JP2016130894A - Autonomous travel control system, autonomous traveling device using the same, autonomous travel control method, control program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an autonomous travel control system configured to properly acquire surrounding information with a simple configuration, without increasing cost, to control travel of an autonomous traveling device on the basis of the surrounding information, the autonomous traveling device using the system, a control program, and a recording medium.SOLUTION: An autonomous travel control system to be used in an autonomous traveling device 1 with a surrounding information acquisition sensor 2, configured to perform autonomous traveling on the basis of surrounding information includes: an information processing section which processes surrounding information acquired by the surrounding information acquisition sensor 2; and a control section which controls operation of the autonomous traveling device 1, on the basis of the surrounding information. The surrounding information acquisition sensor 2 is arranged so that a part of the autonomous traveling device 1 may be located in a detection area 2a. The information processing section is configured to detect a change in installation state of the surrounding information acquisition sensor 2, on the basis of location information of the autonomous traveling device 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an autonomous traveling control system, an autonomous traveling device using the autonomous traveling control system, an autonomous traveling control method, a control program, and a recording medium.

  In recent years, peripheral information (ranging information, etc.) in the traveling direction of a moving body such as an autonomous vehicle is acquired, and obstacles existing around the moving body are detected based on the peripheral information to enable autonomous traveling. The technology of an object detection device is known.

  As a conventional technique, for example, when a non-moving object is detected in a passing area of a vehicle, a collision preventing means for performing a collision preventing operation, an object detecting means for detecting a surrounding object of the vehicle, etc. are detected. A collision prevention device is disclosed in which collision is prevented by advancing the operation timing of the collision prevention means compared to the case where a moving object is detected (see Patent Document 1).

  An example of an obstacle detection method using peripheral information as in the technique of Patent Document 1 is shown below.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 19, an autonomous mobile device 501 equipped with an object detection sensor 502 detects an obstacle 503 present in the determination target area 502a.

  As an example of the peripheral information for detecting the obstacle 503 by the object detection sensor 502, as shown in FIG. 20, it is composed of distance measurement information in each of the coordinates mapped in the XY space. In this case, the X axis indicates a virtual axis that means a width in the lateral direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling device 501, and the Y axis indicates a virtual axis in the height direction that intersects perpendicularly with the traveling direction.

  The distance measurement information is numerical information obtained by normalizing the distance from the object detection sensor 502 on the virtual axis Z indicating the traveling direction discretely digitized by the measurement limit distance.

  FIG. 20 shows a case where the limit detection distance is normalized by 255. For example, when the distance threshold is set to 100, it is determined that there is an obstacle 503 for an area (hatched range in the table of FIG. 20) 503a that is smaller than 100.

  Normally, when the autonomous traveling device 501 travels on a horizontal plane, the peripheral information obtained from the object detection sensor 502 does not include ground information or includes ground information, as shown in FIG. Even if it is, the corresponding part is not handled as the determination target area 502a, and it is determined that there is no obstacle 503.

  As shown in FIG. 22, when the obstacle 503 exists in the determination target area 502a of the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling device 501, the obstacle 503 is detected based on the distance measurement information.

JP 2009-73282 A

  However, the object detection sensor 502 described above is based on the premise that the sensor is correctly installed at a fixed position of a moving body such as the autonomous traveling device 501, and therefore the orientation of the sensor is affected by the impact or vibration from the outside. When even a slight deviation occurs, there is a problem that the peripheral information cannot be acquired correctly and the obstacle 503 cannot be avoided in some cases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and by accurately acquiring the peripheral information with a simple configuration without increasing the cost, the traveling control of the autonomous traveling device is performed based on the peripheral information. It is an object of the present invention to provide an autonomous traveling control system, an autonomous traveling device using the autonomous traveling control system, an autonomous traveling control method, a control program, and a recording medium.

  An autonomous traveling control system according to the present invention for solving the above-described problems, an autonomous traveling apparatus using the autonomous traveling control system, an autonomous traveling control method, a control program, and a recording medium are as follows.

  The present invention is an autonomous traveling control system that includes a detecting unit that acquires peripheral information and that is used in an autonomous traveling device that performs autonomous traveling based on the peripheral information, the information processing the peripheral information acquired by the detecting unit A processing unit, and a control unit that controls the operation of the autonomous traveling device based on the peripheral information, and arranges the detection means so that a part of the autonomous traveling device is located in a detection region, The information processing unit is configured to detect that the installation state of the detection unit is changed based on partial position information of the autonomous mobile device acquired by the detection unit.

  Further, according to the present invention, as the configuration of the information processing unit, whether or not the detection unit has changed from a normal installation state based on partial position information of the autonomous mobile device acquired by the detection unit. When the detection means position determination means and the detection means position determination means determine that the detection means has changed from a normal installation state, a deviation amount is calculated based on partial position information of the autonomous mobile device It is preferable that the apparatus includes a deviation amount calculation unit that performs correction and an information correction unit that corrects peripheral information acquired by the detection unit according to the deviation amount.

  In addition, the present invention provides a notification that informs the outside that the installation state of the detection means has changed when the detection means detects that a part of the autonomous mobile device is deviated from the detection area. Preferably means are provided.

  In addition, the present invention is an autonomous travel control system that includes a detection unit that acquires peripheral information and is used in an autonomous traveling device that performs autonomous traveling based on the peripheral information, and processes the peripheral information acquired by the detection unit An information processing unit that controls the operation of the autonomous traveling device based on the surrounding information, and a detected body (mark) that is detected by the detecting means, and the detected body is attached to the autonomous traveling device. The detection unit is arranged on the outside, and the detection unit is arranged so that at least a part of the detection unit is located in a detection region, and the information processing unit is connected to the detection unit acquired by the detection unit. It is characterized in that a change in the installation state of the detection means is detected based on position information.

  Further, in the present invention, as the configuration of the information processing unit, detection for determining whether or not the detection unit has changed from a normal installation state based on position information of the detected object acquired by the detection unit A position determination means; and a displacement amount calculation means for calculating a displacement amount based on position information of the detected object when the detection means position determination means determines that the detection means has changed from a normal installation state; It is preferable that the information correction unit corrects the peripheral information acquired by the detection unit in accordance with the deviation amount.

  In addition, the present invention includes an informing means for informing the outside that the installation state of the detecting means has changed when the detecting means detects that the detected object is deviated from the detection region. It is preferable.

  In addition, the present invention provides an autonomous traveling device that includes a detecting unit that acquires peripheral information and performs autonomous traveling based on the peripheral information, and is acquired by the detecting unit as an autonomous traveling control system that controls driving of the autonomous traveling device. An information processing unit that processes the peripheral information and a control unit that controls the operation of the autonomous mobile device based on the peripheral information, and the detection unit is located in a detection region where a part of the autonomous mobile device is located. An autonomous running control system that detects that the installation state of the detecting means has changed based on the positional information of a part of the autonomous running device acquired by the detecting means. It is characterized by using.

  The present invention is also an autonomous travel control method used in an autonomous travel device that includes a detection means for acquiring peripheral information and performs autonomous travel based on the peripheral information, wherein the detection means is within the detection area. A step of detecting peripheral information and a part of the autonomous mobile device in a state where a part of the device is positioned, a step of processing the peripheral information acquired by the detecting step, and the peripheral information Detecting the change of the installation state of the detecting means based on the position information of a part of the autonomous traveling device acquired in the detecting step. It is characterized by doing.

  Further, the present invention includes a step of determining whether or not the detection means has changed from a normal installation state based on position information of a part of the autonomous traveling device acquired by the detecting step, and the detection A step of calculating a deviation amount based on position information of a part of the autonomous mobile device when it is determined that the means has changed from a normal installation state, and a periphery acquired by the detection means according to the deviation amount And correcting the information.

  In addition, the present invention preferably includes a step of notifying the outside that the installation state of the detection means is shifted when it is detected that a part of the autonomous traveling device is shifted from the detection region. .

  Further, the present invention is an autonomous travel control method used in an autonomous travel device that includes a detection unit that acquires peripheral information and performs autonomous travel based on the peripheral information, and the detected object detected by the detection unit is It is installed integrally on the outside of the autonomous mobile device, and the detection means detects peripheral information and the detected body in a state where at least a part of the detected body is located in a detection area. And a step of processing the peripheral information acquired by the detecting step, and a step of controlling the operation of the autonomous mobile device based on the peripheral information, and the detected object acquired in the detecting step It is characterized in that it detects that the installation state of the detection means has changed based on body position information.

  The present invention also includes a step of determining whether or not the detection means has changed from a normal installation state based on position information of the detected object acquired by the detecting step, and the detection means is normal. A step of calculating a deviation amount based on the position information of the detected object when it is determined that there has been a change from a different installation state, and a step of correcting the peripheral information acquired by the detection means according to the deviation amount; Are preferably provided.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the present invention includes a step of notifying the outside that the installation state of the detection unit is deviated when it is detected that the detected object is deviated from the detection region.

  Further, the present invention is a control program for operating an autonomous traveling control system used in an autonomous traveling device provided with a detecting unit that acquires peripheral information and a control unit that controls driving, wherein the detecting unit is within a detection region. In a state where a part of the autonomous mobile device is located, the detection means functions to acquire peripheral information and a part of the autonomous mobile device, and the information processing unit is configured to detect the information. It is made to function so that it may detect that the installation state of the said detection means changed using the partial positional information on the said autonomous traveling apparatus acquired by the means.

  Further, the present invention is a control program for operating an autonomous traveling control system used in an autonomous traveling apparatus provided with a detecting means for acquiring peripheral information and a control unit for controlling driving, which is detected by the detecting means. The detection is performed in a state where the detection target is integrally installed outside the autonomous mobile device, and the detection means is arranged such that at least a part of the detection target is located in the detection region. Means for acquiring peripheral information and position information of the detected object, and the information processing unit is configured to install the detecting means using the position information of the detected object acquired by the detecting means. It is made to function so that it may detect that changed.

  Further, the present invention is a recording medium on which a control program for operating an autonomous traveling control system used in an autonomous traveling apparatus provided with a detecting unit that acquires peripheral information and a control unit that controls driving is recorded, A detecting unit that functions to acquire peripheral information and position information of a part of the autonomous traveling device or position information of a detected object that is integrally installed outside the autonomous traveling device; A control program is recorded that functions to detect a change in the installation state of the detection means by using a part of the position information of the autonomous traveling device acquired by the detection means or the position information of the detected object. The computer is readable.

  According to the autonomous traveling control system of the present invention, there is provided an autonomous traveling control system that includes a detecting unit that acquires surrounding information and is used in an autonomous traveling device that performs autonomous traveling based on the surrounding information, and is acquired by the detecting unit. An information processing unit that processes the surrounding information, and a control unit that controls the operation of the autonomous traveling device based on the surrounding information, and the detection unit is located in a detection area, and a part of the autonomous traveling device is located By arranging so that the information processing unit detects that the installation state of the detection means has changed based on the position information of a part of the autonomous mobile device acquired by the detection means, When the installation state of the detection means is deviated due to an impact or vibration from the outside, it can be easily detected that the detection device is deviated. Thereby, correct surrounding information can be acquired by correcting the installation state of the detection device.

  Moreover, according to the autonomous traveling control system of the present invention, there is provided an autonomous traveling control system for use in an autonomous traveling device that includes a detecting unit that acquires surrounding information and performs autonomous traveling based on the surrounding information, An information processing unit that processes the acquired peripheral information; a control unit that controls the operation of the autonomous mobile device based on the peripheral information; and a detected object that is detected by the detecting means, the detected object being the The information processing unit is acquired by the detection unit, the detection unit is disposed integrally with an outside of the autonomous traveling device, the detection unit is disposed such that at least a part of the detected body is located in a detection region. By detecting that the installation state of the detection means has changed based on the position information of the detected object, the detection means is shifted to the installation state due to external impact or vibration. When occurring, it is possible to easily detect that the detection device is shifted. Thereby, correct surrounding information can be acquired by correcting the installation state of the detection device.

  Moreover, according to the autonomous traveling device of the present invention, as an autonomous traveling control system for controlling the operation of the autonomous traveling device in an autonomous traveling device that includes a detecting unit that acquires peripheral information and performs autonomous traveling based on the peripheral information. An information processing unit that processes the peripheral information acquired by the detection unit; and a control unit that controls the operation of the autonomous mobile device based on the peripheral information, and the detection unit is within the detection area. Arrangement so that a part of the device is located, and detecting that the installation state of the detection means has changed based on the position information of the part of the autonomous traveling device acquired by the detection means. By using an autonomous running control system, it is possible to easily detect that the detection device has shifted when the installation state of the detection means is shifted due to an impact or vibration from the outside. It can be known. Thereby, correct surrounding information can be acquired by correcting the installation state of the detection device.

  Moreover, according to the autonomous traveling control method of the present invention, the autonomous traveling control method used in the autonomous traveling device provided with the detecting means for acquiring the peripheral information, wherein the detecting means is within the detection area of the autonomous traveling device. Based on the surrounding information, a step of detecting the surrounding information and a part of the autonomous mobile device, a step of processing the surrounding information acquired by the detecting step, in a state where the portion is arranged to be located A step of controlling the operation of the autonomous traveling device, and detecting that the installation state of the detecting means has changed based on the positional information of a part of the autonomous traveling device acquired in the detecting step. By doing so, it is possible to easily detect that the detection device has shifted when the installation state of the detection means is shifted due to the influence of external impact or vibration. Thereby, correct surrounding information can be acquired by correcting the installation state of the detection device.

  Moreover, according to the autonomous traveling control method of the present invention, there is provided an autonomous traveling control method for use in an autonomous traveling apparatus that includes a detecting unit that acquires surrounding information and performs autonomous traveling based on the surrounding information. In a state where the detected object to be detected is integrally installed outside the autonomous traveling device, and the detection means is arranged so that at least a part of the detected object is located in the detection area, A step of detecting the detected object, a step of processing the peripheral information acquired by the detecting step, and a step of controlling the operation of the autonomous mobile device based on the peripheral information. By detecting that the installation state of the detection means has changed based on the positional information of the detected object acquired in step 1, the detection is performed under the influence of external impact or vibration. When the deviation occurs in the installed state of the stage, it is possible to easily detect that the detection device is shifted. Thereby, correct surrounding information can be acquired by correcting the installation state of the detection device.

  According to the control program of the present invention, there is provided a control program for operating an autonomous traveling control system used in an autonomous traveling apparatus including a detecting unit that acquires peripheral information and a control unit that controls driving, In a state where the means is arranged so that a part of the autonomous mobile device is located in the detection area, the detecting means functions to acquire peripheral information and a part of the autonomous mobile device, and the information processing By causing the part to function to detect that the installation state of the detection unit has changed using position information of a part of the autonomous traveling device acquired by the detection unit, and so on. In the case where a shift occurs in the installation state of the detection means due to the influence of the above, it is possible to easily detect that the detection device has shifted. Thereby, correct surrounding information can be acquired by correcting the installation state of the detection device.

  According to the control program of the present invention, there is provided a control program for operating an autonomous traveling control system used in an autonomous traveling apparatus including a detecting unit that acquires peripheral information and a control unit that controls driving, The detected object detected by the means is integrally installed outside the autonomous traveling device, and the detecting means is arranged so that at least a part of the detected object is located in the detection area, The detecting means functions to acquire peripheral information and position information of the detected object, and the information processing unit is installed using the position information of the detected object acquired by the detecting means. By functioning to detect that the state has changed, the detection device has been displaced when the installation state of the detection means has changed due to external impact or vibration. It can be easily detected. Thereby, correct surrounding information can be acquired by correcting the installation state of the detection device.

  Further, according to the recording medium of the present invention, the recording medium on which the control program for operating the autonomous traveling control system used in the autonomous traveling apparatus provided with the detecting means for acquiring the peripheral information and the control unit for controlling the driving is recorded. The detection means functions to acquire peripheral information and position information of a part of the autonomous mobile device or position information of a detected object integrally installed outside the autonomous mobile device, Control that causes the information processing unit to function to detect that the installation state of the detection unit has changed using partial position information of the autonomous traveling device acquired by the detection unit or position information of the detected object Since the program is recorded and can be read by the computer, the control program can be easily executed by the computer.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the whole autonomous running apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the autonomous running control system which controls the driving | running | working of the said autonomous running apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the detection area | region of the periphery information acquisition sensor mounted in the said autonomous traveling apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information processing part which comprises the said autonomous running control system. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which performs the obstacle detection process by the said autonomous running control system. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which performs the installation abnormality confirmation process by the said autonomous running control system. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which processes the obstacle detection process and installation abnormality confirmation process by the said autonomous running control system by the same flow. It is a flowchart which shows the process process which performs driving | operation control of an autonomous traveling apparatus by the said autonomous traveling control system. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the whole autonomous running apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the detection area | region of the periphery information acquisition sensor mounted in the said autonomous traveling apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information processing part which comprises the autonomous running control system which controls the driving | running | working of the said autonomous running apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the process process which performs driving | operation control of an autonomous traveling apparatus by the said autonomous traveling control system. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the autonomous running control system which controls the driving | running of the autonomous running apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process process which performs driving | operation control of an autonomous traveling apparatus by the said autonomous traveling control system. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the autonomous running control system which controls the driving | running of the autonomous running apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the "deviation" of the positional information in the detection area | region of the periphery information acquisition sensor mounted in the said autonomous traveling apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which performs the obstacle detection process including the deviation correction of the periphery information acquisition sensor by the said autonomous traveling control system, and an installation abnormality confirmation process. It is a flowchart which shows the process process which performs driving | operation control of an autonomous traveling apparatus by the said autonomous traveling control system. It is explanatory drawing which shows the whole structure of the conventional autonomous traveling apparatus. It is the table | surface which digitized the data of the conventional periphery information detected. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which detects the normal periphery information by the said autonomous traveling apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which detects the obstruction by the said autonomous traveling apparatus.

(First embodiment)
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for implementing an autonomous traveling device using an autonomous traveling control system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an example of an embodiment for carrying out the invention, and is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of the autonomous traveling device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an autonomous traveling control for controlling the operation of the autonomous traveling device. 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the system, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a detection area of a peripheral information acquisition sensor mounted on the autonomous traveling device, and FIG. 4 is a configuration of an information processing unit constituting the autonomous traveling control system. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the autonomous traveling device 1 according to the first embodiment includes a peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 that acquires peripheral information as a detection unit, and serves as an autonomous traveling control system 10 that controls the operation of the autonomous traveling device 1. The autonomous traveling control system according to the present invention is employed.

  Here, the autonomous traveling device is a device that autonomously travels with a machine or a program without using human judgment. For example, an autonomous industrial transport vehicle that carries an object in a factory is known. Yes.

  The autonomous traveling device 1 includes a peripheral information acquisition sensor 2, a vehicle body (device main body) 3, a carriage 4 on which luggage can be mounted, and a tire 5 for traveling.

  The autonomous traveling control system 10 employed in the autonomous traveling device 1 is an autonomous traveling control system that controls the operation of the autonomous traveling device 1 that performs autonomous traveling based on the peripheral information of the autonomous traveling device 1, as shown in FIG. The information processing unit 11 that processes the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2, the control unit 12 that controls the operation of the autonomous mobile device 1 based on the peripheral information, and the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 And a storage unit 13 for storing peripheral information.

As the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2, a laser sensor is used.
The laser sensor irradiates a laser from the light emitting unit, and detects the reflected light reflected on the surface of the object by the light receiving unit, thereby measuring the distance to the object based on the time from light emission to light reception. .

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 is arranged so that a part 3 a of the vehicle body 3 of the autonomous mobile device 1 is located in the detection region 2 a. That is, the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 can acquire the peripheral information in the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling device 1 and the position information of the part 3 a on the front side of the vehicle body 3.

  Furthermore, in 1st Embodiment, the inclination sensor 21 which detects the attitude | position of the autonomous traveling apparatus 1 is provided as a detection means. The inclination sensor 21 detects the state of the posture of the autonomous mobile device 1, for example, inclination information such as upward, downward, rightward inclination, and leftward inclination. Thereby, the periphery information with respect to the autonomous mobile device 1 can be recognized more correctly.

  Information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 and the tilt sensor 21 is processed in the information processing unit 11.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the information processing unit 11 includes a recognition processing unit 111, an obstacle determination unit 112, and a movement route determination unit 113.

The recognition processing unit 111 recognizes the position of the peripheral information.
The obstacle determination unit 112 recognizes peripheral information and determines whether there is an obstacle in front of the autonomous mobile device 1.
The movement route determination unit 113 determines a route along which the autonomous mobile device 1 moves by recognizing surrounding information by the recognition processing unit 111 and determining the presence or absence of an obstacle by the obstacle determination unit 112.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the information processing unit 11 includes a sensor position determination unit 114.

  The sensor position determination unit 114 determines whether or not the surrounding information acquisition sensor 2 has changed from the normal installation state based on the positional information of the part 3a of the autonomous traveling device 1 in the detection area 2a acquired by the surrounding information acquisition sensor 2. Determine whether.

  Specifically, if the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 is normally installed, the autonomous mobile device 1 is necessarily included in a partial area of the detection area 2a. If a close distance measurement value is detected, it is determined that there is no problem in the installation state. When there is a distance measuring point at which a distance value closer than the threshold value is not detected in a partial area, it is determined that the installation state has changed.

  In addition, since areas other than the partial area in the detection area 2a are used for obstacle determination, it is desirable that the partial area be as small as possible.

(Obstacle detection process)
Here, an example of the obstacle detection process in the autonomous traveling control system 10 will be described with reference to a flowchart.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure for performing obstacle detection processing by the autonomous traveling control system of the first embodiment.

  In the autonomous traveling control system 10, as shown in FIG. 5, the obstacle detection process is started by power-on or a process start signal input separately. First, as initialization processing, the number of obstacle target pixels is reset to 0 (step S101). The number of obstacle target pixels means the number of pixels determined to be obstacles existing in the XY plane.

  After the initialization process, a loop process is performed with one frame in the XY plane space serving as the detection area 2a of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 as a unit (step S102). A series of processing is repeatedly executed thereafter, and is terminated by power-off or a separately inputted processing end signal.

  First, it is determined whether or not data processing has been completed for all the pixels in the frame (step S103).

  If it is determined in step S103 that data processing has not been completed for all pixels in the frame, data is acquired in units of pixels in the XY plane space (step S104). The data shall include distance values or similar information.

  Then, coordinate values corresponding to the data are calculated (step S105). The coordinate value may be included in the data, or may be calculated from the data order from the frame start position.

  And the threshold value corresponding to a coordinate is acquired from the threshold value table defined beforehand (step S106). This threshold means a distance threshold for determining an obstacle at the corresponding coordinates.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the distance value is within a predefined threshold value (step S107). That is, it is determined whether or not the corresponding pixel is an obstacle target pixel by comparing the distance value in the data with the distance threshold.

  If it is determined in step S107 that the pixel is an obstacle target pixel, it is counted as the number of obstacle target pixels (step S108). On the other hand, if it is determined that the pixel is not an obstacle target pixel, it is not counted.

In this way, the loop processing for each frame ends (step S109).
Then move on to the next frame.

  If it is determined in step S103 that data processing has been completed for all pixels in the frame, it is determined whether or not the number of obstacle target pixels is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of pixels (threshold). (Step S110). The obstacle determination unit 112 determines the presence or absence of an obstacle based on the number of obstacle target pixels in step S110.

  If it is determined in step S110 that the number of obstacle target pixels is equal to or greater than the threshold, it is determined that there is an obstacle (step S111), and an obstacle detection signal is output (step S112).

  Then, the number of obstacle target pixels is reset to 0 (step S113), and the processing in units of frames ends (step S109).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S110 that the number of obstacle target pixels is not equal to or greater than the threshold, it is determined that there is no obstacle (step S113).

Then, the number of obstacle target pixels is reset to 0 (step S114), and the processing in units of frames ends (step S109). Then, the process proceeds to the next frame.
In this way, the obstacle detection process in the autonomous traveling control system 10 is executed.

(Installation abnormality confirmation processing)
Next, an example of an installation abnormality confirmation process for confirming that an abnormality has occurred in the installation state of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 in the autonomous traveling control system 10 will be described along a flowchart.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure for performing an installation abnormality confirmation process by the autonomous traveling control system of the first embodiment.

  In the autonomous traveling control system 10, the installation abnormality confirmation process is started by turning on the power or by a process start signal input separately as shown in FIG. First, as an initialization process, the number of abnormal pixels is reset to 0 (step S201). The number of pixels means the number of pixels determined to be installation abnormality existing in the XY plane.

  After the initialization process, a loop process is performed with one frame in the XY plane space serving as the detection area 2a of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 as a unit (step S202). A series of processing is repeatedly executed thereafter, and is terminated by power-off or a separately inputted processing end signal or installation abnormality detection.

  First, it is determined whether or not data processing has been completed for all the pixels in the frame (step S203).

  If it is determined in step S203 that data processing has not been completed for all images in the frame, data is acquired in units of pixels in the XY plane space (step S204). The data shall include distance values or similar information.

  Then, coordinate values corresponding to the data are calculated (step S205). The coordinate value may be included in the data, or may be calculated from the data order from the frame start position.

  Then, it is determined from the coordinate value whether or not the current pixel is an abnormality detection target pixel (step S206). The abnormality detection target pixel is a pixel that is assumed to include a part of a vehicle body for abnormality detection that is defined in advance or a mark.

  If it is determined in step S206 that the current pixel is an abnormality detection target pixel, it is determined whether or not the distance value is within a predefined threshold value (step S207).

  If it is determined in step S207 that it is not within the threshold value, the number of abnormal pixels is counted (step S208). On the other hand, if it is determined that it is within the threshold value, it is not counted.

  If it is determined in step S206 that the current pixel is not an abnormality detection target pixel, it is determined whether or not the number of abnormal pixels is within a threshold (step S209). The sensor position determination unit 114 determines whether or not there is a sensor installation abnormality based on the number of abnormal pixels in step S209.

  If it is determined in step S209 that the number of abnormal pixels is within the threshold value, a loop process for each frame is performed (step S210).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S209 that the number of abnormal pixels is not within the threshold, an abnormality detection signal is output as an installation abnormality, and the process ends (step S211).

If it is determined in step S203 that data processing has been completed for all pixels in the frame, the number of abnormal pixels is reset to 0 (step S212), and the process proceeds to the next pixel (step S210). ).
In this way, the installation abnormality confirmation process in the autonomous traveling control system 10 is executed.

(Obstacle detection processing and installation abnormality confirmation processing)
Next, an example in which the obstacle detection process and the installation abnormality confirmation process in the autonomous traveling control system 10 are performed in the same flow will be described with reference to the flowchart.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure for processing obstacle detection processing and installation abnormality confirmation processing by the autonomous traveling control system of the first embodiment in the same flow.

  In the autonomous traveling control system 10, the obstacle detection process and the installation abnormality confirmation process performed within the same flow are started by turning on the power or a process start signal input separately as shown in FIG.

First, as initialization processing, the number of obstacle target pixels is reset to 0 (step S301).
Then, the number of abnormal pixels is reset to 0 (step S302).

  After the initialization process, a loop process is performed with one frame in the XY plane space as the detection area 2a of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 as a unit (step S303). A series of processing is repeatedly executed thereafter, and is terminated by power-off or a separately inputted processing end signal.

  First, it is determined whether or not data processing has been completed for all pixels in the frame (step S304).

  If it is determined in step S304 that data processing has not been completed for all pixels in the frame, data is acquired in units of pixels in the XY plane space (step S305). Then, coordinate values corresponding to the data are calculated (step S306).

  Then, it is determined from the coordinate value whether or not the current pixel is an abnormality detection target pixel (step S310).

  If it is determined in step S310 that the current pixel is not an abnormality detection target pixel, a threshold corresponding to the coordinates is acquired from a predefined threshold table (step S311).

  Then, it is determined whether or not the distance value is within a predefined threshold value (step S312). That is, it is determined whether or not the corresponding pixel is an obstacle target pixel by comparing the distance value in the data with the distance threshold.

  If it is determined in step S312 that the pixel is an obstacle target pixel, it is counted as the number of obstacle target pixels (step S313). On the other hand, if it is determined that the pixel is not an obstacle target pixel, it is not counted.

In this way, the loop processing for each frame is performed (step S330).
Then move on to the next frame.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S310 that the current pixel is an abnormality detection target pixel, it is determined whether or not the distance value is within a predefined threshold (step S314).

  If it is determined in step S314 that it is not within the threshold value, the number of abnormal pixels is counted (step S315). On the other hand, if it is determined that it is within the threshold value, it is not counted. Then, it is determined whether or not the number of abnormal pixels is within a threshold value (step S316).

  If it is determined in step S316 that the number of abnormal pixels is within the threshold value, a loop process for each frame is performed (step S330).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S316 that the number of abnormal pixels is not within the threshold value, an abnormality detection signal is output as an installation abnormality, and the process ends (step S327).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S304 that data processing has been completed for all pixels in the frame, it is determined whether or not the number of obstacle target pixels is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of pixels (threshold). (Step S320).

  If it is determined in step S320 that the number of obstacle target pixels is equal to or greater than the threshold (specified number), it is determined that there is an obstacle (step S321), and an obstacle detection signal is output (step S322).

  Then, the number of obstacle target pixels is reset to 0 (step S323), the number of abnormal pixels is reset to 0 (step S324), and a loop process for each frame is performed (step S330).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S320 that the number of obstacle target pixels is not equal to or greater than the threshold (specified number), it is determined that there is no obstacle (step S325), and the number of obstacle target pixels is reset to zero ( In step S323), the number of abnormal pixels is reset to 0 (step S324), and a loop process for each frame is performed (step S330).
Thus, the obstacle detection process and the installation abnormality confirmation process in the autonomous traveling control system 10 are executed.

Next, the outline of the process process which controls the driving | running | working of the autonomous traveling apparatus 1 by the autonomous traveling control system 10 of 1st Embodiment is demonstrated along a flowchart.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing steps for performing operation control of the autonomous traveling device by the autonomous traveling control system of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the operation of the autonomous mobile device 1 is started, peripheral information and inclination information are acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 and the inclination sensor 21 (step S11), and at the same time, autonomous information is acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2. The position information of the part 3a of the vehicle body 3 of the traveling device 1 is acquired (step S12).

  The peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 and the position information of the autonomous traveling device 1 are sent to the information processing unit 11 to perform information processing necessary for autonomous traveling (step S13) and stored in the storage unit 13. (Step S14).

Then, in the information processing unit 11, it is determined whether or not the installation state of the surrounding information acquisition sensor 2 has shifted based on the position information of the part 3a of the vehicle body 3 of the autonomous traveling device 1 (step S15).
In step S15, when it is determined that the surrounding information acquisition sensor 2 is not shifted, the control unit 12 controls the operation of the autonomous mobile device 1 based on the surrounding information (step S16). And it returns to step S11 and acquisition of peripheral information is continued.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S15 that the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 is displaced, the control unit 12 performs deceleration control or stop control of the autonomous mobile device 1 (step S17).

  In this way, when the surrounding information acquisition sensor 2 mounted on the autonomous traveling device is not in a normal state, the acquired surrounding information is different from the actual state, so that the obstacle cannot be detected. It is possible to avoid contact with an obstacle or the like by controlling the driving of the vehicle.

  Since it comprised as mentioned above, according to 1st Embodiment, in the autonomous running control system 10 used for the autonomous running apparatus 1 which has the surrounding information acquisition sensor 2 which acquires surrounding information, and performs autonomous running based on surrounding information An information processing unit 11 that processes the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2, and a control unit 12 that controls the operation of the autonomous mobile device based on the peripheral information. The vehicle body of the autonomous traveling device 1 acquired by the sensor information determining unit 114 by the sensor position determination unit 114 in the information processing unit 11 is arranged so that the part 3a of the vehicle body 3 of the autonomous traveling device 1 is located in 2a. By detecting that the installation state of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 has changed based on the position information of the part 3a of the part 3, the influence of external impact, vibration, etc. If the deviation in the installation state of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 occurs, it is possible to easily detect that the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 offset. Accordingly, contact with an obstacle or the like can be avoided in advance, or accurate peripheral information can be acquired by correcting the installation state of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2.

  Further, in the first embodiment, since the reference of the installation position of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 is a position where the specified part 3a of the vehicle body 3 can be detected, the installation state of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 can be determined with a simple configuration. Deviation can be determined.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of the autonomous mobile device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a detection area of a peripheral information acquisition sensor mounted on the autonomous mobile device, and FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information processing part which comprises the autonomous running control system which controls the driving | running | working of the said autonomous running apparatus.

  In addition, about the autonomous traveling apparatus and autonomous traveling control system in 2nd Embodiment, the thing of the structure similar to the structure of the autonomous traveling apparatus and autonomous traveling control system of 1st Embodiment attaches | subjects the same code | symbol, and abbreviate | omits description. To do.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the autonomous traveling device 201 according to the second embodiment includes a peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 that acquires peripheral information as a detection unit, and controls autonomous driving of the autonomous traveling device 201. As the system 210, the autonomous traveling control system according to the present invention is adopted.

  The autonomous traveling device 201 includes a peripheral information acquisition sensor 2, a vehicle body (device main body) 3, a carriage 4, a tire 5 for traveling, and a detected object 203a that serves as a mark for detection. ing.

  The detected body 203a is disposed to protrude forward on the front side of the vehicle body 3 of the autonomous traveling device 201.

  Note that, by setting the detected object 203a to an optimal size that can be detected, many areas of the detection area 2a can be used as an obstacle detection area, and the set position of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 can be used. The restrictions on can be reduced.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 is arranged so that a part of the detection target body 203 a is located in the detection region 2 a. That is, the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 can acquire the peripheral information in the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling device 201 and the positional information of the detected object 203a on the front side of the vehicle body 3.

  The autonomous traveling control system 210 employed in the autonomous traveling device 201 is an autonomous traveling control system that controls the operation of the autonomous traveling device 201 that performs autonomous traveling based on the peripheral information of the autonomous traveling device 201, as shown in FIG. The information processing unit 211 that processes the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2, the control unit 12 that controls the operation of the autonomous traveling device 201 based on the peripheral information, and the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 And a storage unit 13 for storing peripheral information.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the information processing unit 211 includes a recognition processing unit 111, an obstacle determination unit 112, and a movement route determination unit 113, and further includes a sensor position determination unit 214.

  The sensor position determination unit 214 determines whether or not the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 has changed from the normal installation state based on the positional information of the detected object 203a in the detection region 2a acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2. .

Next, the outline of the process process which controls the driving | running | working of the autonomous traveling apparatus 201 by the autonomous traveling control system 210 of 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated along a flowchart.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing processing steps for performing operation control of the autonomous traveling device by the autonomous traveling control system of the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 12, when the operation of the autonomous traveling device 201 is started, peripheral information and inclination information are acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 and the inclination sensor 21 (step S21), and at the same time, the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 A part of position information of the detection body 203a is acquired (step S22).

  The peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 and the position information of the detected object 203a are sent to the information processing unit 211 to perform information processing necessary for autonomous traveling (step S23) and stored in the storage unit 13. (Step S24).

Then, in the information processing unit 211, it is determined whether or not the installation state of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 has shifted based on the position information of the detection target 203a (step S25).
If it is determined in step S25 that the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 is not shifted, the control unit 12 controls the operation of the autonomous mobile device 201 based on the peripheral information (step S26). And it returns to step S21 and acquisition of peripheral information is continued.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S25 that the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 is displaced, the control unit 12 performs deceleration control or stop control of the autonomous mobile device 1 (step S27).

  In this way, when the surrounding information acquisition sensor 2 mounted on the autonomous traveling device is not in a normal state, the acquired surrounding information is different from the actual state, so that the obstacle cannot be detected. It is possible to avoid contact with an obstacle or the like by controlling the driving of the vehicle.

  Since it comprised as mentioned above, according to 2nd Embodiment, in the autonomous running control system 210 used for the autonomous running apparatus 1 which has the surrounding information acquisition sensor 2 which acquires surrounding information, and performs autonomous running based on surrounding information An information processing unit 211 that processes the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2, and a control unit 12 that controls the operation of the autonomous mobile device based on the peripheral information. 2a is arranged so that the detected object 203a is positioned, and the information processing unit 211 acquires peripheral information based on the position information of the detected object 203a acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 by the sensor position determination unit 214. By detecting that the installation state of the sensor 2 has changed, the installation of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 can be performed under the influence of external impact or vibration. If the shift state is generated, that the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 shifted it can be easily detected. Accordingly, contact with an obstacle or the like can be avoided in advance, or accurate peripheral information can be acquired by correcting the installation state of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2.

  Moreover, in 2nd Embodiment, it is suitable with respect to the installation position of the surrounding information acquisition sensor 2 by making the reference | standard of the installation position of the surrounding information acquisition sensor 2 into the position which can detect the to-be-detected body 203a. Since the detected object 203a can be installed at the position, it is possible to determine the deviation of the installation state of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 with a simple configuration.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an autonomous traveling control system that controls the operation of the autonomous traveling device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  In addition, about the autonomous running control system in 3rd Embodiment, the thing of the structure similar to the structure of the autonomous running control system of 1st Embodiment attaches | subjects the same code | symbol, and abbreviate | omits description.

  The autonomous traveling control system 310 according to the third embodiment is an autonomous traveling control system that controls the driving of an autonomous traveling device that performs autonomous traveling based on the surrounding information of the autonomous traveling device. As illustrated in FIG. The information processing unit 311 that processes the peripheral information acquired by the acquisition sensor 2, the control unit 12 that controls the operation of the autonomous traveling device based on the peripheral information, and the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 are stored. And a storage unit 13.

  As illustrated in FIG. 13, the information processing unit 311 includes a recognition processing unit 111, an obstacle determination unit 112, a movement route determination unit 113, and a sensor position determination unit 114.

  Furthermore, in 3rd Embodiment, the autonomous running control system 310 is provided with the alerting | reporting means 313. FIG.

  When the sensor position determination unit 114 determines that the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 has deviated from the normal installation state, the notification unit 313 notifies the outside that the installation state of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 has deviated. To do.

Next, an outline of processing steps for controlling the operation of the autonomous traveling device by the autonomous traveling control system 310 of the third embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating processing steps for performing operation control of the autonomous traveling device by the autonomous traveling control system of the third embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 14, when the operation of the autonomous traveling device is started, the peripheral information and the tilt information are acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 and the tilt sensor 21 (step S31), and at the same time, the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 Some position information is acquired (step S32).

  The peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 and the position information of the autonomous traveling device are sent to the information processing unit 311 to perform information processing necessary for autonomous traveling (step S33) and stored in the storage unit 13 ( Step S34).

And it is determined in the information processing part 311 whether the installation state of the periphery information acquisition sensor 2 shifted | deviated based on the positional information on an autonomous running apparatus (step S35).
If it is determined in step S35 that the surrounding information acquisition sensor 2 is not displaced, the control unit 12 controls the operation of the autonomous traveling device based on the surrounding information (step S36). And it returns to step S31 and acquisition of peripheral information is continued.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S35 that the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 is displaced, the notification means 313 informs the outside that the obstacle information cannot be detected because the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 is displaced (step S35). S37). Then, the control unit 12 performs deceleration control and stop control of the autonomous mobile device (step S38).

  In this way, when the installation state of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 mounted on the autonomous traveling device is not normal, since the acquired peripheral information is different from the actual state, an obstacle cannot be detected. The operation can be controlled to avoid contact with an obstacle.

  Since it comprised as mentioned above, according to 3rd Embodiment, in addition to the structure of the autonomous running control system of 1st Embodiment mentioned above or 2nd Embodiment as a structure of the autonomous running control system 310, further alerting | reporting means. By providing 313, when the installation state of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 is deviated due to an impact or vibration from the outside, the fact that the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 is deviated and the obstacle cannot be detected is notified to the outside. Can be notified. Thereby, it is possible to quickly correct the installation state of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 and acquire accurate peripheral information.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an autonomous traveling control system that controls the operation of the autonomous traveling device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 16 shows detection of a surrounding information acquisition sensor mounted on the autonomous traveling device. It is explanatory drawing which shows the "deviation" of the positional information in an area | region.

  In addition, about the autonomous running control system in 4th Embodiment, the thing of the structure similar to the structure of the autonomous running control system of 1st Embodiment attaches | subjects the same code | symbol, and abbreviate | omits description.

  The autonomous traveling control system 410 according to the fourth embodiment is an autonomous traveling control system that controls the driving of an autonomous traveling device that performs autonomous traveling based on the surrounding information of the autonomous traveling device. As illustrated in FIG. The information processing unit 411 that processes the peripheral information acquired by the acquisition sensor 402, the control unit 12 that controls the operation of the autonomous traveling device based on the peripheral information, and the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 are stored. And a storage unit 13.

  In the fourth embodiment, the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 uses a CCD that acquires peripheral information as image information.

  Similar to the peripheral information acquisition sensor 2 of the first embodiment, the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 is arranged so that a part of the body of the autonomous mobile device is located in the detection area. That is, the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 can acquire peripheral information in the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling device and position information of a part of the front side of the vehicle body (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

  As illustrated in FIG. 15, the information processing unit 411 includes a recognition processing unit 111, an obstacle determination unit 112, a movement route determination unit 113, and a sensor position determination unit 114, and further includes a deviation amount calculation unit 415, Information correction means 416 is provided.

  The sensor position determination unit 114 determines whether or not the surrounding information acquisition sensor 402 has changed from the normal installation state based on the position information of the part 3a of the autonomous mobile device 1 in the detection area 2a acquired by the surrounding information acquisition sensor 402. Determine whether.

  Specifically, the sensor position determination unit 114 includes the positional information of the part 3a of the autonomous traveling device 1 and the acquired positional information of the part 3a of the autonomous traveling device 1 when the surrounding information acquisition sensor 402 is in a normal installation state. To determine whether or not the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 has changed from a normal installation state.

  When the sensor position determination unit 114 determines that the surrounding information acquisition sensor 402 has changed from the normal installation state, the shift amount calculation unit 415 calculates the shift amount based on partial position information of the autonomous mobile device.

  The information correction unit 416 corrects the peripheral information (position information) acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 according to the deviation amount of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402.

  The amount of deviation of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 is calculated by comparing the distance measurement points around a partial area with a threshold value and searching for a distance measurement point closer to the threshold value to determine how much the deviation is from the normal installation state. Can be calculated.

  Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 16, the dotted line portion in the detection area 2a is the position information 3a1 of the original vehicle body, and the position information 3a2 of the vehicle body from which the hatched portion is detected. Thus, when a deviation of 2 pixels in the X direction and 3 pixels in the Y direction is detected between the original position information 3a1 and the detected position information 3a2, an angle of one pixel in each direction (sensor If it is 5 ° (predetermined by the performance), the detection area of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 is detected as being 10 ° in the X direction and 15 ° in the Y direction from the original installation state.

  If the amount of deviation of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 is within a predefined allowable range, when an obstacle is detected, the deviation amount is multiplied by −1 in consideration of the deviation of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402. Judge that there is an actual obstacle in the direction.

(Obstacle detection processing and installation abnormality confirmation processing)
Here, an example of performing an obstacle detection process including a deviation correction and an installation abnormality confirmation process when a deviation occurs in the installation state of the surrounding information acquisition sensor 402 in the autonomous traveling control system 410 will be described with reference to a flowchart.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a procedure for performing obstacle detection processing and installation abnormality confirmation processing including deviation correction of the peripheral information acquisition sensor by the autonomous traveling control system of the fourth embodiment.

  In the autonomous traveling control system 410, when performing the deviation correction, the degree of deviation is calculated from the originally assumed distance image information with respect to the abnormality detection target pixel, and the coordinate value of the data acquired by the result is calculated. Realized by applying corrections.

  In the autonomous traveling control system 410, as shown in FIG. 17, the obstacle detection process and the installation abnormality confirmation process are started by power-on or a process start signal input separately.

First, as initialization processing, the number of obstacle target pixels is reset to 0 (step S401).
Then, the number of abnormal pixels is reset to 0 (step S401).

  After the initialization process, a loop process is performed with one frame in the XY plane space serving as the detection area 2a of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 as a unit (step S403). Thereafter, the series of processes is terminated by power-off or a process end signal input separately.

  First, it is determined whether or not data processing has been completed for all pixels in the frame (step S404).

  If it is determined in step S404 that data processing has not been completed for all pixels in the frame, data is acquired in units of pixels in the XY plane space (step S405). Then, coordinate values corresponding to the data are calculated (step S406).

  Then, it is determined from the coordinate value whether or not the current pixel is an abnormality detection target pixel (step S407).

  If it is determined in step S407 that the current pixel is not the abnormality detection target pixel, the distance value for the pixel determined to be the abnormality detection target pixel is binarized depending on whether or not it is greater than or equal to a predefined threshold value. (Step S408). Thereby, for example, a pixel in which a mark (detected object) is detected is binarized, such that 1 is used and a pixel that is not detected is 0.

  Then, a feature amount calculation process is executed (step S409). In the feature amount calculation process, the coordinate value of the minimum pixel as the X coordinate, the coordinate value of the maximum pixel, the coordinate value of the minimum pixel as the Y coordinate, among the coordinates where the binarized value is 1. The maximum coordinate value of the pixel is stored in the storage unit and updated to the latest value as needed in the frame. Then, a loop process for each frame is performed (step S410).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S407 that the current pixel is an abnormality detection target pixel, the coordinate value is corrected according to the amount of deviation (step S411). That is, the deviation amount obtained above is used for correcting the coordinate value in the obstacle detection process.

Then, a threshold value for the coordinates is acquired after correction (step S412). The threshold for each coordinate is referred to based on the corrected coordinate value, and the subsequent processing is continued.
Note that the method of calculating the shift amount is not limited to the above, and may be based on a method such as Hough transform.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the distance value is within a predefined threshold value (step S413).

  If it is determined in step S413 that the pixel is an obstacle target pixel, it is counted as the number of obstacle target pixels (step S414). On the other hand, if it is determined that the pixel is not an obstacle target pixel, it is not counted.

  In this way, a loop process for each frame is performed (step S410).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S404 that the data processing has been completed for all the images in the frame, a shift amount calculation process is performed (step S420).
Specifically, the coordinate value of the minimum pixel as the X coordinate, the coordinate value of the maximum pixel, the coordinate value of the minimum pixel as the Y coordinate, and the maximum pixel obtained by the feature amount calculation process When the four vertices of the coordinate value are normal, the rotation direction, the rotation angle, and the movement amount are obtained from the movement amount of the four vertices and the inclination of the line segment to determine how they are deviated from the assumed coordinate value.

Then, it is determined whether or not the deviation amount is within an allowable range (step S421).
That is, it is determined whether or not the deviation amount obtained in step S420 is within an allowable range by comparing with a predefined threshold value.

  If it is determined in step S421 that the amount of deviation is not within the allowable range, an abnormality detection signal is output as an installation error, and the process ends (step S422).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S421 that the deviation amount is within the allowable range, it is determined whether or not the number of obstacle target pixels is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of pixels (threshold) (step S423). .

  If it is determined in step S423 that the number of obstacle target pixels is equal to or greater than the threshold (specified number), it is determined that there is an obstacle (step S424), and an obstacle detection signal is output (step S425).

  Then, the number of obstacle target pixels is reset to 0 (step S426), the number of abnormal pixels is reset to 0 (step S427), and a loop process for each frame is performed (step S410).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S423 that the number of obstacle target pixels is not equal to or greater than the threshold (specified number), it is determined that there is no obstacle (step S428), and the process proceeds to step S426.
In this manner, the obstacle detection process and the installation abnormality confirmation process in the autonomous traveling control system 410 are executed.

Next, the outline of the process process which controls the driving | running | working of an autonomous traveling apparatus with the autonomous traveling control system 410 of 4th Embodiment is demonstrated along a flowchart.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing processing steps for performing operation control of the autonomous traveling device by the autonomous traveling control system of the fourth embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 18, when the operation of the autonomous traveling device is started, peripheral information and inclination information are acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 and the inclination sensor 21 (step S41), and at the same time, the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 Some position information is acquired (step S42).

  The peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 and the position information of the autonomous traveling device are sent to the information processing unit 311 to perform information processing necessary for autonomous traveling (step S43) and stored in the storage unit 13 ( Step S44).

Then, it is determined in the information processing unit 411 whether or not the installation state of the surrounding information acquisition sensor 402 has shifted based on the position information of the autonomous traveling device (step S45).
If it is determined in step S45 that the surrounding information acquisition sensor 402 is not displaced, the control unit 12 controls the operation of the autonomous traveling device based on the surrounding information (step S46). And it returns to step S41 and acquisition of peripheral information is continued.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S45 that the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 has shifted, the notification means 313 notifies the outside that the obstacle information cannot be detected because the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 has shifted (step S45). S47).

  Then, the information processing unit 411 calculates a deviation amount of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 (step S48), and corrects the peripheral information according to the deviation amount of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 (step S49).

  Then, the corrected peripheral information is stored in the storage unit 13 (step S50), the process proceeds to step S46, and the operation of the autonomous mobile device is controlled based on the corrected peripheral information.

  In this way, when the installation state of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 mounted on the autonomous mobile device is not normal, the acquired peripheral information is corrected and the operation of the autonomous mobile device is controlled based on the normal peripheral information. be able to.

  Since it comprised as mentioned above, according to 4th Embodiment, in the autonomous running control system 410 used for the autonomous running apparatus which comprises the surrounding information acquisition sensor 402 which acquires surrounding information, and performs autonomous running based on surrounding information, The information processing unit 411 that processes the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402, and the control unit 12 that controls the operation of the autonomous mobile device based on the peripheral information, the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 is detected in the detection region 2a. It is arranged so that a part 3a of the vehicle body 3 of the autonomous mobile device 1 is located inside, and as the configuration of the information processing unit 411, a displacement amount calculating means 415 and an information correcting means 416 are provided, so that an impact from the outside When a deviation occurs in the installation state of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 due to the influence of vibration or vibration, the deviation amount of the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 is calculated, and the deviation amount is calculated. Since to correct the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition sensor 402 Flip can obtain accurate surrounding information. Thereby, even if it is a case where a shift | offset | difference arises in the installation state of the surrounding information acquisition sensor 402, autonomous driving can be continued based on normal surrounding information, without stopping driving | running | working of an autonomous traveling apparatus.

  In the above-described embodiment, a sensor using a laser that acquires position information or a sensor that uses a CCD that acquires image information is used as detection means for detecting the peripheral information of the autonomous mobile device. The present invention does not limit the detection means to these. As another example, the distance to the object is detected by transmitting the ultrasonic wave and detecting the sound wave reflected on the surface of the object by the receiving unit. An ultrasonic sensor or the like that measures the distance may be used.

  As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately changed within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 Autonomous traveling device 2,402 Peripheral information acquisition sensor (detection means)
2a Detection area 3 Car body 3a Part 10, 210, 310, 410 Autonomous traveling control system 11, 211, 311, 411 Information processing unit 12 Control unit 13 Storage unit 21 Tilt sensor (detection means)
111 Recognition Processing Unit 112 Obstacle Determination Unit 113 Movement Route Determination Unit 114 Sensor Position Determination Unit 201 Autonomous Traveling Device 203a Detected Object 214 Sensor Position Determination Unit 313 Notification Unit 415 Amount Calculation Unit 416 Information Correction Unit

Claims (16)

An autonomous traveling control system used for an autonomous traveling device that includes a detecting means for acquiring surrounding information and performs autonomous traveling based on the surrounding information,
An information processing unit for processing the peripheral information acquired by the detection means;
A control unit for controlling the operation of the autonomous mobile device based on the peripheral information;
With
The detection means is arranged so that a part of the autonomous mobile device is located in a detection area,
The information processing unit detects that the installation state of the detection unit has changed based on partial position information of the autonomous traveling device acquired by the detection unit. The information processing unit
Detection means position determination means for determining whether or not the detection means has changed from a normal installation state, based on partial position information of the autonomous mobile device acquired by the detection means;
A deviation amount calculating means for calculating a deviation amount based on position information of a part of the autonomous mobile device when the detection means is determined by the position determination means to have changed from a normal installation state;
Information correcting means for correcting the peripheral information acquired by the detecting means according to the deviation amount;
The autonomous traveling control system according to claim 1, further comprising:   When the detection unit detects that a part of the autonomous mobile device is deviated from the detection region, the detection unit includes a notification unit that notifies the outside that the installation state of the detection unit is changed. The autonomous traveling control system according to claim 1 or 2. An autonomous traveling control system used for an autonomous traveling device that includes a detecting means for acquiring surrounding information and performs autonomous traveling based on the surrounding information,
An information processing unit for processing the peripheral information acquired by the detection means;
A control unit for controlling the operation of the autonomous mobile device based on the peripheral information;
Comprising a detection object to be detected by the detection means;
The detected body is integrally disposed outside the autonomous traveling device,
The detection means is arranged so that at least a part of the detected body is located in a detection region,
The information processing unit detects that the installation state of the detection unit has changed based on position information of the detected object acquired by the detection unit. The information processing unit
Detection means position determination means for determining whether or not the detection means has changed from a normal installation state based on position information of the detected object acquired by the detection means;
A deviation amount calculating means for calculating a deviation amount based on position information of the detected object when the detection means determines that the detection means has changed from a normal installation state;
Information correcting means for correcting the peripheral information acquired by the detecting means according to the deviation amount;
The autonomous traveling control system according to claim 4, further comprising:   When the detection means detects that the detected object is deviated from a detection area, the detection means includes notification means for notifying the outside that the installation state of the detection means is changed. Item 6. The autonomous traveling control system according to Item 4 or 5. In an autonomous traveling apparatus that includes a detecting means for acquiring peripheral information and performs autonomous traveling based on the peripheral information,
The autonomous traveling apparatus using the autonomous traveling control system as described in any one of Claim 1 to 6 as an autonomous traveling control system which controls the driving | running | working of the said autonomous traveling apparatus. An autonomous traveling control method used in an autonomous traveling device that includes a detecting means for acquiring surrounding information and performs autonomous traveling based on the surrounding information,
In a state where the detection means is arranged so that a part of the autonomous mobile device is located in a detection area,
Detecting peripheral information and a part of the autonomous traveling device;
Processing the peripheral information acquired by the detecting step;
Controlling the operation of the autonomous mobile device based on the peripheral information;
With
An autonomous traveling control method, comprising: detecting a change in an installation state of the detecting means based on partial position information of the autonomous traveling device acquired in the detecting step. A step of determining whether or not the detection means has changed from a normal installation state based on position information of a part of the autonomous mobile device acquired by the detecting step;
A step of calculating a deviation amount based on position information of a part of the autonomous mobile device when it is determined that the detection means has changed from a normal installation state;
Correcting the peripheral information acquired by the detection means according to the amount of deviation;
The autonomous traveling control method according to claim 8, further comprising:   The step of notifying the outside that the installation state of the detection means is deviated when it is detected that a part of the autonomous mobile device is deviated from the detection region is provided. 9. The autonomous traveling control method according to 9. An autonomous traveling control method used in an autonomous traveling device that includes a detecting means for acquiring surrounding information and performs autonomous traveling based on the surrounding information,
In a state where the detection object detected by the detection means is integrally installed outside the autonomous mobile device, and the detection means is arranged so that at least a part of the detection object is located in the detection region. ,
Detecting peripheral information and the detected object;
Processing the peripheral information acquired by the detecting step;
Controlling the operation of the autonomous mobile device based on the peripheral information;
With
An autonomous traveling control method characterized by detecting that the installation state of the detecting means has changed based on the positional information of the detected object acquired in the detecting step. Determining whether or not the detection means has changed from a normal installation state based on the position information of the detected object acquired by the detecting step;
A step of calculating a deviation amount based on position information of the detected object when it is determined that the detection means has changed from a normal installation state;
Correcting the peripheral information acquired by the detection means according to the amount of deviation;
The autonomous running control method according to claim 11, further comprising:   13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of notifying the outside that an installation state of the detection unit is deviated when it is detected that the detected object is deviated from a detection region. Autonomous driving control method. A control program for operating an autonomous traveling control system used in an autonomous traveling device having a detection means for acquiring peripheral information and a control unit for controlling driving,
In a state where the detection means is arranged so that a part of the autonomous mobile device is located in a detection area,
The detection means functions to acquire peripheral information and a part of the autonomous mobile device,
A control program for causing the information processing unit to function to detect a change in an installation state of the detection unit using position information of a part of the autonomous traveling device acquired by the detection unit. . A control program for operating an autonomous traveling control system used in an autonomous traveling device having a detection means for acquiring peripheral information and a control unit for controlling driving,
In a state where the detection object detected by the detection means is integrally installed outside the autonomous mobile device, and the detection means is arranged so that at least a part of the detection object is located in the detection region. ,
The detection means functions to acquire peripheral information and position information of the detected object,
A control program that causes the information processing unit to function to detect a change in an installation state of the detection unit using position information of the detection target acquired by the detection unit.   A recording medium in which the control program according to claim 14 or 15 is recorded and readable by a computer.

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