JP2017129909A - Moving body - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a moving body that can follow users so as not to interfere with the user in front of the user even when coming across obstacles.SOLUTION: A moving body 1 is configured to: calculate an advancing route up of a user 2 from a location of a user 2 during moving and a direction at which the user 2 directs which are acquired by a user recognition sensor 13; and when detecting an obstacle existing on the advancing route up of the user 2 from a peripheral image of the moving body 1 acquired by a peripheral recognition sensor 14, calculate an arc-like avoidance route ap avoiding the obstacle with the location of the user 2 as a start point. The avoidance route ap is formed into the arc, and thereby serves as a natural and smooth movement route for the user 2, which in turn a load of the user 2 travelling the avoidance route ap can be lessened.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a moving body, and more particularly to a moving body that can follow a user so as not to obstruct the user in front of the user even when an obstacle is encountered.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an autonomous mobile device that determines a positional relationship with a user based on the surrounding environment and moves autonomously around the user based on the determined positional relationship. According to this autonomous mobile device, in addition to the tracking of the user, it is possible to take a movement form other than the tracking, and thus it is possible to move while following the user in front of the user.

JP 2007-316924 A

  However, in the autonomous mobile device of Patent Document 1, when following the user in front of the user, for example, when the user approaches an obstacle such as a dead end, the mobile device approaches the obstacle ahead of the user. Therefore, there is a problem that the user's movement is disturbed by being caught between the user and the obstacle.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and provides a moving body that can follow a user so as not to obstruct the user in front of the user even when an obstacle is encountered. The purpose is to do.

  In order to achieve this object, the moving body of the present invention follows the user in front of the user, and includes a moving means for moving the moving body, a user detecting means for detecting the user, and the user detection. A movement control means for controlling the movement means based on user information detected by the means to move the moving body; and a surrounding environment recognition means for recognizing the surrounding environment, the movement control means comprising: When it is determined that there is an obstacle recognized by the surrounding environment recognition means on the user's path based on the user information detected by the user detection means, the avoidance route of the user who avoids the obstacle is made free The moving body is moved.

  According to the mobile body of claim 1, when the movement control means determines that there is an obstacle recognized by the surrounding environment recognition means in the user's course based on the user information detected by the user detection means, The moving body is moved so as to make an avoidance route avoiding the obstacle. That is, the moving body moves so as not to block the avoidance path. Therefore, when a user approaches an obstacle such as a dead end and then proceeds on an avoidance route that avoids the obstacle, the moving body moves so as not to block the avoidance route. Therefore, even when the moving body encounters an obstacle, there is an effect that it can follow the user so as not to disturb the user in front of the user.

  According to the moving body of claim 2, in addition to the effect of claim 1, the following effect is obtained. The movement control means stops the moving body at a position away from the obstacle by a first predetermined value or more when moving the moving body so as to make an obstacle avoidance route. Therefore, even when the user encounters an obstacle such as a dead end, for example, an interval greater than the first predetermined value is maintained between the obstacle and the moving object. For this, there is an effect that it can be secured sufficiently. The first predetermined value is a length that does not hinder the user's passage, and can be exemplified by a length obtained by adding a slight margin (for example, 50 cm) to the user's shoulder width or trunk thickness.

  According to the moving body of claim 3, in addition to the effect of claim 1 or 2, the following effect is produced. When the movement control means determines that there is an obstacle recognized by the surrounding environment recognition means in the user's path based on the user information detected by the user detection means, the movement control means determines an obstacle avoidance route from the user's movement. calculate. Therefore, there is an effect that a natural and smooth avoidance route can be calculated for the user who is operating.

  According to the moving body of claim 4, in addition to the effect of claim 3, the following effect is obtained. The movement control means calculates the obstacle avoidance route as an arc. Therefore, there is an effect that the avoidance path can be easily calculated as compared with a case where the avoidance path is configured by a combination of complicated curves and straight lines.

  According to the moving body of claim 5, in addition to the effect of claim 4, the following effect is obtained. The movement control means sets a path having the largest radius among paths calculated as arcuate ones as an obstacle avoidance path. Therefore, since the route having the slowest change in the moving direction for the user can be used as the avoidance route, the operation burden associated with the obstacle avoidance operation by the user can be reduced accordingly.

  According to the moving body of claim 6, in addition to the effect of claim 4 or 5, the following effect is obtained. When the radius of the avoidance path calculated as an arc is equal to or smaller than the second predetermined value, the avoidance path is formed in an arc centered on the position of the moving body. Therefore, when the user moves along the avoidance path, the movement control means causes the user to follow the moving body by rotating the moving body in accordance with the movement of the user. Accordingly, there is an effect that the user can follow the moving body without blocking the avoidance path even in a situation where an obstacle approaches the surrounding area. An example of the second predetermined value is 1.0 m. Alternatively, as the second predetermined value, for example, a length obtained by adding a slight margin (for example, 50 cm) to the shoulder width of the user or the thickness of the trunk can be exemplified.

  According to the moving body of claim 7, in addition to the effect of any one of claims 4 to 6, the following effect is achieved. When the distance between the moving body and the obstacle recognized by the surrounding environment recognition means is less than the third predetermined value, the movement control means stops the user's follow-up control by the moving body. If the distance between the moving body and the obstacle is less than a third predetermined value, the user will contact the moving body or the obstacle or follow the user if the user tries to pass between them. The body collides with a user or an obstacle, causing trouble. Therefore, in such a case, the movement control unit stops the user's follow-up control by the moving body, so that it is possible to prevent unreasonable user following by the moving body. An example of the third predetermined value is an interval that is minimum required when the user moves. Specifically, the shoulder width of the user and the thickness of the trunk can be exemplified.

  According to the moving body of the eighth aspect, in addition to the effect of any one of the first to seventh aspects, the following effect is achieved. Generally, when a person moves, a certain width such as a shoulder width or a trunk thickness is required for the path. Here, since the movement control means performs the movement control of the moving body assuming that the user's course and the avoidance path have a predetermined width, the path and the avoidance path that the user can move without contacting the obstacle or the moving body. There is an effect that can be secured. Examples of the predetermined width include a length obtained by adding a slight margin (for example, 50 cm) to the shoulder width of the user or the thickness of the trunk.

1 is an external view of a moving body and a user in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of a moving body. It is a flowchart of a main process. (A) is a figure which shows a user's advancing path | route and an avoidance path | route, (b) is a figure which shows a user's advancing path | route and a right and left avoidance path | route. (A) is a figure which shows a user's avoidance path | route and a movement of a moving body in the control mode of a moving body in "front tracking mode", (b) is a user in which the control mode of a moving body is "turn mode" It is a figure which shows the avoidance path | route and movement of a mobile body. (A) is a figure which shows the positional relationship of a mobile body and a user immediately after the control mode of a mobile body is set to "turn mode", (b) is a control mode of a mobile body to "turn mode". It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of a moving body and a user in case it transfers and the user is walking around the moving body. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of a moving body and a user in the control mode of a moving body being a "assisted mode".

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, with reference to FIG. 1, the structure of the moving body 1 in this embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is an external view of the moving body 1 and the user 2. The moving body 1 functions as a device that can move to an appropriate position with respect to the user 2 and follow the user 2 in front of the user 2. Note that “the front of the user 2”, which is the movement range of the mobile body 1, is, for example, a range of 180 degrees in front of the user 2 and centering on the user 2. Alternatively, it may be within the range of the field of view of the user 2.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the moving body 1 includes a main body unit 11, a control unit 12, a user recognition sensor 13, a periphery recognition sensor 14, wheels 15, and a display unit 16. . The main body 11 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a control unit 12 is stored in the main body 11.

  The control unit 12 is a device for controlling each unit of the moving body 1 and determines the moving speed and moving direction of the moving body 1 based on information acquired from the user recognition sensor 13 and the peripheral recognition sensor 14. And the movement instruction | indication based on it is performed with respect to each wheel 15 via the drive part 25 (refer FIG. 2).

  The user recognition sensor 13 includes a camera that acquires an image of the user 2 and is provided on the side surface of the main body 11. A triangular area drawn by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 is a detection range of the user recognition sensor 13. Note that the vertical position of the user recognition sensor 13 is not necessarily fixed. For example, the user recognition sensor 13 can be changed between the display unit 16 and the main body unit 11 so that the image of the entire user 2 can be displayed regardless of the height of the user 2. It may be possible to obtain appropriately.

  When the user recognition sensor 13 acquires the image of the user 2, the user recognition sensor 13 transmits the image to the control unit 12. The control unit 12 analyzes the image acquired by the user recognition sensor 13 and calculates the position of the user 2 and the direction in which the user 2 is facing. The position of the user 2 and the direction in which the user 2 faces are values indicated by a coordinate system with the center C of the moving body 1 as the origin (0, 0) (hereinafter referred to as “moving body coordinate system”). Since the horizontal position of the user recognition sensor 13 is shifted from the center C of the moving body 1, the control unit 12 calculates the position of the user 2 after correcting the distance difference. Further, the control unit 12 analyzes the image acquired by the user recognition sensor 13 to detect both shoulders of the user 2 and calculates the distance between the shoulders, that is, the shoulder width.

  The peripheral recognition sensor 14 acquires a peripheral image of the moving body 1 and includes a plurality of cameras (16 cameras in the present embodiment) and is installed around the main body 11 at equal intervals. The control unit 12 detects an obstacle existing on the travel route up (see FIG. 4) of the user 2 from the peripheral image of the moving body 1 acquired by the peripheral recognition sensor 14, and calculates the position thereof.

  The wheel 15 is composed of an omnidirectional wheel that can move in all directions, and is installed in the lower part of the moving body 1. Thereby, the mobile body 1 can smoothly move in all directions. The wheel 15 is rotated by a motor (not shown) of the drive unit 25 to move the moving body 1. In the present embodiment, three wheels 15 are provided, but the number of wheels 15 is not necessarily limited to three, and an appropriate number can be adopted.

  The display unit 16 has a display such as an LCD, and is a device that transmits information to the user 2 by display on the display. The display unit 16 is provided on the moving body 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the display of the display unit 16 is provided on the surface facing the user 2. That is, the display of the display unit 16 is arranged in the same direction as the user recognition sensor 13. Further, the display of the display unit 16 is configured as a touch panel, and is configured so that an operation by the user 2 can be input. The display unit 16 inputs an instruction from the user 2 to the moving body 1 via the HMI unit 26 (see FIG. 2), and displays the state of the moving body 1 and the moving path on the display.

  With reference to FIG. 2, the electrical configuration of the moving body 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the moving body 1. The control unit 12 is a device for controlling each part of the moving body 1 and includes a CPU 20, a ROM 21 and a RAM 22 as shown in FIG. 2, and these are connected to the input / output port 24 via the bus line 23. Yes. In addition, the user recognition sensor 13, the periphery recognition sensor 14, the drive unit 25, and the HMI unit 26 are connected to the input / output port 24.

  The CPU 20 is an arithmetic unit that controls each unit connected by the bus line 23. The ROM 21 is a non-rewritable nonvolatile memory that stores a control program (for example, the main process of FIG. 3) executed by the CPU 20, fixed value data, and the like.

  The RAM 22 is a memory for the CPU 20 to rewrite various work data, flags and the like when the control program is executed, and includes a user position information memory 22a, a moving body position information memory 22b, and an obstacle position information memory 22c. A user width memory 22d, a user progress path memory 22e, an avoidance path radius memory 22f, a control mode memory 22g, and a peripheral environment information memory 22h are provided.

  The user position information memory 22a is a memory that stores the position of the user 2 used in the movement control of the moving body 1, and includes an X coordinate memory 22a1, a Y coordinate memory 22a2, and a direction memory 22a3. The coordinate systems of the X coordinate memory 22a1, the Y coordinate memory 22a2, and the direction memory 22a3 are all the moving body coordinate systems described above. When the control unit 12 is turned on, the values of the X coordinate memory 22a1, the Y coordinate memory 22a2, and the direction memory 22a3 are each cleared to “0”.

  When the image of the user 2 is acquired by the user recognition sensor 13, the control unit 12 analyzes the image, and calculates the position of the user 2 and the direction in which the user is facing. The X coordinate memory 22a1 stores the X coordinate of the position of the user 2, and the Y coordinate memory 22a2 stores the Y coordinate of the position of the user 2. The direction memory 22a3 stores the direction (unit: radians) that the user 2 is facing. Thereafter, the values in the X coordinate memory 22a1, the Y coordinate memory 22a2, and the direction memory 22a3 are set in a coordinate system (hereinafter referred to as “user coordinate system”) with the position of the user 2 as the origin (0, 0) as necessary. It is converted (S10 in FIG. 3) and used for movement control of the moving body 1.

  The moving body position information memory 22b is a memory that stores the position of the moving body 1 used in the movement control of the moving body 1, and includes an X coordinate memory 22b1 and a Y coordinate memory 22b2. The coordinate systems of the X coordinate memory 22b1 and the Y coordinate memory 22b2 are both the above-described moving body coordinate systems. When the control unit 12 is turned on, the values of the X coordinate memory 22b1 and the Y coordinate memory 22b2 are cleared to “0”. Further, at the start of the main process of FIG. 3 described later (S1), “0” is stored in the values of the X coordinate memory 22b1 and the Y coordinate memory 22b2, respectively. Thereafter, the values in the X coordinate memory 22b1 and the Y coordinate memory 22b2 are converted into a user coordinate system with the position of the user 2 as the origin (0, 0) as necessary (S10 in FIG. 3), and the movement of the moving body 1 Used for control.

  The obstacle position information memory 22c is a memory for storing the position of an obstacle existing in a belt-like area (travel path up (see FIG. 4)) indicated by four vertices stored in the user travel path memory 22e. X coordinate memory 22c1 and Y coordinate memory 22c2. The coordinate systems of the X coordinate memory 22c1 and the Y coordinate memory 22c2 are both the above-described moving body coordinate systems. When the control unit 12 is turned on, the values of the X coordinate memory 22c1 and the Y coordinate memory 22c2 are each cleared to “0”.

  When the peripheral image of the moving body 1 is acquired by the peripheral recognition sensor 14, the control unit 12 determines from the peripheral image of the moving body 1 a belt-like area indicated by four vertices stored in the user travel path memory 22 e ( The position of the obstacle present in the travel path up) is calculated. When a plurality of obstacles are detected, the obstacle having the smallest distance between the positions of the obstacles and the value in the user position information memory 22a is selected. The X coordinate memory 22c1 stores the X coordinate of the position of the obstacle, and the Y coordinate memory 22c2 stores the Y coordinate of the position of the obstacle.

  In the present embodiment, “0” is set to the values of the X coordinate memory 22c1 and the Y coordinate memory 22c2 before the obstacle is detected (S2 of the main process (FIG. 3)). Thereby, each value of the obstacle position information memory 22c becomes the same value as each value of the moving object position information memory 22b that stores the position of the moving object 1. Therefore, after the obstacle is detected, when both the values of the X coordinate memory 22c1 and the Y coordinate memory 22c2 are “0”, the control unit 12 determines that no obstacle is detected. The values in the X coordinate memory 22c1 and the Y coordinate memory 22c2 are then converted into a user coordinate system with the position of the user 2 as the origin (0, 0) as necessary (S10 in FIG. 3), and the moving object 1 It is used for movement control.

  The user width memory 22d is a memory that stores the shoulder width of the user 2. When the control unit 12 is turned on, the value of the user width memory 22d is cleared to “0”. When an image of the user 2 is acquired by the user recognition sensor 13, the control unit 12 analyzes the image and detects both shoulders of the user 2. Then, the length between both shoulders is calculated, and the value is stored in the user width memory 22d. The value of the user width memory 22d is used as the width wp of the travel path up and the avoidance path ap of the user 2 (see FIG. 4).

  The user progress path memory 22e is a memory for storing the coordinates (see FIG. 4) of four vertices (Uplu, Upru, Upfl, Upfr) indicating the band-like area of the user 2 travel path up. When the control unit 12 is turned on, the coordinates of the four vertices in the user progress path memory 22e are set to “0”, indicating that the area of the user 2 progress path up has not yet been calculated. After the position of the user 2 is stored in the user position information memory 22a and the shoulder width of the user 2 is stored in the user width memory 22d by the user recognition sensor 13, the value and the user width of the user position information memory 22a are controlled by the control unit 12. From the value of the memory 22d, the area of the travel path up of the user 2 is calculated. The calculated coordinates (Uplu, Upru, Upfl, Upfr) of the four vertices indicating the band-like area of the travel path up of the user 2 are stored in the user travel path memory 22e.

  The avoidance path radius memory 22f is a memory that stores the radius of the avoidance path ap for avoiding an obstacle that exists on the travel path up of the user 2. In the present embodiment, the avoidance path ap is calculated as an arc-shaped path. When the control unit 12 is turned on, the value of the avoidance path radius memory 22f is cleared to “0”. When it is determined from the value in the obstacle position information memory 22c that an obstacle exists on the travel path up of the user 2, the control unit 12 determines the value in the obstacle position information memory 22c and the value in the user position information memory 22a. The arc-shaped avoidance path ap is calculated from the value and the value of the user width memory 22d. The radius of the arc is stored in the avoidance path radius memory 22f. The radius of the avoidance path ap is stored as a positive value when the avoidance path ap is a right-turn arc, and is stored as a negative value when the avoidance path ap is a left-turn arc.

  The control mode memory 22g is a memory for storing the control mode of the moving body 1. The control mode of the moving body 1 is provided with a “front tracking mode”, a “turn mode”, and an “auxiliary mode”. When the control unit 12 is turned on, the “assisted mode” is set to the value of the control mode memory 22g.

  The “front tracking mode” is a mode in which the moving body 1 moves to an appropriate position with respect to the user 2 in front of the user 2 and follows the user 2. When there is no obstacle on the travel path up of the user 2 or when the value of the avoidance path radius memory 22f is larger than the second predetermined value, the “front tracking mode” is set in the control mode memory 22g.

  The “turn mode” is a mode in which the moving body 1 is rotated and moved on the spot while keeping the relative angle between the moving body 1 and the user 2 to follow the user 2. When the value of the avoidance path radius memory 22f is equal to or smaller than the second predetermined value and the distance between the moving object position information memory 22b and the obstacle position information memory 22c is equal to or larger than the third predetermined value, the control mode memory 22g “Turn mode” is set to.

  “Assisted mode” is a mode in which the moving body 1 is moved by the manual operation of the user 2 after the moving body 1 is stopped. When the distance between the value of the moving object position information memory 22b and the value of the obstacle position information memory 22c is less than the third predetermined value, that is, when the moving object 1 and the obstacle are too close to each other, “Assisted mode” is set in the control mode memory 22g.

  As the second predetermined value and the third predetermined value, for example, 1.0 m can be exemplified. In such a case, if the radius of the avoidance route ap (value of the avoidance route radius memory 22f) is larger than 1.0 m, the “front follow mode” is set, and if the avoidance route ap has a radius of 1.0 m, the “turn mode” is set. If the radius of the avoidance route ap is less than 1.0 m, the “assisted mode” is set.

  In addition, the values of the second predetermined value and the third predetermined value are not necessarily limited to this, and may be values that change according to, for example, the shoulder width of the user 2 (value of the user width memory 22d). Specifically, a value obtained by adding a certain margin (for example, 40 to 50 cm) to the shoulder width of the user 2 is set as a second predetermined value, and a value obtained by adding a small margin (for example, 20 to 50 cm) to the shoulder width of the user 2 You may make it be the 3rd predetermined value. Further, the second predetermined value and the third predetermined value may be the same value as in the present embodiment or different as long as the relationship of “second predetermined value ≧ third predetermined value” is maintained. It may be a value. If the second predetermined value and the third predetermined value are different from each other, the range for shifting to the “turn mode” becomes large.

  The peripheral environment information memory 22h is a memory area for storing a peripheral image of the moving body 1 acquired by the peripheral recognition sensor 14. When the control unit 12 is turned on, “invalid image (specifically“ 0 ”)” is set in the entire area of the peripheral environment information memory 22h. When the peripheral image of the moving body 1 is acquired by the peripheral recognition sensor 14, the peripheral image is stored in the peripheral environment information memory 22h.

  The drive unit 25 is a device for moving the mobile body 1 and includes a wheel 15 and a motor (not shown) serving as a drive source for the wheel 15. When a movement signal is input from the control unit 12 to the drive unit 25, the motor rotates based on the input signal, and the rotation of the motor is used as power to drive the wheel 15 to operate the moving body 1.

  The HMI unit 26 is an interface for outputting information to the user 2 and inputting instructions to the moving body 1 by the user 2. As described above, the display unit 16 includes a display and a touch panel. The HMI unit 26 outputs and displays information on the display of the display unit 16 according to the control signal input from the control unit 12. On the other hand, when an instruction is input from the user 2 to the HMI unit 26 via the touch panel of the display unit 16, the HMI unit 26 outputs a control signal corresponding to the input to the control unit 12. When the moving body 1 is in the “assisted mode”, the user 2 moves the moving body 1 to a desired position via the touch panel.

  Note that a speaker for outputting sound and a microphone for inputting sound may be provided in the HMI unit 26 together with or in place of the display and the touch panel. In this case, the information of the moving body 1 is output to the user 2 by the sound output from the speaker together with the display on the display or instead of the display on the display, and the input to the touch panel or the input to the touch panel. Instead, it is possible to give an instruction to the moving body 1 by inputting the voice uttered by the user 2 from the microphone.

  Next, processing executed by the CPU 20 of the control unit 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the main process. By the main processing, the mobile body 1 calculates the travel path up of the user 2, the distance between the mobile body 1 and the obstacle, the avoidance path ap of the user 2, and the like, and sets the control mode based on these. When the control mode is set, the moving body 1 performs movement control of the moving body 1 based on the set control mode. The main process is repeatedly executed by an interval interrupt process every 100 ms.

  In the main process, first, “0” is set in each of the X coordinate memory 22b1 and the Y coordinate memory 22b2 of the moving body location information memory 22b (S1), and the X coordinate memory 22c1 and the Y coordinate of the obstacle location information memory 22c are set. “0” is set in each of the memories 22c2 (S2).

  Next, the position of the user 2 is acquired from the user recognition sensor 13, the X coordinate is set to the X coordinate memory 22 a 1 of the user position information memory 22 a, the Y coordinate is set to the Y coordinate memory 22 a 2, and the direction in which the user 2 is facing is set as the direction. Each is stored in the memory 22a3 (S3). Specifically, an image including the user 2 is acquired from the user recognition sensor 13. The control unit 12 recognizes the user 2 by performing edge extraction and pattern recognition on the image, and acquires the position and the direction in which the user 2 is facing. The position of the user 2 thus acquired is stored in the X coordinate memory 22a1 and the Y coordinate memory 22a2 of the user position information memory 22a, and the direction in which the user 2 is facing is stored in the direction memory 22a3.

  Next, the shoulder width of the user 2 is acquired from the user recognition sensor 13 and stored in the user width memory 22d (S4). Specifically, an image including the user 2 is acquired from the user recognition sensor 13. The control unit 12 recognizes both shoulders of the user 2 by edge extraction and pattern recognition of the image, and calculates a distance between the shoulders, that is, a shoulder width of the user 2. The calculated shoulder width is stored in the user width memory 22d. The shoulder width may be appropriately corrected according to the value of the direction memory 22a3 of the user position information memory 22a and then stored in the user width memory 22d.

  Thereafter, a peripheral image of the moving body 1 is acquired from the peripheral recognition sensor 14 and stored in the peripheral environment information memory 22h (S5). Further, the travel path up of the user 2 is calculated from the value of the user position information memory 22a and the value of the user width memory 22d, and stored in the user travel path memory 22e (S6).

  Here, with reference to FIG. 4A, calculation of the travel route up of the user 2 and storage of values in the user travel route memory 22e (storage of four coordinates) will be described. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing the travel route up and the avoidance route ap of the user 2. In FIG. 4A, the position of the user 2 is represented as Pu (Xu, Yu), and the position of the moving body 1 is represented as Pm (Xm, Ym). FIG. 4A shows a state in which the moving body 1 and the user 2 are moving in an area surrounded by walls on three sides.

  The travel route up is calculated as a rectangular area having a width Pu and a length lp at the start point of the route Pu. The width wp of the travel path up is the shoulder width of the user 2 stored in the user width memory 22d. This width is provided by wp / 2 on the left and right sides around the position Pu. The direction of the travel path up is the direction in which the user 2 is facing, that is, the direction of the value in the direction memory 22a3 of the user position information memory 22a. Further, a fourth predetermined value is set as the length lp of the traveling route up.

  In the present embodiment, the fourth predetermined value may be 2.0 m, for example. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this, and the fourth predetermined value may be a value that changes according to the walking speed of the user 2. Specifically, the fourth predetermined value may be increased when the walking speed of the user 2 is fast, and may be decreased when the walking speed is slow. Further, a value obtained by multiplying the walking speed of the user 2 by a certain coefficient may be set as the fourth predetermined value. Further, a value arbitrarily set via the HMI unit 26 may be set as the fourth predetermined value.

  In this way, the travel path up includes the position Pu (the values of the X coordinate memory 22a1 and the Y coordinate memory 22a2 of the user position information memory 22a), the width wp (the value of the user width memory 22d), and the direction in which the user 2 is facing. (Direction memory 22a3 of user position information memory 22a). This is the travel path up of the user 2 when the user 2 moves in the direction that the current user 2 is facing. The coordinates (four coordinates) of the four vertices (Uplu, Upru, Upfl, Upfr) of the belt-like area of the travel route up calculated in this way are stored in the user travel route memory 22e.

  Returning to FIG. After the process of S6, the obstacle closest to the user 2 existing on the travel path up of the user 2 is determined from the value of the user position information memory 22a, the value of the user travel path memory 22e, and the value of the surrounding environment information memory 22h. The position of the obstacle is searched and stored in the obstacle position information memory 22c (S7).

  Here, the acquisition of the position of the obstacle will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4A, there is a wall in the traveling direction of the user 2. A part of this wall exists in the area of the travel path up of the user 2. Therefore, when the user 2 walks in the direction that the current user 2 is facing, it eventually collides with this wall. That is, this wall becomes an obstacle to the walking of the user 2. Accordingly, in this case, all the coordinates existing on the wall surface included in the area of the traveling path up are candidates for the position of the obstacle.

  When there are a plurality of obstacle position candidates as described above, the obstacle having the smallest distance between the obstacle position and the position Pu of the user 2 is set as the obstacle position. That is, the coordinates of the position where the user 2 walks in the direction in which the current user 2 is facing and contacts the user 2 earliest are set as the position of the obstacle. In FIG. 4A, the position Po (Xo, Yo) at the right end of the wall surface existing in the region of the traveling path up is the position of the obstacle. The X coordinate of the obstacle position is stored in the X coordinate memory 22c1 of the obstacle position information memory 22c, and the Y coordinate is stored in the Y coordinate memory 22c2 of the obstacle position information memory 22c.

  On the other hand, when there is no obstacle in the area of the traveling path up, the coordinates are not stored in the X coordinate memory 22c1 and the Y coordinate memory 22c2 of the obstacle position information memory 22c, and thus the X coordinate memory 22c1 and the Y coordinate memory 22c2 are stored. The values of “0” remain “0” set in the process of S2 of FIG.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the obstacle search is performed only in the area of the travel route up of the user 2. Therefore, since there is no need to search for an obstacle in an unnecessary area with respect to the movement of the user 2, the processing load of the obstacle search control unit 12 can be reduced.

  Returning to FIG. After the process of S7, it is confirmed whether the value of the obstacle position information memory 22c is valid (S8). In the present embodiment, the control unit 12 determines that the value of either the X coordinate memory 22c1 or the Y coordinate memory 22c2 of the obstacle position information memory 22c is other than “0”, that is, the position of the obstacle is acquired. Is determined to be effective.

  When it is determined in S8 that the value in the obstacle position information memory 22c is invalid (S8: No), that is, the values in both the X coordinate memory 22c1 and the Y coordinate memory 22c2 in the obstacle position information memory 22c are “0”. ", There is no obstacle on the travel route up of the user 2, so there is no problem in the movement of the user 2 and the moving body 1. Therefore, in such a case, the “front tracking mode” is set in the control mode memory 22g (S9).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the value of the obstacle position information memory 22c is valid (S8: Yes), the user position information memory 22a, the moving object position information memory 22b, the obstacle position information memory 22c, and the user travel path memory 22e Each value is converted into the user coordinate system (S10). As described above, the user coordinate system is a coordinate system in which the position Pu (Xu, Yu) of the user 2 is the origin (0, 0). The reason for converting to the user coordinate system is that the calculation of the avoidance route ap of the user 2 performed in the subsequent processing of S12 is performed around the position of the user 2.

  After the process of S10, it is confirmed whether the distance between the value of the moving object position information memory 22b and the value of the obstacle position information memory 22c is equal to or more than the third predetermined value described above (S11). When the distance is equal to or greater than the third predetermined value (S11: Yes), the arc-shaped user 2 is calculated from the value in the user position information memory 22a, the value in the obstacle position information memory 22c, and the value in the user width memory 22d. A plurality of avoidance routes ap are calculated. Then, the radius of the avoidance path ap having the largest calculated arc radius is stored in the avoidance path radius memory 22f (S12).

  Here, the calculation of the avoidance route ap of the user 2 in the process of S12 will be described with reference to FIG. The avoidance route ap in FIG. 4A is a route for the user 2 to move while avoiding the obstacle Po existing in the travel route up. The avoidance path ap is formed in a circular arc shape with the starting point of the path at the position Pu, the width wp, the length of the arc at the center of the path is lp, the center of the arc is the position Oap, and the radius R. The size of the width wp is the value of the user width memory 22d, that is, the shoulder width of the user 2, like the travel path up. This width wp is provided by wp / 2 on the left and right sides around the position Pu. The size of the length lp is also set to the above-described fourth predetermined value, like the traveling path up. The control unit 12 calculates the radius R of the avoidance path ap from the value of the obstacle position information memory 22c, the value of the user position information memory 22a, and the value of the user width memory 22d, and saves it in the avoidance path radius memory 22f. To do.

  A method for calculating the radius R of the avoidance route ap will be described. First, the center position Oap of the arc of the avoidance path ap is set on the X axis of the user coordinate system from the position Pu to a position where an arc avoidance path ap having a length of lp at the center of the path and a width of wp can be created. It moves in the positive direction (right direction in FIG. 4A), and the area of the avoidance route ap is provisionally created at that position.

  The shortest distance dp between the tentatively created arc at the center of the avoidance path ap and the position Po of the obstacle is calculated. When the calculated shortest distance dp is ½ or more of the value of the user width memory 22d, that is, ½ or more of the shoulder width of the user 2, the temporary avoidance path ap is sufficiently separated from the obstacle. Therefore, an avoidance route ap that is closer to the obstacle can be created. That is, in such a case, it is possible to create an avoidance path ap having a larger radius and a gentler change in the traveling direction. As the radius of the avoidance route ap is larger, the change in the traveling direction of the user 2 can be reduced, so that the movement burden on the user 2 can be reduced. Therefore, in such a case, after the center position Oap of the arc is further moved in the positive direction on the X axis of the user coordinate system, the area of the avoidance path ap is provisionally created again.

  When the shortest distance dp between the arc at the center of the avoidance route ap created temporarily and the position Po of the obstacle is calculated again, and the shortest distance dp is ½ or more of the shoulder width of the user 2 Further, the center position Oap of the arc is moved in the positive direction on the X axis of the user coordinate system. Thereafter, this process is repeated.

  When the shortest distance dp is ½ of the shoulder width of the user 2, it is set as a regular avoidance route ap. Therefore, the distance between the center position Oap and the position Pu of the arc at that time is stored in the avoidance path radius memory 22f as the radius R of the avoidance path ap. In the avoidance path ap of FIG. 4A, the center position Oap of the arc is in the positive direction on the X axis of the user coordinate system, and the avoidance path ap is formed in a right-turn arc shape. It is stored as a positive value in the avoidance path radius memory 22f.

  On the other hand, if the shortest distance dp of the tentatively created avoidance route ap is ½ or less of the shoulder width of the user 2, the avoidance route ap obtained in the previous process is replaced with the regular avoidance route. Ap. Therefore, in that case, the distance between the arc center position Oap and the position Pu obtained in the previous process is stored in the avoidance path radius memory 22f as the radius R. Thereby, the avoidance route ap having the largest radius among the arc-shaped avoidance routes ap can be calculated.

  In FIG. 4A, the example of calculating the avoidance route ap on the right side of the user 2 has been described. However, the radius R of the avoidance route ap is similarly calculated for the left side of the user 2. This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the travel path up of the user 2 and the left and right avoidance paths apl and apr. The avoidance path apr on the right side of the user 2 with respect to the position Po of the obstacle ahead of the user 2 is the center position Oap and the radius Rr of the arc, and the shortest distance between the arc at the center of the avoidance path apr and the position Po. Is dpr. Similarly, the avoidance path apl on the left side of the user 2 has an arc center position Oap1 and a radius Rl, and the shortest distance between the arc at the center of the avoidance path ap1 and the position Po is dpl.

  The method of calculating the radii Rr and Rl is as described above. However, when the right avoidance path apr is recalculated, the center position Oapr of the arc is set in the positive direction on the X axis of the user coordinate system (FIG. 4 (b ) To the right). On the other hand, when recalculating the left avoidance path apl, the center position Oapl of the arc is moved in the negative direction on the X axis of the user coordinate system (the left direction in FIG. 4B). Note that the left avoidance path apl is formed in a left-turned arc shape with the arc center position Oapl in the negative direction on the X axis of the user coordinate system, so that the radius Rl is transferred to the avoidance path radius memory 22f. Stored as a negative value. The calculation process of the radius Rr and the calculation process of the radius Rl may be performed at the same time, or either one may be performed first and the other may be performed later.

  The finally calculated sizes of the radius Rr and the radius Rl are compared, and the larger one is set as the radius R, which is stored in the avoidance path radius memory 22f. That is, of the radii R that can be calculated, the largest radius is stored in the avoidance path radius memory 22f. If the sizes of the radius Rr and the radius Rl are the same, it may be set in the control unit 12 in advance which one of the right side or left side avoidance route ap is selected. Moreover, you may make it select either the right side or the left side avoidance path ap from the progress condition until it reaches the avoidance path ap.

  Thus, in calculating the avoidance path ap, the area of the avoidance path ap is provisionally created while keeping the center position Oap of the arc of the avoidance path ap away from the position Pu of the user 2. Therefore, the radius R of the center part in the avoidance route ap finally calculated is the largest radius in the avoidance route ap. Thereby, since the route with the slowest change in the moving direction for the user 2 can be the avoidance route ap, the operation burden associated with the obstacle avoidance operation by the user 2 can be reduced accordingly.

  Returning to FIG. After the process of S12, it is confirmed whether the value of the avoidance path radius memory 22f is equal to or smaller than a second predetermined value (S13). When the value of the avoidance path radius memory 22f is equal to or smaller than the second predetermined value (S13: Yes), the distance between the moving body 1 and the obstacle is small and the “front tracking mode” cannot be maintained. "Turn mode" is set (S14). On the other hand, when the value of the avoidance path radius memory 22f is larger than the second predetermined value (S13: No), the avoidance path ap is calculated, but the distance between the moving body 1 and the obstacle is sufficiently secured. Therefore, the “front tracking mode” can be maintained. Therefore, in this case, the “front tracking mode” is set in the control mode memory 22g (S9).

  In the process of S11, when the distance between the value of the mobile object position information memory 22b and the value of the obstacle position information memory 22c is less than the third predetermined value (S11: No), the mobile object 1 and the obstacle The distance between the moving body 1 and the user 2 may come into contact with or collide with the obstacle 1 if the following movement (autonomous movement) of the moving body 1 is continued. Therefore, in such a case, the “assisted mode” is set in the control mode memory 22g (S15), and the follow-up movement (autonomous movement) of the moving body 1 is stopped. After the processes of S9, S14, and S15, movement control is performed on the moving body 1 according to the value of the control mode memory 22g (S16).

  In the process of S15, when the “assisted mode” is set as the control mode of the moving body 1, the moving body 1 is stopped at that position to set the “assisted mode”. After moving to a position sufficiently away from the obstacle, it may be stopped to enter the “assisted mode”. The position sufficiently away from the obstacle is a position (distance) at which the user 2 can pass between the moving body 1 and the obstacle with a margin, and there is a slight margin in the shoulder width of the user 2 or the thickness of the trunk. A distance including (for example, 50 cm) can be exemplified.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, the movement control of the moving body 1 according to the value of the control mode memory 22g will be described. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating the avoidance path ap of the user 2 and the movement of the moving body 1 when the control mode of the moving body 1 is the “front tracking mode”, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the avoidance path | route ap of the user 2, and the motion of the mobile body 1 in the control mode of "Turn mode".

  In FIG. 5A, the avoidance path ap is formed by an arc having a radius R1 and a center position Oap1, and the distance between the obstacle position Po and the moving body 1 is dom. Here, the distance dom is not less than the third predetermined value described above, and the radius R1 is larger than the second predetermined value described above. That is, when it is determined that the distance between the moving body 1 and the obstacle is sufficient for the passage of the user 2 (greater than a third predetermined value) and the radius of the avoidance path ap is large (greater than the second predetermined value). (S11: Yes, S13: No in FIG. 3), the control unit 12 sets the “front tracking mode” in the control mode memory 22g (S9 in FIG. 3). When the value of the control mode memory 22g is “front tracking mode”, the moving body 1 moves to the appropriate position with respect to the user 2 in front of the user 2 and performs the tracking movement of the user 2 (in FIG. 3). , S16).

  Of course, also when there is no obstacle on the travel path up of the user 2, that is, when the value of the obstacle position information memory 22c is not valid in S8 of FIG. 3 (S8: No in FIG. 3), the control unit 12 Sets the “front tracking mode” in the control mode memory 22g (S9 in FIG. 3), and performs the tracking movement of the user 2 in front of the user 2.

  In FIG. 5B, the avoidance path ap is formed by an arc having a radius R2 and a center position Oap2. Here, the distance dom is not less than the third predetermined value, and the radius R2 is not more than the second predetermined value. That is, it is determined that the distance between the moving body 1 and the obstacle is sufficiently large for the user 2 to pass, while the radius R2 of the avoidance path ap is small. Therefore, in that case (S11: Yes, S13: Yes in FIG. 3), the control unit 12 sets “turn mode” in the control mode memory 22g (S14 in FIG. 3).

  When the value of the control mode memory 22g is “turn mode”, the moving body 1 rotates at that position (S16 in FIG. 3). That is, the position Pm of the moving body and the center position Oap2 of the arc are the same position. Accordingly, the moving body 1 whose control mode is set to “turn mode” performs a follow-up movement with respect to the user 2 while rotating on the spot as the user 2 moves along the avoidance path ap.

  With reference to FIG. 6, the rotational movement of the moving body 1 when the control mode of the moving body 1 is set to the “turn mode” will be described. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the mobile body 1 and the user 2 immediately after the control mode of the mobile body 1 is set to “turn mode”, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between the moving body 1 and the user 2 when the control mode 1 is “turn mode” and the user 2 is walking around the moving body 1. The moving body 1 whose control mode is “turn mode” performs rotational movement so that the relative angle between the moving body 1 and the user 2 is maintained. In FIG. 6A, the relative angle between the moving body 1 and the user 2 is θum. Here, θum is a value calculated in the above-described user coordinate system.

  In FIG. 6B, the position Pu ′ is the position of the user 2 at the time point of FIG. 6A, and the position Pu is the position of the user 2 at a certain time point moved from the position Pu ′. As the user 2 moves from the position Pu ′ to the position Pu, the moving body 1 rotates. As a result, the relative angle between the position Pu and the user 2 maintains the same θum as in FIG. That is, when the control mode is set to “turn mode”, the moving body 1 rotates and moves while maintaining the relative angle θum with the user 2. As a result, the moving body 1 is rotated and moved so that a part of the moving body 1 always faces the user 2. Even if the moving body 1 does not move to the X and Y coordinates, the user 2 can move the moving body 1 to itself. It can be confirmed that the robot is moving following.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the movement control of the moving body 1 when the value of the control mode memory 22g is set to the “assisted mode” will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between the moving body 1 and the user 2 when the control mode of the moving body 1 is the “assisted mode”.

  In FIG. 7, the distance dom between the moving body 1 and the obstacle is less than the third predetermined value. That is, it is determined that the distance between the moving body 1 and the obstacle is extremely narrow, and the user 2 cannot pass between them. In such a case (S11: No in FIG. 3), the control unit 12 sets the “assisted mode” in the control mode memory 22g (S15 in FIG. 3). Then, the moving body 1 stops following movement (including rotational movement) with the user 2 (S16 in FIG. 3), and enters a state of accepting manual operation by the user 2. In this state, when an instruction to move the mobile body 1 is issued from the user 2 via the HMI unit 26, the mobile body 1 operates (moves) in accordance with the instruction. When the moving body 1 is in a position very close to the obstacle, the user 2 moves the moving body 1 to a position where there is no obstacle in the surroundings and the tracking control for the user 2 is possible. Again, the following movement (autonomous movement) of the moving body 1 becomes possible.

  As described above, according to the moving body 1 of the present embodiment, the travel path up of the user 2 is calculated from the position of the moving user 2 and the direction in which the user 2 faces, acquired by the user recognition sensor 13. . Then, when an obstacle present on the travel path up of the user 2 is detected from the peripheral image of the moving body 1 acquired by the periphery recognition sensor 14, an arc-shaped obstacle starting from the position of the user 2 is detected. The avoided avoidance route ap is calculated. By forming the avoidance path ap in an arc shape, a natural and smooth movement path for the user 2 can be achieved, so that the burden on the user 2 traveling on the avoidance path ap can be reduced. In addition, since the avoidance path ap is formed in an arc shape, the avoidance path ap can be calculated by obtaining the radius of the central portion of the arc. Therefore, it can be easily calculated and the processing load on the control unit 12 can be reduced as compared with the case where the avoidance path ap is configured by a combination of complicated curves and straight lines.

  The shortest distance between the arc at the center of the avoidance path ap and the obstacle on the travel path up of the user 2 is set to 1/2 or more of the shoulder width of the user 2. Thereby, when the user 2 moves along the avoidance route ap, the user 2 does not touch the obstacle.

  When the distance between the moving body and the obstacle is less than the third predetermined value (that is, when there is no walking space for the user 2), the following movement of the user 2 by the moving body 1 is stopped. Transition to “Assisted Mode” instructing movement. In the “assisted mode”, the user 2 moves the moving body 1 to a position away from the obstacle, thereby eliminating the need for the user 2 to move between the moving body 1 and the obstacle. In addition, by shifting to the “assisted mode”, it is possible to prevent unreasonable user following by the moving body 1. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a contact or a fall that may occur when the user 2 approaches the moving body 1 or an obstacle.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements and modifications can be easily made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Can be inferred.

  The width of the user 2 in this embodiment is the shoulder width. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the thickness of the body of the user 2 or other values may be used. Further, this may be a fixed value (for example, 120 cm) adapted to any user 2. When a fixed value is used, the control burden on the control unit 12 can be greatly reduced.

  The value indicating the band-like area of the user 2 travel path up (value stored in the user progress path memory 22e) is the four vertex coordinates of the band-shaped area. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this, and for example, a parameter of a function representing a boundary line of the area of the user 2 travel path up may be stored.

  Further, when the distance between the moving body 1 and the obstacle is narrow, it is not always necessary to set the “assisted mode” or “turn mode”. In such a case, the moving body 1 is moved to a position sufficiently away from the obstacle. You may comprise so that it may be made. The position (distance) sufficiently away from the obstacle is a distance that allows the user 2 to pass between the moving body 1 and the obstacle with a margin, and there is a slight margin in the shoulder width of the user 2 or the thickness of the trunk. A distance including (for example, 50 cm) can be exemplified.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mobile body 2 User 13 User recognition sensor (user detection means)
14 Perimeter recognition sensor (peripheral environment recognition means)
20 CPU (movement control means)
25 Drive unit (moving means)
ap avoidance route up progress route

Claims (8)

A moving body that follows the user in front of the user,
Moving means for moving the moving body;
User detection means for detecting a user;
A movement control means for controlling the moving means based on the user information detected by the user detecting means to move the moving body;
A surrounding environment recognition means for recognizing the surrounding environment,
When the movement control unit determines that there is an obstacle recognized by the surrounding environment recognition unit in the user's path based on the user information detected by the user detection unit, the movement control unit determines an avoidance route that avoids the obstacle. A moving body that moves the moving body so as to be free.   The movement control means is configured to stop the moving body at a position separated from the obstacle by a first predetermined value or more when moving the moving body so as to clear the avoidance path. Item 4. A moving object according to item 1.   When the movement control means determines that there is an obstacle recognized by the surrounding environment recognition means in the user's path based on the user information detected by the user detection means, the movement control means The moving body according to claim 1, wherein the moving body is calculated.   The moving body according to claim 3, wherein the movement control means calculates the avoidance path as an arc.   The moving body according to claim 4, wherein the movement control means uses a route having the largest radius among the routes calculated as an arcuate shape as the avoidance route.   In the case where the radius of the avoidance route calculated as an arcuate shape is equal to or less than a second predetermined value, and the user moves along the avoidance route, the movement control means adjusts to the user's movement. The mobile body according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the mobile body is caused to follow the user by rotating the mobile body.   The movement control means stops the follow-up control of the user by the moving body when the distance between the moving body and the obstacle recognized by the surrounding environment recognition means is less than a third predetermined value. The moving body according to claim 1, wherein the moving body is provided. The moving body according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the movement control means performs movement control of the moving body on the assumption that the route of the user and the avoidance path have a predetermined width. .

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