obliquely downward.

  The obstacle absolute velocity calculating step adds the second vector calculated by the obstacle relative velocity calculating step and the first vector calculated by the own device moving velocity calculating step to thereby add the third vector and the first vector. The magnitude of the three vectors is calculated, and the risk determination step compares the magnitude of the third vector calculated by the obstacle absolute speed calculation step with a threshold value, thereby comparing the risk of an object existing below the mobile device. The control method characterized by estimating the presence or absence of.

1, 1a, 1b Moving device 100a, 100b Driving wheel 101 Front wheel 102 Follower wheel 103a, 103b Angular displacement sensor 104 Obstacle sensor 105 Height detection sensor 106a, 106b Camera 107 Impact sensor 108, 108a Control unit 1081 Self-device movement speed calculation unit 1082 Obstacle relative speed calculation unit 1083 Obstacle absolute speed calculation unit 1084 Risk level determination unit 1085 Interrupt signal generation unit 109 Drive unit 110a Memory 120 Suction unit 20 Running surface

Claims (5)

A moving device for moving a running surface,
An own apparatus moving speed calculating unit for calculating a first vector representing a moving amount and a moving direction of the moving apparatus;
An obstacle relative speed calculation unit for calculating a second vector representing a relative movement amount and a movement direction of the traveling surface or an object on the traveling surface with respect to the moving device;
An obstruction absolute speed calculation unit that calculates a third vector representing the absolute movement amount and direction of movement of the object on the traveling surface or the traveling surface based on the first vector and the second vector. When,
With
A moving device that controls movement of the moving device according to the third vector. 2. The movement according to claim 1, wherein the obstacle relative speed calculation unit estimates the second vector using at least two images captured by a camera installed downward or obliquely downward. apparatus. A risk determination unit,
The obstacle absolute speed calculator is
A second vector calculated by the obstacle relative speed calculation unit;
Calculating the third vector from the first vector calculated by the device movement speed calculation unit;
The risk determination unit
The presence / absence of a danger to an object existing below the moving device is estimated by comparing the magnitude of the third vector calculated by the obstacle absolute speed calculation unit with a threshold value. Item 3. The moving device according to any one of Items 2 to 3. A control method for controlling movement of a moving device on a running surface,
A self-device moving speed calculating step of calculating a first vector representing a moving amount and a moving direction of the moving device;
An obstacle relative speed calculating step of calculating a second vector representing a relative moving amount and moving direction of the traveling surface or an object on the traveling surface with respect to the moving device;
Obstacle absolute velocity calculating step for calculating a third vector representing an absolute movement amount and a moving direction of the object on the traveling surface or the traveling surface based on the first vector and the second vector. When,
With
A control method comprising: controlling movement of the moving device in accordance with the third vector. The obstacle relative velocity calculating step estimates the second vector using at least two images taken at different times by a single camera installed downward or obliquely downward. 4. The control method according to 4.

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