JP2021081970A - Automatic travel control system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an automatic travel control system that allows a vehicle to move to a destination while avoiding obstacles.SOLUTION: An automatic travel control system 100 for allowing a vehicle 3 traveling on the ground to automatically travel up to a destination 7B comprises: a flight body 1 that can fly in the sky around the vehicle 3; a camera 2 attached on the flight body 1; flight control means 51 that controls the flight of the flight body 1; route setting means 53 that sets a route up to the destination 7B of the vehicle 3 based on an image taken by the camera 2; and travel control means 54 that controls a travel device 32 of the vehicle 3 such that the vehicle 3 moves along a route 70 set up by the route setting means 53.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic driving control system.

Conventionally, an automatic traveling control system for automatically moving a traveling vehicle traveling on the ground to a destination is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The traveling vehicle (moving body) described in Patent Document 1 is a storage unit that stores map information including object information indicating the positions of a plurality of fixed objects and a planned traveling route, and an object that recognizes an object ahead in the traveling direction. It has a recognition unit. The object information includes the flying object acquisition information indicating the position of the object recognized by the flying object having the positioning function of the satellite positioning system. The aircraft moves in tandem over the traveling vehicle. The traveling vehicle calculates its own current relative position with respect to the object based on the object information and the recognition result by the object recognition unit, searches for and estimates the position of the object on the map of the map information, and travels indicated by the relative position. Find the current estimated position on the map of the car. Then, the current position of the traveling vehicle weighted according to the estimated likelihood with respect to the obtained estimated position and the current positioning position is determined. As a result, even if the reception condition of the satellite radio wave is poor, it is possible to accurately obtain the current position of the traveling vehicle.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-188806

In the automatic driving control system described in Patent Document 1, the traveling vehicle moves to the destination along the planned traveling route stored in the storage unit. Therefore, if an unexpected obstacle exists in the planned traveling route, the traveling vehicle moves to the destination. It becomes difficult to avoid it.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic traveling control system capable of moving a traveling vehicle to a destination while avoiding obstacles.

The present invention is an automatic traveling control system for automatically traveling a traveling vehicle traveling on the ground to a destination in order to achieve the above object, and a photographing device capable of photographing the surroundings of the traveling vehicle from the sky is attached. An air vehicle, an air vehicle control means for controlling the movement of the air vehicle, a route setting means for setting a route to the destination of the traveling vehicle based on an image taken by the photographing device, and the route setting. Provided is an automatic traveling control system including a traveling vehicle control means for traveling the traveling vehicle along a route set by the means.

According to the automatic traveling control system according to the present invention, the traveling vehicle can be moved to the destination while avoiding obstacles.

The explanatory view which shows the structure of the flying body and the traveling vehicle which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of an automatic driving control system. (A) is an example of an image taken from the sky of a traveling vehicle. (B) is a distribution map showing the distribution of obstacles detected from the image shown in (a). It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the movement of an air vehicle when it is not possible to determine whether or not a step becomes an obstacle to a traveling vehicle. It is a flowchart which shows the specific example of a series of control processing performed by a control unit.

[Embodiment]
The automatic driving control system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are shown as suitable specific examples for carrying out the present invention, and there are some parts that specifically exemplify various technically preferable technical matters. , The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to this specific aspect.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of an air vehicle 1 and a traveling vehicle 3 according to the present embodiment. In the following description, the case where the traveling vehicle 3 is an autonomous traveling vehicle traveling on the premises of the factory will be described, but the place where the traveling vehicle 3 is used is not limited to this, and is parked in a public facility, a store, or the like. It may be on the premises such as a parking lot or a warehouse, or on a public road.

As shown in FIG. 1, the flying object 1 is an unmanned flying object that flies in the air by autonomous control, for example, a so-called drone. The flying object 1 can fly over the surroundings of the traveling vehicle 3 while performing wireless communication with the traveling vehicle 3. It is desirable that the flying object 1 can be stationary in the air, such as a small helicopter or a balloon. Etc. may be used.

The vehicle body 1 includes a main body 11 in which a flight body side control unit 10 described later is housed, a plurality of propellers 12 as flight propulsion units for promoting flight, a plurality of legs 13 extending downward from the main body 11, and a traveling vehicle. It has an antenna 14 for wireless communication with the three sides. The plurality of propellers 12 are rotationally driven by a drive source such as a motor (not shown). Further, the flying object 1 is equipped with a camera 2 as a photographing device capable of photographing the surroundings of the traveling vehicle 3 from the sky. The camera 2 is attached between the plurality of legs 13 of the main body 11 and can take a picture of the lower part in the vertical direction.

The traveling vehicle 3 includes a main body 31 in which a traveling vehicle side control unit 30 described later is housed, a traveling device 32 having a plurality of drive wheels 321 and a loading platform 33 on which the cargo 6 to be transported is placed, and an air vehicle. It has a landing platform 34 on which 1 arrives and departs, and an antenna 35 for wireless communication with the aircraft 1 side. The loading platform 33 and the departure / arrival platform 34 are provided on the upper part of the main body 31. Further, the traveling vehicle 3 is equipped with an object recognition device 4 that recognizes an object ahead in the traveling direction.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of the automatic driving control system 100 according to the present embodiment. The automatic driving control system 100 is a system that automatically drives the traveling vehicle 3 to a predetermined destination.

The automatic traveling control system 100 includes a flying object 1, a camera 2, a traveling vehicle 3, an object recognition device 4, and a control unit 5 including a vehicle-side control unit 10 and a traveling vehicle-side control unit 30. The control unit 5 includes a flight control means 51 that controls the flight of the flying object 1, an obstacle detection means 52 that detects an obstacle that hinders the running of the traveling vehicle 3 based on an image taken by the camera 2. A route setting means 53 that sets a route to the destination of the traveling vehicle 3 based on an image taken by the camera 2, and a traveling device so that the traveling vehicle 3 moves along the route set by the route setting means 53. It has a travel control means 54 that controls 32.

In the present embodiment, the flight body side control unit 10 has the flight control means 51, the obstacle detection means 52, and the route setting means 53, and the traveling vehicle side control unit 30 has the travel control means 54. Not limited to this, for example, the traveling vehicle side control unit 30 may have a part or all of the functions of the obstacle detecting means 52 and the route setting means 53. The functions of each of these means 51 to 54 are realized, for example, by the CPU (arithmetic processing unit) executing a program stored in the storage device.

The flight control means 51 controls the angles and rotation speeds of the plurality of propellers 12 to fly the flying object 1 and moves the flying object 1 to a position suitable for shooting by the camera 2. The camera 2 is, for example, a digital camera capable of color-shooting visible light, and can shoot a wide range including the lower part in the vertical direction. Further, the camera 2 may be capable of photographing infrared rays in addition to visible light, and can optically measure the size and distance of an object like LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging). Possible devices, radio radars, or ultrasonic sensors may be used. Further, the main body 11 of the flying object 1 may be provided with a shooting angle adjusting mechanism that changes the direction of the camera 2.

The obstacle detecting means 52 detects an obstacle based on the color, size, and shape of the object photographed from the air by the camera 2. For the detection of this obstacle, for example, a pattern recognition technique widely used as an image processing method can be used. Obstacles detected by the obstacle detecting means 52 include, for example, parked vehicles, temporarily placed materials, trees and fences, buildings, and steps.

Further, the obstacle detecting means 52 detects an obstacle in the peripheral portion of the traveling vehicle 3 in consideration of the information obtained from the object recognition device 4. The object recognition device 4 is a device for avoiding a collision with an obstacle in front of the traveling vehicle 3 in the traveling direction. For example, a camera that captures visible light may be used, but the object recognition device 4 is not limited to this, and for example, a lidar (Laser). A device capable of optically measuring the size and distance of an object such as Imaging Detection and Ranging), a radio wave radar, or an ultrasonic sensor may be used.

The route setting means 53 sets a route on which the traveling vehicle 3 can travel while avoiding obstacles detected by the obstacle detecting means 52. Specifically, a route that can be traveled while avoiding obstacles is searched so as to approach the destination from the current location of the traveling vehicle 3, and if the route becomes a dead end due to an obstacle, the route is rejected. .. Further, the route setting means 53 travels on a detour route that temporarily moves away from the destination in order to avoid the obstacle when there is no route that avoids the obstacle and reaches the destination without moving away from the destination. It is set as a route to guide the car 3.

The travel control means 54 controls the travel device 32 so that the traveling vehicle 3 moves along the route set by the route setting means 53 based on the image taken by the camera 2. Specifically, by analyzing the image taken by the camera 2, the relative positional relationship between the traveling vehicle 1 and the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting means 52 is recognized, and the direction is changed with respect to the traveling device 32. And so on.

Further, when the traveling vehicle 3 is moving along the route set by the route setting means 53, the traveling control means 54, for example, when an unexpected obstacle such as a traveling vehicle appears in front of the traveling direction. Stops the traveling device 32 according to the distance to the obstacle. Such an obstacle can be detected by the image of the camera 2 attached to the flying object 1, but can also be detected by the information obtained from the object recognition device 4. Further, the traveling control means 54 also stops the traveling device 32 when the traveling vehicle 3 arrives at the destination.

Next, specific examples of the processing contents of the obstacle detecting means 52 and the route setting means 53 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. FIG. 3A is an example of an image taken from the sky of the traveling vehicle 3. FIG. 3B is a distribution map showing the distribution of obstacles 8 detected from the image shown in FIG. 3A. The image obtained by the camera 2 is actually a color image. In FIG. 3B, the detected obstacle 8 is shown in gray.

As described above, the obstacle detecting means 52 detects the obstacle 8 by analyzing the image taken by the camera 2. The obstacle detecting means 52 can recognize the height of an object by, for example, the length of a photographed shadow, and can distinguish between a flat road marking such as a white line or a pedestrian crossing and a three-dimensional object. Is.

The route setting means 53 avoids the obstacle 8, and even if there is a gap between the adjacent obstacles 8, if the width of the gap is narrower than the width that the traveling vehicle 3 can safely pass through, the gap is closed. Avoid and search for routes. For example, the first to fifth route plans 71 to 75 shown in FIG. 3B are not used as a route for moving the traveling vehicle 3 because they are dead ends due to the obstacle 8, and although they are detours, they are obstacles. A route 70 capable of moving the traveling vehicle 3 from the current location 7A to the destination 7B without being blocked by 8 is set by the route setting means 53.

In FIG. 3B, the path 70 is indicated by six linear arrows 701-706. The traveling control means 54 controls the traveling device 32 so that when the traveling vehicle 3 reaches the connecting portions of the arrows 701 to 706, the traveling vehicle 3 changes the traveling direction along the route 70.

Further, when the traveling vehicle 3 is moving, for example, when the vehicle stops in front of the traveling direction and cannot move along the route 70, the obstacle detecting means 52 detects the vehicle as a new obstacle. , The route setting means 53 searches for and sets a route that can be reached to the destination 7B again while avoiding obstacles. Then, the travel control means 54 moves the traveling vehicle 3 along the newly set route.

Further, when the obstacle detecting means 52 cannot determine whether or not the object photographed by the camera 2 is an obstacle, the flight control means 51 moves the flying object to a position where the object can be photographed from different angles by the camera 2. Move 1 A specific example in this case will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 4, the height of the step 81 cannot be clearly grasped from the image of the camera 2 when the flying object 1 is in a high position in the sky, and it cannot be determined whether or not the step 81 becomes an obstacle to the traveling vehicle 3. It is explanatory drawing which shows the movement of the flying object 1 at the time. FIG. 4 illustrates a case where the flying object 1 moves so as to lower the altitude. The flying object 1 before the movement is shown by a virtual line (dashed-dotted line), and the flying object 1 after the movement is shown by a solid line. There is. Further, not only the altitude may be lowered, but also the flying object 1 may be moved so as to approach the step 81 in the horizontal direction.

By moving the flying object 1 in this way, the obstacle detecting means 52 can recognize the height of the step 81 by image analysis. If the height of the step 81 is equal to or less than the height that can be overcome by the traveling vehicle 3, the obstacle detecting means 52 does not consider it as an obstacle, and if the height of the step 81 exceeds the height that can be overcome by the traveling vehicle 3, it is regarded as an obstacle. To detect. Further, the obstacle detecting means 52 stores the determination result of the object for which it is determined whether or not it is an obstacle as a database, and refers to it in the next and subsequent obstacle detection processes. This makes it possible to shorten the obstacle detection time from the next time onward.

Next, the procedure of the process executed by the control unit 5 of the automatic driving control system 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a specific example of a series of control processes performed by the control unit 5.

First, the control unit 5 takes off the flying object 1 from the departure / arrival platform 34 by the flight control means 51, and photographs the range including the current location and the destination of the traveling vehicle 3 from the sky with the camera 2 (step S1). The destination may be indicated by, for example, a mark that can be visually recognized from the sky. If the flying object 1 has a positioning function by GPS (Global Positioning System), the position of the destination may be indicated by latitude and It may be specified by longitude.

Next, the control unit 5 detects an obstacle based on the image taken by the camera 2 by the obstacle detecting means 52 (step S2). When the obstacle detecting means 52 can obtain an image of the range from the current location to the destination by one shooting by the camera 2, the obstacle detecting means 52 may detect the obstacle based on the image of the one shooting. Obstacles may be detected by combining a plurality of divided images obtained by a plurality of shots.

In the process of step S2, when there is an object whose obstacle detecting means 52 cannot determine whether or not it is an obstacle (step S3: Yes), the flight control means 51 photographs the object from different angles depending on the camera 2. The flying object 1 is moved to a possible position (step S4), and the obstacle detecting means 52 determines whether or not the flying object is an obstacle based on the image taken by the camera 2 after the moving object 1 is moved (step S5). ).

In the determination process of step S3, for example, when the reliability calculated according to the sharpness of the image or the size of the object with respect to the shooting range is lower than a predetermined threshold value, or when the similarity in pattern recognition is a predetermined threshold value. If it is lower than, it is determined that it cannot be determined whether or not the photographed object is an obstacle. If there are a plurality of objects for which it cannot be determined whether or not they are obstacles, the processes of steps S4 and S5 are performed for each object.

Next, the control unit 5 sets a route that allows the traveling vehicle 3 to reach the destination by avoiding obstacles by the route setting means 53 (step S6), and the traveling vehicle 3 is routed by the traveling control means 54. The traveling device 32 is controlled so as to move along the above (step S7). While the traveling vehicle 3 is moving, the flight control means 51 moves the flying vehicle 1 in tandem over the traveling vehicle 3 so that the flying vehicle 1 follows the traveling vehicle 3.

Further, when a new obstacle is detected by the obstacle detecting means 52 (step S8: Yes) while the traveling vehicle 3 is moving to the destination, the route setting means 53 again sets the route to the destination. Search and set (step S6). Then, when the traveling vehicle 3 reaches the destination (step S9: Yes), the traveling control means 54 stops the traveling device 32 (step S10).

(Effect of embodiment)
According to the embodiment described above, the image taken by the camera 2 mounted on the vehicle 1 is taken even if the user does not set the route for traveling the traveling vehicle 3 in advance and stores it in the traveling vehicle 3. The route avoiding obstacles can be automatically set based on the above, and the traveling vehicle 3 can be safely moved to the destination.

(Additional note)
Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiment, the embodiment does not limit the invention according to the claims. It should also be noted that not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention.

In the above embodiment, the case where the flying object 1 is single has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the flying object 1 may be plural. In this case, for example, each of the flying objects 1 has a role to play a role so that the flying object flying at a low altitude detects a small obstacle and the flying object flying at a high altitude detects a large obstacle. It is possible to divide.

1 ... Air vehicle 100 ... Automatic travel control system 2 ... Camera 3 ... Travel vehicle 32 ... Travel device 4 ... Object recognition device 5 ... Control unit 51 ... Flight control means 52 ... Obstacle detection means 53 ... Route setting means 54 ... Travel control Means 6 ... Cargo 70 ... Route 7A ... Current location 7B ... Destination 8 ... Obstacles

Claims (4)

It is an automatic driving control system that automatically drives a traveling vehicle traveling on the ground to the destination.
An air vehicle that can fly over the surroundings of the traveling vehicle,
The imaging device attached to the flying object and
A flight control means for controlling the flight of the flying object and
A route setting means for setting a route to the destination of the traveling vehicle based on an image taken by the photographing device, and a route setting means.
A traveling control means that controls a traveling device of the traveling vehicle so that the traveling vehicle moves along a route set by the route setting means.
Automatic driving control system equipped with. An obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle that hinders the traveling of the traveling vehicle based on an image taken by the photographing device is further provided.
The route setting means sets the route while avoiding the obstacle.
The automatic driving control system according to claim 1. An object recognition device attached to the traveling vehicle and recognizing an object in front of the traveling vehicle in the traveling direction is further provided.
The obstacle detecting means detects the obstacle by adding the information obtained from the object recognition device.
The automatic driving control system according to claim 2. When the obstacle detecting means cannot determine whether or not the object photographed by the photographing device is the obstacle, the flight control means is positioned at a position where the object can be photographed from a different angle by the photographing device. Move the flying object,
The automatic driving control system according to claim 2 or 3.

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