JP2015141673A - Automatic travel vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic travel vehicle for achieving the reduction of influence of soilure of a guide line on automatic travel with a simple configuration and also the reduction of a load for extracting the guide line from images.SOLUTION: A fork lift truck 1 having a vehicle body capable of performing automatic travel along a guide line arranged on a road surface includes: a camera 51 for capturing the image of a predetermined imaging range including the guide line; a predetermined area extraction section 52 for extracting the images of two areas including the guide line and also positioned side by side in a front and rear direction in front of the vehicle body from images captured by the camera 51; a line extraction section 53 for extracting the guide line from each one of the images of the areas extracted by the predetermined area extraction section 52; and a control section 54 for controlling the travel mode of the vehicle body on the basis of the guide line extracted from each one of the images of the areas.

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic traveling vehicle that automatically travels along a guidance line provided on a road surface.

  As an automatic traveling vehicle that travels along a guide line, an automatic guided vehicle and an unmanned forklift that include an image capturing unit that captures an image of the guide line and determine a travel mode based on the guide line captured by the image capturing unit are known ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

  Patent Document 1 describes an induction sensor mounted on a self-propelled vehicle such as an automatic guided vehicle. The guidance sensor captures a guide line drawn on the floor surface with an imaging unit, determines the guide line from the image captured by the imaging unit with a determination unit, and guides the self-propelled vehicle based on the determined guide line A power direction (hereinafter, “guidance direction”) is detected, and a signal indicating the guidance direction is output. The imaging unit is configured by a color CCD camera, and the discrimination of the guide line is performed based on the ratio of the three primary colors calculated for each pixel constituting the image. Further, the direction and magnitude of a vector that approximates the guide line (that is, an approximate straight line of the guide line) is output as a signal representing the guide direction. The vector is detected based on the intersection of the edge of the image captured by the imaging unit and the guide line (that is, the start point and the end point of the guide line included in the image).

JP-A-10-247110

  However, the self-propelled vehicle of Patent Document 1 has a problem that the influence of the fouling of the guide line on automatic traveling is large. That is, when the intersection between the edge of the image and the guide line cannot be calculated due to contamination of the guide line, the guide direction cannot be detected. As a result, automatic driving may not be performed properly.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to reduce the influence of the fouling of the guide line on automatic traveling with a simple configuration, and the load for extracting the guide line from the image is increased. It is an object to provide a small autonomous vehicle.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the automatic traveling vehicle according to claim 1 is a vehicle that includes a vehicle main body capable of automatic traveling along a guidance line provided on a road surface. A camera that captures a range, and a predetermined region extraction unit that extracts images of at least two regions that are included in the front-rear direction in front of the vehicle body and include the guide line, from an image captured by the camera; A line extraction unit that extracts the guide line from each of the image of the region extracted by the predetermined region extraction unit, and a traveling mode of the vehicle main body based on the guide line extracted from each of the image of the region And a control unit for controlling.

  The automatic traveling vehicle according to claim 2 is the automatic traveling vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control unit has a deviation amount indicating a degree of deviation of the guide line from a predetermined reference line parallel to the front-rear direction. A deviation amount calculation unit for calculating is provided, and a traveling mode of the vehicle main body is controlled based on the deviation amount calculated by the deviation amount calculation unit.

  The automatic traveling vehicle according to claim 3 is the automatic traveling vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the deviation amount calculation unit calculates the deviation amount of the guide line included in the first region extracted as the region. The deviation amount of the guide line included in the second region extracted as the other region is calculated as a second deviation amount, and the control unit calculates the second deviation amount from the first region. A deviation angle calculating unit that calculates a deviation angle indicating a degree of inclination of the guide line based on the information related to the distance to the region, the first deviation amount, and the second deviation amount; A travel mode of the vehicle main body is controlled based on the calculated deviation angle, the first deviation amount, and the second deviation amount.

  The automatic traveling vehicle according to claim 4 is the automatic traveling vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the first deviation amount is a plurality of points on the guide line included in the first region and the reference line. It is calculated based on the distance.

  The autonomous traveling vehicle according to claim 5 is the autonomous traveling vehicle according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the second deviation amount includes a plurality of points on the guide line included in the second region and the reference line. It is calculated based on the distance to.

  The automated traveling vehicle according to claim 6 is the autonomous traveling vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the vehicle main body out of the two regions from which images are extracted by the predetermined region extraction unit. The width of the region located near the vehicle body is smaller than the width of the region located far from the vehicle body.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is possible to reduce the influence of the contamination of the guidance line with respect to automatic driving | running with a simple structure, and can provide the automatic traveling vehicle with a small load for extracting a guidance line from an image. .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which simplifies and shows the external appearance of the automatic traveling vehicle which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: (A) is a side view, (B) is a top view. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the automatic traveling vehicle which concerns on the same embodiment. (A)-(C) are schematic diagrams which show an example of the guide line imaged with a camera. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the image imaged with the camera. (A)-(C) are the schematic diagrams which show the driving | running | working aspect of the vehicle main body which concerns on this invention. (A)-(C) are the schematic diagrams which show an example of the guidance line imaged with a camera in the automatic traveling vehicle which concerns on a comparative example. (A)-(C) are schematic diagrams which show the driving | running | working aspect of the vehicle main body which concerns on a comparative example.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that a front-rear direction X indicated by an arrow X in the figure, a left-right direction Y indicated by an arrow Y in the figure, and a vertical direction Z indicated by an arrow Z in the figure are directions orthogonal to each other.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a reach forklift 1 (hereinafter, “forklift 1”) includes a vehicle main body 10, a traveling device 20 provided in the vehicle main body 10, a fork 31 that extends forward, and a lift that raises and lowers the fork 31. This is an automatic traveling vehicle including the device 40, the camera 51, and the like.

  The vehicle main body 10 is provided with a riding section 11 on which an operator (not shown) driving the forklift 1 rides, a straddle leg 12 projecting forward, a steering handle 13 operated by the operator, and the like. The vehicle body 10 travels on the road surface together with the lifting device 40 and the like when the traveling device 20 operates.

  The traveling device 20 includes a front wheel 21 that is a driven wheel provided on the straddle leg 12, a rear wheel 22 that is a driving wheel and a steering wheel, a drive mechanism (not shown) that drives the rear wheel 22, and a steering angle of the rear wheel 22. It is comprised by the steering mechanism (not shown) etc. which change. When the traveling device 20 changes the steering angle of the rear wheel 22 with the steering mechanism, the direction in which the vehicle body 10 travels changes.

  The elevating device 40 is provided in front of the vehicle body 10 and includes a mast 41, a lift bracket 42, and the like. The mast 41 is configured to be extendable in the vertical direction Z. The lift bracket 42 to which the fork 31 is attached is configured to be movable in the vertical direction Z along the mast 41.

  The forklift 1 has a manual travel mode in which the vehicle main body 10 travels in response to an operation of the steering handle 13 and an image-guided automatic travel mode in which the vehicle main body 10 travels without the steering handle 13 being operated. In the automatic travel mode, the camera 51 images the guide line L so that the vehicle body 10 automatically travels along the guide line L (see FIG. 3) provided on the road surface.

  The camera 51 is provided at the lower end of the mast 41 and is configured by a two-dimensional image sensor capable of color photography. The camera 51 captures two predetermined areas S1 and S2 that are positioned in the front-rear direction X in front of the vehicle body 10 by capturing a predetermined imaging range R indicated by a one-dot chain line R in the drawing in color. . That is, the image captured by the camera 51 includes an image of the first area S1 and an image of the second area S2. Of the two regions S1 and S2, the first region S1 is located far from the vehicle body 10, and the second region S2 is located near the vehicle body 10. The width W2 of the second region S2 is smaller than the width W1 of the first region S1. The first region S1 and the second region S2 are adjacent to each other with a predetermined interval.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the forklift 1 includes a predetermined area extraction unit 52, a line extraction unit 53, a control unit 54, and a storage unit 55 so that the vehicle body 10 can automatically travel. Each of these units 52 to 55 is constituted by an integrated circuit.

  The predetermined area extraction unit 52 includes an image processing circuit that performs a predetermined area extraction process on an image captured by the camera 51. The predetermined area extraction unit 52 extracts the images of the areas S1 and S2 (see FIG. 1) from the image captured by the camera 51 by performing a predetermined area extraction process.

  The line extraction unit 53 is configured by an image processing circuit that performs line extraction processing on each of the images of the regions S1 and S2 extracted by the predetermined region extraction unit 52. The line extraction unit 53 extracts a guide line L (see FIG. 3) from each of the images of the regions S1 and S2 extracted by the predetermined region extraction unit 52 by performing a line extraction process.

  The control unit 54 controls the travel mode of the vehicle main body 10 based on the guide line L extracted by the line extraction unit 53. When the control unit 54 controls the traveling device 20, the traveling mode of the vehicle main body 10 is controlled. The control unit 54 includes a deviation amount calculation unit 54A, a deviation angle calculation unit 54B, and a target rudder angle calculation unit 54C, and each of these units 54A to 54C is configured by an arithmetic circuit.

  The storage unit 55 is configured by a nonvolatile memory that stores information necessary for processing executed by the arithmetic circuit. The storage unit 55 stores information related to the distance from the first area S1 to the second area S2.

  With reference to FIG. 3, operation | movement of each part 54A-54C of the control part 54 is demonstrated. 3A to 3C show the guide line L imaged by the camera 51, and the alternate long and short dash line A in the figure is a predetermined reference line A parallel to the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle body 10. . FIG. 3A shows a state in which the guide line L is bent leftward as it goes forward, and FIG. 3B shows that the guide line L is directed from the right side to the left side of the reference line A. The state extended linearly is shown. FIG. 3C shows a state in which a part of the guide line L in FIG. 3A is fouled, and a region B in the figure shows a region where the guide line L is difficult to extract due to fouling. Yes.

  The deviation amount calculation unit 54A calculates deviation amounts X1 and X2 indicating the degree of deviation of the guide line L from the reference line A. The deviation amount calculation unit 54A of the present embodiment calculates the deviation amount of the guide line L included in the first region S1 as the first deviation amount X1 by performing the first deviation amount calculation process, and calculates the second deviation amount. By performing the processing, the deviation amount of the guide line L included in the second region S2 is calculated as the second deviation amount X2. The deviation amounts X1 and X2 are represented by positive numbers when the guide line L is biased to the right with respect to the reference line A, and when the guide line L is skewed to the left with respect to the reference line A. Is represented by a negative number. The absolute values of the deviation amounts X1 and X2 increase as the guide line L moves away from the reference line A.

  The deviation angle calculation unit 54B performs a deviation angle calculation process, so that the guidance line is based on the information about the distance from the first area S1 to the second area S2, the first deviation amount X1, and the second deviation amount X2. A deviation angle θ indicating the degree of inclination of L is calculated. The deviation angle θ is 90 ° when the guide line L overlaps the straight reference line A, and the deviation angle θ approaches 0 ° as the guide line L is greatly inclined with respect to the reference line A.

  The target rudder angle calculation unit 54C calculates a target rudder angle of the rear wheel 22 based on the first deviation amount X1, the second deviation amount X2, and the deviation angle θ by performing a target rudder angle calculation process. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3C, when the first deviation amount X1 is a negative number and the second deviation amount X2 is a negative number, the target rudder for turning the vehicle body 10 to the left is shown. The angle is calculated, and the target rudder angle is calculated such that the vehicle body 10 is bent to the left as the deviation angle θ is closer to 0 °. When the first deviation amount X1 is a positive number and the second deviation amount X2 is a positive number, a target rudder angle for the vehicle body 10 to turn right is calculated, and the deviation angle θ is 0. The target rudder angle is calculated such that the closer the vehicle is, the larger the vehicle body 10 turns to the right. As shown in FIG. 3B, when the first deviation amount X1 is a negative number and the second deviation amount X2 is a positive number, the target steering angle for turning the vehicle body 10 to the right is Calculated. When the first deviation amount X1 is a positive number and the second deviation amount X2 is a negative number, a target rudder angle for the vehicle body 10 to turn left is calculated.

  As described above, the control unit 54 images the two regions S1 and S2 including the guide line L with the camera 51, and calculates the deviation amounts X1 and X2 and the deviation angle θ. And the control part 54 calculates the target steering angle of the rear wheel 22 based on deviation amount X1, X2 and deviation angle (theta), and controls the steering mechanism of the traveling apparatus 20 based on the calculated target steering angle. . That is, the control unit 54 controls the traveling mode of the vehicle body 10 based on the deviation amounts X1 and X2 and the deviation angle θ.

  With reference to FIG. 4, the predetermined area extraction process, the line extraction process, the first deviation amount calculation process, the second deviation amount calculation process, and the deviation angle calculation process will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an image captured by the camera 51. The image shown in FIG. 4 is an image after the projective transformation is performed on the image captured by the camera 51, and is a parallel projection view of the guide line L that turns to the left as it goes forward.

  In the predetermined area extraction process, the first area S1 and the second area S2 including the guide line L are extracted from the image captured by the camera 51. That is, the predetermined area extraction unit 52 extracts a part of the entire image captured by the camera 51 as a first area image and extracts a part of the second area S2 as a second image. Extract as a region image. In the present embodiment, the number of pixels in the width direction W of the second region image is smaller than the number of pixels in the width direction W of the first region image.

  In the line extraction process, the guide line L is extracted by generating a binarized image in which the boundary between the road surface and the guide line L is clear from each of the first region image and the second region image. . That is, the line extraction unit 53 extracts the guide line L from the first region image and the second region image based on the shape of the guide line L included in the binarized first region image and second region image. .

  In the first deviation amount calculation process, first, the center line L1 of the guide line L included in the first region image is calculated. When all of the guide lines L cannot be extracted from the first area image, the extracted center line L1 of the guide line L is calculated. Next, in an orthogonal coordinate system (hereinafter, “coordinate system C1”) having the coordinate axes of the x1 axis and the y1 axis, the coordinates of a plurality of points p1 to pn (n is an integer of 2 or more) on the center line L1 are calculated. . The y1 axis coincides with the reference line A. Then, the average of the x1 coordinates of the points p1 to pn is calculated as the first deviation amount X1. The point P in the figure shows the average coordinates calculated based on the points p1 to pn, and the x1 coordinate of the point P is an arithmetic average of the x1 coordinates of the points p1 to pn, and the y1 coordinate of the point P Is the arithmetic mean of the y1 coordinates of the points p1 to pn.

  In the second deviation amount calculation process, first, the center line L2 of the guide line L included in the second region image is calculated. When all of the guide lines L cannot be extracted from the second region image, the extracted center line L2 of the guide line L is calculated. Next, the coordinates of a plurality of points q1 to qn (n is an integer of 2 or more) on the center line L2 are calculated in an orthogonal coordinate system (hereinafter referred to as “coordinate system C2”) having x2 and y2 coordinate axes. . The y2 axis coincides with the reference line A. Then, the average of the x2 coordinates of the points q1 to qn is calculated as the second deviation amount X2. The point Q in the figure shows the average coordinates calculated based on the points q1 to qn, and the x2 coordinate of the point Q is an arithmetic average of the x2 coordinates of the points q1 to qn, and the y2 coordinate of the point Q Is the arithmetic mean of the y2 coordinates of points q1-qn.

すなわち、偏差角度θは、点Ｐおよび点Ｑを通る近似直線ＬＡと、幅方向Ｗ（車両本体１の左右方向Ｙ）に延びる直線とのなす角度である。点Ｐがｘ１軸上に位置し、かつ、点Ｑがｘ２軸上に位置するときは、偏差角度θは、「ｔａｎ^−１（Ｄ／｜Ｘ１−Ｘ２｜）」である。 In the deviation angle calculation process, the deviation angle θ is calculated based on the distance D between the regions S1 and S2, the coordinates of the point P, and the coordinates of the point Q. The distance D is a distance from the first area S1 to the second area S2, and represents an interval between the origin O1 of the coordinate system C1 and the origin O2 of the coordinate system C2. When the x1 coordinate of the point P is “Px”, the y1 coordinate of the point P is “Py”, the x2 coordinate of the point Q is “Qx”, and the y2 coordinate of the point Q is “Qy”, the deviation angle θ is , Calculated from the following formula (1).

That is, the deviation angle θ is an angle formed between the approximate straight line LA passing through the points P and Q and a straight line extending in the width direction W (the left-right direction Y of the vehicle body 1). When the point P is located on the x1 axis and the point Q is located on the x2 axis, the deviation angle θ is “tan ⁻¹ (D / | X1−X2 |)”.

  With reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, automatic traveling of the vehicle main body 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. The camera 51 in FIG. 5A images the guide line L shown in FIG. 3A, and the camera 51 in FIG. 5B images the guide line L shown in FIG. The camera 51 of (C) images the guide line L shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 3A, the guide line L extracted from the image of the first region S1 is biased to the left with respect to the reference line A, and the guide line L extracted from the image of the second region S2 is It is biased to the left with respect to the reference line A. In this case, since it is estimated that the guide line L turns leftward, a target rudder angle for the vehicle body 10 to turn leftward is calculated. Therefore, the vehicle main body 10 in FIG. 5A travels along the guide line L by turning leftward as indicated by an arrow E1 in the drawing.

  In FIG. 3B, the guide line L extracted from the image of the first region S1 is biased to the left with respect to the reference line A, and the guide line L extracted from the image of the second region S2 is It is biased to the right with respect to the reference line A. In this case, it is presumed that the guide line L exists at a position on the right side of the vehicle main body 10, and therefore the vehicle main body 10 bends to the right for the purpose of moving the camera 51 on the guide line L. The target rudder angle is calculated. Therefore, the vehicle body 10 in FIG. 5B travels along the guide line L by turning to the left after turning to the right, as indicated by an arrow E2 in the drawing.

  In FIG. 3C, the guide line L extracted from the image of the first region S1 is biased to the left with respect to the reference line A, and the guide line L extracted from the image of the second region S2 is It is biased to the left with respect to the reference line A. In this case, since it is estimated that the guide line L turns leftward, a target rudder angle for the vehicle body 10 to turn leftward is calculated. Therefore, even if the vehicle main body 10 in FIG. 5C is stained in the guide line L, as shown by the arrow E3 in the figure, the vehicle body 10 is turned leftward along the guide line L. Run. That is, compared with the following comparative example, the forklift 1 travels smoothly with respect to the guide line L.

  With reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the automatic traveling vehicle 101 (refer FIG. 7) which concerns on a comparative example is demonstrated. The automatic traveling vehicle 101 includes a vehicle main body 110 (see FIG. 7), a camera 151, and the like. The camera 151 images a predetermined area S101 located in front of the vehicle main body 110 by imaging the imaging range R. The automatic traveling vehicle 101 calculates an approximate straight line LA that approximates the guide line L based on the guide line L extracted from the image of the region S101, and then intersects the approximate line LA with a predetermined horizontal reference line A2. Is calculated. When the guide line L included in the region S101 is not curved, the approximate line LA coincides with the guide line L. The horizontal reference line A2 is a virtual line parallel to the left-right direction Y of the vehicle main body 110. Then, the automatic traveling vehicle 101 calculates a deviation amount X101 indicating a degree of deviation of the guide line L from a predetermined vertical reference line A1 parallel to the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle main body 110. The deviation amount X101 is a distance from the vertical reference line A1 to the intersection T. When the intersection T is located to the right of the vertical reference line A1, the vehicle main body 110 turns to the right, and when the intersection T is located to the left of the vertical reference line A1, the vehicle main body 110 turns to the left. Bend.

  The camera 151 in FIG. 7A images the guide line L shown in FIG. 6A, and the camera 151 in FIG. 7B images the guide line L shown in FIG. The camera 151 of (C) images the guide line L shown in FIG. FIG. 6C shows a state in which a part of the guide line L in FIG. In FIG. 6 (A), the intersection T is located to the left of the vertical reference line A1, so that the vehicle main body 110 in FIG. 7 (A) is turned to the left as shown by the arrow F1 in the figure. Travel along the guide line L. In FIG. 6B, since the intersection point T is located on the right side of the vertical reference line A1, the vehicle body 110 in FIG. 7B has a camera on the guide line L as indicated by an arrow F2 in the drawing. For the purpose of moving 151, the vehicle turns along the guide line L by turning right and then turning left. In FIG. 6C, the intersection point T is located on the left side of the vertical reference line A1, so that the vehicle main body 110 in FIG. 7C has the same structure as that in FIG. Similarly, it turns to the right, and turns to the left when the guide line L with less fouling is extracted. Therefore, due to the contamination of the guide line L, the vehicle main body 110 fluctuates during automatic traveling.

In the automatic traveling vehicle of the present embodiment, the following effects are obtained.
(1) The automatic traveling vehicle (forklift 1) extracts a camera 51 that captures a predetermined imaging range R including the guide line L, and images of the areas S1 and S2 including the guide line L from the image captured by the camera 51. A predetermined region extraction unit 52, a line extraction unit 53 that extracts the guide line L from each of the images of the regions S1 and S2 extracted by the predetermined region extraction unit 52, and each of the images of the regions S1 and S2. And a control unit 54 that controls the travel mode of the vehicle body 10 based on the guide line L. According to this configuration, for example, even when the guide line L cannot be accurately extracted in one region S1 imaged by the camera 51, the guide line L is appropriately extracted in the other region S2. Thus, the detection accuracy of the guide line L can be increased. For this reason, even when the guide line L is soiled, the guide line for automatic travel is controlled by controlling the travel mode of the vehicle body 10 based on the guide line L included in the two regions S1 and S2. It is possible to reduce the influence of L contamination. In addition, since the two regions S1 and S2 positioned side by side in the front-rear direction X can be extracted from an image captured by one camera 51, the two regions are used using a plurality of cameras (not shown). Compared to the configuration in which S1 and S2 are extracted, the configuration of the automatic traveling vehicle can be simplified. Furthermore, since the guide line L is extracted from each of the images of the areas S1 and S2 extracted by the predetermined area extraction unit 52, the guide line L is extracted from the entire image captured by the camera 51. The load for extracting the guide line L from the image can be reduced.

  (2) The control unit 54 includes a deviation amount calculation unit 54A that calculates the deviation amounts X1 and X2 of the guide line L from the reference line A, and the traveling mode of the vehicle main body 10 based on the calculated deviation amounts X1 and X2. To control. According to this configuration, by calculating the deviation amounts X1 and X2 of the guide line L, it is possible to predict the degree of deviation of the reference line A from the guide line L when the vehicle body 10 travels straight ahead. By controlling the travel mode of the vehicle main body 10 so that X1 and X2 are reduced, the deviation of the reference line A with respect to the guide line L can be reduced.

  (3) The control unit 54 further includes a deviation angle calculation unit 54B that calculates the deviation angle θ of the guide line L, and the vehicle is based on the calculated deviation angle θ, the first deviation amount X1, and the second deviation amount X2. The traveling mode of the main body 10 is controlled. According to this configuration, by calculating the deviation angle θ of the guide line L, the inclination degree of the guide line L in front of the vehicle body 10 can be predicted, and the deviation angle θ of the guide line L and the first deviation amount can be predicted. By controlling the traveling mode of the vehicle main body 10 according to X1 and the second deviation amount X2, it is possible to reduce the wobbling of the vehicle main body 10 during automatic traveling.

  (4) The first deviation amount X1 is calculated based on the distances between the plurality of points p1 to pn on the guide line L included in the first region S1 and the reference line A. According to this configuration, compared to the configuration in which the distance between an arbitrary point on the guide line L and the reference line A is calculated as the first deviation amount X1, the mode of the guide line L in the first region S1 is the first deviation. It can be reflected by the amount X1.

  (5) The second deviation amount X2 is calculated based on the distance between the plurality of points q1 to qn on the guide line L included in the second region S2 and the reference line A. According to this configuration, the mode of the guide line L in the second region S2 is compared with the configuration in which the distance between an arbitrary point on the guide line L and the reference line A is calculated as the second deviation amount X2. It can be reflected by the amount X2.

  (6) Of the two areas S1 and S2 from which images are extracted by the predetermined area extraction unit 52, the width W2 of the second area S2 located near the vehicle body 10 is located far from the vehicle body 10. It is smaller than the width W1 of the first region S1. According to this configuration, the guide line L is extracted as compared with the configuration in which the width W2 of the second region S2 located near the vehicle body 10 is the same as the width W1 of the region S1 located far from the vehicle body 10. The target area can be reduced, and the load for extracting the guide line L can be reduced. In addition, compared to the configuration in which the width W1 of the first region S1 is smaller than the width W2 of the second region S2, the first region S1 is also formed when the guide line L is far away from the reference line A toward the front. The guide line L is easily included.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the above configuration can be changed as appropriate. For example, the following modifications can be implemented, and the following modifications can be combined.

  The width W2 of the second region S2 and the width W1 of the first region S1 may be appropriately changed. For example, the width W2 of the second region S2 may be the same as the width W1 of the first region S1. Further, the first region S1 and the second region S2 may partially overlap. That is, a part of the first area S1 and a part of the second area S2 may overlap. Further, the first region S1 and the second region S2 may be adjacent to each other without a gap.

  -You may change suitably the calculation method of the 1st deviation amount X1, the calculation method of the 2nd deviation amount X2, and the calculation method of deviation angle (theta). Further, if the traveling mode of the vehicle main body 10 can be controlled based on the guide line L extracted by the line extraction unit 53, the vehicle main body 10 can be calculated without calculating the deviation amounts X1, X2 and the deviation angle θ. The traveling mode may be controlled.

  -You may change suitably the control method of the driving | running | working aspect of the vehicle main body 10. FIG. For example, the direction in which the vehicle body 10 travels may be changed by braking the right front wheel 21 or the left front wheel 21 without changing the steering angle of the rear wheel 22.

  -The structure which extracts the image of three or more predetermined area | regions from the image imaged with the camera 51 may be sufficient. That is, the number of areas captured as images by the camera 51 is not limited to two, and may be at least two. Further, the arrangement of the camera 51 may be changed as appropriate.

  The forklift 1 may include not only the camera 51 but also a camera (not shown) that captures two predetermined areas located in the front-rear direction X behind the vehicle body 10. According to this configuration, even when the vehicle main body 10 moves backward, the same automatic traveling as when the vehicle main body 10 moves forward can be performed.

  The present invention is not limited to the reach type forklift 1, but may be applied to other automatic traveling vehicles (a counterbalance type forklift or an automatic guided vehicle).

1 Reach-type forklift (automatic traveling vehicle)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle main body 11 Riding part 12 Straddle leg 13 Steering handle 20 Traveling device 21 Front wheel 22 Rear wheel 31 Fork 40 Lifting device 41 Mast 42 Lift bracket 51 Camera 52 Predetermined area extraction part 53 Line extraction part 54 Control part 54A Deviation amount calculation part 54B Deviation angle calculation unit 54C Target rudder angle calculation unit 55 Storage unit A Reference line R Imaging range S1, S2 Regions X1, X2 Deviation amount θ Deviation angle X Front-rear direction Y Left-right direction Z Up-down direction

In order to solve the above-described problem, the automatic traveling vehicle according to claim 1 is a vehicle that includes a vehicle main body capable of automatic traveling along a guidance line provided on a road surface. A camera that captures a range, and a predetermined region extraction unit that extracts, from the camera image captured by the camera, images of at least two front regions that include the guide line and are aligned in the front-rear direction in front of the vehicle body The vehicle based on the line extraction unit that extracts the guidance line from each of the images of the front region extracted by the predetermined region extraction unit, and the guidance line that is extracted from each of the images of the front region. and a control unit for controlling the driving mode of the main body, the predetermined region extracting unit from the camera image, the image of the first region, the first region In addition, the image of the second area located near the vehicle body is extracted as two images of the front area, and the control unit biases the guide line from a predetermined reference line parallel to the front-rear direction. A deviation amount calculating unit that calculates a deviation amount indicating a degree of the deviation, the deviation amount calculating unit calculating the deviation amount of the guide line included in the first region as a first deviation amount, and the second region The deviation amount of the guide line included in the guide line is calculated as a second deviation amount, and at least one of the first deviation amount and the second deviation amount is a plurality of points on the guide line included in the front area. Calculated based on a distance from the reference line, and the control unit controls a travel mode of the vehicle body based on the first deviation amount and the second deviation amount calculated by the deviation amount calculation unit. It is characterized by.
The automatic traveling vehicle according to claim 2 is a camera that images a predetermined imaging range including the guidance line in an automatic traveling vehicle including a vehicle main body capable of automatic traveling along a guidance line provided on a road surface. A predetermined area extracting unit that extracts, from the camera image captured by the camera, images of at least two front areas that include the guide line and are aligned in the front-rear direction in front of the vehicle body, and the predetermined area Based on the guide line extracted from each of the front region images, the line extraction unit that extracts the guide line from each of the front region images extracted by the extraction unit, A control unit for controlling, the predetermined region extraction unit from the same camera image, the image of the first region, and the vehicle than the first region. And an image of the second area located near the body, and extracts as two images of the front region
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic traveling vehicle including a vehicle main body capable of automatic traveling along a guidance line provided on a road surface, and a camera that captures a predetermined imaging range including the guidance line. A predetermined area extracting unit that extracts, from the camera image captured by the camera, images of at least two front areas that include the guide line and are aligned in the front-rear direction in front of the vehicle body, and the predetermined area Based on the guide line extracted from each of the front region images, the line extraction unit that extracts the guide line from each of the front region images extracted by the extraction unit, A control unit that controls, the predetermined region extraction unit from the camera image, the image of the first region, and the vehicle body more than the first region The image of the second region located nearby is extracted as two images of the front region, and the center of the first region and the center of the second region are located on a predetermined reference line parallel to the front-rear direction. The width of the second region is smaller than the width of the first region.

The automatic traveling vehicle according to claim 4 is the automatic traveling vehicle according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein the control unit is a deviation indicating a degree of deviation of the guide line from a predetermined reference line parallel to the front-rear direction. A deviation amount calculating unit for calculating a quantity, wherein the deviation amount calculating unit calculates the deviation amount of the guide line included in the first area as a first deviation amount, and the guidance included in the second area; The deviation amount of the line is calculated as a second deviation amount, and the control unit controls a traveling mode of the vehicle body based on the first deviation amount and the second deviation amount calculated by the deviation amount calculation unit. It is characterized by doing.

The automated traveling vehicle according to claim 5 is the autonomous traveling vehicle according to claim 1 or 4 , wherein the first deviation amount is a plurality of points on the guide line included in the first region and the reference line. It is calculated based on the distance to.

The automatic traveling vehicle according to claim 6 is the automatic traveling vehicle according to any one of claims 1, 4, and 5 , wherein the second deviation amount is on the guide line included in the second region. It is calculated based on the distance between a plurality of points and the reference line.

The automatic traveling vehicle according to claim 7 is the automatic traveling vehicle according to any one of claims 1, 4 to 6, wherein the control unit is a deviation angle indicating a degree of inclination of the guide line with respect to the front-rear direction. The deviation angle calculation unit further calculates information regarding a distance from the first region to the second region, and a difference between the first deviation amount and the second deviation amount. The control unit calculates the deviation angle based on the first deviation amount indicating a direction in which the guide line is biased with respect to the reference line in the first region, and the second region in the second region. The traveling mode of the vehicle body is controlled based on the second deviation amount indicating the direction in which the guide line is deviated from the reference line and the deviation angle .
The automated traveling vehicle according to claim 8 is the autonomous traveling vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the guide line included in the first region is a right side or a left side that is a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction. When the direction biased with respect to the reference line is a first direction and the direction in which the guide line included in the second region is biased with respect to the reference line is a second direction, the control unit is When the first direction and the second direction are the same direction, the vehicle body is turned toward the first direction, and when the first direction and the second direction are different directions, The vehicle body is turned in the first direction after the vehicle body is turned in the second direction.

Claims (6)

In an automatic traveling vehicle including a vehicle main body capable of automatic traveling along a guidance line provided on a road surface,
A camera for imaging a predetermined imaging range including the guide line;
A predetermined area extracting unit that extracts an image of at least two areas that are included in the front-rear direction in front of the vehicle body and include the guide line from an image captured by the camera;
A line extraction unit for extracting the guide line from each of the images of the region extracted by the predetermined region extraction unit;
An automatic traveling vehicle, comprising: a control unit that controls a traveling mode of the vehicle main body based on the guide line extracted from each of the images of the region. The control unit includes a deviation amount calculation unit that calculates a deviation amount indicating a degree of deviation of the guide line from a predetermined reference line parallel to the front-rear direction, and the deviation amount calculated by the deviation amount calculation unit is calculated. The automatic traveling vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a traveling mode of the vehicle main body is controlled based on the vehicle. The deviation amount calculation unit calculates the deviation amount of the guide line included in the first region extracted as the region as a first deviation amount, and is included in the second region extracted as the other region. Calculating the deviation amount of the guide line as a second deviation amount;
The control unit calculates a deviation angle indicating a degree of inclination of the guide line based on information on a distance from the first area to the second area, the first deviation amount, and the second deviation amount. An angle calculation unit is further provided, and a travel mode of the vehicle body is controlled based on the deviation angle, the first deviation amount, and the second deviation amount calculated by the deviation angle calculation unit. Item 3. The automatic traveling vehicle according to item 2. The automatic traveling vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the first deviation amount is calculated based on distances between a plurality of points on the guide line included in the first region and the reference line. 5. The automatic travel according to claim 3, wherein the second deviation amount is calculated based on distances between a plurality of points on the guide line included in the second region and the reference line. vehicle. Of the two regions from which the image is extracted by the predetermined region extraction unit, the width of the region located near the vehicle body is smaller than the width of the region located far from the vehicle body. The automatic traveling vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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