JP2017211758A - Autonomous travel device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve low power consumption of an autonomous travel device, without generating a high output torque, in uphill travel.SOLUTION: An autonomous travel device comprises: a travel control unit for controlling a drive member; a distance detection unit for emitting light to a space in a travel direction, then receiving reflectance reflected by an object in the space and a road surface, for detecting distances to the object and the road surface; a position information acquisition unit for acquiring position information indicating a current position for every travel point, in travel; an inclination detection unit for, based on the detected distance to the road surface, acquiring inclination information including a height of an inclination surface and a distance of the inclination surface, on a travel path for every travel point; a target speed setting unit for setting target arrival speed for climbing up and down the inclination surface for every travel point, using the inclination information; a storage unit for storing in advance, the position information, inclination information and target arrival speed acquired on each travel point on the travel path, in association with each other; and a speed control unit for controlling travel speed on each travel point, on the basis of the target arrival speed stored in the storage unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to an autonomous traveling device, and more particularly to an autonomous traveling device having a function of speed control that does not require generation of a high output torque when traveling on a predetermined traveling route including an uphill and a downhill.

2. Description of the Related Art Today, autonomous traveling devices that move autonomously are used, such as a transport robot that transports luggage, and a monitoring robot that monitors the situation in and around buildings and in predetermined sites.
Such a conventional autonomous traveling device stores in advance map information and travel route information of an area to be traveled, and uses information acquired from a camera, a distance image sensor, and a GPS (Global Positioning System) to obtain a predetermined information. Drive the route.

Some autonomous traveling devices autonomously travel with a rechargeable battery, and low power consumption is required to travel as long as possible. Therefore, a travel control method for reducing energy consumption during travel has been proposed.
For example, in Patent Document 1, when traveling in a unit travel control section from a preset start point to an end point, using the acceleration, constant speed travel speed, and travel distance preset at the start of travel, There has been proposed an energy saving traveling control method in which the kinetic energy acquired by the vehicle by the acceleration traveling is utilized as the deceleration traveling energy to the end point by the maximum inertial traveling and regenerative braking traveling.

  In addition, in the conventional autonomous traveling device, when the route changes from a flat ground to an uphill, in order to climb the uphill, considering the own weight, a huge torque is generated on the wheel, and the speed is made as constant as possible. I was climbing while keeping. A brake is used to get downhill at a constant speed.

JP 2014-122010 A

In general, there is a large difference between the amount of torque required for traveling on a flat route and the amount of torque required for climbing uphill, and the amount of torque required for traveling on a flat route is smaller. .
Also, it is difficult to predict in advance how much the slope on the route on which the autonomous traveling device actually travels is at the time of design. Therefore, the driving motor for the wheel is selected so as to be able to climb the assumed uphill in consideration of its own weight, assuming an uphill that would normally be used at the time of design. That is, it is necessary to mount a drive motor capable of generating a large torque capable of climbing an assumed uphill at a predetermined speed.

However, a drive motor capable of generating a large torque leads to an increase in the size and weight of the autonomous traveling device, so that when driving uphill, the load current applied to the drive motor increases and the cost also increases. This is against the demand for low power consumption. Further, when the downhill is used, if the brake is frequently used, a large amount of heat is generated in the brake pad and the like, and the parts and oil of the drive motor are deteriorated, and the life of the drive motor is shortened.
Further, in an autonomous traveling device that constantly monitors a flat route with almost no inclination, it is not necessary to generate a large torque, and a drive motor having a high torque output is wasteful.
Furthermore, many of the conventional driving control methods for reducing energy consumption use energy obtained by the vehicle to reduce energy consumption due to coasting when traveling downhill slopes. .

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and speed control is performed so that the generation of a large torque is reduced as much as possible even on a traveling route including an uphill and a downhill. Therefore, it is an object to reduce the power consumption of the autonomous traveling device without requiring a drive motor that generates high output torque.

  The present invention receives a reflected light reflected by an object existing in the space and a road surface after emitting a predetermined light to a predetermined space including a traveling space that controls the driving member and a forward space in the traveling direction. A distance detection unit that detects a distance to the object and a road surface, a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information indicating a current position for each travel point during traveling, and a distance to the detected road surface , An inclination detecting unit that acquires inclination information including the height of the inclined surface on the driving route and the distance of the inclined surface for each traveling point, and ascending and descending the inclined surface for each traveling point using the acquired inclination information A target speed setting unit that sets a target arrival speed for performing, a storage unit that stores in advance the position information acquired at each travel point on a predetermined travel route, the inclination information, and the target arrival speed in association with each other; , The above A speed control unit that controls the travel speed of each travel point based on the target arrival speed stored in the unit, and the potential energy acquired when climbing an uphill existing on the travel route is a flat road surface Alternatively, the present invention provides an autonomous traveling device in which the speed control unit controls the traveling speed so as to be acquired while traveling on a downhill.

Also, if there is an uphill on the travel route, before traveling on the uphill, so as to obtain a kinetic energy equal to or less than the potential energy obtained when climbing the uphill, The vehicle is accelerated while traveling on a flat road surface or downhill existing before the uphill.

Further, when there is a flat road surface or downhill on the travel route and an uphill following the flat road surface or downhill, the uphill is climbed up to the travel point immediately before the uphill. The target speed setting unit sets a target arrival speed at a travel point immediately before the uphill so as to acquire the kinetic energy necessary for this.
According to this, while traveling on a flat road surface or downhill, that is, before climbing uphill, because kinetic energy corresponding to the potential energy obtained when climbing uphill is acquired, Energy required for climbing can be acquired on a flat road surface that does not require large torque or on a downhill traveling stage, and a drive motor that generates high output torque is not required. Low power consumption can be achieved.

The travel control unit includes a drive motor that generates torque for rotating the drive member, and the speed control is performed so that at least the set target arrival speed is achieved at a travel point immediately before the uphill. The unit controls a motor current value applied to the drive motor while traveling on the flat road surface or downhill.

Further, the speed control is performed so that the torque generated during traveling on the flat road surface or downhill is equivalent to the torque generated during traveling on the uphill following the flat road surface or downhill. The section controls the traveling speed.
In addition, the torque generated during traveling on the flat road surface or downhill is equal to or greater than the torque generated during traveling on the flat road surface or downhill. The speed control unit controls the traveling speed.
Further, the speed control unit controls the traveling speed so that the torque generated while traveling on the flat road surface or downhill is substantially constant while traveling on the flat road surface or downhill. Features.
Further, the speed control unit controls the traveling speed so that the torque generated during traveling on the uphill is substantially constant while traveling on the uphill.
According to this, torque fluctuations can be reduced, and the load on the drive motor can be suppressed.

Further, in the storage unit, the upper limit value of the traveling speed is stored in advance, and the upper limit value of the traveling speed is not exceeded when the vehicle travels on any of the uphill, the flat road surface, and the downhill. The speed control unit controls the traveling speed.
According to this, since the traveling speed is controlled so as not to exceed the upper limit value of the traveling speed, useless torque is not generated, torque fluctuations can be reduced, and the load on the drive motor can be suppressed. Can do.

The present invention also provides a traveling control unit that controls the driving member and a reflected light reflected by an object and a road surface existing in the space after emitting the predetermined light to a predetermined space including a forward space in the traveling direction. A distance detection unit that receives light and detects a distance to the object and the road surface, a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information during traveling, an inclination detection unit, a target speed setting unit, a storage unit, and a speed control A speed control method for an autonomous traveling device comprising a unit, wherein the position information acquisition unit acquires position information indicating a current position for each travel point while traveling on a predetermined travel route, and the inclination detection unit However, on the basis of the distance to the road surface detected by the distance detection unit, for each travel point, to acquire inclination information including the height of the inclined surface on the traveling route and the distance of the inclined surface, the target speed setting unit The obtained tilt information To set a target arrival speed for ascending and descending the inclined surface for each travel point, and associating the position information acquired at each travel point on the travel route with the tilt information and the target arrival speed. And storing the potential energy acquired when climbing uphill existing on the travel route based on the target arrival speed stored in the storage unit while traveling on a flat road surface or downhill Further, the present invention provides a speed control method for an autonomous traveling device, wherein the speed control unit controls the traveling speed of each traveling point.

Further, according to the present invention, after a predetermined light is emitted to a predetermined space including a front space in the traveling direction and a traveling control function for controlling the driving member to the computer, the light is reflected by an object and a road surface existing in the space. A distance detection function that receives reflected light and detects the distance to the object and the road surface, a position information acquisition function that acquires position information indicating the current position for each travel point during travel, and the detected road surface And a slope detection function for obtaining slope information including the height of the slope on the travel route and the distance of the slope on the basis of the distance, and the slope for each travel point using the obtained slope information. Corresponds to the target speed setting function that sets the target arrival speed to ascend and descend the surface, the position information acquired at each travel point on the predetermined travel route, the inclination information, and the target arrival speed Based on the storage function stored in advance and the stored target arrival speed, the potential energy acquired when climbing uphill existing on the travel route is acquired while traveling on a flat road surface or downhill. Thus, a program for an autonomous traveling device for realizing a speed control function for controlling the traveling speed of each traveling point is provided.
Moreover, this invention provides the computer-readable storage medium which recorded the program of the said autonomous traveling apparatus.

  According to the present invention, the inclination detecting unit acquires inclination information including the height of the inclined surface on the traveling route and the distance of the inclined surface for each traveling point based on the detected distance to the road surface, and the inclination information Is used to set the target arrival speed for ascending and descending the inclined surface for each traveling point, and the position information acquired at each traveling point on the predetermined traveling route, the inclination information, and the target arrival speed In correspondence with each other, the travel speed of each travel point is controlled based on the stored target arrival speed, so that even if the travel route has an inclined surface, the generation of large torque is minimized. Therefore, it is possible to control the speed of the autonomous traveling apparatus without using a drive motor that generates high output torque.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is an external view of one Example of the autonomous traveling apparatus of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the structure relevant to driving | running | working of the autonomous running apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram of a configuration of an embodiment of the autonomous mobile device of the present invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing of one Example of the distance detection part of this invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing of the scanning direction of the laser radiate | emitted from the distance detection part of this invention. It is the schematic explanatory drawing which looked at the irradiation area of the laser of this invention from the upper direction and back. It is explanatory drawing of one Example of the information memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of one Example of speed control before and behind the uphill running of this invention. In prior art, it is explanatory drawing of one Example in the case of drive | working uphill at a fixed speed. It is explanatory drawing of one Example of the driving | running route containing the slope of this invention. In this invention, it is explanatory drawing of the relationship between speed control, a positional energy, and a kinetic energy at the time of progressing the driving | running route containing the slope of FIG. In this invention and prior art, it is a comparison explanatory drawing of the relationship between the motor electric current value required when traveling a driving | running route at the speed shown in FIG. 10, and integrated electric power. It is a flowchart of one Example of the acquisition process of the inclination information and target speed information of this invention. In this invention, it is a flowchart of the actual driving | running | working process of one Example in the case of actually driving | running | working using the acquired target speed information etc. It is explanatory drawing of the other Example of the speed control before and behind the uphill running of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the other Example of the relationship between the speed control at the time of progressing the driving | running route containing the slope of FIG. 10, a positional energy, and a kinetic energy.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by description of the following examples.
<Configuration of autonomous traveling device>
In FIG. 1, the external view of one Example of the autonomous running apparatus of this invention is shown.
In FIG. 1, an autonomous traveling device 1 of the present invention is a vehicle having a function of autonomously moving while avoiding an obstacle based on predetermined route information.
In addition to the moving function, the autonomous mobile device 1 may include various functions such as a transport function, a monitoring function, a cleaning function, a guidance function, and a notification function.
In the following embodiments, an autonomous traveling apparatus capable of autonomously traveling in a predetermined outdoor monitoring area or passage and monitoring or transporting the monitoring area will be mainly described.

In the external view of FIG. 1, the autonomous traveling device 1 (hereinafter also referred to as a vehicle) mainly includes a vehicle body 10, four wheels (21, 22), a monitoring unit 2, and a control unit 3.
The monitoring unit 2 is a part having a function of confirming a moving region and a road surface state and a function of monitoring a monitoring target. 55, a position information acquisition unit 58 for acquiring information on the current position of traveling.
The control unit 3 is a part that executes a traveling function, a monitoring function, and the like of the autonomous traveling device of the present invention. The unit 70 is configured.

The autonomous traveling device 1 of the present invention uses the camera 55, the distance detection unit 51, the position information acquisition unit 58, and the like to travel by itself while confirming the state in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle body 10. For example, when it is detected that there are obstacles, steps, etc. ahead, the course is changed by performing operations such as rest, rotation, backward movement, and forward movement in order to prevent collision with the obstacles. When an obstacle is recognized by image recognition or when contact is detected, a predetermined function such as a stop operation of the vehicle body is executed.
However, when traveling in a narrow passage, or when an obstacle is detected but traveling is possible without colliding with the obstacle, autonomous traveling is continued without deceleration.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration related to traveling of the autonomous traveling device of the present invention.
FIG. 2A is a right side view of the vehicle 1, and the right front wheel 21 and the rear wheel 22 are indicated by phantom lines. FIG. 2B shows a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2A, and sprockets 21b, 22b, 31b, and 32b described later are indicated by phantom lines. Front wheels (21, 31) are arranged on the front surface 13 of the vehicle body 10, and rear wheels (22, 32) are arranged on the rear surface 14.
A belt-like cover 18 is installed on each side surface 12R, 12L of the vehicle body 10 and extends along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 10. Below the cover 18 are provided axles 21a, 31a and axles 22a, 32a that rotatably support the front wheels 21, 31 and the rear wheels 22, 32, respectively. Each axle 21a, 31a, 22a, 32a is independently rotatable when not coupled by a power transmission member.

  A pair of front wheels (21, 31) and rear wheels (22, 32) on the left and right sides are provided with belts 23, 33 as power transmission members. Specifically, a sprocket 21 b is provided on the axle 21 a of the right front wheel 21, and a sprocket 22 b is provided on the axle 22 a of the rear wheel 22. Between the front wheel sprocket 21b and the rear wheel sprocket 22b, for example, a belt 23 provided with a protrusion that meshes with the sprocket is provided on the inner surface side. Similarly, a sprocket 31b is provided on the axle 31a of the left front wheel 31, and a sprocket 32b is provided on the axle 32a of the rear wheel 32. Between the sprocket 31b of the front wheel and the sprocket 32b of the rear wheel, A belt 33 having the same structure as the belt 23 is wound around.

Accordingly, the pair of front wheels and rear wheels (21 and 22, 31 and 32) on the left and right sides are connected and driven by the belts (23 and 33), so that one of the wheels may be driven. For example, the front wheels (21, 31) may be driven. When one wheel is a driving wheel, the other wheel functions as a driven wheel that is driven without slipping by a belt that is a power transmission member.
As a power transmission member for connecting and driving a pair of left and right front wheels and rear wheels, in addition to using a sprocket and a belt provided with a projection that meshes with the sprocket, for example, using a sprocket and a chain that meshes with the sprocket. Also good. Furthermore, if slip is acceptable, a pulley and a belt having a large friction may be used as the power transmission member. However, the power transmission member is configured so that the rotational speeds of the driving wheel and the driven wheel are the same.
In FIG. 2, the front wheels (21, 31) correspond to drive wheels, and the rear wheels (22, 32) correspond to driven wheels.

  Two motors, an electric motor 41R for driving the right front and rear wheels 21 and 22 and an electric motor 41L for driving the left front and rear wheels 31 and 32, are provided on the front wheel side of the bottom surface 15 of the vehicle body 10. ing. A gear box 43R is provided as a power transmission mechanism between the motor shaft 42R of the right electric motor 41R and the axle 21a of the right front wheel 21. Similarly, a gear box 43L is provided as a power transmission mechanism between the motor shaft 42L of the left electric motor 41L and the axle 31a of the left front wheel 31. Here, the two electric motors 41R and 41L are arranged in parallel so as to be symmetrical with respect to the center line in the traveling direction of the vehicle body, and the gear boxes 43R and 43L are also arranged on the left and right outer sides of the electric motors 41R and 41L, respectively. It is installed.

  The gear boxes 43R and 43L are composed of a plurality of gears, shafts, and the like, and are assembly parts that transmit the power from the electric motor to the axle that is the output shaft by changing the torque, the rotation speed, and the rotation direction. A clutch for switching the shutoff may be included. The left and right rear wheels 22 and 32 are respectively supported by bearings 44R and 44L, and the bearings 44R and 44L are disposed close to the right side surface 12R and the left side surface 12L of the bottom surface 15 of the vehicle body 10, respectively. .

  With the above configuration, the pair of front and rear wheels 21 and 22 on the right in the traveling direction and the pair of left and right front and rear wheels 31 and 32 can be driven independently. That is, the power of the right electric motor 41R is transmitted to the gear box 43R via the motor shaft 42R, and the rotational speed, torque, or rotational direction is changed by the gear box 43R and transmitted to the axle 21a. The wheel 21 is rotated by the rotation of the axle 21a, and the rotation of the axle 21a is transmitted to the rear shaft 22b via the sprocket 21b, the belt 23, and the sprocket 22b, and the rear wheel 22 is rotated. Transmission of power from the left electric motor 41L to the front wheels 31 and the rear wheels 32 is the same as the operation on the right side described above.

When the rotation speeds of the two electric motors 41R and 41L are the same, the autonomous traveling device 1 moves forward or backward if the gear ratios (reduction ratios) of the gear boxes 43R and 43L are the same. When changing the speed of the autonomous mobile device 1, the gear ratios of the gear boxes 43R and 43L may be changed while maintaining the same value.
When changing the traveling direction, the gear ratios of the gear boxes 43R and 43L are changed so that the rotation speeds of the right front wheel 21 and the rear wheel 22 and the left front wheel 31 and the rear wheel 32 are rotated. It only has to make a difference. Furthermore, by changing the rotation direction of the output from each gear box 43R, 43L, the turning direction of the left and right wheels can be reversed to enable stationary turning around the vehicle body center.

  When the autonomous traveling device 1 is turned stationary, the steering mechanism for changing the angle of the front and rear wheels is not provided. Therefore, the larger the distance between the front and rear wheels (wheel base), the greater the resistance applied to the wheels. A large driving torque is required for turning. However, since the gear ratios in the gear boxes 43R and 43L are variable, a large torque can be applied to the wheels only by reducing the rotation speed of the wheels during turning.

  For example, when the gear ratio in the gear box 43R is 10 for the number of gear teeth on the motor shaft 42R, 20 for the number of teeth on the intermediate gear, and 40 for the gear on the side of the axle 21b, the rotational speed of the axle 21b Is ¼ of the rotational speed of the motor shaft 42R, but four times the torque is obtained. And, by selecting a gear ratio that further reduces the rotation speed, a larger torque can be obtained, so that it is possible to turn even on road surfaces with large resistance related to wheels such as rough terrain and sand. .

  Further, since the gear boxes 43R and 43L are provided between the motor shafts 42R and 42L and the axles 21a and 31a, vibrations from the wheels 21 and 31 are not directly transmitted to the motor shaft. Further, clutches for transmitting and disconnecting power (disconnection) are provided in the gear boxes 43R and 43L, and when the electric motors 41R and 41L are not energized, the electric motors 41R and 41L side and the axles 21a and 31a serving as drive shafts are provided. It is desirable to block power transmission between the two. As a result, even if a force is applied to the vehicle body 10 when the vehicle stops and the wheels rotate, the rotation is not transmitted to the electric motors 41R and 41L. Therefore, no back electromotive force is generated in the electric motors 41R and 41L. There is no possibility of damaging the circuits of 41R and 41L.

In this way, the left and right pair of front and rear front wheels and rear wheels are connected by a power transmission member, and the four wheels are driven so as to be driven by two electric motors arranged on the front wheel side. In addition, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated rear wheel gear box between the electric motor and the rear wheel, and the installation space for the rear wheel dedicated electric motor and gear box can be reduced. .
As described above, the two electric motors 41R and 41L are arranged on the front wheels 21 and 31 side of the bottom surface 15 of the vehicle body 10 on the left and right in the traveling direction, and further the gear box 43R on the left and right sides of the electric motors 41R and 41L. 43L, but only the bearings 44R and 44L are arranged on the rear wheels 22 and 32 side of the bottom surface 15. Therefore, the bottom surface 15 of the vehicle body 10 is placed on the bottom surface 15 of the vehicle body, for example, from the center position. A wide accommodation space 16 can be secured up to the end.

  Each electric motor 41R, 41L uses a battery (rechargeable battery) 40 such as a lithium ion battery as a power source, and installs the battery 40 in the accommodation space 16. Specifically, the battery 40 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, for example, and can be placed at a substantially central position of the bottom surface 15 as shown in FIG. In addition, the rear surface 14 of the vehicle body 10 is preferably configured to be openable and closable with respect to the upper surface or the bottom surface 15, for example, so that the battery 40 can be easily inserted into and removed from the accommodation space 16. As a result, a large-capacity battery 40 for realizing long-time running can be mounted in the housing space 16 of the vehicle body 10, and work such as replacement, charging, and inspection of the battery 40 can be easily performed from the rear surface 14. It becomes possible. Furthermore, since the battery 40 can be disposed on the bottom surface 15, an electric vehicle capable of running stably with a low center of gravity of the vehicle body 10 can be obtained.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a configuration of an embodiment of the autonomous traveling device of the present invention.
3, the autonomous traveling device 1 of the present invention mainly includes a control unit 50, a distance detection unit 51, a travel control unit 52, a wheel 53, a communication unit 54, a camera 55, an image recognition unit 56, an inclination detection unit 57, a position. An information acquisition unit 58, a rechargeable battery 59, a speed detection unit 60, an encoder 61, a speed control unit 62, a target speed setting unit 63, and a storage unit 70 are provided.
The autonomous mobile device 1 is connected to the management server 5 via the network 6, autonomously travels based on instruction information and the like sent from the management server 5, and transmits the acquired monitoring information and the like to the management server 5.
As the network 6, any currently used network can be used. However, since the autonomous mobile device 1 is a moving device, it is possible to use a network capable of wireless communication (for example, a wireless LAN). preferable.

  As a wireless communication network, the Internet open to the public or the like may be used, or a dedicated line wireless network in which devices that can be connected are limited may be used. In addition, as a wireless transmission method in a wireless communication path, various wireless LANs (Local Area Network) (with or without WiFi (registered trademark) authentication), ZigBee (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark) LE (Low Energy) ) And the like, and may be used in consideration of a wireless reachable distance, a transmission band, or the like. For example, a mobile phone network may be used.

The management server 5 mainly includes a communication unit 91, a monitoring control unit 92, and a storage unit 93.
The communication unit 91 is a part that communicates with the autonomous mobile device 1 via the network 6 and preferably has a wireless communication function.
The monitoring control unit 92 is a part that executes movement control for the autonomous traveling device 1, information collection function and monitoring function of the autonomous traveling device 1, and the like.
The storage unit 93 stores information for instructing movement to the autonomous mobile device 1, monitoring information (reception monitoring information 93a) sent from the autonomous mobile device 1, a program for monitoring control, and the like. It is.

The control unit 50 of the autonomous traveling device 1 is a part that controls the operation of each component such as the traveling control unit 52, and is mainly realized by a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I / O controller, a timer, and the like. The
The CPU organically operates various hardware based on a control program stored in advance in a ROM or the like, and executes the traveling function, the tilt detection function, the speed control function, and the like of the present invention.

The distance detection unit 51 is a part that detects a distance from the current position of the vehicle to an object and a road surface that exist in a predetermined space including a forward space in the traveling direction. The distance detection unit 51 is disposed near the center of the front surface of the vehicle body. Here, when the vehicle travels outdoors, the object means, for example, a building, a pillar, a wall, a protrusion, a road surface, an inclined surface, and the like.
The distance detection unit 51 emits predetermined light to a space including the front space in the traveling direction, and then receives the reflected light reflected by the object and the road surface existing in the front space, and detects the distance to the object and the road surface To do. Specifically, the distance detection unit 51 mainly includes a light emitting unit 51a that emits light to a space including a predetermined front space in the traveling direction, a light receiving unit 51b that receives light reflected by an object, and light emission. The scanning control unit 51c changes the direction two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally.

FIG. 4 shows an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the distance detector 51 of the present invention.
Here, the laser 51d emitted from the light emitting unit 51a is reflected by the object 100, and a part of the laser that has returned back and forth by the light receiving distance L0 is received by the light receiving unit 51b.

As the emitted light, laser, infrared light, visible light, ultrasonic wave, electromagnetic wave, or the like can be used. However, it is preferable to use a laser because distance measurement must be possible even at night.
Also, today, LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging: rider) is used as a distance detection sensor, but this may be used as the distance detection unit 51.
The LIDAR is a device that emits a laser in a two-dimensional space or a three-dimensional space in a predetermined space and measures distances at a plurality of measurement points in the space.
The LIDAR detects the reflected light reflected by the object after the laser is emitted from the light emitting unit 51a, and calculates the light receiving distance L0 from the time difference between the emission time and the light receiving time, for example. This light receiving distance L0 corresponds to measurement distance information 72 described later.

If the laser emitted from the light emitting unit 51a hits a non-moving object separated by a distance L0, the laser beam travels by a distance (2L0) corresponding to twice the distance L0 from the tip of the light emitting unit 51a to the object surface. Light is received by the light receiving portion 51b.
The time when the laser is emitted and the time when the laser is received are shifted by a time T0 required for the laser to travel the distance (2L0). That is, there is a time difference. By using the time difference T0 and the speed of light, the light receiving distance L0 can be calculated.
Further, the distance to the object (obstacle) is detected from the calculated light receiving distance L0.

FIG. 4 shows a case where the distance detecting unit 51 is not moved, and shows a case where the laser emitted from the light emitting unit 51a travels on the same optical path.
Therefore, when the reflected light reflected by one point of the object 100 is received, only the distance between the tip of the light emitting unit 51a and one point of the object is calculated.

The scanning control unit 51c is a part that scans the light emission direction so that the light is emitted toward a plurality of predetermined measurement points in the traveling direction space, and changes the direction of the distance detection unit 51 at regular intervals. By gradually changing, the optical path along which the emitted laser travels is moved little by little.
The LIDAR 51 calculates the distance to the object by changing the laser emission direction by a predetermined scanning pitch within a predetermined two-dimensional space in the horizontal direction (horizontal two-dimensional scanning). When calculating the distance three-dimensionally, the laser emission direction is changed by a predetermined scanning pitch in the vertical direction, and the above two-dimensional scanning in the horizontal direction is further performed to calculate the distance.

FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the scanning direction of the laser emitted from the distance detection unit (LIDAR) 51.
FIG. 6 shows a view of the irradiation region of the laser emitted from the distance detection unit (LIDAR) 51 as viewed from above (FIG. 6A) and a view as viewed from the rear (FIG. 6B). Show.
In FIG. 5, one point indicates a position (hereinafter referred to as a measurement point) where the laser hits on a two-dimensional plane (vertical plane) in a vertical direction at a position separated by a predetermined distance.

For example, when the direction of the distance detection unit 51 is changed so that the emission direction of the laser emitted from the light emitting unit 51a of the distance detection unit 51 is moved to the right by a predetermined scanning pitch in the horizontal direction, the laser is moved in the horizontal direction. It hits the vertical plane of the next position (measurement point) shifted to the right by the scanning pitch.
If an object exists at the position of the vertical plane, a part of the reflected light of the laser reflected at each measurement point is received by the light receiving unit 51b.
In this manner, when the laser irradiation direction is shifted sequentially by a predetermined scanning pitch in the horizontal direction, the laser is irradiated to a predetermined number of measurement points. The distance is calculated by confirming whether or not the reflected light is received at each of the plurality of measurement points irradiated with the laser.

FIG. 6A shows an explanatory diagram of an example in which the laser irradiation direction is shifted in the horizontal direction by the scanning pitch and the laser is scanned in the left-right direction (that is, the horizontal direction) in the figure.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the laser is irradiated in the rightmost direction, if there is an object in that direction, the light receiving distance L0 is calculated by receiving the reflected light from the object. The

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, when the laser scanning direction is the vertical direction, for example, when the laser emission direction is shifted upward by a predetermined scanning pitch in the vertical direction, the laser is vertical. It hits the vertical plane of the next position (measurement point) shifted in the upward direction by the scanning pitch.
After shifting the laser emission direction by one scanning pitch in the vertical upward direction, as shown in FIG. 6A, if the laser irradiation direction is shifted in the horizontal direction, the laser beam is shifted upward by 1 from the previous measurement point. A laser beam is irradiated to a measurement point at a position shifted by the scanning pitch.
As described above, by sequentially performing the horizontal laser scanning and the vertical laser scanning, the laser is irradiated to a predetermined three-dimensional space, and an object and an inclined surface exist in the three-dimensional measurement space. For example, the distance to the object or the inclined surface is calculated.

Further, for a plurality of vertical measuring points whose distances are calculated, it is determined from the height relationship and the distance difference relationship that an uphill or downhill exists in the traveling direction.
In particular, by scanning the light emission direction in the vertical direction by the scanning control unit 51c, among the light emitted toward the plurality of measurement points, the heights of the plurality of measurement points where the reflected light is received and the measurement points. The presence of an inclined surface is detected by measuring the distance up to, and an inclination detector 57 described later acquires inclination information of the inclined surface on the travel route.

In addition, when light (laser) emitted toward a plurality of measurement points is reflected by an object, if it is confirmed that the reflected light reflected by the object is received by the light receiving unit, the distance is calculated. It is determined that a part of the object exists at the position of the measured point.
Furthermore, the object exists in an area including a plurality of measurement points where it is determined that a part of the object exists, and the shape of the object or the posture of the human body is characterized from information on the area including the plurality of measurement points. Get detection information.
The detection information is information that characterizes some object, but may be acquired by the distance detection unit 51 or may be acquired from image data of an object photographed by the camera 55.

In the two-dimensional scanning, the laser scanning direction is described as the horizontal direction, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the laser emitting direction may be changed in the vertical direction.
When irradiating a laser to a three-dimensional measurement space, after performing two-dimensional scanning in the vertical direction, the same two-dimensional scanning in the same vertical direction may be sequentially performed by shifting the scanning direction by a predetermined scanning pitch in the horizontal direction.

FIG. 6B is a schematic explanatory diagram of laser measurement points irradiated on the three-dimensional space when the laser is scanned in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.
If there is no object in the direction of one measuring point where the laser is emitted, the laser travels on the optical path as it is, the reflected light is not received, and the distance cannot be measured.
Conversely, when reflected light is received with respect to a laser emitted to a certain measurement point, a distance is calculated, and it is recognized that an object exists at a position separated by the calculated distance.
FIG. 6B shows that reflected light is detected at the six measurement points in the lower right part, and some object (for example, a human body, an obstacle, etc.) is present in the region including these six measurement points. Is recognized.

When the laser 51d is incident on the light receiving unit 51b of the distance detecting unit 51, an electrical signal corresponding to the received light intensity of the laser is output.
The control unit 50 confirms the electrical signal output from the light receiving unit 51b, and determines that the laser is received, for example, when an electrical signal having an intensity equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is detected.
Conventionally used laser light emitting elements are used for the light emitting part 51a, and laser light receiving elements for detecting a laser are used for the light receiving part 51b.

In addition, the control unit 50 uses the time difference T0 between the emission time of the laser emitted from the light emitting unit 51a and the light reception time when it is confirmed that the reflected light is received by the light receiving unit 51b. A light receiving distance L0, which is a distance between a plurality of measurement points, is calculated.
The control unit 50 obtains the current time using, for example, a timer, calculates a time difference T0 between the laser emission time and the light reception time when laser reception is confirmed, and the time difference T0 between these two times and the laser The light receiving distance L0 is calculated by using the speed of.

The travel control unit 52 is a part that controls a drive member that travels the vehicle body, and mainly includes a drive motor that generates torque that rotates the drive member.
The drive motor corresponds to the electric motor (41R, 41L) described above. The driving member includes a wheel, a caterpillar (registered trademark), and the like.
For example, the vehicle is automatically caused to travel by controlling the rotation of the wheel 53 corresponding to the drive member to perform linear running and rotating operation.
Mainly, when the vehicle body is accelerated, a predetermined current is applied to the drive motor, and when the vehicle is decelerated, no current is supplied to the drive motor.

The wheel 53 corresponds to four wheels (21, 22, 31, 32) as shown in FIGS. Similar to a normal vehicle, tires are attached to the four wheels, respectively. The tire is not particularly limited as long as it has the same shape and the same specification.
Further, as described above, of the wheels, the left and right front wheels (21, 31) may be drive wheels, and the left and right rear wheels (22, 32) may be driven wheels that are not rotationally controlled.
In addition, encoders 61, which will be described later, are attached to the left and right wheels of the drive wheels (21, 31), respectively, and the travel distance of the vehicle is measured based on the rotational speed, rotational direction, rotational position, and rotational speed of the wheels to control traveling. To do.

The communication unit 54 is a part that transmits / receives data to / from the management server 5 via the network 6. As described above, it is preferable to have a function of connecting to the network 6 by wireless communication and communicating with the management server 5.
For example, when an abnormal state occurs and the notification process is executed, the communication unit 54 arranges the notification information including the occurrence of the abnormal state, the occurrence date and time of the abnormal state, and the occurrence position at a position different from the autonomous traveling device. To the management server 5.
The notification information may be transmitted to a terminal owned by a person in charge at a position different from that of the autonomous mobile device, and may be transmitted to at least one or both of the management server and the terminal.
In addition, although it is necessary to set in advance where the transmission destination is, it may be possible to change or add the transmission destination based on the contents of the abnormal state in accordance with the operation mode of the vehicle. .

The camera 55 is a photographing unit that mainly photographs an image of a predetermined space including a front space in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the photographed image may be a still image or a moving image. The captured image is stored in the storage unit 70 as input image data 71 and transferred to the management server 5 in response to a request from the management server 5.
Moreover, you may provide not only one camera 55 but multiple units | sets. For example, four cameras may be fixedly installed to shoot the front, left, right, and rear of the vehicle body, and the shooting direction of each camera may be changed. You may prepare.
In addition, when the vehicle travels outdoors, if the weather is good and the shooting area is sufficiently bright, the state of the human body, obstacles, slopes, road surfaces, etc. can be detected by analyzing the images taken by the camera. Also good.

The image recognition unit 56 is a part that recognizes an object or an inclined surface included in image data (input image data 71) captured by the camera 55. For example, an object included in image data is extracted, and when the extracted object is an object having a predetermined characteristic of the human body, the object is recognized as a human body. Further, the recognized human body image data (human body image) is compared with the person registration information stored in advance in the storage unit 70 to determine whether or not the human body image can match the person registered in advance. . The image recognition process may use existing image recognition technology.
The object to be recognized is not limited to the human body, but may be an obstacle such as a wall, a pillar, a step, an animal, a tree, a telephone pole, a narrow passage, or an uphill or downhill slope. What is necessary is just to recognize what an object is by comparing the image data image | photographed with the camera with the image which showed the characteristic of the object memorize | stored previously.

The inclination detecting unit 57 is a part that detects an uphill and a downhill existing in the traveling direction and acquires inclination information including an angle (inclination angle), a height, a distance, and the like of the inclined surface.
The presence or position of the inclined surface is detected by the distance detection unit (LIDAR) 51, the camera 55, the image recognition unit 56, and the position information acquisition unit 58 described above. In addition, the inclination information such as the angle and height of the inclined surface is obtained by running a test route once set in advance and using information obtained from the distance detection unit 51, the camera 55, the speed detection unit 60, etc. calculate.
In particular, on the basis of the distance to the road surface detected by the distance detection unit 51, the inclination information including the height of the inclined surface on the traveling route and the distance of the inclined surface is acquired for each traveling point.
The inclination information is information as shown in FIG. 7A to be described later. For example, the travel distance measured for each point on the travel route, the distance difference between adjacent points, the height difference, the relative height, the inclination angle, and the like. And stored in the storage unit 70 after the test run.

In addition, the target speed setting unit 63 is a part that uses the inclination information stored in the storage unit 70 to set a target arrival speed for ascending and descending the inclined surface for each traveling point.
In particular, in the present invention, the target at the position immediately before the uphill is taken into consideration in consideration of the potential energy that can climb the uphill of the inclined surface and the kinetic energy obtained by accelerating a predetermined distance. Set the speed.
For example, if there is a flat road surface and an uphill following the flat road surface on the travel route of the vehicle, the kinetic energy required to climb the uphill is obtained up to the travel point immediately before the uphill. The target speed setting unit 63 sets the target arrival speed at the travel point immediately before the uphill so as to obtain the target. The same applies when there is an uphill following the downhill on the travel route of the vehicle.
In this case, a part of the kinetic energy owned at the position just before the uphill is converted into potential energy by having gone up the uphill, so that the position just before the uphill can be run. Target speed is set.

In principle, the target arrival speed is set so that the position energy and the kinetic energy are exchanged in a well-balanced manner, and the entire travel route can be efficiently traveled without generating a high output torque in the drive motor.

If a test run detects that there is an uphill with a known angle of inclination and rising distance a few meters from a given position, the potential energy when the vehicle is on the uphill is calculated. When you come to the position just before the uphill after driving sufficiently accelerated while driving on a flat road or downhill from the predetermined position to the position just before the uphill The target arrival speed at the position immediately before the uphill is set so as to acquire at least the kinetic energy necessary to climb the uphill. In addition, a target arrival speed at a position where the vehicle has climbed uphill is also set. The kinetic energy to be acquired at the position immediately before the uphill is required to be larger than the calculated potential energy.

In addition, when climbing uphill after climbing uphill using kinetic energy acquired just before climbing uphill, you can use the potential energy acquired when climbing uphill and continue running after that. Next, the target arrival speed at the position immediately after descending the downhill is set. At the position immediately after going downhill, a part of the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, and the subsequent driving is continued at the set target arrival speed.

The target speed information including the target attainment speed is stored in the storage unit 70 after a test run, for example, as information shown in FIG.
When actually traveling along a predetermined travel route, the current applied to the drive motor is controlled so as to achieve the target arrival speed at each point of the travel route stored in advance in the storage unit 70, thereby accelerating the vehicle. Decelerate.

The position information acquisition unit 58 is a part that acquires position information (latitude, longitude, etc.) indicating the current position for each travel point while the vehicle is traveling. For example, using the GPS (Global Position System), The position information 73 may be acquired.
While comparing the acquired current position information 73 and route information 74 stored in advance in the storage unit 70, the direction in which the vehicle should travel is determined, and the vehicle is allowed to travel autonomously.
In order to make the vehicle autonomously travel, it is preferable to use information obtained from all of the distance detection unit 51, the camera 55, the slope detection unit 57, the position information acquisition unit 58, etc., or from at least one of them. You may make it run autonomously using the obtained information.

  Further, as the position information acquisition unit 58, other currently used satellite positioning systems may be used as in the case of GPS. For example, using Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), Russian GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), EU Galileo, China Hokuto, India IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System) May be.

The rechargeable battery 59 is a part that supplies power to each functional element of the vehicle 1, and mainly supplies power for performing a traveling function, a distance detection function, an image recognition function, a speed detection function, a communication function, and the like. Part.
For example, rechargeable batteries such as lithium ion batteries, nickel metal hydride batteries, Ni-Cd batteries, lead batteries, and various fuel cells are used.
In addition, a battery remaining amount detection unit (not shown) is provided to detect the remaining capacity (battery remaining amount) of the rechargeable battery, and whether or not to return to a predetermined charging facility based on the detected battery remaining amount. When the remaining battery level is less than the predetermined remaining level, the battery may be automatically returned to the charging facility.

The speed detection unit 60 is a part that detects the speed during traveling of the vehicle 1, and calculates the speed mainly from information (the number of rotations of the wheel) acquired from the encoder 61 attached to the wheel 53. The speed control unit 62 acquires speed information from the speed detection unit 60 in real time, and controls the travel control unit 52 according to the situation to accelerate or decelerate.
The encoder 61 is a part that is attached to the left and right wheels and measures the rotational speeds of the left and right wheels, respectively. The encoder 61 includes a left encoder attached to the left wheel and a right encoder attached to the right wheel. From the left and right encoders, information corresponding to the rotational speed of the wheels, that is, the rotational speed of the tire is output.

The speed control unit 62 is a part that controls the traveling speed of each traveling point of the vehicle based on the target arrival speed of the target speed information stored in the storage unit 70 described later.
For example, if there is a flat road surface or downhill on the travel route and an uphill following the flat road surface or downhill, the potential energy acquired when climbing the uphill existing on the travel route The speed control unit 62 controls the traveling speed so as to acquire the above while traveling on a flat road surface or downhill. In addition, before traveling on an uphill, the autonomous traveling device is accelerated while traveling on a flat road surface or on a downhill so as to acquire the potential energy acquired when climbing the uphill.
Also, the target speed information at a predetermined position on the route that the vehicle is going to travel is read out, and the target speed of the target speed information that is set in advance is obtained when the vehicle is traveling at that position. A current is applied to the drive motor which is the control unit 52.
For example, if there is a flat road surface or downhill on the travel route and an uphill following the flat road surface or downhill, at least the target arrival speed set at the travel point immediately before the uphill is achieved. In this way, the motor current value applied to the drive motor is controlled while traveling on a flat road surface before the uphill or downhill.

For example, on a flat road, if the speed at the current position is 3 km / h and the target speed at the position 20 meters away is 5 km / h, the speed at the position 20 meters ahead is 5 km / h. In order to achieve this, an electric current is passed through the drive motor to perform an acceleration operation. If you know the speed at the current position, the target arrival speed, the distance from the current position to the position where the target arrival speed should be achieved, the friction torque of the vehicle, the moment of inertia of the load, and the TI characteristics of the motor, drive The amount of current that can be supplied to the motor can be determined by the torque calculated by the following equation.
T = (Tl + Ta)
Here, Tl = is a load torque, and Ta is an acceleration torque calculated by the following equation.
Ta = (J0 * i ^ 2 + Jl) * (w2-w1)
Each variable parameter means the following contents.
T = Total required torque [Nm]
Tl = Friction torque [Nm]
Ta = Acceleration torque [Nm]
J0 = Motor rotor inertia moment [kg.m ^ 2]
i = reduction ratio
J1 = Full load moment of inertia [kg.m ^ 2]
w2 = Angular velocity at the target velocity [rad / s]
w1 = current angular velocity [rad / s]
Conversely, for example, if the speed at the current position is 4 km / h and the target arrival speed at the position 10 meters ahead is 2 km / h, the speed at the position 10 meters ahead will be 2 km / h. In addition, the drive motor may be decelerated using a brake or the like without passing an electric current.

In addition to the above-described components, various configurations may be provided.
For example, you may provide the obstruction detection part which detects an object (obstacle) using the information acquired from the distance detection part 51. FIG.
Moreover, you may provide the monitoring information acquisition part which acquires the information of a predetermined monitoring object. For example, information collected by the vehicle autonomously traveling in a predetermined area and information on the traveling state of the vehicle are acquired and stored in the storage unit 70. What is necessary is just to provide a thermometer, a hygrometer, a microphone, a gas detection apparatus etc. as a device corresponded to the monitoring information acquisition part, for example. The monitoring information is information of various monitoring targets acquired during traveling and stopping, and is information transmitted to the management server 5 via the network 6. This information includes, for example, input image data 71 photographed by the camera 55, travel distance, travel route, environmental data (temperature, humidity, radiation, gas, rainfall, sound, ultraviolet light, etc.), terrain data, obstacle data, Includes road surface information, warning information, and the like.

Moreover, you may provide the collision detection part which detects that the vehicle 1 collided with the obstacle, drive | worked, or approached while driving | running | working. For example, a contact sensor or a non-contact sensor including a pressure sensitive switch, a micro switch, an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared distance measuring sensor, or the like is used. One collision detection unit may be provided, but a plurality of collision detection units are preferably provided at predetermined positions on the front, side, and rear of the vehicle body in order to detect collisions from the front, side, and rear of the vehicle body.
When the collision detection unit detects a collision with an obstacle after the traveling control unit 52 executes the vehicle deceleration process, the traveling control unit 52 stops the vehicle body so that the vehicle body is not damaged. Execute the process. Further, the CPU may recognize the position where the obstacle exists based on the signal output from the collision detection unit. Further, based on the recognized position information of the obstacle, the CPU stops the vehicle body or determines a direction to travel next while avoiding the obstacle.

  The storage unit 70 is a part that stores information and programs necessary for executing each function of the autonomous mobile device 1, and includes a semiconductor storage element such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory, a storage device such as HDD, SSD, Other storage media are used. The storage unit 70 stores, for example, input image data 71, measurement distance information 72, current position information 73, route information 74, inclination information 75, target speed information 76, and the like.

  The input image data 71 is image data taken by the camera 55. When there are a plurality of cameras, it is stored for each camera. The image data may be either a still image or a moving image. The image data is used for detecting a suspicious person, detecting an abnormal state, determining a course of a vehicle, and the like, and is transmitted to the management server 5 as one piece of transmission monitoring information.

The measurement distance information 72 is the light reception distance L0 calculated by the information acquired from the distance detection unit 51 as described above. One light receiving distance L0 means a distance measured at one measuring point in a predetermined distance measuring region.
Further, this information 72 is stored for each measuring point belonging to the predetermined distance measuring area, and is stored in association with the position information of each measuring point. For example, when there are m measuring points in the horizontal direction and n measuring points in the vertical direction, the light receiving distances L0 corresponding to the total of m × n measuring points are stored.

In addition, if there is an object (obstacle, road surface, pillar, etc.) that reflects the laser in the direction of each measurement point and the reflected light from the object can be received, the light receiving distance L0 to that object is stored. The
However, since no reflected light is received when there is no object in the direction of the measurement point, information indicating that measurement could not be performed may be stored as the measurement point distance information 72, for example, instead of the light reception distance L0. .

  The current position information 73 is information indicating the current position of the vehicle acquired by the position information acquisition unit 58. For example, it is information consisting of latitude and longitude acquired using GPS. This information is used, for example, to determine the course of the vehicle.

  The route information 74 is stored in advance as a map of a route on which the vehicle should travel. For example, when the route and area to be moved are fixedly determined in advance, the route information 74 is stored as fixed information from the beginning. However, when it is necessary to change the route, information transmitted from the management server 5 via the network 6 may be stored as new route information 74.

The inclination information 75 is information on an inclined surface existing on the travel route, and information such as the angle (inclination angle), height, and distance of the inclined surface is acquired at the time of test traveling and stored in advance.
FIG. 7A shows an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the inclination information 75.
Here, the inclination information obtained when the traveling route shown in FIG. 10 is tested is shown. The inclination information 75 includes, for example, a position coordinate, a measurement travel distance L, a distance difference, a measurement height difference, a relative height H, and an inclination angle K for each point on the travel route.

The position coordinates are acquired by a position information acquisition unit 58 such as GPS. The measured travel distance L is acquired from information obtained from the encoder 61, GPS, or the like. The distance difference is a horizontal distance between adjacent points, and is calculated from the measured travel distance L. The measured height difference is acquired from information obtained from LIDAR, which is the distance detection unit 51, or image data captured by the camera 55. The relative height H means the height from the reference point (for example, point P0) of travel, and can be obtained by calculation using the measured height difference. The inclination angle K can be obtained by calculation using the difference in distance and the difference in measurement height.

FIG. 10 shows a straight path along which the vehicle travels from the right side to the left side of the page.
FIG. 10A is a plan view of a traveling vehicle as viewed from above. FIG. 10B is a side view of the traveling vehicle as viewed from the left side, and illustrates the state of the inclined surface.
In FIG. 10, P0 to P8 are symbols indicating points of travel positions, and the vehicle travels from the point P0 toward P8. The point P0 is set as a starting point for driving, and this position is set as a reference position for calculating the driving distance and height. The measured travel distance L0 at the point P0 is set to zero (L0 = 0), and the height H0 at the point P0 is set to zero (H0 = 0).
While the vehicle travels along the straight path shown in FIG. 10, various information is acquired and further calculated, whereby the inclination information 75 shown in FIG. 7A is stored.

In FIG. 10, point P1 is the starting position of the first inclined surface, the measured travel distance L1 at P1 is 20 m, and the distance difference from P0 to P1 is 20 m (L1 = 20). Similarly, the measured travel distance L at each point is measured by the test travel, and is set such that the distance difference from the points P1 to P2 is 10 m and the distance difference from the points P7 to P8 is 7 m, for example. Further, it is assumed that the measured travel distance L8 from the start point P0 to the leftmost point P8 is 70 m (L8 = 70).

In FIG. 10 (b), the section from point P1 to P2 and the section from point P4 to P5 have an uphill, the section from point P3 to P4, and the section from point P6 to P7, Suppose there is a downhill. The other sections are flat routes. The heights of the points P1, P7, and P8 are the same as the point P0 and are zero meters (H0, H1, H7, H8 = 0).
Assuming that the height of the point P2 is 0.875 m (H2 = 0.875) and the horizontal distance is 10 m, the inclination angle K is +5 degrees for the uphill in the section from the point P1 to the point P2.
Assuming that the height of the point P5 is 1.3 m (H5 = 1.3) and the horizontal distance is 8 m for the uphill in the section from the point P4 to the point P5, the inclination angle K is +8 degrees.

For the downhill in the section from point P3 to P4, the height of point P3 is 0.875m (H3 = 0.875), the height of point P4 is 0.175m (H4 = 0.175), and the horizontal distance is 8m As a result, the inclination angle K is -5 degrees.
For the downhill in the section from P6 to P7, the height of point P6 is 1.3m (H6 = 1.3), the height of point P7 is 0m (H7 = 0), and the horizontal distance is 8m If there is, the inclination angle K is -9.2 degrees.
As described above, the tilt information 75 is acquired by performing the test travel on the travel route of FIG. This information is used for setting the target speed information and actual driving.

The target speed information 76 is an ideal speed that the vehicle should achieve at each point. The target speed information 76 is set so that the entire travel route can be efficiently traveled without generating high output torque. Including V.
The target speed information 76 is preset by calculation using the acquired inclination information 75, and the positional energy PE and kinetic energy ME at each point are calculated together with the target arrival speed V.
For example, from the relative height H of the inclination information 75, the potential energy PE when the vehicle is at a point that has climbed the uphill is calculated, and when the vehicle comes to the position immediately before the uphill, the potential energy Set kinetic energy ME that can get PE. From the set kinetic energy ME and the weight of the vehicle, the speed that should be achieved when the vehicle arrives at the position just before the uphill is calculated. A target arrival speed V that is a predetermined value or greater than the speed to be achieved is set.

FIG. 7B shows an explanatory diagram of one embodiment of the target speed information 76.
Here, what consists of target arrival speed V, potential energy PE, and kinetic energy ME set for each travel point on the travel route is shown. The target speed information of FIG. 7B is a numerical value of one embodiment set based on the inclination information 75 shown in FIG. 7A, and is information corresponding to the travel route of FIG.
In FIG. 7 (b), the measured travel distance L and relative height H at each point indicate the inclination information 75 of FIG. 7 (a) for explanation, and need to be stored as the target speed information 76. There is no.
The position information acquired at each travel point on the predetermined travel route, the inclination information, and the set target arrival speed may be associated with each other and stored in advance.
The weight of the vehicle is 100 kg, but is not limited to this.

In FIG. 7B, first, assuming that the vehicle is stopped at the travel start point P0 at the position of the relative height H0 = 0, the target arrival speed V is zero, and the potential energy PE is Kinetic energy ME is also zero.

Next, at the point P1 immediately before the uphill and at the relative height H1 = 0, the potential energy PE is zero, but the kinetic energy ME is set to 1800J and the target arrival speed V is 6 km. It is set to / h. These numerical values are set in consideration of the height and distance of the next uphill, and the target speed V and the kinetic energy ME are set so that continuous travel after climbing is possible.
When the vehicle actually travels along the route shown in FIG. 10, it means that the vehicle should be accelerated between the start point P0 and the point P1 so that the travel speed becomes 6 km / h when the vehicle reaches the point P1. Further, when the vehicle reaches the point P1, the vehicle has a kinetic energy ME of 1800J, and therefore, the vehicle climbs uphill while exchanging the kinetic energy ME with the potential energy PE.

Next, the point P2 at the position of the relative height H2 = 0.875 is a position that has fully climbed an uphill with a height of 0.875 m, the potential energy PE is 858J, and the kinetic energy ME is 942J. Further, if the vehicle climbs uphill with a driving power similar to that used for the acceleration up to the point P1, when the vehicle reaches the point P2, the target arrival speed V is set to 4.14 km / h.
In other words, if you climb the uphill using the 1800J kinetic energy ME that you had at the point P1 just before climbing the uphill, at the point P2 where you climbed the uphill, a part of the kinetic energy ME is 858J With the remaining kinetic energy ME of 942J, it will continue to run at a speed V of 4.14km / h.
If climbing uphill while maintaining the speed of 6km / h at point P1, it is necessary to acquire the potential energy PE while maintaining the kinetic energy ME. A lot of current needs to flow through the drive motor. However, even if the speed drops somewhat, if you try to climb while exchanging part of the kinetic energy ME owned at point P1 for potential energy PE, it is not necessary to give the wheel so high torque, It is possible to reduce the value of current to flow. That is, the torque applied to the wheels can be averaged.

Next, since the point P3 at the position of the relative height H3 = 0.875 is the same height as the point P2, the potential energy PE is the same at 858J, and the speed loss occurs between the point P2 and the point P3 on a flat road surface. Assuming almost no kinetic energy ME is 942J and the target speed V is set to 4.14km / h.

Next, the point P4 at the position of the relative height H4 = 0.175 is lower than the point P3, so the potential energy PE decreases to 171.5J, but it is accelerated from the point P3 to the point P4 because it is downhill, and the kinetic energy The ME increases by the amount of the reduced potential energy to 1628.5 J, and the target arrival speed V is set to 5.7 km / h. Further, if this downhill is descended by free fall, it is not necessary to pass a current through the drive motor.

Next, since the point P5 at the position of the relative height H5 = 1.3 is higher than the point P4, the point P4 to the point P5 is an uphill. Therefore, when climbing to the point P5, the potential energy PE increases to 1274J, but the kinetic energy ME decreases by the increased potential energy PE to 526J. If the traveling speed at the point P4 just before the uphill is 5.7km / h, if you try to climb while exchanging a part of the kinetic energy ME at the point P4 with the potential energy PE, you climb to the point P5. The target speed V is set to 3.24 km / h.

Next, since the point P6 at the position of the relative height H6 = 1.3 is the same height as the point P5, the potential energy PE is the same at 1274J, and there is a speed loss between the point P5 and the point P6 on a flat road surface. Assuming that there is almost no kinetic energy ME, the target speed V is set to 3.24 km / h.

Next, since the point P7 at the position of the relative height H7 = 0 is the same height as the start point P0, the point P6 to the point P7 is a downhill. Since the point P7 is lower than the point P6, the potential energy PE at the point P7 decreases by 1274J and becomes zero. In addition, since it is accelerated by the downhill from point P6 to point P7, the kinetic energy ME increases by the amount of the reduced potential energy to 1800J, and the target speed V is set to 6km / h, the same as point P1. Is done. Further, if this downhill is descended by free fall, it is not necessary to pass a current through the drive motor.

Finally, since the point P8 at the position of the relative height H8 = 0 is the same height as the point P7, the road surface between the point P7 and the point P8 is a flat road surface. Therefore, assuming that the potential energy PE is 0 J and there is almost no speed loss, the kinetic energy ME is 1800 J and the target arrival speed V is set to 6 km / h.
Further, assuming that the vehicle travels at a speed of 6 km / h at the point P7 and there is almost no speed loss on a flat road surface, it is not necessary to pass a current through the drive motor. However, in general, even on a flat road surface, there are irregularities and there is actually a speed loss, so in order to maintain a speed of 6 km / h at point P8, it is necessary to pass a current through the drive motor and give torque to the wheels .

<Embodiment 1: Example of speed control on uphill>
FIG. 8 shows an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of speed control before and after traveling uphill according to the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of speed control when traveling uphill at a constant speed in the prior art as a comparative example.
FIG. 8A and FIG. 9A show the distance and height when the traveling route is viewed from the side direction with respect to the traveling direction, and the same route is shown.
8 (b) and 9 (b) show schematic graphs of examples of speed changes, and FIGS. 8 (c) and 9 (c) show the current value (motor current value) given to the drive motor. A schematic graph of the change is shown.

In this invention, the target arrival speed V is set at each point by performing a test run, the target arrival speed V1 at the point P1, the target arrival speed V2 (V2> V1) at the point P2, and the target at the point P3. Assume that the arrival speed V3 (V3 <V2) is set.
In the prior art, after passing through the point P1, the vehicle travels at a constant speed V1 to the point P3.
8 (a) and 9 (a), a flat road surface from point P0 to point P2 and an uphill with an inclination angle of K degrees from point P2 to point P3. The height of point P3 is H3, and after climbing uphill, the road surface is flat.

First, in FIG. 8 (a) and FIG. 9 (a), similarly, it is assumed that the vehicle is accelerated to a point P1 separated from the point P0 by a distance L1, and the traveling speed is set to V1 at the point P1. Up to this point, both the present invention and the prior art have only to give the same motor current value (MI01, MI11) to the drive motor as shown in FIGS. 8 (c) and 9 (c).

In FIG. 8 (a), in order to achieve the target arrival speed V2 at the next point P2 and climb the uphill, acceleration for uphill is started at the point P1. That is, while traveling the distance L2 from the point P1 to P2, the traveling speed is increased from V1 to V2, as shown in FIG. In order to increase the travel speed from V1 to V2, as shown in FIG. 8C, a motor current value MI02 larger than the motor current value MI01 is given to the drive motor.
However, the magnitude of the motor current value MI02 varies depending on the distance L2 for acceleration for climbing. If the distance L2 is sufficiently long, the motor current value MI02 may be the same as or smaller than MI01.
In the case of FIG. 8A, assuming that the vehicle is traveling at the traveling speed V2 at the point P2, the kinetic energy ME corresponding to the traveling speed V2 is acquired.

Further, in FIG. 8 (a), for comparison with the prior art, as in FIG. 9 (a), acceleration is performed so as to reach a constant speed V1 at the point P1, but it is longer from the starting point P0. While traveling the distance L1 + L2, acceleration for climbing may be performed. In this case, the motor current value MI02 can be set to a smaller value.
Furthermore, it is only necessary to achieve the target arrival speed V2 at least when the point P2 is reached, but the motor current value may be controlled so as to achieve the target arrival speed V2 at a point before the point P2, The motor current value may be decreased until the point P2 is reached after the target arrival speed V2 is achieved.
Further, in FIG. 8 (c), the motor current value MI02 is a constant value between the point P1 and the point P2 for acceleration for uphill, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as in the S-shaped curve, A change may be made to the motor current value applied to the drive motor.

On the other hand, in FIG. 9 (a), in the prior art, after the point P1, the vehicle travels at a constant speed at the speed V1, so
From the point P1 to the point P2, which is a flat road surface, the motor current value MI12 given to the drive motor may be smaller than MI11 (MI12 <MI11).
However, in the case of FIG. 9 (a), since the vehicle travels at a speed V1 smaller than the travel speed V2 at the point P2, the kinetic energy ME corresponding to the travel speed V1 is acquired. Only a kinetic energy ME smaller than the kinetic energy ME at the point P2 acquired in the case of a) is acquired.

Next, climb uphill from point P2 to point P3.
In FIG. 8 (a), the vehicle starts to climb uphill at a speed V2 that is greater than the speed V1. Assuming that the target speed of the point P3 that has climbed the uphill is V3 smaller than V2, the kinetic energy ME acquired at the point P2 immediately before the uphill may be used to climb. In other words, while converting a part of the kinetic energy ME acquired at the point P2 immediately before the uphill to the potential energy, climbing the uphill and the speed at the point P3 up the uphill is V3. What should I do? Therefore, since the speed V3 at the point P3 is smaller than the speed V2 immediately before the uphill, there is no need to accelerate. As shown in FIG. 8 (c), the current value MI03 flowing through the drive motor during the uphill is A value considerably smaller than MI02 is acceptable (MI03 <MI02).

On the other hand, in FIG. 9A, in the prior art, the vehicle starts to climb uphill from the point P2 at a speed V1 that is smaller than the speed V2. Even if you climb the uphill while converting a part of the kinetic energy ME acquired at the point P2 just before the uphill to the potential energy, the same speed V1 as the point P2 at the point P3 where you climbed the uphill In order to maintain the kinetic energy ME acquired at the point P2 at the point P3 as it is, as shown in FIG. 9 (c), the current value MI13 passed through the drive motor during the uphill is It should be much larger than MI12 (MI13> MI12).

In FIG. 8 (a), the vehicle climbs while slightly decelerating on the uphill. In FIG. 9 (a), the speed V1 immediately before the uphill is slower than the speed V2 in FIG. 8 (a), but the speed V1. The current value MI13 that flows to the drive motor during the climbing of FIG. 9A is equal to the current value MI02 that flows to the drive motor during the climbing acceleration of FIG. It is necessary to be considerably larger than the current value MI03 flowing through the drive motor.
That is, in the prior art of FIG. 9, in order to climb uphill at a constant speed, it is necessary to mount a high output drive motor that can generate a large torque by flowing a large current value MI13. In the present invention, when climbing an uphill with the same slope, the drive motor is only given a smaller current value (maximum current value MI02 in FIG. 8 (c)) compared to the conventional technology that climbs at a constant speed. Since it is good, the maximum value of the torque to be generated can be reduced and averaged, and a drive motor with low output torque can be mounted, which can reduce the size of the drive motor and the cost of the autonomous traveling device. .

  Assuming that the road surface is flat after climbing the uphill, as shown in FIGS. 8 (c) and 9 (c), both motor current values (MI04, MI12) required for constant speed travel are used. ) May be given to the drive motor.

FIG. 15 shows an explanatory diagram of another embodiment of the speed control before and after traveling uphill according to the present invention.
Here, it is different from FIG. 8 in that the vehicle travels at a constant speed from the point P0 to the point P1.
The vehicle has already traveled at a constant speed (for example, V1 = 5km / h) at the time point P0, and further travels at the same speed to the point P1, and then climbs up at the point P1 as in FIG. Start accelerating for. In this case as well, averaging can be achieved by reducing the maximum value of the torque to be generated.
In order to reduce the size of the drive motor by installing a drive motor with low output torque, in addition to the speed control shown in FIG. 8, torque generated during traveling on a flat road surface or downhill, and uphill It is preferable to control the speed so as to accelerate on a flat road surface or downhill so that the torque generated during traveling is as constant as possible and less fluctuates.

<Embodiment 2: Example of speed control of traveling route having inclined surfaces (uphill and downhill)>
FIG. 11 shows an explanatory diagram of the relationship between speed control, potential energy, and kinetic energy when traveling on a traveling route including the slope of FIG. 10 in the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a comparative explanatory diagram of the relationship between the motor current value and the integrated power required when the vehicle travels at the speed shown in FIG. 11 in the present invention and the prior art.
11 (a) and 12 (a) are diagrams showing changes in the position and height of the travel route, and are the same as those shown in FIG. 10 (b).
FIG. 11 (b) is a diagram showing a change in the target arrival speed, FIG. 11 (c) is a diagram showing a change in potential energy, and FIG. 11 (d) is a diagram showing a change in kinetic energy. It is a figure.
FIG. 12B is a diagram showing a change in the motor current value MI given to the drive motor, where the solid line is the motor current value of the present invention and the broken line is the motor current value of the prior art.
FIG. 12 (c) shows changes in the accumulated power PW consumed at each point from the travel start point P0 to the point P8. The solid line is the accumulated power of the present invention, and the broken line is the accumulated value of the prior art. It is electric power.

The target arrival speed V shown in FIG. 11 (b) corresponds to the target arrival speed V at each point shown in FIG. 7 (b), and this target arrival speed V is achieved at each point during actual driving. In addition, speed control is performed. At the travel start point P0, V = 0, PE = 0, and ME = 0.
In this case, the potential energy PE and the kinetic energy ME change as shown in FIG. 11 (c) and FIG. 11 (d), corresponding to the change in speed. The potential energy PE and the kinetic energy ME also correspond to the potential energy PE and the kinetic energy ME at each point shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11 (b), in order to control the speed, for example, a motor current value MI as shown in FIG. 12 (b) is given to the drive motor.
In FIG. 11 (b) and FIG. 12 (b), the current of the motor current value MI01 is supplied to the drive motor in order to achieve the speed V1 = 6 km / h at the point P1 immediately before the uphill with the inclination angle of +5 degrees. Continue to accelerate from the starting point P0. After that, the motor current value MI01 is kept flowing, and a part of the kinetic energy ME (1800J) acquired at the point P1 is used to climb an uphill with an inclination angle of +5 degrees. At point P2, which has climbed uphill, the speed decreases to V2 = 4.14km / h, but gains potential energy PE2 (852J).

On the other hand, in the prior art, it is assumed to climb an uphill while maintaining a constant speed V = 5 km / h. In this case, in order to maintain the traveling speed of 5 km / h even when the vehicle reaches the point P2 on the uphill, for example, it is necessary to flow a motor current value MI as shown by a broken line in FIG. is there. In constant speed traveling to the point P1, it is sufficient to give a motor current value MI22 slightly lower than the motor current value MI01. On the uphill from the point P1 to the point P2, the motor current value MI23 that is considerably larger than the motor current value MI01. Need to give.
In addition, the accumulated power PW up to the point P1, which is a flat route, is not significantly different between the solid line and the broken line, but on the uphill, the current value is larger in constant speed driving than in the case of speed control of the present invention. Therefore, the accumulated power (PW02, PW22) at the point P2 that has climbed the uphill can be greatly different between the solid line and the broken line. As a result, the power consumption can be reduced.

After the point P2, after traveling on a flat road to the point P3 and a downhill to the point P4, it is assumed that the slope starting from the point P4 climbs an uphill whose inclination angle is +8 degrees.
In the present invention, at the point P4, the speed V4 is 5.7 km / h because the part of the potential energy PE3 (852J) owned at the point P3 is used, and the kinetic energy ME4 is 1628.5J. ing. Therefore, when climbing using a part of the kinetic energy ME4 on an uphill with an inclination angle of +8 degrees starting from the point P4, a relatively small motor current value MI04 may be given to the drive motor during the uphill.

On the other hand, when climbing an uphill at a constant speed while maintaining a constant speed V = 5 km / h, the inclination angle is tighter +8 degrees than the first uphill, and therefore, as shown by the broken line in FIG. It is necessary to provide the drive motor with a motor current value MI25 that is larger than the current value MI04 and larger than the motor current value MI23 (MI25>MI23> MI04).
Therefore, when climbing up at a constant speed according to the prior art, at least a considerably large motor current value MI25 is applied to generate high torque in order to climb uphill at an inclination angle of +8 degrees in FIG. It is necessary to install a drive motor that has the ability to handle this, but in the present invention, the maximum motor current value (MI04) can be reduced, so the drive motor can be reduced in size and cost. Can be planned.

In addition, the motor current value (MI25, MI04) during climbing uphill with a tilt angle of +8 degrees differs greatly between MI25> MI04 and the slope speed of the conventional constant speed climbing and the speed control of the present invention. The accumulated power (PW05, PW25) at the point P5 that has climbed the uphill at an angle of +8 degrees can be greatly different between the solid line and the broken line, and the speed control of this invention is more efficient than the constant speed running , Power consumption can be reduced.
There are flat roads and downhills in the travel route from point P5 to point P8, but it is not necessary to give a large motor current value if the flat roads do not accelerate and fall freely on downhills. Or the motor current value may be zero.
As described above, if the speed control of the present invention is performed, it is not necessary to mount a drive motor capable of generating a large torque, and the drive motor can be reduced in size and the cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of another example of the relationship between the speed control, the positional energy, and the kinetic energy when traveling on the traveling route including the slope of FIG.
Here, it is different from FIG. 11 in that the vehicle travels at a constant speed from the point P0 until it reaches the point P1. That is, it is assumed that the vehicle has already traveled at a constant speed (for example, V1 = 6 km / h) at a point before point P1, and further travels at the same speed to point P1 at the same speed. Thereafter, as in FIG. 11, acceleration for climbing is started at the point P1. In this case as well, the maximum value of the torque to be generated can be reduced and averaged, eliminating the need to mount a drive motor capable of generating large torque, reducing the size of the drive motor and reducing the cost of the device. Can be reduced.

<Embodiment 3: Example of other speed control>
The speed control of the travel route having an inclined surface is not limited to the speed control shown in the above embodiment. As described below, speed control may be performed so as to prevent generation of useless torque or reduce fluctuations in torque generated by the drive motor so as not to load the drive motor as much as possible.
For example, if there is an uphill on the travel route, before traveling on that uphill, especially while driving on a flat road or downhill that exists before the uphill, not just before the uphill, Sufficient acceleration is performed on a flat road surface or a downhill position so as to obtain a kinetic energy equal to or less than the potential energy obtained when climbing the uphill.
According to this, generation of useless torque on the uphill can be prevented, and the load applied to the drive motor can be reduced. Further, since the acceleration timing is not concentrated at one time, it is possible to prevent the monitoring function and the reporting function, which are the original functions of the autonomous mobile device, from being disturbed even during acceleration.

In addition, even if the traveling speed is controlled so that the torque generated during traveling on a flat road surface or downhill is equal to the torque generated during traveling on an uphill following the flat road surface or downhill. Good. For example, the torque generated while traveling on a flat road surface or downhill and the torque generated while traveling on an uphill following a flat road surface or downhill are averaged within ± 30% of each other. It is preferable to do. More preferably, it is preferable to run such that both torques are within ± 15% of each other on average. This torque means a flat acceleration path, an average value of uphill torque, or a torque peak.
Also, the running speed is controlled so that the torque generated during traveling on a flat road surface or downhill is equal to or greater than the torque generated during traveling on a flat road surface or downhill. May be.
According to this, the fluctuation of the torque generated by the drive motor can be reduced over the entire travel route including the flat road surface, the downhill and the uphill, and the load on the drive motor can be reduced.

Further, the traveling speed may be controlled so that the torque generated while traveling on a flat road surface or downhill is substantially constant while traveling on a flat road surface or downhill.
Further, similarly, the traveling speed may be controlled so that the torque generated during traveling on the uphill is substantially constant while traveling on the uphill.
This makes it possible to reduce fluctuations in torque generated by the drive motor while traveling on a flat road surface or downhill, or while traveling uphill, and to reduce the load on the drive motor. .

Further, the upper limit value of the traveling speed is stored in advance in the storage unit, and the upper limit value of the traveling speed stored in the storage unit is exceeded when traveling on any of the uphill, flat road surface, and downhill. The traveling speed may be controlled so that there is no such thing.
According to this, generation | occurrence | production of useless torque can be prevented and the load concerning a drive motor can be made small. In addition, since the magnitude of acceleration can be suppressed by keeping the traveling speed below a certain value, the monitoring function and notification function, which are the original functions of the autonomous traveling device, may be hindered even during acceleration. Can be prevented.

<Embodiment of acquisition processing of inclination information and target speed information of this invention>
FIG. 13 shows a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the process for acquiring the tilt information and the target speed information according to the present invention.
The inclination information and the target speed information are acquired by performing a test travel on a route on which the autonomous traveling device actually travels.
Further, before the test traveling, the autonomous traveling device is arranged to advance toward the test traveling direction at a predetermined initial position on the route for the test traveling.

In step S1, route information 74 of the travel route is read from the storage unit 70.
In step S2, information on the initial position at which traveling is started is acquired and stored. For example, the coordinates of the current position are acquired using information such as GPS. In addition, an initial value of the inclination information 75 is set. For example, zero is set to the measured travel distance L0, the distance difference, the measured height difference, the relative height H, and the tilt angle K of the tilt information 75 corresponding to the travel start point P0.

In step S3, the autonomous traveling device starts to travel. Here, as in the normal traveling, all the functions such as the distance detection unit 51 and the camera 55 are enabled and the traveling is started.
In step S4, using the information obtained from the distance detection unit 51, the position information acquisition unit 58, the speed detection unit 60, the encoder 61, etc., the current position and the travel distance are acquired for each predetermined point, and the inclination information is obtained. 75 is stored as the position coordinates in 75 and the measured travel distance L. The position of the predetermined point from which information is acquired may be a position at a certain time or a position every time a certain distance is traveled.
In step S5, using the information obtained from the distance detector 51, the camera 55, etc., the inclination detector 57 measures the inclination of the travel route and stores it as the measured height difference.

In step S6, it is checked whether or not to end the test run.
For example, when the route on which the test travel is performed is a cyclic route, it is only necessary to check whether or not the route has returned to the starting point P0. Alternatively, the end point of the test travel may be stored in advance, and it may be checked whether or not the current position matches the position of the end point.
If the test run is to be ended, the process proceeds to step S7. If not, the process returns to step S4, and the measurements in steps S4 and S5 are continued.

In step S7, since the test drive is completed, the stored inclination information 75 is used to calculate the relative height H, the inclination angle K, and the distance difference between adjacent points for each point, and the inclination information 75 is obtained. To remember.
In step S8, target speed information 76 is calculated and stored.
Here, the target arrival speed V is calculated and stored in the target speed information 76 for each point on the route by using the height difference of the inclined surface and the travel distance of the stored inclination information 75. At this time, the potential energy PE and the kinetic energy ME are also calculated and stored from the relative height at each point and the distance between the inclined surfaces. The target arrival speed V is set in consideration of the potential energy PE and the kinetic energy ME.
As described above, the inclination information 75 and the target speed information 76 are stored in the storage unit 70 in advance, and are used when actually making the autonomous traveling device normally travel.

<Embodiment of actual running process of this invention>
FIG. 14 shows a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the actual traveling process when actually traveling using the acquired target speed information.
In step S21, the route information 74 of the travel route is read from the storage unit 70 as in step S1.
In step S22, the inclination information 75 and the target speed information 76 are read from the storage unit 70.
In step S23, the traveling of the autonomous traveling device is started in the same manner as in step S3. Here, all functions such as the distance detection unit 51 and the camera 55 are enabled to start traveling. Further, the speed control unit 62 applies a current to the drive motor to control the speed so as to achieve the target arrival speed V of the read target speed information 76 at each point of travel.

In step S24, the position information acquisition unit 58 acquires the position coordinates of the current position. Further, the travel distance and the current speed are acquired using the speed detection unit 60 and the encoder 61. Here, it is confirmed whether the position coordinates of the acquired current position match the position coordinates of the point stored in the tilt information 75. That is, it is confirmed which point on the route the current position is.

In step S25, the speed is controlled to achieve the target arrival speed V of the read target speed information 76 at the next point. When the current speed is smaller than the target arrival speed V at the next point, acceleration control is performed. When the current speed is higher than the target arrival speed V at the next point, deceleration control is performed.
In acceleration control and deceleration control, in addition to the current speed and target arrival speed V, refer to the distance to the next point, the inclination angle of the inclined surface, the distance of the inclined surface, positional energy, kinetic energy, etc. Determine the value.
For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the autonomous mobile device is at point P1, a slightly larger motor is used to achieve the target arrival speed V2 at point P2 in order to climb uphill from the next point P2. Current value MI02 is applied to the drive motor to accelerate.

In step S26, as in step S6, it is checked whether or not to end traveling.
For example, if you ’re traveling on a circuit, check to see if you ’ve returned to the starting point,
When the vehicle returns to the starting point, the traveling is finished.
If the vehicle has not returned to the starting point or if the running should not be terminated, the process returns to step S24, and the processes in steps S24 and S25 are executed again.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Autonomous traveling apparatus, 2 Monitoring unit, 3 Control unit, 5 Management server, 6 Network, 10 Car body, 12R Right side, 12L Left side, 13 Front, 14 Rear, 15 Bottom, 16 Storage space, 18 Cover, 21 Front wheel, 21a axle, 21b sprocket, 22 rear wheel, 22a axle, 22b sprocket, 23 belt, 31 front wheel, 31a wheel, 31b sprocket, 32 rear wheel, 32a wheel, 32b sprocket, 33 belt, 40 battery, 41R electric motor, 41L electric motor, 41L electric motor Motor, 42R motor shaft, 42L motor shaft, 43R gear box, 43L gear box, 44R bearing, 44L bearing, 47 front bumper, 47a outer base material, 47b elastic member, 47c, 47d, 47e mounting base material, 48 rear bumper, 49 pressure sensitive switch, 50 control unit, 51 distance detection unit (LIDAR), 51a light emitting unit, 51b light receiving unit, 51c scanning control unit, 51d laser, 52 travel control unit 53 wheel, 54 communication unit, 55 camera, 56 image recognition unit, 57 tilt detection unit, 58 position information acquisition unit, 59 rechargeable battery, 60 speed detection unit, 61 encoder, 62 speed control unit, 63 target speed setting unit, 70 storage unit, 71 input image data, 72 measurement distance information, 73 current position information, 74 route information, 75 tilt information, 76 target speed information, 91 communication unit, 92 monitoring control unit, 93 storage unit, 93a reception monitoring information, 100 objects

Claims (11)

A travel control unit for controlling the drive member;
Distance detection for detecting a distance to the object and the road surface by emitting a predetermined light to a predetermined space including a forward space in the traveling direction and then receiving an object existing in the space and a reflected light reflected by the road surface And
A position information acquisition unit for acquiring position information indicating the current position for each travel point during travel;
Based on the detected distance to the road surface, an inclination detection unit that acquires inclination information including the height of the inclined surface on the traveling route and the distance of the inclined surface for each traveling point;
A target speed setting unit that sets a target arrival speed for ascending and descending the inclined surface for each traveling point using the acquired inclination information;
A storage unit that stores in advance the position information acquired at each travel point on the predetermined travel route, the tilt information, and the target arrival speed;
A speed control unit for controlling the traveling speed of each traveling point based on the target arrival speed stored in the storage unit;
The autonomy characterized in that the speed control unit controls the traveling speed so as to acquire the potential energy acquired when climbing uphill existing on the traveling route while traveling on a flat road surface or downhill. Traveling device.
When there is an uphill on the travel route, before traveling on the uphill, the uphill is acquired so as to acquire a kinetic energy equal to or less than the potential energy acquired when the uphill is fully climbed. 2. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 1, wherein the autonomous traveling device accelerates while traveling on a flat road surface or downhill existing before the slope.
When there is a flat road surface or downhill on the travel route, and an uphill following the flat road surface or downhill,
The target speed setting unit sets the target arrival speed of the traveling point immediately before the uphill so as to obtain the kinetic energy necessary to climb the uphill by the traveling point immediately before the uphill. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
The travel control unit comprises a drive motor that generates torque for rotating the drive member,
A motor current value that the speed control unit gives to the drive motor while traveling on the flat road surface or downhill so as to achieve the set target arrival speed at least at the travel point immediately before the uphill The autonomous traveling device according to claim 3, wherein the autonomous traveling device is controlled.
The speed control unit is configured so that the torque generated during traveling on the flat road surface or downhill is equal to the torque generated during traveling on the uphill following the flat road surface or downhill. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 4, wherein the traveling speed is controlled.
The speed control is performed so that the torque generated during traveling on the flat road surface or downhill is equal to or greater than the torque generated during traveling on the flat road surface or downhill. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 4, wherein the unit controls the traveling speed.
The speed control unit controls the traveling speed so that the torque generated while traveling on the flat road surface or downhill is substantially constant while traveling on the flat road surface or downhill. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 4.
5. The autonomous system according to claim 4, wherein the speed control unit controls the traveling speed so that the torque generated during traveling on the uphill is substantially constant during traveling on the uphill. Traveling device.
In the storage unit, the upper limit value of the traveling speed is stored in advance,
The speed control unit controls the traveling speed so that the upper limit value of the traveling speed is not exceeded when the vehicle travels on any of the uphill, the flat road surface, and the downhill. The autonomous traveling apparatus in any one of 8-8.
A travel control unit for controlling the drive member;
Distance detection for detecting a distance to the object and the road surface by emitting a predetermined light to a predetermined space including a forward space in the traveling direction and then receiving an object existing in the space and a reflected light reflected by the road surface And
A position information acquisition unit that acquires position information during traveling, an inclination detection unit, a target speed setting unit, a storage unit, and a speed control method for an autonomous traveling device including a speed control unit,
While traveling on a predetermined route,
The position information acquisition unit acquires position information indicating a current position for each travel point,
Based on the distance to the road surface detected by the distance detection unit, the inclination detection unit acquires inclination information including the height of the inclined surface on the traveling route and the distance of the inclined surface for each traveling point,
The target speed setting unit sets a target arrival speed for ascending and descending the inclined surface for each traveling point using the acquired inclination information,
The positional information acquired at each travel point on the travel route, the tilt information, and the target arrival speed are stored in association with each other,
Based on the target arrival speed stored in the storage section, the speed is acquired so that the potential energy acquired when climbing an uphill existing on the travel route is acquired while traveling on a flat road surface or a downhill. A speed control method for an autonomous traveling device, wherein the control unit controls the traveling speed of each traveling point.
On the computer,
A travel control function for controlling the drive member;
Distance detection for detecting a distance to the object and the road surface by emitting a predetermined light to a predetermined space including a forward space in the traveling direction and then receiving an object existing in the space and a reflected light reflected by the road surface Function and
A location information acquisition function for acquiring location information indicating the current location for each travel point during travel,
An inclination detection function for acquiring inclination information including the height of the inclined surface on the traveling route and the distance of the inclined surface for each traveling point based on the detected distance to the road surface;
A target speed setting function for setting a target arrival speed for ascending and descending the inclined surface for each traveling point using the acquired inclination information;
A storage function in which position information acquired at each travel point on a predetermined travel route, inclination information, and target arrival speed are stored in advance in association with each other;
Based on the stored target arrival speed, traveling at each traveling point so as to acquire the potential energy acquired when climbing uphill existing on the traveling route while traveling on a flat road surface or downhill. A program for an autonomous traveling device for realizing a speed control function for controlling speed.